Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-02

Wv mobiles are today in our
streets.
So Alexander Graham Bell is quoted as
To an ut'erance made in this city at re-
cent dinner. And to emphasize the point ne
IS said 10 have asked the question, VINO
ten years ago believed that the problem Oh
the horseInss carriage was already solved
along practical lines?
Dr. Bells ideas the subject or aerlai
locomotion may he gathered from an al
dress of his read before the Washington
Academy of Sciences and recently specially
revised by him for publication in the Maya
zine of the National Geographic Society, OF
which he was formerly president
While it is not possible To quote DR.. Bell
in full. nor TO reproduce all of the interest
ing Illustrations of the National Geographic
Magazine enough can be taken to show
that the romance of the airship is passing
into reality.
In the course of his address he says:
For many years past-in fact from my
boyhood-the subject of aerial flight has had
a great fascination for me. Before the year
1896 | had made many thousands OF still
unpublished experiments having beaaring
upon the subject, and l was therefore much
Interested in the researches of Prof. Lang
ley relating to aerodynamics. We were
thrown closely together in Washington,
and although we rarely conversed upon
aerodynamics we knew that We had sub
iect Of mutual interest and showed the
greatest personal confidence in one another.
l did not hesitate to show him my expert
ments; he did not hesitate to show me his
At least as early as 1894 Prof. Langley
visited me In my Nova Scotia home and wit
messed some of my experiments; and in
May 1898. he reCiproCated by inviting me
to accompany him to Quantico. Va. and
witness trial Of his large-sized model
The sight of Langley's steam aerodrome
circling In the sky convinced me that the
age of the flying machine is at hand,
"Iilienthal had boldly launched himself
into the air In apparatus of his own con-
struction. having wings like bird and
tail for rudder. Without any motor, he
ran down hill against the wind. Then, upon
jumping into the air. he found himself sup
ported by his apparatus. and giided down
hill at an elevation of a few feet from the
ground. landing safely at a considerable
distance from his point of departure This
exhibition OF gliding flight fairly startled
the world. and henceforth the experiments
Of Iilienthal were conducted in the public
eye He made hundreds OF successful
flights with his gliding machine. varying
communicating to the world the results Of
his experiments, with practical directions
how to manage the machine under circum-
stances OF difficulty; so that. when at last
he met with the usual fate OF his predeces-
sors In this line, the experiments were not
abandoned They were continued in America
by Chanute of Chicago. Herring and other
Americans, including the Wright brothers
OF DAYTON Ohio.
''Hargrave of Australia attacked the fly
machine problem from the standpoint
of kite, communicating his results to the
Royal Society of New South Wales. 1t IS
to him We owe the modern form of kite
known as the 'Hargrave box kite which
surpasses in stability all previous forms of
kites.
NO one has contributed more to the mod
ern revival OF interest in flying machines
of the heavlerthan-aIr type than our
own Prof. Langley. the late secretary of
the Smithsonian Institution. The constant
failures and disasters OF the past had
brought into disrepute the whole subject of
aerial flight by man: and the would be in
ventor or experimental had to face not only
the natural difficulties of his subject but
the rdicule OF a skeptical world. To Prof
Langley is due the chief credit OF placing
this subject upon a scientific basis. and of
practically originating what he termed the
art of 'aerodromics-' In his epoch max
Ing work on Experiments in Aerodynam-
ics,' published In 1891 among the Smith
sonlan Contributions to knowledge he pre-
pared the world for the recent advances in
this art by announcing that the mechanical
sustension of heavy bodies in the air COM
bined with very great speeds. Is not only
No h1tr ytish a.
means We actually possess.
He also attempted to reduce his princi-
pies to practice by the construction of q
large model OF an aerodrome driver.
through the air by steam engine under
the action OF its own propelers. ! was my
self witness of the memorable expert
ments made by Prof. Langley on the 9th of
May. 1896. with this largesized model.
which had a spread OF wing of about four
teen feet. No one who witnessed the ex-
traordinary spectacle Of a steam engine
flying with wings in the air like a great
soaring bird could doubt for moment
the practicability OF mechanical flight
1.-The experiment realized the utmos,
hopes and wishes Of Prof Langley at that
time.
:" i have brought to a close" he says.
the portion of the work which seemed to
be specially mne-the demonstration OF
the practicabilit OF mechanical fight; and
for the next stage, which Is the CONNER
cial and practical development OF the idea,
II is probable that the world may look to
others. The world indeed will be suplne IL
it does not realize that a new possibility
has come 10 it, and that the great univer-
sal highway overhead is now soon to be