The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-10
NO TOY MACHINE WANTED
EXPERIMENTS BEING MADE ALONG
SCIENTIFIC, PRACTICAL LINES.
Air Ship Must BE Capable of Carrying
Men from Place to PInce-A
Tax on Golfers.
staff Correspondence of the journal.

gatlon. The money is being expended with
the expectation Of improving the schemes
of national defense. The War Department
does not believe in balloons. 1t is partial
to flying machines. Prof S. P. Langley,
head OF the Smithsonian Institution, who
devised toy machine which did fly, has
been placed in charge OF the Investigations.
1t was six years ago that he demonstrated
at Quantico, below Washington on the Po-
tomac, that a machine properly balanced in
the air with spreading planes could be
made to fly. 1t was not a sufficient success
to cause men with money to start flying
machine routes and TO plan for the carry
ing of freight and passengers, but it clearly
showed that a machine could fly through
the air. He said at the time that this ex-
pertinent was the end of IL so far as he was
concerned, as he was not commercially in
terested in flying machines, but that he took
interest as a scientific man in showing that
they were possible. Later the War Depart
ment secured an appropriation of $4,000 to
perfect flying devices as machines of war
The army engineers said they did not be-
lieve in balloons. They had definite and
practical limitations which were known.
and development seemed impossible. But if
the flying machine could only fly 1t could be
developed amazingly. The proposition is
not to make a fighting machine of the fly
ing device. 1t is to be merely a scout Of
the air. 1t is to spy on the enemy. The
European notion is to develop the balloon
1t does not offer important Improvement
but within it's limitations it is capable of
certain clumsy service.
When Mr.. Langley took charge of the
observations for the War Department he
began what thousands of others interested
in flying machines have done. He tried
to find out how a bird flies. He did not de-
pend upon ocular and Indifferent observa-
tion. He erected high towers in the ZOO
logical park, and in cages at the top placed
photographers who were to get snap shots
of eagles in their flights. These eagles were
managed by other employees. who endeav-
ored to release them in such ways as to
give the right kind Of pictures. Careful
notes were made of starts and endings Of
flights, of wind speeds, soaring, swooping,
ascending and all the phases and features
of flying birds. These photographs were
classified, and the conclusions are being
worked out on inanimate models. Planes
are fixed on large rotating wheels and tests
are made at various speeds, angles and
sizes. Records are made of resistances,
lifting power and driving power All is be-
ing nicely calculated. In the end II is
hoped to determine just how the planes
should be fixed to the body of the flying
machine in order to give the best results.
When this has been done the engineers
will turn their attention TO motors Mr.
Langley says that the suitable motor Will
be easy to find. He claims that automo-
biles, dirigible balloons and other means OF
transportation demanding light and power
full engines indicate that the motive power
for an aerodrome will be easy matter.
The main problem is to learn how TO use
the planes This the government is at
tempting TO do in sciertihc manner. III is
held that there is no discovery to be made
to make flying machines which will carry
men possibly and that the development Of
the Langley idea is all that is necessary.
This development requires patience, per-
sistence and scientific application. The
progress will not be sense tional or specially
interesting. In fact, it is nothing short Of
drudgery
The government undertakes the problem
just as il determines how TO rife cannon.
Cannons must be rified and the question is
how to do the work TO get the best results.
On this alone the government spends much
money Langley has demonstrated that
machines will fly. The government pro-
that it will fly be under control and carry
men. It's experiments are being carefully
guarded but going on all the time.
Golfers will be interested in a curious
United States law which has just gone
into effect in the District of Columbia. 1t
provides a tax of s25 a week on all golf
clubs which charge ground rent to players
from other clubs or who may be tempo
rary guests of the club With the exception
of golf clubs at resorts, such as Atlantic
City, there are not any in the country who
take in as much as 81 200 a year in the way
of ground fees for visitors. No one seems
to know where the law came from. At
the Cabinet He is also a fisherman, the
owner of fine horses, a yachtsman, and
one who devotes half his time to playing.
The President has given a half promise
that he will take some golfing under the
instruction of the attorney general this
fall Mr.. Roosevelt is not fond of the
game.
The last Congress also raised the saloon
license of the District from $500 a year TO
| $500 a year. 1t is suspected that this ad-
vance was quietly secured by the more
prosperous of the saloon men, although
| this may not be true, a number of
persons interested in the moral welfare
| of the District were ostensibly back of the
raise. There are now 513 saloon licenses
| in the District, which includes bars, clubs
| and hotels. Regulations for all these are
| practically the same, with the exception
| that those holding club licenses do not
| have to observe closing hours. The license
| in the District for saloons has been $40O
! since 1893. Previous to that il was 500 for
/ retailers and SIS for wholesalers. The raise
| caused about half the saloons then at the
capital to go out of business. 1t is esti-
| mated by the officials of the excise board
! that the dimunition will be p per cent
| the first year and little more the second.
practically a reduction of one-half, leaving
| the capital with approximately 25O saloons.
What the Philippines need most is the
| very thing you Americans will not let them
| have" remarked NJ. Stewart, an English
banker at Hong-Kong, at the Willard 10
| tel in Washington a few days ago. Mr..
/ Stewart went TO China as a correspondent
| of the London Times and W 10 a short
! time ago newspaper writing was his bust
| ness. He is acquainted with the govern
| ment and commerce of most Of the Oriental
| countries. and his conclusions concerning
| the Philippines are naturally interesting.
| He said: THE Chinaman is q thrifty per-
/ son who will work hard from dawn until
dark. The Philippine native Is a lazy chap
! and will sleep as much as he can In the
| daytime. The Filipino never will respond &c
| the American spur for commercial develop
| ment. He cannot He sees no use in your
everlasting haste to make things He is
| content TO drowsily watch the silent pro-
ceaselessly. He will help make money
| His industry is greater than that OF Ameri-
| cans. and that is going 10 the limit. His
methods are not so noisy. but he will tire
| out any other race. If IL Is the
| building up of the commerce OF
the islands which the United
| States proposes as a means of changing
the civilization then by all means let in