The morning times., 1896-10-13

II tiitIe dEt WHICH tUdU
envies, and especially their means of loco
motion, they are the birds. Ambition Will
not be satisfied until men can fly like birds.
From time immemoriai the imagination
has given wings To angels and fancied spirits
soaring through space. Even John Milton
did not clip the pinions of Satan when. in
his masterpiece. lie cast him headlong out
of heaven and sent the evil one iurling into
the bottomlcss abyss.
Since DUdalus, who, according 10 an.
cient Grecian legend, built pair of wings
OF wax for his son, Icarus, 10 soar to the
planets, other mortals have sought TO ac-
compiish aerial navigation, with greater
or less success.
That the time will ultimately come
when the dreanier's fancy will he real
lied, and people think no more OF going
on "A Journey by airship than they do now
by steamship ON water or by rail on
land, no one who has watched the prog
ress OF science aud invention for the
past 100 years can doubt.
What ii mere youth should solve the
vexed problem which for years has puz-
Zied the brains or the wise men? Washing
ton has real genius, whose wonderful
achievements in aerial navigation, and
whose flying machine, soon TO be brought
out, bid fair TO startle the entire World.
a YOUTHFUL INVENTOR.
Especially SO as the successful inventor
is but sixteen years Of age, aud thus far
his experiments, which have been founded
upon scientific principles. have proven
that lie is upon the right line OF reasoning.
He is Royce Arnold Nokes, the son OF
the late Police sergt. Nokes, and lives
with his mother ut No. 400 Maine avenue
southwest. He has been dubbed the Sage
of South Washington His inventions and
experiments have been chiefly along the
line of aeronautics. A few moments CON
rersation with this young man reveals
the fact that he is n master of the sub.
ject and thoroughly understands the prin-
ciples upon which he is working.
Young Nokes, from infancy, has displayed
remarkable mechanical ability From the
time lie was able to whittle Il stick and
drive a nail lie has amused his comrades
and piaymates by building little saiiboats,
understanding kites, some with tails and
Others that would fly without tails. He
has made windmills, weather vaDes and
spinning wheels, so that his genius has been
chiefly devoted from the first to flying
the air
The young man now holds u position in
the prnpagating seed department of the
4 agricultural Bureau under Col. Wilson.
This prevents him from devoting as much
time as he would like to working upon his
flying machine. Yet every evening, upon
reaching home, he makes straight for his
workshop in the cellar OF the holse, and
laI. fnr int. ft,n nterI,f
When other boys are enjoying themselves
young Nokes finds pleasure in toiling at
airship. By the dim light of gas Jet
lie has wrought into practical models his
plans and principles for aerial navigation.
BUILT IN A CELLAR,
In his underground workshop, like Green.
the hero OF Poet Townsend's flying machine
story, the youthful inventor plugs the holes
and calks the cracks" A Times reporter,
however, Sought out the mysterious labora-
tory, gave the countersign and was ad-
United. The model upon which the in
ventor was at work was suspended from the
ceiling, and about it lay the workman's tools
and the different parts of the queer appa-
ratus.
The machine is a cross between 4 ship
and n huge bird.
The entire length of the airship, from
bow to stern, is about six and one-half feet.
and in width, from tip To tip of the wings,
is eight or nine feet. The lower portion
of the machine is the part which most
resembles Il ship.
The framework is of rattan, which com.
bines the properties of lightness, strength
and flexibility. 1t is held in place by
small but stout strings of wire, which are
also very light
The framework of the model is covered
with thickly woven muslin for test pur-
poses, though on n more practical ma
chine the inventor will use oiled slkoline,
which would prevent the air from passing
| through the sails. The larger and main
| part of the ship portion is what might he
called the deck plane. This is about
four feet long by three wide.
CATCHING THE AIR
Beneath this and perpendicular TO it is
! the keel plane, about eighteen inches in
| depth on the average. This keel projects
| out beyond the front of the deck about
twelve inches, as a sort of cut water, or
| rather air cutter and Prov. Above this and
| in front OF the deck is the PILOT plane,
less than 40 degrees, so that the air will
| catch under it and direct the course of the
ship upward.
On the model this, like all of the other
plans, is stationary, but on complete and
more practical flyer these will be auto.
matte and adjustable, SO that they can be
raised or lowered according to the desire
of the passenger to rise, descend or strike
/ level course.
| In ,he stern of the airship, eneath the
| deck and On either side OF the keel, are two
| other planes pitched at forty five de-
| grees, against which the air will strike
] when the machine is in motion and tend
| to carry IL heaveDward. These can also
be made fiat when sufficient height is
| reached.
In the extreme rear is a Sort of rudder
| or tail, used both as a balance when the
| pressure OF the wind is upon it and also
| as guide. Over this is propeller
which resembles the latest circular elec.
| trio fan and is about twenty inches in
eter.
PRESENT MOTIVE POWER.
This is driven by strong cables of rub
ber, tightly wound about an axle which sets
the wheel swiftly in motion when released
and has the advantage of weighing but a
couple of ounces. About eight seconds are
required for the running of these bands
and in that time they engender consider
able force which sets the propeller re.
yolving at very swift velocity.
The force thus created when the planes
are set at an angle OF fifteen degrees
| tends to raise the machine. The force
l
!; one minute.