The times., 1897-09-13
FLIGHT THROUGH THE AIR
Aerocurye to Make a Trip From
Chicago TO New York.
CURIOUS FLYING MACHINE
Experimental Trial shows That the
New Invention May Become
Common Carrier in the Near Fd-
ture An Engine to BE Contrived
to Propel 1t Great Distances.

A correspondent of the New York Herald
at Chicago writes as follows: w hen l
give the worG, run forward briskly to the
end of the Loard and jump off. Keep tight
hold of the bars and dIaw your legs up as
you jump. Don't be afraid; there is no
danger
Despite the assurances OF my mentor
did not feel any too well pleased over the
prospect II launching myself out into $50
fee { of space. L was standing at the top
of sand dune ON the southern shore OF
Lake Michigan, al Dune Park, Ind. Below
me stretched away a wide and gradual
ly descending area of sand. was a / the
top OF a steepiy inclined platform made OF
three boards, and in my hands, held well
above my head, | grasped the handle bars
of a. NJ. Herring's flying machine, the Aero
curve. 'Isit worth the risil?'' was asking
myself, when suddenly Mr.. Herring sang
OUT
NOW"
1 felt myself gently pushed forward
1t was too late TO back out, so started
on rCn. and as / reached the end of the
boards jumped Off To my surprise, in
stead of dropping with a thud, l went
gently sailing onward like bird The
sensation was peculiar. My inclination
was to get to earth as speedily as posi-
BILE huJ ! was held up in the air against
my VIII, all the time going forward at
what seemed TO be rapid pace. The
air rushed into my lungs; l felt buoyant,
tn Ike "A
eagle soaring without u stroke of his
wings
There was no work TO do; no rudder or
mechanism to iandle nothing save 70 hang
On 70 the handle bars and go ahead All
the time l could readily discern the fact
that, as the machine moved onward hori
zontally 1t was gradually nearing the earth.
This v as the o1ly thing that prevented me
fron. letting go and taking bad tumble
for the inclination 10 get on terra firma
again was a strong one
was too busy to pay much attention to
the panorama OF sand dunes spread out be
low and aheadof me. In fact, my thoughts
were not ceutercd on scenery. l was Won
dering when the flight would come to an
end, and whether | would get out of it
without injury, hen suddenly my feet
touched the ground.
stick your heels in the sand" shouted
one OF the attendants, who had betn
stationed in the valley.
Instiactiyely l did so. The Aerocurye
stopped. and l stood upright, unharnied.
The flight was over, and novice had
demonstrated that it is possible for man
TO sail through the skies ike a bird, with
no artificial propelling powers. Before
1 had fully recovered my senses Mr..
Herring and his men had nurTiediy marked
Off the distance and noted the time.
When the record was announced l was
again astonished.
Pretty good for a greenhorn." said
Mr.. Herring. You have covered 225
feet IN nine seconds"
TIE Aerocurve is a double -deckcd con-
trivance OF framework made OF spruce
uprights, stiffened with fine piano wires
after the style Of bridge truss eonstruc-
ton. Both decks are covered with White
/ SILK, shrunk into place to make il snug
and tight, and then vanished. The ma
chine is sixteen feet long by four and
! one-haIf feet in width and four feet high
/ Behind, exactly in the center, sticks out
a pine-foot tail or rudder made Jf silk
| and spruce with wire, Just as the budy
/ OF the machine is The whole coutriyance
weighs 23 pounds and has lifting power
| of 300 pounds, increasing with the velocity
| of the wind up to, perhaps, 400 pounds.
| 1t is the same machine designed last year
by Octave Chanute, supplied with an auto
matte regulating device perfected by Mr.
Herring.
IL s the first OF the many so-called flying
machines that can really fly without arti-
| ficial propulsion. and at the same tiIne
! carry man In safety. Neither Mr.Chanute
nor Mr.. Herring claim perfection for the
| apparatus fact, both Of them say plain
/ " it is a long ways from being perfect.
and that they have only begun to get it
in shape. But they do insist that the main
obstacles of aerial navigation have been
! overcome.
After my initial flight Mr.. Herring made
four trips with the Aerocurve. He was
| bolder than ! and went TO the top of a
sleeper and higher hill. From this he
| sailed off gra cefully in the face of -
F, mile breeze, making successfully trips oi
$50, 275 900, and 31o feet. He seemed
| able to propel and steer the machine to
any point desired merely by shifting the
position OF his hody. A Slight sway to
| tHe TsNt, OF tAe SUCKING out OF HIS Tlgnt
| foot, was sufficient TO detIect the Aero
curve In that direction. He sailed into
and against the wind and quartered on it,
on one trip going out to the right nearly
$50 feet and then veering sharply around
to the left and sailing so feet more be-
| fore he landed.
The Aerocurye, when fitted with motor,
Herring says, win make the trip from
| Chicago to New York at the rate of forty
miles an hour, with only four stops.