Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-04

have to contend; we have tested every part
again and again. we have calculated and
tested the various possibilities. and If there
is anything in scientific engineering, then
this will fly"
Itch me about the flight of your model"
That flight was so remarkable" said
Mr.. Langley. that I was surprised that 1t
did not attract more attention. 1t was
made on August of last year. being the
first time in the history of invention that
any successful fight took place in public.
The model carried a gas engine of three
horse power which drove it through the air
for distance of a little less than quarter
of a mile. 1t then stepped only because of
a defect in its fuel supply. 1t left the
launching stage without trouble, and this
assured us THAT it was all right for the
larger machine"
The Lightest Gas Engine Ever Made.
Then 1 suppose you use a gas engine
in this large machine?"
Yes" replied Mr.. Langley, I'VE have
q gas engine of extraordinary nghtness for
the very considerable horse power. The
engine was one of my chief difficulties.
am not an engineer, and indeed, [ should
not have attempted to construct the ma
chine had 1 known the trouble I should
have in getting the proper engine. In 1898
/ made contract with an American
builder for a suitable engine. He agreed
to deliver one within year, but
at the close of that time found that he
was unable to produce what was needed.
For my purpose 1t is necessary to have
the lightest engine possible with certain
definite horse power. Finding it impossible
to get this in the United States, / went to
Europe and visited the works there noted
for building light engines. l went to Max
inns in England and to the best known of
the French and German engine builders, but
nowhere could I find one which weighed
SO little as ten pounds to the horse power,
none as light as that ever having been
built was then most reluctantly forced to
undertake to build the engine myself or to
have it built under my supervision. L say
reluctantly, as 1 am not an engineer. /
then secured the assistance OF Mr.. Charles
NJ Manly, a young mechanical engineer,
graduate Of Cornell University, and we
tried to produce We nsn made n experiment
after experiment, until he finally developed
a gas engine much less than half the weight
of the iightest gas engine we could produce
in Europe This Is the engine which oper-
ates the present machine. Il will not say
Just how light 1t is, but 1T weighs less
pounds per horse power. At the same time
1t Is OF wonderful strength In comparison
with It's weight"
A Military Secret.
You refer to the press. MI. Langley.
why did you not let the newspaper men
see the machine when you first took it
down the Potomac?"
''That was not a matter of 'shoice with
me, YVES tQS-FCpfy. ~eXpIdllleu why al
the time A large part of the morley employ
ed in making the machine was furnised by
the War Department with visw to using
it, If successful, in warfare. Fi,r this rea-
son the department wanted its construc-
ton to be a military secret. Suppose for
instance that Japan had a successful fly
ing machine, the secret of whole construc-
ton was known. only to the Japanese
would mot the war department. of that
country be anxious. to keep that secret
from, the Russians? With such machine
they could fly over the armitss in Man.
churia and estimate their size and arma-
ment. They could reconnoiter the country
for miles about their army and prepare to
resist an attack. They could look down
into Port Arthur and perhaps determine
the length of siege required to take IT.
These are the principal uses Of a flying
machine in reconnaissance. without speak
ing of its p0tentialities as a war engine In
dropping dynamite. Do you wonder that
the United States army does rot wish to
give publicity to possible invention of this
kind made with its money, or that /, as a
conscientious servant of the Government.
could not but obey such instructions?
looked upon the machine then All a military
secret. Much of it's construction is q
secret today. can show 1T to you. but / |
cannot allow you to make any scientific |
or detailed description OF It for the reasons |
have stated.
II regret much,a CONCLUDED Secretary |
Langley "that my situation In this mat |
ter has not been understood or fairly |