New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-05-30
WRIGHTS PlANSPUZZLE
DON'T TELL THE SECRET.
Aeronauts Discuss Airship Spec'f-
cations Filed for Patent.

Certain members CT the Aero Club Of America
discussed yesterday in lively fashion the plans OF
the Wright brothers airship, published In the
French magazine 'L'Aerophle," which has just
arrived in this country They united in saying
that the information did not inform On jan
uary Is the Wright brothers fled in Paris applica-
ton for French patent on their airship- Aero
nauts this city said yesterday that the specica-
tons were drawn. however. as to withhold COM
pletely all the essential particulars Of the aero
plane. leaving the world just much in the dark
as to what thing it was that enabled
them to make the reported long flights
A. NJ. Herring. who in 1898 produced the first
power-driven. man-carrying machine to travel
through the air, said yesterday:
You may take it from me that the Wright
brothers have not disclosed in their plans specified
when making application for a patent the main
principle utilized in the making Of their flights
through the air I have studied the plans care
fully. and if the Wright brothers had nothing more
than they have made known thus far. you may de-
pend upon it that their machine would not fly.
But it does fly. and that is just the point.
I'm their present machine they have addi-
tonaI principle. the soul of. the apparatus. the
thing that makes it live when they choose to mas
the air. and that principle they do not in the
least disclose in the drawings filed for patent pur-
poses. 1 able to Judge accurately the principle
involved in the Wright brothers machine. I will
go further and say that. although did not witness
their experiments in North Carolina. 1 know ex-
actly how they accom- plished their fine results
The principle not shown in these plans is one by
which the time Of correcting the effect Of any dis
turbance in the air is prolonged. This gives them
the time that is absolutely necessary in the meet
ing of emergencies in nidair to operate the levers.
The method OF operating the levers is another
feature not shown by the drawings. and in actual
practice is very different from what would natu-
rally be supposed by reference to them
Mr.. Herring took old newspaper out OF a
drawer Of his desk and. pointing to picture OF
one OF his early models. said;
When look at the incomplete drawings fled by
the wright brothers carried back to the year
1895. when built the aeroplane you see pictured
here. along precisely the same plan have been
all through that neck of the woods. far con-
struction goes, and long ago as 1902 expert
rnented for the last time with the principle in
voIved in the control Of that machine. the same
principle that know the Wright brothers are now
using in view of the construction of their appa-
ratus. I wish say that believe they can do all
they claim. That does not however. affect my
statement just made, that I have progressed
through the experimental stage that they now
in and began to follow what believe to be more
advanced lines of inquiry into the subject many
years ago.
Mr. Herring is under contract with the United
States government to furnish a machine by Au-
gust 3d. at $4,000. which will carry two men and
remain in the air an hour The minimum amount
of speed allowed by the government is thrty-six
| miles an hour. The Wright brothers are under a
similar contract, except they are TO receive S2oOt
on completion of satisfactory test Ofcial trials
Of both aeroplanes to be made on August i3 at
| Fort Myer. Virginia Mr. Herring announced
| Yesterday that his machine would operate on an
entirely different principle from that employed by
| the Wright brothers
Albert c. Triaca. general director of the Interna
| tiona School Of Aeronautics. said yesterday:
I'VE aeronauts would like to have the Wrigh
| brothers tell US something about their machine
| that we do not already know. We would very
! much like to know something about their engine
Except that they operate with % to 30 horsepower
! motor, know nothing SO far as that is con
| cerned. Evidently they have found some means o
| getting around the difficulty Delasrange, Farmal
and such experience through inability to keel
their motors from overheating and thus shortenin;
! their flights. The patent plans omit entirely al
really important features of their aeropane
| have had the plans before me for several weeks
| but they do tell anything The secret Of tn
| Wright brothers is still shrouded in mystery.