Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1897-10-27
The day is almost at hand when man

The day is almost at hand when man
will dispute with the bird for supreni:
acy in the air. For hundreds Of years
his ambition has been at work with
such persistency of effort that he now
begins to see the end. He has grap-
pied with the invisible forces of the
atmosphere, sometimes blindly, but
always courageously; generally to
meet with disappointment, but happily
with enough success to keep alive his
determination to master the most diff
ficult of all problems in physics. Lives
have been lost and fortunes have been
expended in the pursuit of this battling
question of man-Aight. Ridicule has
been heaped upon the heads of those
who sought to cope with the feathered
messengers of the air, and their sanity
questioned by the world at large.
The advancement made toward the
full solution Of the problem of man
flight during the year 1856 was greater
than that Of any previous year; and
attracted the widest attention among
scientists. Probably more interest
centered in the experiments conducted
thirty miles southeast of Chicago on
the shore of Lake Michigan by Octave
Chanute, of Chicago, than anywhere
else. The prominent position occu-
pied by Mr.. Chanute in the scientific
world was accepted as guarantee that
he had faith in his experiments, and
that lie had.no other purpose in view
but to demonstrate certain principles
involved in the problem.
At the time he was thus engaged Mr..
Chauute observed much caution in his
utteralccs concerning the results OBJ
tanned. Fearful lest his conclusions
might not be properly formed, or that
he might be misunderstood, he re-
Trained as far as possible from commit
ing himself on the subject further than
to say his experiments were very salts
factory. Since then he has gained
courage, so to speak, and has become
enthusiastic over what has been ac-
complished. He is now confident that
the way is clear for the solution Of the
problem, md modestly takes to him
self q goodly share of the credit for
pointing the way. He claims that his
experiments have marked out the best
lines for Investigators to follow, and
numbers them as follows in the order
of their Importance:
I. The developm snt of the self-pro-
PEELED aerodrome.
2. The development of the motor
less air sailer.
3. The DEVELOPMENT. O, the m9teSs..ss.
near Dune PARK, Ind, anu Mr.
Chauute has been almost q daily
visitor to the scene Of action. HIS IN,
terest in the result will net let hlm
stay away longer than one day TOR sew
sraI reasons. One reason is that the
machine being used is one OF his own
invention in its most important details,
md another is that the experiments
are following the second line OF IN,
vestiration, which he laid down a.
necessary for the solution OF tn'
nroblem of man-fight. 1t is SAID tina
MIR. Chanute is the real one ,l VINO %, ! !;
conducting the experiments, but thi
So denies in favor of A. NJ. Herring.
young man of considerable soiensif oH ,Sit
knowledge, who was associated WIZ
Mr. Chanute last year in his extenslS
experiments at the same place:
The machine with which MI. Hel
ring is now experimenting daily repr'
sents the ideas of both himself ali
Mr. Chanute. 1t belongs to tno san
class ss the machine which the Ia
Otto Iilienthal, of Berlin, brought o.
in 1894 and in the use OF when ne ~ ,
his death last year. 1t might well =.
termed flying machine, and yet 'o