Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-23

thicknesses Of silk, cut to form triangles
and fastened with the corresponding points
overlapping, to give spiral effect.
Many rubber strings inside the frame
were previously twisted. AS they unwound
the wings revolved In opposite directions
Prof. Langley altered this device until he
succeeded in making it ascend as high as
the Smithsonian building. Another Of
Penaud's inventions was rod twenty
inches long, supporting rubber motor
Near the center and at right angles was
a bowshaped rod, covered with silk and
measuring fifteen inches from tip to tip
In the rear was a screw propeller Of two
paddles. Between this and the Dow-aero-
plane was a sail made of an oval frame,
covered with silk, having a fin rising at
right angles, in vertical plane. With this
additional flights were made and further
lessons learned.
Mechanical Bird.
In 1889 Pinchancourt had improved upon
the inventions of Penaud by constructing
a mechanical bird, with strong rubber
motor revolving a triple eccentric. This
eccentric moved three sets Of levers, each
fastened to a different part of the wings.
Prof. Langley purchased one of these. 1t
measured fourteen and one-haf riches in
length and sixteen and one-half inches
from tip to tip of wings, weighing about
enc and one-half ounces. A similar one,
IL not the actual one, had previously flown
seventy feet in France against the wind.
Experiments with this added to the fast
increasing knowledge of the laws of flight.
Further studies were devoted to the
Stringfellow airship, which hangs above
the historic John Bull train in the Ma
tional Museum. In 1868 this had been
awarded a prize of $500 at the Crystal Pal
ace. London. 1t then had the hghtest steam
engine, in proportion to it's power ever
made. 1t consists of three aeroplanes, one
above the other, and tail, the whole
weighing but twelve pounds, with fuel and
water. 1t flew, suspended on a wire but
never independently.
Combining the lessons demonstrated by
these machines, as well as by the whirling-
table, Secretary Langley, about the year
1892, built for himself an original model,
differing from any other which had pre-
viously navigated the air. This is g. direct
ancestor Of the last aerodrome, aud its re-
lationship may be counted within a few
generations. 1t measured Al inches in great
est length, 81 inches from tip to tip of widest
wings. 1t had two aeToplanes of thin silk
one above the other, and long and slender
tail. tipped with a sail Of paper, made of
three triangles. Joined.
1t Beat the Record.
The main frame consisted of two parallel
rods of bamboo, between the aeroplanes,
held together with cross wires. Each rod
contained inside long skein of rubber
strings which. when twisted and released,
set in motion pair Of double-paddle pro-
pellers Of thick paper. This model flew
further than any Of Its predecessors. On
one eventful day 1t propelled ITSELF in free
air, over the picturesque towers of the
smithsonian: Its rubber motor Is said to
have created more motive power per ounce
than any other motor ever before invented
The difficult problem now to be solved was
the construction Of a sufficiently light and
compact steam engine, to replace the rub
Der strings.
About this time an American inventor
named Copeland had begun to succeed in
building steam engines exSelling all others
less than ten pounds to one horse power
With this the secretary demonstrated that
such an engine would support weight OF