Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-06-18
STUDIED THE BIRDS
And Louis MouiIlard Pointed the
Way to the AeropIane.
the FATHER Of AVIATION.

the father Of AVIATION.
Pathetic Career Of the Man Who Orig
mated the Theory Of the Conquest
Of The Air With Machines That Would
initiate the Soaring Of vuIturss.
The French-themselves masters OF
the air-cau Louis Mouillard the father
Of aviation, although he never Jew.
Mouillard was theorist 1t IL admit
ted today that bis theories were sound.
although he never put them into
achieving form. Moulllard wrote two
books. The Empire Of the Air. and
"Tlight With Fixed Wings" Only the
first Of these works appeared during
his lifetime. and that had a small cir
culation. But be pointed the way to
dy, and ten years after his death the
Wright brothers, following principles
he set down, proved that he had solv.
ID the problem.
Mouillard explained that to GEEK to
dy by Initiating the beating Of a birds
wings was error; that, instead Of try.
ing this impossible feat man should
initiate those birds which soar with
steady wings and avail themselves of
air currents. II Mouillard had possess
ed money there Is little doubt that he
would have demonstrated bis theory.
AZ 1t has been successfully proved.
The life Of this remarkable man seems,
on superficial view, to have been a
failure. But his compatriots. recog-
nizing bis real worth. set up monu-
ment to bis memory at Hellopolis.
Egypt He died In 1897. The story
Of bis life 10 pathetic.
Mouillard was the son OF dyer of
Lyons. From boyhood he was fas.
cinated by the flight Of birds. He
managed to buy an eagle, which he
secreted In the family garrett and
studied with an avid interest when.
ever be could escape from biz books
or work. He watched the birds
movements, measured i6 wings and
studied it with infinite pains. And
when be had mastered the secret.
with the aid Of his admiring sisters, he
built an aeroplane with cotton and
corset bones and determined himself to
dy.
Going to 4 bill crowned With a
church, with a sheer CHI on one side,
the young inventor was about to trust
himself to his contrivance when the
beadle rushed at him. boxed his ears.
con6scated his machine and sent him
home in disgrace This was tho only
attempt Mouillard ever made to fly.
but his studies on the subject never
ceased.
He showed such aptitude at drawing
that it was decided he should make his
living BY this talent he won q schol-
arship and. going to Paris. studied I'M.
der lngres. Yet while he drew and
painted his mind was always on flight
He would climb the towers Of Notre
Dame, watch the startled birds take
fight and study their movements.
Mouillard's father died. and his arts
tic career suddenly closed he went to
Algeria as a colonist and made fall
ure in that. but the birds again were
his teachers. He noted that the sea
birds rose. turned and dew against the
wind without movement Of their
wings. He weighed the bodies Of the
strongest calculated wing space and
advanced In bis theories toward the
truth.
Casting about for vocation. for he
was DOOR, Mouillard secured place to
teach drawing at the Polytechnic school
Of Cairo. Here he had another oppor-
tunity. he would study the vultures
Of the desert, and almost daily be
sought them inland. He finally called
the vulture ''the master Of light" add
ing: I'm the perfection Of the result
and the simplicity Of the movement
their flight Ia 20 splendid that it over
comes the watcher. Every time you
look at 1t you are amazed that none
has tried to reproduce It It Is 20 sim.
pie. 30 exactly what We want What
could we ask more than that steady
flight and those immense circles which
carry the bird into the heavens2 They
afe all our desires realized" By de
erees he formulated his theories Of air
currents. he observed that birds rose
and hung motionless and moved with
out beating their wings. BE rum1nated
ON the air forces caused by the rising
Of hot air from the desert and their ct.
feet on the flight of the birds BE had
solved the mystery.
Stricken with illness, Moufllard could
10 longer teach drawing. he managed
10 publish his Empire Of the Air"
knowing its scientific value. and to
reach Paris, where bis theories were
we'll received. The Society For Aerial
Navigation made him member. but
DO one was ready to advance him mon
y for a practical demonstration OF bis
theories.
Discouraged. Mouillard returned to
Cairo. where be acted as cashier In q
Dhop. his wife being employed In an
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