Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-12

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States army took it up thirtytwo officers have been
actually engaged in the science, and of this number
have been killed in accidents. Naturally there
FORE it is not safe enough to be used by the layman
either means of transportation toy.
Although Lieutenant Benjamin D. Foulois made at
Fort Myer the first country fight made by
anybody IN any country, and although Lieutenant
Scott went to France and wrested two prizes from all
contestants there in throwing bombs from aeroplane
at targets the ground the ineorty of Americans
military aviation is everywhere painfully apparent
The death rate from aviation in France is per
cent of those engaged in it; in Germany the figures
show but nine per cent but in this country the rate
jumps to twenty per cent.
Students of the subject in Washington say this @If
an inventor, sane crazy sent suggestion that
would revolutionize aviation and if really thought
the idea good the best could do would be to pass
along to private enterprise and ask the company
try out But could not contract beforehand to buy
the finished machine Consequently, if it did not work.
it would be thrown back on the hands of the anac-
turers The natural result is that private enterprise
cannot be stimulated in that way, and all the plans we
receive, the good and the bad remain in pgeonholes
1t is the Smithsonians hope that it can remedy this
situation.
IN this in all other big things, there element of
humor. Suggestions of every conceivable description
regarding the improvement, the stabilization and the
safety of aeropanes flow continually into the offices of
the Departments of the Navy and War.
Not long ago retired army officer elected himself
the grand Pooh-Bah of how to fly. Taking long,
lingering glance at all aeroplanes far manufactured
he concluded that they sordd sinister things cal
culated to kill anybody who got into them often enough
Fixing an official of the War Department with long
and lanky finger, he spoke thus:
take the albatross with wings frequently fourteen
feet from tip to tip although hardly foot wide. That
bird sails for hours with hardly any percepble wing
movement; while the small wings of the wasp vibrate
the rate of hundred and ten movements second
And the house fly my dear sr Its wings vbrate three
hundred and thirty times a second. Again l explain
that while definite relation exists between the weight
of flying animal and the size of its flying surfaces it is
law that the larger the flying animal the smaller by
comparison, its flying surfaces. Such law is en-
couraging 1t cheers up 1t proves that the flying
surfaces of large, heavy powerful aeroplane may be
made comparatively small and compact and strong if
solve the of making the wings attack the air."
All this sounded more technical than true, and the
War Department passed it up. But the inventor was
more successful with the chairman of congressional
committee and backed by request from that states
man. he secured an order from the Secretary of War
directing signal officer take look at the aeropane
that the inventor said already built The time
set. Several signal corps officers taken to studio
in the rear of one of the fashionable residences in
Washington They encountered two tall watchmen
who had instructions to let approach the build
ing unless accompanied by their employer They
left the place. they said until relieved by similar
guard.
Interest began to rise The inside of the building was