Omaha daily bee., 1910-10-31
NAN VITAL IN AlRSHIP
Slow. Witted Person Has No Business
Running Aeroplsne.
RECORDS OF THE PATENT OFFICE
These Disclose ssventy-Five Per Cent
Of success 81 Aviation Depends
On Nerve and wit 81 MAJ
at wheel.

WASHINGTON, oct 9O-Multifarious as
are the new devices that are being applied
TO the navigation Of the air, in connection
with the present day activity in that sport,
none has been or is likely TO be found 10
take the place Of brains in the aviator
This Is the opinion Of James II. Colwel, the
patent office expert who has immediate
charge Of ell flying machine inventions and
who has given personal attention 70 almost
every application for a patent in that line
Summing up his views today he said SEN
tentiously:
Ten per cent OF the success OF every
aerial flight IL due to the machine, IS per
cent 70 the motor and Is per cent TO the
man. The man Of indecision, poor judg
ment, weak nerves or slow judgment 10 as
much out OF place in an airship as a de-
feCtive motor"
Airship invention has received stirring
impetus within the last few years, and
there is no more reliable index to this &C
tivity than that displayed by the records
Of the United states patent office. It be-
san with the first exhibitions by the
Wright brothers off the North Carolina
coast and has increased in geometric ratio
since that time. with the consequence that
up TO date about 1900 patents have been is
sued on these machines themselves or on
devices connected with them The bureau
Is now handling an average OF about ninety
cases q month The work is conducted in
the division Of the office which gives espe-
cisl attention TO inventions having to do
with army ordnance and marine propulsion.
Important as are these branches, more
than half OF the force under the direction
OF Mr.. COlwell Is engaged upon the air ma
chine portion Of the work.
Motive Power Important.
The airship inventions have been assigned
to this division largely because OF the fact
that the method OF propulsion is the most
important part Of aerial navigation. The
patent office regards as established the
principles OF the plane in this method Of
transit and as a consequence, Of the gen.
eraI recognition of this fact, the inventive
genius OF the world lie now concentrating
it's attention largely upon the motive
power Electricity as a motive power Is
being made the subject OF careful inquiry.
The weight Of the present day electric
motor is a bar to Its use in all aerial craft
and It is feared that no progress can be
made until a way Is found OF gathering
this force from the atmosphere.
Much attention also is being given by
inventors to Establishing" by which is
meant keeping OF the air car in the right
position. In case of accident they have
a tendency to turn turtle and, in that
event, they seek the center Of gravity with
a suddenness which generally means dis
aster to the operator. Already vast i'm
provements have been made and still
much more are hoped for in this direction.
Inventors also are seeking for improved
methods of arising and slightng and there
are numerous applications for patents
covering these points. The alrnnen want
machine which can lift Itself suddenly
from the ground like a bird and which
can alight anywhere. To satisfy this de-
mand the inventors are turning their
attention to the horizontal screw, such as
is used In water in connection with sub
marine boats. and many of the applications
dealing with this principle have been
filed.
AirshlP In War.
Inventions looking TO the use Of the air
ship I'm time Of war also are pouring INTO
the office, as are counter inventions which
contemplate protection against them. As
the patent office views the situation, the
difficulty in using the aeroplane for
dropping projectiles Is found in the un-
certainty which must necessarily accom-
pany such effort. with a machine going
from fifty TO seventy-five miles an hour,
as most OF them do. it Is extremely diff
cult TO direct proJectile 80 as to insure
its strkinG the mark, even though that
mark be battleship or an extensive forti-
fcation.
A large number OF the airship cases
now coming into the patent office are
those dealing with foreign patents. The
European governments are more liberal I'm
their encouragement OF the development
Of aerial navigation than the United
States and as consequence greater
activity prevails among the foreign than
among the American inventors