Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1912-06-17
STUDIED THE BIRDS
And Louis MouiIIard Pointed the
Way to the AeropIane.
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 vuitures.

Initiate the Soaring Of vuItures.
The French-the themselves masters OF
the air-call Louis Mouilard the father
Of aviation. although he never flew
Moullard was th2orist 1t is admit
ted today that his theories were sound,
although lie never put them into
achieving form Mouillard wrote two
books. The Empire of the Air" and
Flight With Fixed Wings" Only the
first OF these works appeared during
his lifetime, and that had small cir
'ulation. But be pointed the way to
| iy. and ten years after his death the
Wright brothers. following principles
ne set down. proved that he had solv-
ed the problem
Monillard explained that to seek to
| ny by initiating the beating of birds
wings was error: that. instead of try
NJ this impossible feat, man should
initiate those birds which soar with
steady wings and avail themselves of
air currents. If Mouillard had possess
ID money there is little doubt that he
would have demonstrated his theory.
rs 1t has been successfully proved
l'he life of this remarkable man seems.
! IN superficial view, to have been
failure BUT his compatriots. recog
nZing his real worth set up monu-
ment to his memory at Heliopolis.
Egypt. He died in 1897. The story
Ut his life is pathetic.
Monllard was the son of dyer Of
Lyons. From boyhood he was fas-
rinated by the fight of birds. He
managed 10 buy an eagle, which he
secreted in the family garnet and
studied with an avid interest when
ever he could escape from his books
Or work He watched the birds
movements. measured its wings and
studied il with infinite pains. And
when he had mastered the secret.
with the aid Of his admiring sisters. he
Quilt an aeroplane with cotton and
'orSet bones and determined himself to
iy.
Going to hill crowned with
church. with a sheer cliff on one side.
the young inventor was about to trust
himself to his contrivance when the
Deadle rushed at him. boxed his ears,
Coniiscatcd his machine and sent him
home in disgrace This was the only
attempt Mouillard ever made to fly.
but his studies on the subject never
ceaSed
He showed such aptitude at drawing
thaf il was decided he should make his
lving 10y this talent. He won sclol-
9rShip ard. going to Paris. studied I'M
lei lugrcs. 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
Mouillards father died, and his arts
tic career suddenly closed lie went to
Algeria as Il coonist and made a fail
are IN that. tut the birds again We're
his teachers He noted that the sea
birds rose. turned and flew against the
wind without a movement of their
wings. He weighed the bodies of the
strongest. calculated wing space and
advanced in his theories toward the
truth
Casting about for a vocation. for he
was poor. Mouillard secured place to
teach dra wing at the Polytechnic school
OF Cairo Here he had another oppor-
runity He would study the vultures
of the desert. and almost daily he
sought them inland. He finally called
the vUl1ure THE master of fight" add
ing: I'm the perfection OF the result
and the simplicity of the movement
their flight Is so splendid that it over
comes the watcher Every tine you
ook at it YOU are amazed that none
baS tried to reproduce it. 1t is so sim
pie. 50 exactly what we want. What
.oul VIZ ask more than that steady
li@ht and those immense circles which
AIRY the bird into the heavens? They
ire alt our desires realized" BY de
4rpc~ he formulated his theories of air
urrpntS He observed that birds rose
ana hung motionless and moved with
nui beating their wings He Illuminated
On HE air forces caused by the rising
Of hot AR from the desert and their eff
tpct Oh the tight OF the birds He had
solved the mystery
Stricken with Illness Mouilard could
no longer teach dra wing He managed
10 publish his Empire of the Air"
knowing its scientific value, and to
reach Paris. where his theories were
well received The Society For Aerial
Navigation made him Il member. but
40 one was ready to advance him mon
" for practical demonstration of his
theories
Discouraged, Mouillard returned to
CAIRO. where he acted as cashier in
shop. his wife being employed in an
other place. They together earned but
little BY degrees he finished his work
IN "E'lieht With Fixed Wings" just
before his death Chanute. the Ameri-
ian, correspondent with Mouillard on
lle subject OF aviation. 1t Is said that
from Chanute the knowledge gained
from Mouillard passed to the Wrights.
But ten years before they had con-
uuered the air Mouillard died.-Les.
lies