The morning times., 1897-02-28
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A Machine that Seems
to Fly Like a Bird

Berlin, Feb. 81. Herr Arthur Stentzel,
of Altoona, believes be has solved the prob
lem of aerial navigation. 1t has long been
the ann of the flying machine enthusiast
10 construct something that would pTac-
/ tically be the prototype OF a bird. There
in, it has been firmly believed. lies the
secret OF IocornOtion through the air. IL is
on this principle that Herr StentzeI has
constructed his machine Its two great
sections resemble the wings OF a gigantic
bird. With them the inventor declares that
he can move through the air for four or
five minutes and alight without Injury.
At first the stentzeI machine gives the
impression that il is like that which made
Prof. LinienthaI famous. But the beauty
OF this machine is, according 70 the best Jf
authority, that it can really fly. and this.
too, without breaking the bones OF the az
venturous mortal who trusts himself To it
The wings OF the StentzeI machine have
a spread OF about seven yards, AMI their
surface is eight and two-fifths yards, all
told. They move through an angle OF sew
enty degrees, and are curved according to
u paraboIaina proportion OF one to twelve
Compressed eaTbonic acid gas is employed
as motive agent, and the machine IS
utih CA By ciL clacb "a A1FAA otClALEEA
invention The speed Of the engine can be
readily controlled so that the machine can
ny at varying velocities Herr Stentzel's
theory, upon which his machine is really
based, is practically that of Nadar, who
insistedthat body to be able TO fly must
be heavier than air. This fact. he said, was
proved by the undoubted truth that every
thing that could ny-as, for instance, a
III
He also declared that an apparatus Ill
rected by a man only would never fly sue
cessfuIly, because il would prove too weak
withstand the heavy air current A man
is only able to generate One-haIf atmos-
pheric horse power, and ne can never be
able to generate two atmospheric horse
power, which Prof. LilIienthaI proved was
necessary to lift man weighing $50
pounds. Herr StentzeIfound, when hec came
to consider carefully the weight OF each
substance that went to make up the total
OF his machine, that the aggregate weight
ofthem all would sum up 300 pounds. This
was the basis on which the new invention
was built
To secure what is equivalent 10 one
horsepower it is necessary that a pres
sure of five atmOS Spheres be obtained: and
the greater the horse e-power. the more
capable is the machine OF continued loco
motion in the air. This is the point, and
here, Herr StentzeI says, lies the Soiu-
tion of the problem Can he develop the
necessary horsepower, and viii his ma
chine respond 10 the mechanical stimulus
il thus Teceives2
The inventor mourns, as inventors usu-
ally DO tile lack OF necessary capital to
carry on his experiments.
After the beginning always comes con-
tinuatiOu.'' continued Herr StentZel. Il
am sure that there is no limit 10 the posi-
bilities OF my machine. II is just Ike
a growing plant. First YOU see the shoot
above the ground, and then it gradually
grows and wakes strong, and presently iJ
begins TO extend and branch OUT and leaves
form, and after a while il becomes some
thing Of which nature herself is proud.
The question is now as to the develop
ment OF power. 1t takes lifting power
OF seveuty-fIve pounds 10 enable machine
TO fly free in the air. Now what | have TO
do is to regulate and adjust the different
elements OF power that they Will all act in
harmony. and enable me to take my
machine ana fly not for five minutes. nor
for ten minutes. but for as many hours
as / like
1t has been my aim to initiate. as near
as possible. the bird. YoJ see, have the
wings Look at them closely Did you
ever see the wing OF the bird spread out
flat on smooth surface? Then you have
seen tiny counterpart Of the wings Of