Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-31
TRAGIC ECHO IN AERIAL TEST
Old langley AerOplans to Be Used in
Fort Myer Demonstration.
PIONEER IN AIR NAVIGATION
Repair of. Relic Recalls sad Expert
ence Of Prof. =. r. Langley,
who Abandoned work BE-
cause of Criticisms.

WASHINGTON, July SO.-There is the
echo of a semi-tragic chapter In ballooning
in the tests Of aerial craft to be begun at
Fort Myer by the government next week.
The universal interest which these tests
have aroused has resulted in the with
drawal ,ot the veil OF secrecy which has
been maintained by the officials of the
Smithsonian institute in connection with
the aeroplane built by the late Prof. S. z.
Langley.
III the Wright Brothers and A.. NJ. Her
ring should not succeed In carrying out
their contracts with the government 1t is
not at all unlikely that we will bring out
the old Langley machine for the purpose
OF conducting experiments" said General
Allen, chief signal officer Of the army and
a-eronautical enthusiast, today. DR.. Cyrus
Adler, acting secretary Of the Smithsonian
institute, which has the custody Of the
Langley acceptance, the FBuzzard,' has a
different opinion with regard to using the
machine for any further Investigations.
ut is a relic and should be preserved as
such along with the others produced by
Prof. Langley, the pioneer of mechanical
flight were his words. 1t is said that
the machine is the Joint property of the
army and the Smithsonian institution.
FlOneer IN AIR NuNlkntAOhs
Twenty years or more ago Prof. Lang
ley, a leading scientist. began experiments
at Pittsburg In an effort to master the
problem Of aerial navigation. This man,
who was honored by the leading scientific
bodies OF France. England and other coun-
tries, was laughed at. He was criticised
by the newspapers at that time and scien-
lists themselves were skeptical.
~ u,s uulinp, Thaw tho pittuh,rg
millionaire, and father Harry Kendall
Thaw. who made It possible for Prof,
Langley to carry on his experiments; ex-
periments which gave to the world the
knowledge upon which the aeronauts of
tho present day base their mechanlsms.
1t was Theodore Roosevelt, then assistant
secretary Of the navy who, in 1898, was
responsible for the United States govern
ment devctlng $4,000 for the purpose of
paying the expenses of the experiments,
which were conducted by Prof. Langley
on the Potomac river, near Washington.
1t may devolve upon Theodore Roosevelt,
as president Of the United States, to make
It possible for further experiments with
the Langley aeroplane. Today, five years
after Prof. Langley launched his aeroplane
model, It IL recognized that his machine
embodies principles not fully understood
by the machine building %aeronauts of to-
day,
Langley Machine Repaired.
The Langley aeroplsne, the one which
was damaged on the launching ways of the
Langley houseboat, has been repaired and
Is evidently In first class condition.
Prof, Langley was so disheartened by the
criticism and comment which followed his
disappointing experiments that he never
undertook further experiments with the ill
fated machine. It was locked up In the
carpenter shop back of the Smithsonian
institution, where 1t has remained since.
1t had been shown to several leading
scientists and aeronautical ex~perimenters.
but yesterday was the first time 1t was
ever viewed by newspaper men at close
range.