Evening journal., 1910-10-05
Early AerOplane
in Delaware
rom the Industrial Number Morning

From the Industrial Number Morning
News, Wilmington, Del.
During the Hudson-Fulton memoir
ial celebration over the discovery of
the Hudson river, and the invention
Of the steamboat. II was discovered
that a Delawarean had anticipated
Fulton's famous achievement When
the centenary OF the invention of the
flying machine is about 10 be cele-
brated. a hundred years hence, It is
not unlikely that the name of Doctor
Watson +. Quimby, of this city, will
lead those OF all the flying machine
inventors. in this country az least.
When people we're laughing at the
idea OF men trying 10 fly like birds.
DR.. Quimby, while flying kites as a
boy. was studying the question Of
aerial navigation. AS a man, he did
not forget the dream of his boyhood -
the memory of his kite hidden In the
clouds, aud wet with the moisture
was not forgotten. He patented an
apparatus for navigating the air,
November 26. 1861, fifty years ago.
How nearly DR.. Qumby was get
ting to the flying machine OF today
is shown in the accompanying draw
ings copied from his first patent pa
pers. The original patent office draw
ing Of this device was made from a
working model that was complete ex-
cepting for the absence of a motor
of sufficient power for continuous
movement. The motor of the model
was a spring. The patent describes
the machine as follows:
This invention consists in the use
of oscillating wings-attached to the
sides OF a boat-like car for causing
il to ascend, maintaining IL at given
elevation or regulating its descent in
the air, as may be desired; also, in
an arrangement, with such wings Of
a screw-like propeller for giving the
car movement In a horizontal direc-
tlon, and of spiral-bladed wheels like
the screw propellers, for assisting the
side wings in producing the ascent,
maintaining. the elevation or regu-
lating the descent of the car"
The claims OF the inventor are:
First--The employment, In combi-
nation With the boat-like car, of oscii-
lating wings constructed and applied
TO operate substantially, as, and for
the purpose herein set forth
second ne COUlDludllOH OF lne
said wings. the screw propeller and
the spiral bladed wheels, the whole
operating together, substantially as,
and for the purpose herein speciz
fed"
The witnesses to the inventors
signature to his application for patent
were John c. Highfeld and Abraham
Stats.
The drawings here shown are:
First. a longitudinal vertical section
of the aerial ship" Second, a trans
verse vertical section of the same.
The oscillating wings are shown in
the dotted lines diagonally across the
drawing from front to rear These
wings consisted of an oblong frame OF
light strong material fitted with a
sufficient number OF valve-like flaps
to cover the entire area; such flaps
being composed Of light strong elias
tic material, having oiled silk OF
other suitable fabrics stretched upon
them. The flaps being arranged tC
open by an upward and TO close b.
downward movement. The wing
are attached rigidly to a shaft ar
ranged transversely to the body o
the car, and so fixed that both wing
occupy the same plane or planes.
The main shaft carrying fore ant
aft propellers, the patent says, ma.
/ be drawn by a small steam engine
manual labor OF any other suitable