The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-14
FLYING-MACHINE INVENTORS.


Washington Letter in New York Evening
Post.
One day in May the Patent Office received
an application for a patent on the Ezekiel
flying machine" The applicant proved to be
a minister of the gospel, and he explained
to the examiner that the book of Ezekiel
was not mere prophecy. but contained a full
and practical recipe for aerial flight. This
he had worked out with India ink drawings
and diagrams. which he was positive would
settle the case. The examiner answered
that he had no doubt II would; but mean
while, the applicant would be required to
subscribe the customary oath. The minis
ter seized the paper with avidity, but laid it
down sadly when he discovered that he was
required TO swear that he was the original
discoverer of the invention. AS he could not
afford to discredit his favorite book of
Scripture, he withdrew his letter OF applica-
ton and sketches.
The secrecy with which so many invent
ors of flying machines surround their ex-
periments is usually due not alone to the de-
sire TO be sensational, but quite as much TO
the fact that they cannot get patent on
their inventions and thus protect them
against runous imitation. The patent law
requires that an invention should be both
new and useful; and to be of use flying
machine must be able to ny In the case OF
any ordinary mechanism IL suftices to make
series of drawings to file with the specln-
cations, the principles involved being SO IA
miliar that any one skilled In the art TO
which the device belongs could produce
specimen from the pictures and description,
and would know in advance that 1t would
work Not SO with a flying machine, which
has thus far defled the brightest wits
trained upon ii. There never was an invent
of flying machine who did not know
that II would work. but, on the other hand,
there never was a model which fully bore
out its claims. The applications for flying
machine patents are as the sands or the sea
for multitude. The Patent Office patiently
responds to each that the inventor may sub
nit machine, or a satisfactory working
model, for a practical test. IL he asserts
that he has made full-sized machine that
will fly, he is requested to furnish adequate
testimony from witnesses VINO nave seen II
fly; no one yet has met this requirement.
Patent experts here agree that the man
who has made the best hit at solving the
problem of human flight is Hiram Maxim
the gun inventor. He built huge aeroplane,
which was propelled by a powerful steam
engine, and which ran between upper and
lower rails. 1t demonstrated the ability OF
a self-propelled aeroplane to elevate itself
but was not regarded as a successful flying
machine because ii could not run long
enough--the engine required so much water
that il could not carry the weight of fuel
needed for sustained flight. Mr.. Maxim
never allowed his machine to soar away
from the rails which held ii in subsection,
for fear that it would run out of fuel and
come to earth with crash, for no
means had been discovered to keep it in
control The difficulty about the fuel may
one day be overcome by the use of gasoline,
it is thought; still, the way out is not yet
clear.
Neither Prof. S. p. Langley nor Alexander
Graham Bell has attempted to cover his es-
says i'm aerial navigation with a patent. A
good many small affairs, which will go into
the air and stay there awhile, but will not
carry human passengers, have received the
sanction of the Patent Office, but only as
toys. Anybody can get patent on toy of
this sort, If it will perform gyrations in the
air. Dirigible balloons are not treated by
the office as machines for mechanical flight;
the balloon is an old device, and all that can
be new is the steering apparatus, which,
owing to the way the field has already
been covered, is usually rejected on the
ground of lack of novelty without any seri-
Gus examination Of the broader claims. The
experts seem still unconvinced by what
they hear of the advance made in France.
Until balloon can maintain a speed OF
twenty-five miles hour and be subject
to human direction, they assert that it gives
no assurance of ability to keep on its course
in a wind of any strength, and is. therefore,
not to be set down among the larger posi-
bilities. Gas bags are no part of flight"
remarked one of them, sententiously. the
other day; flight is the result of motion
alone"