Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1900-10-20

1T Is said that you have made some
startling experiments IN the direction
of intersteilar flight. Do you really
believe that man win ever be able to
travel to Mars?'
The question was asked OF Professor
Elmer Gates, o. the Gates Laboratory.
Washington, y. C.. ard the professor
naturally smiled as ne wheeled in his
chair and leaned back to consider the
proposition.
well. 1 should scsrcel. like to say
he could not" was the reply. after a
few moments hesitation. Aerial nav
igation will be a practical means OF
travel within ten years. 1t will re-
place all present modes of transporta-
ton. 1t will turn the whole world into
= single neighborhoOd. Distances Will
DO practically annihilated. There will
NO longer be any necessity for railroads
or bridges. because aerial transporta-
ton will be extremely cheap. eeonomi-
cal and far safer than any other form
Of travel. When the workman can live
several hundred miles from the work
shop or store and go home to lunch he
will see the crowded cities gradually
spread out over the country. The mill
lions now spent on roads and bridges
viii go to beautifying the earth's nat
urAl landscape The tops of houses
will be transferred into stations or
porcslike vestibules for the landing of
aerial vehicles, and light viii be kept
h.pv he 30 ha
aerial pilgrim. The great aerial high
ways of travel will be along the lines
joining the great cities. Hill and noun
tain tops VIII become important sites
for residences. But aerial navigation
10 to be accomplished by a machine
such as has never before been suggest
ed to the public
Nine Miles . Minute.
Il have lately seen this new machine.
II has none of the contrivances-such
as halloon-envelopes, tapping wings.
aeroplanes, explosive motors. propel-
lers. air or steam jets-which have fig
ured in airships heretofore. The in
vention Is as yet secret and it is be-
ing closely guarded. The machine is
now capable or propelling itself at any
speed up to 500 feet per second. 1t eN
rise slowly from the ground and cay
then support itself in the air without
moving. | have seen il start slowly
from this motionless position in the
air, move itself gradually forward, then
go fast. and then slowly settle down
upon the ground. 1t was capable of
lifting more than its own weight. 1t
was in ne danger of falling and was
not affected by currents of wind. 1t
was simple and cheap.
Il believe that this machine solves
the problem of aerial navigation. In
one test it travelled at the speed of one
mile in six and ole-half seconds, or a
little over nine miles minnie. 1t
went two and half miles in straight
line toward cliff, which it struck.
Speeds greater than 200 miles an hour
would be high for practical purposes,
of course The friction of the air would
heat a passenger compartment to an
unbearable degree.
Eleven Niles Straight Up.
HC ECACi al Shdpt vi thio i4SH LII =
chine is that of two long drawn Gu.
cones placed base to base. A model
weighing but IL ounces lately assembled
to the enormous height Of IL miles. rs
was automatically recorded by an ane-
roid barometer placed inside. This
was far above any height ever hereto
fore reached by a mechanical device.
Yet the instrument came down within
one furlong of the spot from which il
was sent up. With a similar device
am going to make measurements of the
upper air Inside of 1t am going to
put instruments which will measure
temperature and moisture and another
which will bring down samples Of
the atmosphere found at such enor-
nous heights. These samples will BIZ
tested here in the laboratory. l pro
pose to use the instrument at night. at
taching device which will show &
light during descent and thus mari
the path of the drop. l will thus bt
able to locate the machine when it re
turns to earth.
"One cannot reach Mars" said he
by any existing method OF Night utll
izing atmosphere as an aid to propul
sion or buoyancy. When We wer'
school boys we were taught that thu
earth's layer OF atmosphere was blu
Is miles deep. 1t has been recent.
estimated that 1t Is more than fou
times that depth. 1t probably extend
$50 miles above our heads. Above !
there probably are some lighter case
which will not mix with air.
1T would be impossible to travel t
the planets in balloons or In device
using propellers, aeroplanes or flappin
wings Once above the eartb's atmos
phere there would be nothing to buo
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when You're Pooling Onions
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