Omaha daily bee., 1896-05-14
HAS A SHIP THAT WILL FLY
Steam Driven Aerodrome that Takes Three
Minutes to the Mile.
PROF. LANGLEY EXPLOITS HIS INVENTION
Secretary of the Smithsonian insti-
tute Constructs n Machine that
skins Through the Air Like
n Gigantic BIRD.

WASHINGTON. May l2.-The first public
statement regarding the flying machine ex-
perments conducted by Prof Samuel p.
Langley secretary of the Smithsonian tnstt-
tute for some months past. was made today
with the authority of Prof. Langley. The
well known scientist has been believer in
the eventual practical use of air vehicles Tor
years, and for a long period he has been
making experiments with a device OF his own
invention near Occaquant, Va. Much secrecy
has been attached to these trials OF the aero
drome and the little that has leaked out has
excited intense interest among scientists
throughout the world. Prof. Langley
has always been very guarded about the ex-
pcrlments and the account Of his latest at
tempts with the flying machine, embodied in
the following statements prepared by Prof
Alexander Graham Bell, the well known
inventor published with the consent oil
Prof. Langley, therefore, will be OF great
interest to the scientific world generally:
Last Wednesday, May 6, / witnessed
very remarkable experiment with Prof
Langley'c acrodrome on the Potomac river.
Indeed it seemed 20 me that the experiment
YVES Of such historical Importance That IL
should be made public. | should not feel
at liberty to give an account of all the details,
consent for giving you, and they are as
follows
"The aerodome or flying machine in ques-
tion was of steel driven by steam engine.
IL resembled an enormous bird, soaring IN
the air with extreme regularity, in large
curves, sweeping steadily upward in a spiral
path, the sprals with a diameter of perhaps
100 yards until it reached height of about
100 feet in the air. At the end of a course
of about half a mile, when the steam gave
out, the prope'lors VIII ch had moved 1t stopped
and then to my further surprise, the whole,
instead of tumbling down, settled as SLOWLY
and gracefully as it is possible for any bird
to do. touched the water without
any damage and was Immediately picked
out and ready to be tried again. A second
trial was like The first except that the ma
chine went into different direction, NOV
ing in one continuous gentle ascent as II
swung around the circles like great soar
ing bird. At one time it seemed to be IN,
darger as its course carried 1t to neigh
boring wooded promontory, but apprehen-
sion was immedia ey allayed as it passed
twenty-1ve or thirty feet above the top OF
the highest trees there and then ascended
still further Its steam finally gave out
again, and 1t settled into the water not
quarter of a mile from the poinu where 1t
rose. No one could have witnessed these
experiments without being convinced that
the prac:icability Of mechanical flight had
been demonstrated
"ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL.
Prof Langley also made public supple
mental statement giving some important
data regarding recent experiments.
"The aerodrome, or flying machine, has
mo gas to lift it, in the case of a balloon,
but, on the contrary, 1t is about LOCO times
heavier bulk for bulk. than the air on
which 1t is made to run. and which sus-
tains 1t somewhat the way in which thin Ice
supports swift skater. The power is de-
rived from steam engine, through the
means of propcllors, but owing to the scale
on which the actual aerodrome is built
there has been nc condensing apparatus to
use the water over and over. Enough can
be carried for only very brief flight, a
difficulty which does not belong TO larger
machines than the present example in which
the supporting surfaces are but about four
teen feet from tip to tip. The distance
flown each time was about one-haf mile.
The rate Of speed depends (as in the case
of any vehicle on land) on whether it is
going on a level or up hill. In the case of
this last trial. on May 6, the machine was
ascending, that is to say, it was going up
hill all the time, and went through dis
tance of one-half mile or mere in one and
Cne-half minutes, or at the rate of a little
more than twenty miles an hour"