The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-06-25

y&n &nvers, fifty feet apart have been
- ssvlv erected in the Geological Park
tbe outskirts Of Washington, and
8;sitOrs during the last few dsys have
leen vaiuly speculsting as tc their
# #s;euidcapce. When inquiry is made
be guards shake their heads and re-
,se information; but observant per-
ons have noticed that once in o
s,bile. xho. buzzsrd flies overhead,
NO rIen suddenly appear, one ON top
each tower, and snap gvas at the
Ssird, thereupon retiring With equal
lie ity from view. /.
81 Tie weapons are cameras, with gun
|tocls and triggers attached to them
htlp in aiming; and the marksmen
Ire employed by Secretary Langley,
Il the Smithsonian Institution, to OBJ.
|<ain in this way instantaneous photo
3 #slrsphs Of the birds in fight. There
Ire two towers, in order that each
3pspshot may be taken from two
4 boints Of view, the gun-oameFas being
connected by an electric wire in order
Jhst they may take the pictures. stimuli
speously. Only one Of the two men
9uJls the trigger, the Other one merely
Lining at The buzzard.
i Prof. Langley is conducting these
Experiments for the purpose Of OBJ.
saiuiug hints that will help him in
Building his flying machine. The sp-
Saratus is still housed ia the Smith.
$onian Institution and nobody is
Slowed to see it; but come dag, not
1sry long hence, it will be brought
Forth, and will exhibit to an astonish-
Sd world the astounding spectacle Of q
Dying machine that viii really Ay-
pot depending on q gas-bag to uphold
d, like the apparatus OF Santos Du-
mont, but sustaining itself by artii.
Bial wings and propelled by steam
motor light but powerful.
From the beginning Prof. Langley
|bas taken for his model the soaring
bird. which is natures most perfect
Hying machine. The buzzard is an
Excellent example Of this kind of
flyer, and hence the building Of the
two tall towers in the Zoo Park, in
which neighborhood buzzards are
plentiful. At the top Of each tower
is . sort of box of canvas, open on one
side, to shelter the marksman; and Of
other apparatus there is nothing ex-
cept an electric battery and machine
To indicate, by means Of large dial
and revolving hand, the direction Of
the wind. Naturally. this matter Of
wind direction has much to do with
the observations recorded by the came
ras, inasmuch as soaring birds use the
force of the breeze to sustain them in
the air.
The buzzard. says Prof. Langley, is
sustained by the wind in just the
same manner as boys kite is up.
held in the air. Oa bTeesy day o
bird Of this species may spend hours
far aloft, floating hither and thither,
without SO much as beat Of its
wings. Yet it is 1000 times as heavy
IS the air through which it sails on
llberating pinions, its body weighing
IS much in proportion to it's hulk az
hat of a man. The problem it solves
IS one purely Of mechanics. and the
secret lies in the opposition Of it's
wings to the force OF the wind, which
is thus made TO do the work Of lifting.
Prof. Langley has devised machine
or producing an artificial wind, which
be is able to vary in strength all the
way from the gentlest zephyr to g
storm of 60 miles velocity per hour.
With this novel apparatus he has been
experimenting, in order to find out
low air currents act in supporting
plane surfaces. Among other things
lie has ascertained that the faster q
'uzzard travels the less power is re.
lulred to uphold it--a most interesting
conclusion, inssmuoh as it is equally
applicable to flying machine Of the
lind he is engaged in constructing.
Aerial fight, says Prof. Langley, is
he last remaining problem Of human
ransportation.' Man has learned
low to travel over the land in q va.
lety of ways, and to navigate the wa
ef both on and beneath it's surface.
The skate and the biuycle afford
means Of locomotion never dreamed OF
a natures scheme. Why, chen,
hould not tie ingenious two.legged
animal learn how TO initiate the birds
q a mode Of travel the principle OF
'hlch is perfectly we'll understood?
1t is not necessary, FOR practical pur.
)0Ses, to fv hioh An aIt;t,.da ~ I'm