The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-10-25
RENEWED INTEREST
TAKEN III lER0HlUTIcs
PARTIAL SUCCESS or SANTOS
DUMoNT HAS AROUSED
AMERICAN INVENTORS
City Of Boston Has Society Com
posed Of Flying Machine Invent
ors-soeh Machines Were Pre-
diesed MANY Centuries Ago.
From q sisF Correspondent.

From Sfsf Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 6.-The par
tial success OF n Santos Dumont in
/ balloon has stimulated interest in
aer0nautics the world over. From
many parts of the United States word
comes that inventors OF flying ma
chimes are hard at work upon the in
venticn that man has been struggling
with since the thirteenth century al
ways with Indifferent success To fly
has been the ambition OF human be-
ings since the earliest times. and a
glance at the history Of flying ma
chimes will show that NJ. Santos-Du-
mont. while he has succeeded in get
ting an almost unlimited amount OF
first-class advertising. has really con-
tributed very little toward the actual
knowledge of navigating the air sue
cessfully and safely. Indeed. Mr.. San
tos-Dumont has not made so great
progress toward actual navigation of
the air by means of balloon and pro-
pelIers as was made in 1863. when
Nadar. the aeronaut, exhibited his
flying machine at the Crystal Palace
in London. Nadar used the propeller
with considerable success. But even
he was outdone by another French
man. who, in 1884. got up a flying
machine-made of a balloon with pro-
pellers-with which machine he went
on a cruise for eighteen hours and
met with no mishap. This machine
worked well in still weather, but, like
other flying machines, it had no sta
bility to Withstand a sudden gust of
wind. which was bound to wreck it.
But the fact remains that this French
flying machine did stay in the air and
under the direction and control of its
inventor for eighteen hours. which is
more than the Santos-Dumont ma
chine. over which the world became
excited so recently, succeeded in ac
eomplishing.
The Patent Office in Washington is
filed with designs and models of so
called flying machines. every one of
which is capable of rising into the air
and carrying considerable weight
with il. but not one of which can
withstand fair sailing breeze. or a
capful of wind coming suddenly from
an unexpected quarter. But the
American flying machine inventors are
in no way discouraged by failure, and
dozens of them are working away
upon models all the time. The chief
flying machine inventor in Washing
ton is Professor Bangley of the Smith
sonian Institute, who has been at work
upon an unsuccessful machine for
many years. and is still struggling
with it. Owing to the fact that he
holds an official position under the
Government. he is shy about exhibit
ing his models. and strives. with some
success, to keep his work upon flying
machines from the public for fear OF
the ridicule that is sure to come to
the scientific man who devotes any
part of his time to the interesting and
valuable study of aeronautics.
In Boston there is a society of fly
ing machine inventors-known as the
Massachusetts, Aeronautical Society
which has often proposed to hold a
flying machine congress, but has never
yet issued the call But the Massa-
chnsetts society is sure. in time. to
have its proposed meeting. at which
there viii be present all the flying ma
chine inventors of the world. 1t is a
singular thing. too. that while the
Frenchmen and the Germans who are
at work upon flying machines go in
for the dirigible balloon, with propel-
her attachment for controlling pur
poses. the American aeronauts pin
their faith to the aeroplane as the
main controlling factor in flying ma
chimes. with possibly the balloon at
tachment to give buoyancy. and pro-
pellers. as in the Santos-Dumont ma
chine. for backward or forward move
ment. But most of the American in
ventors seem to think that for con-
trolling the rising. soaring with or
against the wind, the aeroplane Of
fers the most feasible means. For in
stance. Mr.. Samuel Cabot. one of the
most enthusiastic of the Massachusetts,
aeronauts. and thoroughly scientific
gentleman. has been az work for years
and years with the aeroplene. and. in
spite of the progress of the foreign in
ventors. he still believes that. Il the
successful flying machine is ever in
vented. the aeroplane win play an i'm
portant part In its construction Mr..
Cabot has as vet refrained from max
ing a real fiying machine, but has
conducted his experiments with mann
moth kites. One of his Kites stands
thirty feet high. and when held firm
" against the wind is capable of sus-
tanning the weight OF man or
course. the whole principle Of the
aeroplane is that Won must hold it
against the wind in order to effect
an upward movement, or to sustain 1t
stationary IN the air. In aeroplane
kites. Of course, this may be done by
means OF the string. but in the flying
machine In which the aeropiane Is an
important part there must be propel-
lers az sufficient force TO hold the
machine close to the wind. and then
the force OF the wind win raise the
machine hy striking the planes at the
proper angle
To 60 hack in flying machine his
tory. one finds that In 1878 FTiaT Ba-
con. worthy man. predicted on his
reputation as a scientist and philoso-
pher that fving machines would pres
entity become very common. and that
few years later no less parsonage
than the bishop wilkins. the brother
fn-iaw of Cromwell. in an outhurst
a aeronsutieaf enthusiasm. pro
claimed that within. a few years
when . gentleman desired 70 90 calling
MOOR a nelghbor. he would command
his servant to fetch his wings. as be
then commanded his servant to bring
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