The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-07-31
AERIAL NAVIGATION
LANGLEY's PIONEER AEROPLANE
 MAY HE TESTED.
The Gcvernmenf VIII Begin Numerous Tests of Aerial Craft att Fort Meyer Next Week--Much
 Inferesf Arounea.

Washington, July ao,-There Is the echo of semi-tragic chapter in bal looming in the tests of aerial craft to be begun at Fort Meyer by the Gov ernment next week.
 The universal interest which these tests have aroused has resulted in the
 withdrawal of the veil of secrecy which has been maintained by the officials of the Smithsonian Institution in eonnec- ton with the aeropiane built by the late Professor Langley.
 If the Wright Brothers ana A M. Harrington should not succeed in car rying out their contracts with the Gov ernnnent it is not at all unlikely that we will bring out the old Langley ma chine for the purpose of conducting experiments" said Gen. James Allen, Chief Signal Officer of the army to. day.
 pr. Cyrus Adler, acting secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, which has the custody of the Langley aeroplane, the "Buzzard." has a different opinion with regard to using the machine for any further Investigations.
 Tt Is relic and should be preserved as such along with the others pro- duced by Professor Langley. the pio- neer of mechanical flight" he said. It IS said that the machine is the joint property of the army and the smith, sonian Institution. Twenty years or more ago Professor Langley. q lead ing scientist. began experiments at Pittsburg in an effort to master the problem of aerial navigation. This man. who was honofed by leading sci- entinc bodies of France. England and other countries. was laughed at He was criticised at that time and scient- ists themselves were skeptical.
 It was Wm. Thaw. the Pittsburg millionaire, and father of Harry K. sor Langley to carry out his experi- ments, experiments which gave to the world the knowledge upon which the aeronauts of the present day base their mechanism.
 It was Theodore Roosevelt. then As- sistant Secretary of the navy. who Tn 1898 was responsible for the United States Government devoting s5o.oo0 for the purpose of paying the expenses of the experiments which were conducted by Profssor Langley on the Potomac River. near Washington. IL may de- voive upon Theodore Roosevelt, as President of the United States. to make it possible for the further experiments with the Langley aeroplSne, Today. five years after ProfessN& Langley launched his aeroplane, Morel, = Is re- cognized that his machine embodies principles not fully understood by the machine building aeronauts of today.
 The Langley aeroplane. the one which was damaged on the launching ways of the Langley houseboat. has been re- paired and Is evidently in first class condition. Professor Langley was so by the criticism and com ment which followed his disappointing experiments that he never undertook further experiments with the ili-fated machine.
 It was locked up in the carpenter shop back of the Smithsonian Institu- tion. where it has remained ever since. It had been shown to several leading scientists and aeronautical experiment. CTS but yesterday was the first time it was ever viewed by newspaper men at close range.
 The airship will be placed on exhi- hilton as soon as room can he found l for it. Neither the frame. the wings | pr the motor, which is considered | unique in many ways. have been pat | snted. That further experiments with | he maehiAIe would be of value to the | thousands who are devoting their ef- orts to solving the problems of aerial navigation is the belief of prominent and an effort will be made o have the machine used by the sig