The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1900-10-27

Of interste11ar flight. NJ Do you really
believe that man will ever be able to
travel to Mars?,' sz Z .#s
The question was asked of Professor
Elmer Gates, of the Gates Laboratory,
Washington, d. G., and the professor
naturally smiled as he wheeled in his
chair and leaned back to consider the
proposition. 3z
''tWell, should scarcely like to say
he could not was the reply, after a
few moments hesitation. Aerial nav
igation will be practical means of
travel within ten years. It will re- 3
place all present modes Of transporta- !
ton It will turn the whole world into
a single neighborhood. Distances will
DE practically annihilated. There will
no longer be any necessity for railroads
or bridges, because aerial Transports
ton will be extremely cheap, economi-
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
will go to beautifying the earth's nat
ural landscape. The tops of houses
will be transferred into stations Or
porch-like vestibules for the landing Of
aerial vehicles, and a light will be kept
burning on the housetop to guide the
aerial pilgrim. The great aerial high
ways of travel will be along the lines
joining the greatscities. Hill and noun
tain tops will become important sites
for residences. But aerial navigation
is to be accomplished by a, machine
such as has never before been suggest
ed to the public.
Nine Miles Minute. ..5s51 r.
"I have lately seen this new machine.
It has none of the contrivances-s such
as sballo loonrenEelopes, tapping wings,
aeroplanes, explosive motors, propel7s
1ers, air or steam jets which have fig
ured in airships heretofore. The in
yention is as yet secret and it is be-
! ing closely guarded. The machine is
now capable or propelling itself at any
speed up to 800 feet per second. It can
rise slowly from the ground and can
then support itself in the air without
moving. I have seen it start slowly
from this motionless position in the
air, move itself gradually forward, then
go fast, and then slowly settle down
upon the ground. It was capable of
lifting more than its own weight. 1t
was in no danger Of falling and was
not affected by currents of wind. It
was simple and cheap. = .1. H. =:
81 believe that this machine solves
the problem of aerial navigation. In
one test it travelled at the speed of one
mile in six and oneIhalf seconds, or
little over nine miles "a minnte. It
went two and half miles in straight
line toward a cliff, which it struck.
I Speeds greater than 200 miles an hour
would be high for practical purposes,
of course. The friction Of the air would
heat passenger compartment to an
unbearable degree. g,@>. ly@
Eleven Miles Straight Up.
"The general shape of this new ma
chine is that of two long drawn out
cones placed base to base. A model
weighing but IL ounces lately ascended
to the enormous height of IL miles, as
was automatically recorded by an ane-
roid barometer placed inside. This
was far above any height ever hereto
fore reached by mechanical device.
Yet the instrument came down within
B one furlong OF the spot from which it
was sent up. With similar device
am going to make measurements of the
upper air. Inside of it I am going to
put instruments which will measure
( temperature and moisture and another
which viii bring down samples of
the atmosphere found at such enor-
nous heights. These samples will be
tested here in the laboratory. 4 pro-
i pose to use the instrument at night, at
taching device which will show a
B light during descent and thus mark
) the path of the drop. I will thus be
able to locate the machine when it re-
turns to earth.
One cannot reach Mars. Z said he,
by any existing method of flight util-
izing atmosphere as an aid to prOpul-
sion or buoyancy. When We were
school boys we were taught that the
earth's layer of atmosphere was but
rs miles deep. It has been recently
& estimated that it is more than four
times that depth. It probably extends
$50 miles above our heads. Above it
there probably are some lighter gases
which will not mix with air.