The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1912-05-24
MrN0 * 1 WES = VI
Great Aeronautlo Exhibition Is
the Crown of Triumph For HUI
man Perseverance In En-
deavor to Fathom Mystery
of How to Soar Midst
the Clouds.

hibition which opens under the
auspices Of the Aero Club OF
America in the new Grand
Central palace, New York, May 8, con-
tinuing to May IS, again turns public
attention in the direction of the sub
ject of aviation. OF interest, there
fore, Is a glance at the art of human
flight, tedious progress indeed until
recent years. For centuries man had
been ambitious 10 fly like the birds Of
the air, and we read that Simon the
magician, at the beginning of the
Christian era, was the first aviator"
to meet with mishap in attempting TO
fly 1t is recorded of Simon that after
endeavoring TO bride st. Peter to dis
close the secret of the descent of the
Holy Ghost he made flying machine
when, after being immortalized in verse
and i'm bronze. he smashed himself to
pieces on the Roman pavement.
Olivier of Malmesbury, an English
monk, is said to have constructed Il
set OF leg and arm wings which cost
him broken leg In 1000 A. ID. Jean
n pair of wings he built in the fifteenth
century. In fact, broken legs were
quite fashionable among early avia-
tors. General Andre Guillaume Res
nier, who wanted to affix wings to
Napoleons soldiers, got the flying
one years old, and in sailing over a
castle wall he broke a limb.
Recent Headway Is Marvellous.
Locking backward at the history Of
aviation the ludicrous side of the eff
forts to fly being in constant evidence
until a comparatively late date and
the tragic side still adding to its toll
of human life, il seems a quick and
hardly credible jump TO the success IF
present times, when bird men circle
around the tops Of big cities Il Hest
buildings and fly over the heads of
pedestrians. This, of course, is not of
daily occurrence. but the spectacle is
SO frequent that Ii is no longer mark
ed by gasrs OF establishment Great
distances are covered by our day bird
men lone has crossed the continent
from the Atlantic To the PacificD. n
mile minute has been left far behind
as speed record. and the modern fly
ing device obeys the human will. going
this way ~ that rs the aviator may
wish
Army experts have been convinced
that the aeroplane is destined 10 play
an important part in future wars and
some believe that they will effect
complete revolution of war methods.
In Hamburg. Germany, the finishing
touches have been put ON an airship
harbor. the most important structure
OF the kind in the world Ii will be
used by Count Zeppelin for making
training trips 10 the English. Swedish,
Danish and Norwegian coasts, and IL
Germany has another war this struc-
ture will he utilized rs the base from
which airships will DO scouting duty
for the German squadron On the North
sea.
BY special act OF congress the foreign
machines shown at the new Grand
Central palace enter the United States
free OF duty. The purpose Of the ex-
hibition is to show what designers.
builders and aviators have accomplish
ed. Various makes OF aeroplanes. mo-
tors and propellers will be tested for
their efficiency and as much attention
Will be given the technical as the spec
tacular features OF aviation. The show
probably will become an annual insti.
tuition. Ike the horse show.