The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-18

DITDDTCK N. S., Oct. 10.-AleXander
Graham Bell is hard at work at his labo-
ratory overlooking the enchanting Bras
dor lakes experimenting with kites as
aerial vehicles. Dir. Bell declared that
after years of thought, experiment and
research, and an, Outlay of thousands of
dollars, he has solved an air runner hav-
ing two points of superiority over all
others. He claims to have overcome the
two basic and hitherto unsurmountable
difficulties in the way of the experimenter
along the aeroplane theory of aerial navi-
The first of these is that were two fly
ing machines Cflying machine and kite
are synonymous to the scientific mind.
DIR. Bell observes51 exactly alike, differ
ing only in the scale of their dimensions.
then the ratio of weight to supporting
surface would be, greater in the larger
than in the smalfert The volume and the
weight of two similar bodies are proper
tional to the cubes of their dimensions,
while the surface varies only as the
squares of one MACHINE or kite are twice
as large as another, then the volume and
weight of the larger is eight times that
of the smaller but has only four times
the surface or lifting power.
Prof. Simon Newcomb drew the con-
! clusion that the construction of an aerial
vehicle capable of sustaining man would
necessitate the discovery of some new ele-
ment or new force.
DIR. Bell met this difficulty early in his
Hargrave box kite capable of supporting
a certain weight he next built one which
he though would be capable in the same
strength of wind of sustaining a weight
equivalent to a mans, but found that it
was incapable of sustaining its own
weight and that it would, as DIR. Bell ex-
pressed 1t, take a Cyclone. to float it. "
He did not, however. despair, but by per-
sistent effort evolved kite whose wing
surface increases as it's weight. That is,
it is capable of sustaining eight times the
| weight OF DR.. Bells kite, in which tetrahe-
dronal cells of fifty centtmeters each are
the limit used, and could be Increased in
size to support almost any weight.
The other difficulty overcome by DR..
Bells machine is tendency to oscillation.
The telephone wizard had his workmen
| fly few kites for the benefit of the cor
respondent. AS the wind was blowing a
1alr breeze when the workmen released
| the huge. leViathan of white it moved
| swiftly upward with almost perfect
equilibrium. Al fine and unique picture
this huge monster made. as Juggling at
| the rope which bound 1t to earth, 1t
The inventor was asked II it would be
| possible to work & flying machine, built
on the kite principle, in calm.
"A kite capable of sustaining a man
and weight equivalent to that of an
engine he replied Sin, wind Of. say,
sixteen miles an hour and machine bear
| ing man and driven by an engine in a
| calm at the ratetzof sixteen miles an
hour are in similar circumstances, with
the exception that the latter has the
penent OF the sustaining power OF its own
momentum. So far as the sustaining
pressure of the0air is concerned it is
! surely 1mmaterial whether the air moves
against the machine as in the former
case: or the machiie against the air, as In
| the latter e
Asked if he tfiohght flying machine
was possibility 6f the near future. Mr..
BEL. smiling, answered: Birds fly.
| What has been done Is possible. and can
| see no reason why amy one who has noted
| the flight of biIdss@can for one moment
| doubt the possibility of flight by bodies
specifically heavier than the air.
| Having obtained a form OF structure
possessing the two important factors of
almost entire freedom from oscillation. he
could not believe that the days of the air