The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-08
LANGLEYS FLYING
MACHINE A WRECK
Continued From First Page.
nautical suit of white duck trous,

nautical suit of white duck trousers
and cork lined jacket.
Secretary Langley, who visited the
scene of the test but infrequently since
the houseboat carrying his device and
his assistants was taken to. Widewater
did not witness the failure of his ma
chine today, but remained in Washing
ton, where he awaited the result.
When all was ready Prof. Manley
took his place in the navigator's car,
which was situated close to the gaso-
inc motor.
This motor was well below the prin-
cipal surface of the machine. It was
of the explosion type, weighed 200
pounds and was designed to generate
approximately twenty-seven horse
power Long rods connected it with
the propellers, whose blades were about
three feet long.
The framework of Prof. Manley's car
was covered with canvas.
Prof Manley started the motor,
which worked well, the revolutions
reaching 1900 minute. The big ma
chine moved easily along the seventy
foot track into the launching apparatus
and took the air fairly we'll.
A five-mile breeze was blowing, and
for moment the machine stood up
well, but it's failure was Immediately
apparent. 1t turned gradually down
ward. The declination was so posi-
tive that Prof Manley saw at a 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 floundering in the waters of the
Potomac.
Just before the machine struck the
water he shut off his motor, Which had
worked admirably at the outset The
machine disappeared beneath the
waves, but only momentarily. The five
conical-shaped floats which had been
distributed about the machine to avert
it's sinking performed their functions
well and the bridges of the machine al
most Immediately reappeared above
the water.
1t was moment of anxiety for the
safety of the navigator, but fears were
instantly relieved as his head emerged
above the surface He had sustained
no injury. His face reflected his dis
appointment at the result. He climbed
into rowboat, which had been kept
close at hand, and was conveyed to the
deck of the tug Bartholdi There he
exchanged his dripping clothes for dry
garments. An hour later Prof Namely
gave out the following statement to the
newspapers:
ut must be understood that the test
today was entirely an experiment and
the first of it's kind ever made The ex-
pertinent was unsuccessful. The bal
ancing upon which depend the success
of the flight was based upon the tests
Of the models and proved to be incor-
rect, but only an actual trial of the
full-Sized machine itself could deter
mine this. My confidence in the future
success of the work is unchanged /
can give you no other information ]
shall make formal report to Secretary
Langley"
The work of removing the wreck was
Immediately begun. Within ten min
utes of the mishap the tugs were pull
ing away at the debris. BY o'clock
the disabled machine had been put
away in the interior of the houseboat.
AS it was lifted on the derricks from
the water the complete disaster was
evident. The big broad wings which
had extended IL by % feet We're hang
Ing limp beside the frame the rudder
was wreck, the wire framework a
tangled mass, and the main body of
the 1,200-pound machine was badly
damaged, though not beyond repair.
At practically the same spot flying
machine experiments were conducted
on May s, 1896, at which time Secre-
tary Langley reported that his aero
drome had twice flown over distance
of half a mile.