The evening times., 1899-05-05
NEARLY READY ro-nY.
Lsngley's Airship Built Especially
for the war Department.

for the War Department.
Within short time. Prof. 8. P. Langley.
Secretary Of the Smithsonian Institution.
and this Governments expert on aerial
navigation, will make trial experiment
with his 3ew: flying machine:
The last Congress made an. appropria-
tion of S25, 900 for the purpose of building
and testing iiships under the direction
of the We department. and since the
funds were Gmde available. Prof. Langley
has been ssWOr1Hng in this fascinating
branch of scientific experiment.
The professors new flying apparatus Is
being constructed at Quantico. Va. short
distance from this city on the Potomac
River. has been carefully guarded
from pEying eyes.
1t can be stated. however. that Prof.
Langley has been working along the same
line in which he achieved much success in
the past, and has developed a machine
which has demonstrated its ability to
navigate the air.
Prof Langley calls the apparatus an
aerodrome. and it is purely flying ma
chine" That Is. IL Is something much
heavier than air, and entirely different i'll
principle from balloon, which floats only
on air of its lightness, as ship does in
the water. The new device is patterned
after the birds, and only differs in prin-
ciple Of action in that instead of being
propelled by the wings. it gains and main
tains headway through the medium of a
propeller fashioned on the order OF ship j
screw.
Prof Langley has chartered the steam
er Bartho!di. a small boat plying the Po-
tomac. and Will soon visit the place where
his ship is building. The experiments will
continue until the machine reaches such
stages of perfection that 1t can be publicly
exhibited and inspected by officers OF the
War Department. The machine is ready
now for trial trips
The small model with which Prof. Lang
ley experimented about two years ago sue
ceeded in making a flight Of almost a mile.
describing circle. and only stopped on
account OF the steam, contained in a small
boiler which was fired at the start. giving
out. This model carried such dead weight
in proportion to It's size as would consti-
tute a cargo in full-sized ship. and those
who witnessed the experiments were en-
thusiastic over the success achieved by the
inventor. The trouble was solely in the
motive power and the inability to keep 60
ing without some one aboard to tend the
fires and keep up steam.
The new model is to be OF full size for
one passenger, but whether anyone viii!
make trip in it during the first expert
iueutS Is HCl hhOWu me CulcI punt IS
that Prof. Langley has adapted to the use
OF his ship one Of three principal motive
powers Hsed In automobiles, electric stor-
age battery. gasoline motor or compressed
air.
Speed is indispensable with Prof. Lang
ley's flying machine. and it must be in
motion to sustain itself. and even in mo-
tion before it can begin to fly. For this
reason the power adopted must be able to
Irtxy hA h.ron Itar ha cfrr, f,f
the machine around at a high rate of
speed. and to properly conduct the expert
ments. proper platform for launching
the machine must be provided.
The point selected for the experiments
is where the river is very wide, and the
machine may fly without danger OF run
ming into an obstruction. and maintain a
straight course at a given height without
reference to the contour of the land. II
any one operates the ship this is abso
lutely essential TO guard against danger.
A proper position platform for launch
ing the ship will be built on a raft or
barge in the water and when the ma
chine is ready TO fly, the wings outstretch-
ed and given the proper angle, the propel
Ter will bet set in motion and the ship is
expected to rise and sail straight forward
through the air. Its course. and the ele
walton to which 1t shall rise are governed
by the wings and two paddles. on either
side of the ship. The momentum is regu-
lated by the rate OF speed at which the
propeller moves. and head winds do not
seriously retard the movement OF the ship.
Prof Langley is confident Of success with
his ship. and his friends WHO know his
plans are even more so. but as he has no
specified time in which to finish the work
and his expenses have not been very heavy
he will probably make a thorough test be-
fore exhibiting the machine.