Omaha daily bee., 1911-01-08
FIRST MARTYR OF The AIR
Simon Magus Flew Over Rome and
Fell TO Death.
Eve on OTHER ExPERINENTERs
BIRD Men Of other Days Fooled with
Artificial winss- Put a Few
Real Thrills on the
Records.

I AENAnCAnA NAAmnnr Mmu hNN = NNW
Real Thrills on the
Records.
The first birdman OF whom there is any
definite record was Simon Magus. who.
I according to Antonius Byerlink, flew high
/ in the air over Rome during the reign Of
Z Nero from 81 TO s. A. u. The account Of
the adventure Is very brief. but not more
so than was this pioneers career as an
aviator. for It is recorded that his evil
( genius became displeased with him when he
was aloft and suffered him to fall and
/ dash out his life.
/ The fate Of this first martyr Of the air
seems to have discouraged experimenters
/ for many centuries, for we must turn over
a thousand years OF history before put
! ting our finger on the next birdman TO be
definitely mentioned. This was Elmerus
thirteenth century monk. Taking the
flying squirrel for his model he gave sue
cessful exhibitions from tower soaring
! sometimes above furIong through space.
And in the same century the learned
PHILOSOPHERS. Roger Bacon, averred: There
is certainly a flying instrument not that
ever knew a man that had H. but am
particularly acquainted with the ingenious
person who contrived It."
The first brdman to fly considerable
distance appears. to have been John Bah
tiste Dante, a fifteenth century mathema-
tician who lived in Perugia. He framed
a pair Of ingenious wings with which, It
is narrated. he amused his fellow Peru
CLANS.
One of the most successful flights was
over Lake Trasimene. that body of water
with no outlet, on whose northern shore
Hannibal snnihilated the Romans. But the
aerial career Of Dante Of Perugia was cut
short one day when he fell on the top
of st. Mary's church and broke his thigh"
Initiating the Birds.
That the great Leonardo da vinci d452-
1870 was birdman as we'll a painter,
sculptor. musician. architect. engineer and
mechanician, is stated by some authori-
ties While making the careful observa-
lions on which he based his Treatise on
the Flight of Birds" he so thoroughly
fathomed the secrets of flying as to be
able to build a pair of mechanical wings
with which, according to Cuperus' Excel
lence of Man" he practiced flying sue
cessfully.
Soon afterward came an artificial
eagle" which Johann Muller bishop Of
Ratisbon and noted German mathe-
matican and astronomer built at Nurem-
berg during the generation just preceding
Columbus discovery OF America This
aerodome is reputed to have flown out to
meet the Emperor Charles and to have
accompanied him back TO town
: In 1910 an aviation exhibition was ar
! ranged for the amusement OF James ~
of Scotland and his court. the Tongland.
After the court had all assembled the
prior mounted one of the lofty battle
ments of Sterling Castle and donned an
elaborate arrangement of wings and feath-
! ers. Then he leaped forth and fell in
gloriously onto the dunghill
The performance of Turkish aviator
was witnessed at Constantinople in thS
latter part of the sixteenth century BY
the Flemish scholar and diplomatist, Bus.
bee Q522-92), who at the time was tn,
ambassador OF Ferdinand / at that capital
The seventeenth century was prolific
OF flying machines" a writer assures us
and one OF It's enthusiasts on the subjec
OF man flight was John Wilkins. lorC
bishop Of Chester and first president of tn,
British Royal society, who believed tina
a race of birdmen could be created by sys
tematlc training.
He that would effect anything in THU
0 way" said this authority, must b,
brought up to the constant practice OF 1
from his youth, trying first only to us'
his wings in running on the ground, Al
an ostrich tame goose will do, touchinl
y the earth with his toes and so on by de
IS grees learn TO rise higher until he shall
attain unto skill and confidence.
Il have heard It from creditable testi
u mony," he adds that one OF our natior
% hath succeeded so far in this experiment
gN.1N ~. ,K.F ~.
l. in such pace to step constantly (off tn,
ground ten yards at a time.
q And thus we have two and a half cen
, turtles ago a soaring machine such as use,
I in recent years by Liienthal Herring an,
n others
Il Jumping Off Church steepIec
daring flight from the steepIe Of ST
Marks cathedral, Venice. is mentione,
= by the lord bishop, but history does no
y perpetuate the name OF the aviator VIII
performed the feat The same authorIt,
70 mentions another unnamed man who mad
2 a flight at Nuremberg. the same city fror
which Bishop Muller's artificial eagle wen
It out to meet the. emperor.
h. One Of the most noted birdmen of thl
Z time was Allard. a tightrope performe
% who appeared In France about 1866. Wear
a ing wings he made number of flight
from various heights. But while perform
= ing before Louis XIV be got a bad faI
and seems to have, thereupon, quit the lily
= ing business.
The most successful birdman OF thes
sc times appears to have been one Besniei
s; locksmith, who succeeded in flying q
e. sable, France, a few years after Allard
IN aerial career had ended so painfully in tn
I'd presence OF the great Louis.
According TO the journal des Savants {
es September u, 1873, Besnier flew with wing
70 consisting OF four rectangular surfaces
We one at the end OF each two rods passin
re over his shoulders With these he woul
- raise himself from one height to anothe
10 until he reached the top OF a house. froi
10 the roof Of which he would pass over Ii
neighboring houses Finally, working hin
-, self up to a great height he would max
a downward swoop and cross a river {
- considerable breadth.
Successful flights were made at the san
~ time by one Baldwin OF Gulbre who bui