Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-07
DID NOT FLY, TODAY
TEST OF PROF. LANGLEY'S AIR
SHIP AGAIN POSTPONED.
The Weather Conditions Rendered the
Experiment Inadvisable-Talk
With Prof. Manly.


the weather conditions, Prof. Manly an
nounced about o'clock this afternoon that
he would not attempt to test the Langley
airship today The inspection was made in
a gasoline launch, and covered the entire
channel from the sth street wharf to Gies-
boro' Point. and included test, of the wind
velocity at both points,. 1t was found that
there was fifteen knot wind off Giesboro'
Point. and this was too great to attempt to
assemble the various parts of the arshfp
in the Open.S si,r..-- -, --.t,-
while we are willing to take consider
able risk in making our test, which we
want to have done and over with" said
Mr. Manly. just before leaving the house
boat for the Smithsonian Institute, I'VE do
not believe We can afford to jeopardize the
machine or the money laid out in the ex
periments tC test 1t under the conditions
which prevail today. l found the atmos-
phere entirely too cold to handle the
chfnery. My hands were so cold l could
scarcely handle the wheel on: our boat, and
there was but little force required for. that
i do not know when we will make the test
At the first favorable opportunity, how
ever"
Weather Too Cold
The cold wind that swept up the river and
sent the Ice swirling in the water about
the houseboat which Prof Langley's
buzzard' reposed seemed to the I'M
initiated to preclude all attempt at flight
of the bird today. The two elements which
appeared to operate against the trial, wind
and Ice, were present in uncomfortable
proportions. The wind was not strong and
was fairly steady this morning, but it was
chilling, and the groups which gathered on
the water front early In the morning were
soon sent snuffiing and shifting UP and down
the docks In their efforts to keep up circu-
off Of fha
frlgid zephyrs." Ice to the thickness of an
inch or more covered the surface Of the
broad Potomac from the Long bridge al
most to the Arsenal Point Here the CIR
rent from the Eastern branch prevented the
freezing of the water, but helped make
navigation more dangerous by keeping the
ice moving in every direction. On the
houseboat the "chug-chug'' of the ga soline
engine inside told of the business going
on there - e0'e
Saturday afternoon Prof Charles M.
Manly said the "buzzard" was practically
iii the right shape for trial but there a re-
a hundred little things which might seem
unimportant at the beginning which would
turn out to be of utmost Importance and
i'lmSt De attended to at the last moment.
mere We're no workmen on the super
structure of the houseboat thissmorning
Everything seemed to be in perfect ordei.
about the launching car. and the work was
al put on the machine itself today ;.
Prof Manly Doesn't Know.
Prof Manly was seen about 10 o'clock as
he assembled to the roof of the housebsst
to take an observation.
Il cannot tell just when the trial will be
made" he said. You must understand that
we have many things to consider in a ca se
OF this kind. Inventors have been at work
on this idea for AGO years and we are mir k
ing our way carefully. The conditions are
Just as you see them Ice covers part of
me river here, although it does not inter
!ers with navigation at the point where the
test Will most probably take place The
dlr1lculty is in the handling of the aero
drome on the superstructure.
III the machine were all assembled | would
not care for ten, twelve or ifteen-mile
wind, but in handling the large wings and
IN putting the various other parts in place
there are a number of details that the
weather conditions will partially control
-. course. II does not seem to be such
task from here, but when you consider
what 1t means to handle the steel. two or
three hundred pounds alta time, you have
an entirely different proposition I cannot
made today.
Polite, but Firm. -
In reply to request from a newspaper
man for permission to come aboard the
houseboat Prof. Manly said:
If you should come aboard and see the
machine and an entire set of drawings yo,
would know no more than you do now.
Those who were down to Whitewater with
us last summer know what it looks like
We do not want to appear in the light Of
Obstructing the newspaper men in getting
the news or in antagon1zing you In any
way When the machine has been found
to operate successfully then will be time
enough to consider the proposition of in
Wiling you aboard to take look at it"
Prof. Manly was very courteous and
obliging in answering questions put to
him, and promised to notify the newspaper
men in case he decides not to make the
test.
Shortly after this interview, and after he
had taken an observation with his scien-
tific apparatus from the superstructure of
the hOuseboat, the professor was taken
down the river in gasoline launch. There
were two other men in the boat, and they
were out for an hour more.
The engineer officers at Washington bar
racks received word this morning to be on
the lookout for the houseboat and the air.
ship test The message was sent from the
War Department.