Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-06-08
.N[N TYPE OF A|RSH|P'
Steam Engines to Be Used For
Motive Power Instead Of
Electric Motors
PROFESSORS IDEA
COLLEGE

Machine to 30 Stopped In Midar and
Keep Its Eievation--Very Large
Screw propellers For Lifting Power.
f Entirely Different From Balloon.
DR.. Robert w. Wood, professor OF
experimental physics at the Johns Hop
kins university, apd Otto Lnyties,
skillful mechanical engineer of Balt-
more, hope they have solved the prob
lem in aerodynamics upon which
Langley failed and which Santos-Du-
mont has not yet succeeded IN unrav-
cling. Professor Wood is the successor
to the late Professor Ii. A. Rowland,
the inventor of the famous spectre
scope grating machine, known to all
physicians, and the multiple telegraph
system now being introduced in the
various countries of Europe.
The type of machine upon which
Professor Wood and Mr.. Luyttes are
ut work lis known as the "helicopter. "
says the Washington Post. 1t is en-
tirely different from the balloon type
and belongs to what Is known as the
heavier than air. class Of airships,
now attracting the attention Of all who
are Interested in aerial navigation. 1t
belongs properly to the same class With
the aeroplane, which was the object Of
extensive experiments by the late Pro-
lessor Langley of Washington. The
Langley airship, however. has several
drawbacks. the most serious OF which
Is the difficulty of shaking landings be-
cause of the extreme high rate of hori-
zontal velocity which 1t Is absolutely
necessary to keep up in order that the
ship mayssustain itself in the air.
In the "helicopter" Messrs. Wood
and Luvties hope to overcome these
disadvantages entirely. In the first
place, there Is no stationary supporting
surface, such as Is required In the
aeroplarle, which maintains its position
In the air by several pairs OF huge
wings and the high rate Of velocity at
which 1t is drawn.
Professor Wood and Lord Rayleigh,
the renowned English physicist, differ
on the question Of motive power The
Englishman advocates electric motors,
whereas. Messrs. Wood and Luyties
show this to be impracticable In that
such motors are entirely too heavy,
weighing 100 to $50 pounds to the
horsepower. Such being the case, DR..
Wood proposes using the steam engine
modelled after those used in tho racing
automobiles.
In the particular ship upon which
they are now working an engine weigh
ing about 900 pounds and capable OF
generating 100 horsepower at the be-
ginning, will be used. This high horse
fpower will be maintained for a few
minutes anly, us 1t will soon reduce to
forty or fifty horsepower, due to the
high grade of pressure. The ship Is
to be lifted by the power OF Its en-
CINE, and movement when In the air
will be. obtained by what Is known as
the lifting powers Of tits revolving
propellers,' These propellers will be at
least forty feet in diameter and will
consist of light metal frames covered
with light but strong fabric.
Unlike the aeroplane, 1t can be stop
ned in midair and still keep Its eleva-
ton. whereas the aeroplane must de-
scend as soon as all OF its motive pow
err is cut OF.
Professor Wood in speaking for him
self and Mr.. Luyties made the follow
| ing statement:
"The object Of the experiments which
are now in progress is to determine
the a,scensional power which can be
given to a flying machine by means OF
very large propellers operated by en-
CINE power. The aeroplane type OF
machine requires high linear velocity
for It's support, and this makes landing
more or less dangerous. In addition to
| this, the machines constructed thus far
have, as rule, required some special
device for launching.
"Authorities, for the most part, are
agreed that the successful machine
must ascend without the aid Of any
apparatus exterior to Itself and must
be capable of making safe landing.
, Landing with an aeroplane Will always
be accompanied with some danger.
.'Tte 'helcopter' type OF machine rises
vertically like a balloon, lifted solely
by the upward thrust Of its revolving
screws. Once abft, lateral motion can
be given to it in variety Of ways.
"Tte machine of the future will very
probably be compromise between the
aeroplane and the 'helicopter.' Up to
the present time no work has been
done on large scale On the lifting
power Of large propellers. In the ma
jority Of cases where the large screws
have been built attempts have been
made to operate thep by man power,
and, this means proving wholly made
quat,e, the experiments have been dis
continued or efforts have been made to
build. light engine to drive them"
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