Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1903-10-15
A TOTAL WRECK.
Langley's Flying Machine Fell
Into Potomac River.
Prof. Maniey Escaped with "A Duckiu.
No Zine was There Any Sem
blance of Flight Floats At
tached TO Machine Pre-
vented IFS Sinking.

Widewater Va. Oct. S.--The 60 foo
steel-built flying machine, the cnmal
of years of exhaustive study in tn,
efforts OF Prof. SamueT i. Langley
secretary of the Smithsonian Institu
ton, to solve the problem OF mechan
zeal flight in mid air, was launched
| Wednesday and the experiment. care
| fully planned and delayed for months
| proved complete failure. The i'm.
mense airship sped rapidly along its
| I0-foot track, was carried by its OWL
| momentum for 100 yards and then
| fell gradually into the Potomac river
whence it emerged d total wreck
! Prof.Charles NJ. Manley, who has been
Prof. Langleys chief assistant in the
work preliminary to the attempted
flight, made the ascent in the aero.
drome and escaped with ducking.
At no time was there any semblance
of flight, the initial momentum, the
lightness of the machine and sustain.
ing surface of the wings furnishing
the conditions which account for the
100 yard transit of the air bird from
its G0-foot elevation. An official
statement made after the test admit
ted that the experiment was unsuc.
ultimate success of the invention.
The launching took place at 1915
O'Clock from the superstructure of
the house boat moored in the Poto-
mac river two miles from this place
Fifteen minutes before that every.
thing was cleared for action. Prof
Manley was clad in suit of white
duck trousers and cork-lined Jacket
nrtv I l.. i
the scene of the test but infrequently
since the house boat carrying his de.
vice and his assistants was taken to
Widewater, did not witness the fail.
ure of his machine, but remained in
Washington where he awaited the re-
suit.
When all was ready Prof. Manley
took his place III the navigator's car
which was situated close to the gaso
line motor. This motor was well be-
low the principal surface of the ma
chine. 1t weighed 200 pounds and
was designed to generate approxi.
mately ~ horsepower. Long rods
connected it with the propellors,
whose blades were about three feet
long. The framework of Prof. Man.
ley's car was covered with canvas,
ioi' Ine HOIOr,
which worked well, the revolutions
reaching 1900 a minute The big ma.
chine moved easily along the 7O-foot
track in the launching apparatus, and
took the air fairly well. \ five-mle
breeze was blowing and for n moment
the machine stood up well, but its
failure was Immediately apparent. 1t
turned gradually downward The de.
clination was so positive that Prof |
Manley saw at glance that but few
movements of the second hand of the |
stop watch he wore on his left knee
would be recorded before both he and |
the scientific ship would be founder. |
ing in the Potomac. just before the |
machine struck the water he shut otf /
his motor, which had worked admir-. !
ably at the outset. The machine dis /
beneath the waves, but only .
momentarily. The five conical shaped .
floats which had been distributed
about the machine to avert its sinking .
performed their functions well and .
the bridges of the machine almost
Immediately reappeared above the
water. 1t was a moment of anxiety
for the safety of the navigator, but
the fears were instantly relieved as
his head emerged above the surface
He had sustained no injury. His face
reflected his disappointment at the
result. He climbed into a rowboat
which had been kept close at hand
and was conveyed to the deck of the
tug BarthoI1i