The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-10-08
AIR SHIP DIDN'T FLY
SECOND ATTEMPT ON POTOMAC
ENDED IN DISMAL FAILURE.
AER0DRoME WAS WRECKED
AND MANLEY, WHO STARTED ON
TRIP, GOT DUCKED.

Vessels Momentum Carried 1t One
Hundred Yards from Point of
Launching-NO SembInnce of
Flight at Any Time-Experiment
Made from HOusebOat on Potomac.
Official Statement Admits Failure
but Expresses Confidence of UIti-
mate success-LangIey Not at the
Scene.
Whitewater, Va, Oct. THE sixty
foot, steel built flying machine, the eli
max of years OF exhaustive study in the
efforts of Prof. Samuel p Langley, Sec
rotary of the Smithsonian Institution,
to solve the problem of mechanical
flight in mid air. was launched to-day
and the experiment, carefully planned
and delayed for months, proved a COM
plete failure.
The immense airship sped rapidly
along it's seventy foot track, was car
ried by its own momentum for 100
yards and then fell gradually into the
Potomac river, whence it emel g d a
total wreck.
Prof. Charles NJ. Marley, who has
been Prof. Langley's chief assistant in
the work. preliminary to the attempte
flight, made the ascent in the aero
drome and escaped with a ducking At
no time was there any semblance of
flight, the initial momentum, the light
ness of the machine and the sustaining
surface of the wings furnishing the
conditions which account for the hum
bred yard transit of the air bird from
he. -. 49, . -
An official statement, made after the
test, admitted that the experiment was
unsuccessful but asserted contide ace in
the ultimate success of the invention.
The launching took place at l2:15
O'Clock this afternoon from the super
structure of the houseboat moored in
the Potomac river two miles from this
place. Secretary Langley did not wit
ness the failure of his machine today
but remained in Washington, 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 gasoline
motor.
Prof. Manley started the motor.
which worked we'll, the revolutions
reaching 1000 a minute. The big ma
chine moved easily along the seventy
foot track. in the launching apparatus
and took the air fairly well. Ave
mile breeze was blowing. and for a
moment the machine stood UP WELL
but its failure was Immediately APP
parent. 1t turned gradually downs
ward. +,
The declination was so positive that
Prof Manley saw at a glance that
but a 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 fioundering 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
water, but only momentarily. The five
eonical-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 grave 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 re-
suit. He climbed into a row boat
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.
The work of removing the wreck was
Immediately begun. By 2 o'clock the
disabled machine had been put away
in the interior Of the houseboat. As
it was lifted on the decks from the
water the complete disaster was evil
dent.
At practically the same spot. flying
machine oriT
on May 6. 1896, at which time Secre-
tary Langley reported that his aero
drome had twice flown over q distance
of one-half a mile.