The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-06-03
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Secretary Langley, Of tho Smithsonian
Institution, has solved the problem OF
aerial navigation, anyH the Herald on
nm experimental stage.
Ills experimental nyinR machine, or
"aer0drome," aA ho has named II. has
within tho past two wooka made two
flights u half n mile each ana sull
longer nights would have boon possible
but Tor tho fact that tho steam engine
which furnishes the motive power havs
Ing boen constructed for experimental
purposes only. has limited water capacity
ana no condnnHing apparatus. This
necessarily limits the motion OF tho en-
ginu ana the Hight OF the machine 10
tho time required 20 exhaust the small
amount of water that can be carried by
tho boiler.
Prof Alexander Graham Beli, who has
taken great interest In tho experiments
IN aerial navigation. which has been car
rlhd on by Secretary Langley. Witnessed
tho last trials of the anrOdrOme Prof.
He'll, In describing what he saw said
'"fhe aerOdromo, or dying machine
waa OF steel. driven by steam engine.
II resemblcd an enormous bird, soaring
IN tho air with extreme regularity IN
large curves. sweeping steadily upward
meter of perhaps on hundred yards. up-
IN II reached a height OF about one hun
dfcd foot IN the air. at the und OF
course uf about half mile. when ths
steam gave out. tho propoilera which
had moved II stopped. ana then. 10 my
further surprise, instead OF tuInblinE
down. settled ah slowly and gracefully
40 Il II possible for any bird 10 DO,
touched the water without any damage,
AMI WAS Immediately picked out ana
ready To- be- tried again
~ second trial was Ike Tho nrnt, ca
cent that the machine went In a diner
ont direction. moving In ono continuous
grhlle ascent aH It swung around in
circles like great soaring bird Al
ono time I, soumed 90 bo IN danger. Hs
lta rourao carried u over nrighbprluE
wooded promoutory. but apprehension
WAS Immediately alayed. a. 4, pasScd
twenty .nYc or thirty fert above the I
tops OF the hghrat trrvn thufu aud as
cchdins ntlll further. iU steam nnaiiy |
gave out again. aud 4, settled into the ]
waters of tho river. not quite d quarter /
Of d mile from the point at which II |
nfoa"
mo onu could have witnessed these
experiments without being convinced !
that the practirahtlity OF mechanical /
When called on Secretary Langley. at /
the smlthronin institution. hu said he /
did not care 10 make public at this time /
all the "details of tho construction ana /
operation Of the nHrodromu he said TO
nc; Tho apparatus has no gas TO lift |
II. an In the case OF balloon. but. on 4
tho contrary. u II about one thousand /
times heavier. bulk for bulk than the /
air on which Il Ia made 10 run. ana /
which AuHtaiun II somewhat IN the WA
In which thin Ice supports swift skater.
The power II derived from steam en-
Eina. through tho means Of propellors,
but. owing 10 tho scale on which the
actual acrpdrome II built. there has been
no condcnsing apparatus provided to use
tho water over and over. Enough can
he carried for only very brief night. a
dlihouity which does not belong 10 larger
machines than the present example. IN
which the supporting surfaces Rrp but
about fourteen feet from tip 10 tip, The
distance nown each time was about one
half mile Tho rate OF speed depends
las In the case Of any vehicle on land)
on whether II IL going on n level or up
hill In the case OF this last trial OF
May tho machine was aAccnding-that
10 TO say. Il was going UP hill all the
time. and went through a distance OF
hair minutes. or az the rate OF a little
morc than twenty miles an hour may
add that there werv no passengers on
eithor trip, Tho present machine II not
constructed for carrying passengers
Ia the experiments from the beginning
all Idea OF rising IN the air by using a
gus lighter than the air TO give buoyancy
to tho machine has been discarded. ana
instead OF II Secretary Langley has nim-
cd at tainE advantage OF inertia In the
air, that h. ~ indisposition to bc sud
denly displaced. and by moving through
II AZ great speed TO mako tho air sup
port body much heavier than itself.
just as the secretary pointed out 10 me
a skater who moves swiftly IL able TO
glide over thin leo that would not sup
port him for n moment II he were 10
stand still upon Il. Secretary i.anRley'H
Irnt experiments were made with what
he dominated aeroplanes, which were
thin structures. propelled through tho
air at sufficient rates OF speed TO cause
them TO rise just as kite rises when
the hoy holding the string runs against
tho wind. His first aerOplancs were at
taohcd to long arm revolving around
q central pole. With these he was able
to determine by actual experiment the
best forms OF planes to be adopted, and
10 nhhN NhlNhiNhunH aH 70 AHu HAAAuh !
power OF various slEcd surfaces at vari-
Gus rates OF speed,
when the FIRST difficulties OF the prob
lem had been solved by these expert
mcnts Secretary Langley had constructed
an experimental machine. a trial OF
which too place on the Potomac river
In December. 1894, The body, containing
the engine and "a boiler. was shaped not
unlike the body Of a. bird, rhc aero
planes which supported II projected from
rnch side, incllning upward ut slight
angle, There were two pairs OF wings,
The postcrlor pair being somewhat small
rr than the anterior pair, At the rear
VI the machine were two screw propell-
nrs being capable OF being driven at "a
high rate OF speed. and back OF these
were vertical and horizontal rudders to
prevent the detection OF the machine
either sideways or up or down by the
OF the air.