The Washington times., 1901-09-22
A NEW FLYING MACHINE.
German Inventor VIII Try the Aero
plane Principle.

The flying machine of Regierungsrath ].
Iiofmann, of Berlin. is novel in several
features. 1t is fitted with wings, pro-
peller and an engine. When on firm
ground or on the water-for- the machine
is constructed for floating as we'll, with
special regard to easy descent, possibly
it moves by its propellers; when in the
air it is also driven by the propellers;
when it starts, gravity has 10 come into
play. Thus the ascent begins with
slight fall on an oblfque line, until the
wings are displayed against the wind
and the air resistance and the propeller
force prevail. The wings can be folded
but not moved and serve only as planes.
AS the propeller is to be capable ofTturn-
ing when the machine is on the ground.
it has been fixed sufficiently high, and the
machine rests on legs-one does not quite
know how many legs. There are four
tubes, forming a skeleton support, which
folds up after the manner of a camp
stool When spread the front leg. or pair
oil legs. rests on one roller and the hind
pair on two rollers. When the machine
starts the legs are, by springs, Jerked up
ward and would, or should, in real flight,
stick out, the one in front and the other
behind. The flight is intended to resemble
the stork's flight; the stork Is very
" clSmsy. We say should because MIR.
Hofmanns S machine has not carried him
yet. His first machine was wrecked IN
transport Just before its trial; his second
was a small InOuel, uIlNtH ny
dioxide motor; his third actual model has
cost him more than two years to buiid,
but it has only 4 fifth of the size he cal
culated for a machine that would carry
a man.
Ii is a working model. however. and
weighs seven pounds; the wings span
about nine feet. The motor is real
steam engine, heated by alcohol The
boiler consists of seventy-two copper
tubes. When the pressure exceeds IL
pounds the steam can pass into the 1per-
heater, and then into the compound en-
gine. The exhaust carries part OF the
combustion gases with it., so that the cyl
iuder and valve chests can all be jack
eted with hot gases and steam. The
crankshaft drives the propeller at fifty
revolutions a second. propeller with
two pairs of blades, placed behind one
another, as in Walker and Alexander 3
experiments, answers better than a four
blade propeller: each pair resembles two
oars in alignment An attempt to divide
the winds into several aeroplanes, after
Chanute's fashion. failed dismally. The
skeleton legs, steel tubes, or wood weigh
about one-siXth of the Whole mass, which
is not undesirable. tit
The ribs of the wings have also been
made of steel tubes. But Mr.. Holman Is
serve as condensers for the steam. so
that the small quantity of water which
can be taken on board-at present two
ounces-can hold out for longer time.
The tubes would be exposed to the strong
air currents, but the realization of this
idea does not look very easy. The invent
or is convinced however, in spite of the
sad fate of Lilenthal and Pitcher, that
the problem of flight will be solved some
day by a machine of his type, and not by
a balloon such as NJ Santos -Dumont ex-
ercises in calm air.-Engineering. 4t