The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-12-13
srHE AIRsHIP IMPossIsLEl

I } EAR ADMIRAL GEORGE W. MELVILLE, chief
IL engineer of the United States navy, is brave
man. We do not refer to physical courage for
tbat Is taken as matter of with the nations
fighters ard workers II IS III the moral sense that
Admiral Melville Is unafraid, one might Almost say
oohardv In an ingenious argument, published III the
North American Review for December he attempts to
prove that successful aerisl navigation Is utter and
absurd iupossihlity at any future time.
Bv -.ccessfui aerial navigation, Admiral Melville
THAI the airshp viii never be practical Tor com
rnereial or war purposes He declares that IN spite
OF Santos rum nuts successful cTchng the EIfel
fcfer In his dirigibe balloon, nearer the
sosutica Of the problem than we've before the first
inventor went mad over It. To the mind of the lay
man the statement seems beyond belief We have been
taught 10 believe that Sa0tos-D umOnt had made long
stride Ia the direction of air navigation.
Aosniral Melville bases his argument on the theory
that no machine OF sufficient carrying power can be
built small enough to resist heavy ar currents He
shows that the smaller insects navigate the air with
Jess diff ul.r than birds and expresses the belief that
nature has reached her limit ii he flying machine line
81 she largest birds Now the writer points out that
from the largest bird to -he smallest airship, capable
o. carrying man, very long step. To cover that
step the Inventor has nothing but few mechanical
coutTivances and the superior strength OF steel
The force Of the admiral's arguments is lrresist-
IDLE almost We could not fail TO be convinced II we
did NOT rememhe1 that cientic said the loco
motive could never be pat to practical uses. They
proved it Then 1t occurs to US that the telephone
stp the telegraph considered and proved 10 be
+
utely sare there merit in the bicycle except
as q fad III In d idle hour.
The automobile was long looked on as the idle
dean oi q b5if-lnad inventor. So it has 3een with
NANNY OF the worlds greatest mechanical inventions
t n the face IF ridcule and jeers In spite of pity
ne gsnces an2 significant tapping of foreheads. in
yeaors have gone with their work and they viii &c
ca helping and be,teriUg fhe world to the end.
Admiral Melville may be right in his contention,
bur we are nor prepared f. agree with him. The man
glo san say what IS possible and what IS impossible
IL this day and generation and say II truhIuiy, is
indeed great prophet We hope Admiral Melville viii
lv1. see she airship iu successful operation If he
lives .is cenncy ont which is, unfortunately alto
gglfer improbable we believe he will see it.
4 farmer In Indiana who agreed to give two men
600 for risSiug their lives in creek 10 his
p5fcs fe refused pay the money after his spouse
vas restored to him. Maybe she asked him why he
hadn't come to her rescue himself and he concluded
thar Sc mean woman wasn't worth the money
Il Is 81 Re hoped that the expert the council hos
decided 20 employ IN the city auditors ONCE Tor thirty
DAYS viii he able to extract an Ineligible report from
M Reisers books. il IS hardly probable, however,
shat Dc can accomplish stupendous a piece of work
iu limited time
Madame Nordica IS gonr into cont b recover a
es0a0H0Nesiate Sne should straightway engage that
otfaf sweet singer oudec O. w Powers assist her.
Between ihenl thes ought TO charm a favorable de
assion ous of judge ON earth
Now it IS reported that lawson is heading big
copper squeeze. lie has been playing the role of
squeeze so long Chat his new part viii doubtless re-
fresh him
-, There's nothing like kicking fellow when he's
aasa Vow the Ohio Republicans are organizing
sgainst SenStoT Hauna.