Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-28
NO MOTOR IN FLYING
Alexander Predicts Aeroplane
Triumph of Future.
HE CAN LIFT HIMSELF UP
Aeronaut Has Made Promising Ex-
periments Already.
HOPES TO BE ABLE TO STAY UP
Latent Electrical Currents in Air
He Believes Can Be Successfully
Utilized for Soaring.

| NEW YORK, December .S.-Patrick Y
Alexander. an Englishman of wealth, who
keeps himself constantly employed In
following from one country to another
his hobby-the making of aeronautfcal
experiments-has again just glided into
the quietness of the Albemarle Hotel.
He sent word to few aeronautical
| friends In this city that he had arrived.
aftei. which he instructed the hotel clerk
to show danger signals to any reporters
who appeared hungry for news of the
aeroplane or dirigible, and asked that his
telephone be taken out. Then, a reporter
| being sighted on the horizon, Mr.. Alex
ander at once made q successful flight to
his room.
maining above ground. and was SO far as
could be learned. under perfect control
the entire time-nine hours.
The English aeronaut crossed the At
lantic in a bad storm to chat for three
days with close friends engaged in ex-
perimenting in aerOnautics, which he re-
ferred to yesterday as the biggest thing
in the Christian era. He will return to
London Wednesday on the Lucania.
which brought him over.
He was here last spring for seventy
two hours. He says he may be here
again next month 1t depends ON
whether he then wants to ask a question
about aeronautics of some one in this
country.
Flying Without Motor.
His contention is that man must learn
to fly without a motor. He Is able. he has
found out by numerous experiments
abroad, to lift himself off the ground
for an instant. He says that in the ex-
periments made with elders by Lilienthal
and others in the early days they were
able with 100 square feet Of surface to
lift themselves against twenty-mile
winl with fifty to sixty pounds pun. :.
why should we have such powerful
motors as vie now use to move us at that
speed?'' asked Mr.. Alexander yesterday.
He suggests that out of the air itself
means will be found before long to utilize
the latent electrical energy to produce
artificial currents of sufficient strength
to support man in flying machine-the
same energy to be used to drive the ap-
paratus.
There are now 100 aeroplanes in Eng
land. he said, and 100000 invested in
the flying machine industry. Before the
close of another year he predicts there
will be at least fifty practical flying
machines capable Of sailing over Europe
with stops not more frequent than each
thirty or forty miles.
Much Money for Experiments.
He added that there would be invested
in the aeronautical industry in Europe
in another year 100000. The Russian
government alone will spend 100000
next year in aeronautical experiments,
he declared.
Speaking Of the Wright brothers, he said
1t was difficult to express the degree OF
sensation throughout Europe which was
the result Of their splendid work. and
added that he knew of twenty five sports
men vino had ordered Wright aeroplanes.
1.-The automobile clubs have been the
backbone Of all aero clubs" said Mr..
Alexander, when asked about probable
international coalition of automobile clubs
having aviation sections. and as long AZ
gasoline motors are used In flying
machines 50 long will the automobile men
control aviation. They realize that the
motor industry is closely allied with the
flying machine, and they are going to con-
troll aviation as long as they can. The re-
suit is that automobile clubs abroad have
taken up the subject oflicially. and the
outcome will be that the aero clubs will
lose their identity"
He surprised members OF the Aero Club
Of America by informing them that the
Aero Club of France had a short time
ago been taken under the wing of the
Automobile Club.