The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-04-16

stare at the shear simplicity of the
things. the shallow firm curves of the
planes, the criss-cross of reinforcing
wires, the absence Of "contraptions."
A switch or two for controlling the en-
CINE, a very little running gear for
managing the planes, hardly to be
traced amid the reinforcing wires, and
that is all. The rest is as clear and
as simple as mathematics-is, indeed
Northumberland not much less diff
ficult in the working out.
But there, so far worked out already
and in existence, with something of a
record behind them the simplicity is
splendid. Moreover the things look as
if they would fly, they look right. OF
course, they will be very much more
right yet, but even as they stand they
are convincing. Above all, they look
rational They are not attempts to
| initiate birds or mayfiies, or any COM
plicated and power wasting substi-
suites for the flight motions of nature.
They look like products of human rea-
son and sense, and that is the most
| hopeful point about them.
l speak, of course, of the aeroplane
| strictly so called. the biplane or the
monoplane, with more or less box-kite
attachments forward and aft. The
| show does not lack machines which
| are still hunting after those elusive
| fight Observation-Disclosures and stere-
| opters, and so on-which the plain man
| classes as tapping machines. They are
! tremendously ingenious, and inspire no
! confidence at all. 1T is serious, too to
| find how very little one cares about
| the small models, save the model of the
| Wright brothers aeroplane. They were
we'll enough while we had none of the
/ real things, but the VoiSin aeroplanes
| here make them look like toys. They
| do fly, / believe, and they have .'prac-
| ticable" propellers, which are Work ed
! by long strands of stout elastic which
| is twisted round and round and then
drives the propellers by unwinding it
self. But an hour spent in looking al
all their varied forms and cunning de-
vices does not make one feel the power
of flight so much as five minutes near
one of the full-size machines.
Metal Lighter Than aluminium
4 w Hdl appears " De one OI Tie UlOSt
remarkable exhibits at the aeronautic-
al show-a few pieces of whitish metal
which would probably be passed over
| as samples Of aluminium by a casual
vfsitor-has not captured much pub
licity. But / am told that these piec-
| es are specimens of new metal OF
| alloy, so new that it has not even re-
ceived a name. 1t is extraordinarily
| light. Aluminium weighs rather more
| than twice as much as water; the new
metal is scarcely one and three-quarteY
| times the weight of water-a reduction
of fully one-third. A rod of the new
metal four and a half feet long would
| be just about equal in weight to an
| iron rod of the same diameter of only
single foot length. Taking a line
] through aluminium, one would expect
| the new metal to be of poor, crumbly
nature, but this is far from the case,
as a small strip exhibits an elasticity
| like that of spring brass. The metal
can be rolled into sheet or drawn into
wire, but it cannot be cast nor be
joined by brazing. No price is quoted
at present. but for special purposes
the material should tbe worth good
deal.
Writing of aerorlanes naturally calls
to mind the hopes placed on them for
war purposes and the steps that are
being taken to offset their utility in
that respect. The Krupp works have
produced a gun to fight aeroplanes. and
the Vickers, Maxim company in Eng
land is experimenting not only on that
head, but also to produce light ar
mament to be carried by aeroplanes.
Artillery experts at the national Wool
witch arsenal, too, are experimenting
with various types of guns, for at
lacking these monsters, of the air
should they ever be brought within
the range of practical warfare. The
weapon that meets with most favor
at Woolwich just now is in some re-
spects combination of a howitzer and
a naval Hotchkiss gun, and throws
shells of two pounds or so with very
great rapidity.
Many admirers Of Tennyson's poems
will be surprised to learn that his
youngest sister, Mrs. Washington, has
lust died 1t was this lady who was
engaged to Arthur Henry Hallam,
Tennyson's intimate friend. whose
early death inspired the greater por-
ton of I'm Memoriam." Mrs. LUSH
fngton was in her ninety-second year.
The liberal premier of England is
working hard to lay the naval scare he
worked up to bring the insurgents in
his party to order, but it will need all
his efforts to continue on the econom-
ical policy the government set itself,
for the country is badly frightened.
had occasion the other day 70 meet an
official of a foreign government whose
duties are in London, and who is man
of worldwide experience, besides being
good friend of this country. His
own government is in no way con-
cerned in the question of great navies
now agitating England and Germany
and his attitude is therefore that ~ the
intelligent and disinterested foreioHer
So he protested to be unable to under
stand the present scare, unless it was
due to confused thinking.
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