The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-04-15
SANTOS-DUNONT MAY
GET AMERICAN HOaE
Willing to Give Up Paris
For New York.
SPENDS A DAY WITH EDISON
Wizard of Menlo Park Gives Young
Brazilian Some Advice-Assurances of
Financial Support Would Cause Visitor
to Remain Here Permanently, He Says.


spent an hour together, the daring young
Brazilian being taken on a special tour
of inspection through the electricians
great laboratory and workshops at
Orange, y. ]. During the time they were
together it was developed that Santos
Dumont is willing TO leave France and
make New York the permanent seat of
his Investigations and experiments.
1t was also learned that he hopes to
equip his latest flying machine, Santos
Dumont VII, with the first of the Won
derful storage batteries that Edison is
now perfecting for the market. The an
nouncement was made. too, that at a
luncheon to be held today Mr. Eugene
Lewis will learn the wishes of Santos
Durnont and will start the preliminary
arrangements for raising a large fund
to induce the aerial navigator to make
New York his home. Edison, by way of
encouragement, said that he himself haG
in earlier days given some considerable
thought to aerial navigation. and believes
that the problem is not difficult.
Advice From Edison.
1t was 1 o'clock in the afternoon when
Santos Drmont. accompanied by En-
manuel Anne, former secretary of the
Aero Club of Paris. and Mr.. S. 5. Mcclure.
arrived at the laboratory. They met Edi-
son in his workshop, and were taken to
the enormous reference library and Of
fee. where they chatted for a half hour.
Mr.. Edison congratulated Santos-Du-
mont on his achievements and told him
to continue his labors and to work in
one direction.
You have made an airship and have
guided its course" he said, but it is
only step in the solution of the prob
lem of aerial navigation from com
mercial viewpoint When the problem is
solved there will be no gas balloon con-
| nected with the flying machine. 1t will
be lifted and propelled by its own energy.
and not taken up by a lighter fluid.
Therefore, work to reduce constantly the
size of the balloon, and when you have
SO far progressed that an inspection OF
| your flying machine with a microscope
will not reveal the balloon bag, the prob
| lem will be settled, and practical. safe
commercial aerial navigation will be as
sured."
Promised First Storage Battery.
Following this. Mr. Edison escorted his
guests through his great laboratory-one
| of the most wonderful rooms in the world
through the machine shops. and into the
private den, where the wizard locks him
| self in against the outer world and even
against his own workmen. when planning
| and searching to draw out the secrets
| which have made him the greatest of in
yentors.
NO. ] storage battery shall be yours, -
said Edison, in response to an inquiry.
"Fll pledge you now that I'll have made
| for you a small storage battery that can
| be placed in your ship Santos Dumont
| No. I. to shoot the sparks into your pc
t troleum motor. In a very short time
these batteries will be in course of con-
struction, and the first one completed will
be reserved for you"
| Some years ago l gave some thought
| 20 the problem this young man has made
such steps in" said Mr.. Edison, replying
| to a question.
Now I'm free to say that do not think
| the question a difficult one to solve. and
| to solve commercially. In fact, I'll go
| further and say that l think that If in
ventors were adequately protected by the
law the question would have been solved
thirty years ago.
| No Protection for Inventors.
There are probably 100 or $50 men in
| America who are inventors-who make q
| life business of inventing. Let them work
and invent an article of great worth ard
great monetary value and there Is an
| army of pirates waiting to jump in and
steal the fruits of their study and re-
search.
"Acres of data now exists about aerial
navigation. but a commercially sound ma
, chine has not been built. II somebody
should suddenly build one and make 1t lily
NOT as Mr. Santos-Dumont's flies, aided
| by balloon. but by its own energy-doz-
ems would copy. And when the hght IN
the courts followed what would presum-
ably result? Why, the judge would look
! at the mass Of material submitted and
saw. Why, his work was along the same
line as yours; the machines are almost
alike. There's no invention. But, con-
tinued Mr.. Edison, the very slight dis
similarity that did not impress that
fudge might have been the entire bit Oh
which success rested.
| lyon see. there Is no protection fol
the inventor, and the $50 practical com
n,ercial inventors of the country woulC
moi devote any time or energy to tbs
| aariaI navigation problem for that rea
| son.
MANS brain is superior to that of thu
| vuIture When one studies the machiner!
that sends a vulture sailing through TN
| cIo,ds and finds the secrets of the vultur'
brain what remains but to build. IL cal
he done. but the actions of courts ma,
have set back the real practical SOLVING
of the problem for century.
Brazilian Anxious to Stay Here.
Eugene Howard Lewis. one OF Mr.. Ed
son's friends and a promoter OF iarg
financial projects, whose offices are at No
A Broad Street, was announced shorti
before Santos Dumont and his friends 1ef
Mr.. Edison's establishment.
To him the enthusiastic Brazilian state
that he was SO impressed with the posi-
hilities of America that he was desirou
NJ giving a demonstration of his machin
in New York.
Santos Dumont No. will be q twi
| screw machine of ninety horsepower.
he said. with it ! can fly through tn
air as fast as a railroad train-forty mile
| an hour. at least. If / can secure the en-
couragement OF purse for an aerial race
| as in Paris, or can have FUND raised i
remain in New York"
"Why. Lewis" broke in Mr.. Edison
"you can do that. You can raise tina
money. VIII you consider it,
"How long will 1t be possible for 20
to stay In this country" asked Mr.. Lewis
"IlI make it my home" he said. 81
live in New York always. III move froi
Paris and continue my researches here.
|
., Che To CpeIt