The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-28

mentation from the same house boat and the same locality showed that dlrlgibility was practicable he has been unceasing In his work, with the assistance of other special experts, on the problem of secur- ing sufficient power to lift and propel a machine carrying man to control 1t. In this work he has been compelled to ex- pend an appropriation of $50,000 by Con- gress, an allotment from the Army Board of Ordnance of $g5. 900 and as much again received from private contributions. On actual tests of the great machine he has produced he embarks with more mis- giving and less confidence than have been manifested by many of his enthusiastic supporters and colaborers. After twenty years of study on this problem he believes that he is on the eve. if not of complete success, at least of another notable ad- vance in aerial locomotlon that will make 1t an everyday achievement in few years
 Professor Langley's general plan. like that of Sir Hiram Maxim's flying ma- chine, and the apparatus used by Lilien- thai in his gliding experiments. is to rely exclusively on the aeropiane for sup port. This acts on the principle that gives buoyance to a card thrown edge wise horizontally. Any light flat object will be kept afioat by the air alone so long as the thing moves rapidly. The gas bag of the Santos-Dumont school Is discarded entirely.
 Lilienthal first began with single out stretched fabric reaching further side wise than fore and aft and he seated himself near the middle. He had rud: ders to steer to right or left and up or down. He employed no motive, power. and merely made short flights after tamp-i lrter ,r he APf fa When he had learned how to balance himself and under favorable weather conditions, he would then slide gently down an aerial slope several hundred feet long. Chanute, an American, did the same. Both he and Ldilienthal. in later experiments, placed two and three aeroplanes, one above another, connect ing them with light stays. thus securing a larger amount of supporting surface for the same lateral spread.
 Sir Hiram Maxim likewise employed a two-story aeroplane. His first machine was big and heavy and had a powerful steam engine to drive It's propellers The tests first made with 1t. and ten years ago. were designed to ascertain what hor- izontal speed could be made. Hence the machine was mounted on wheels and then placed upon railway track. It was thus discovered that speed of twenty-five hilicS hu uOuT COuiQ De developed. AL though provision for preventing such an accident had been made, the machine lift ed itself off the rails in one of its trips. and then fell heavily to the ground. It was badly damaged in consequence. Since that time no special activity has been shown by Sir Hiram.
 Professor Langley began with small model, which cou,d be easily transported and managed and which would test the rapfFaA ss41n kla AaA f. s,.Fn ETo r,A two aeroplanes, but he put one behind the other, instead of following the two-story arrangement. Another difference between his plan and Maxim's was that Langley's aeroplanes were not perfectly straight all the way from tip to tip. but were bent slightly, so that the outer ends were higher than the middle. The two halves of each aeroplane then looked like wings. and the whole device resembied a four winged bird. The great beauty of this double change was that Langiey's aero- plane was less liable to tip S-r- sideways.