South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-09-01
interviewing Langley
BY Fred c. Kelly

The recent feat of a we'll known
aeronaut in riding through space on
an air craft of the Langley design, in
vindication of the late Prof. Langleys
theories, recalls what used TO be con-
sidered one of the best practical jokes
in Washington.
Prof. Langley, as is now generally
admitted, lived a few years ahead of
his time. His ideas about aerial navi-
CATION were sound, but he was un-
able to have them taken seriously in
Washington, where he lived, or by the
increddlous general public.
He had been twitted and Photographed
about his attempts TO fly, until the
whole airship proposition had got
under his cuticle in "A way that gave
him a savage disposition. And he
was particularly intolerant of news
paper writer's, whom he regarded as
an unthinking class of people who had
consecrated their lives to making sport
of those who were trying to accom-
plish something worth while.
interviewing Langley about his
work, therefore came TO be regarded
as a perilous undertaking.
Whenever a now reporter came TO
town his associates usually initiated
him by sending him to see Langley
in much the same Jocular spirit that
they sent a new man TO interview WI
Ting Fang. Minister WI was harm
less enough except that he reserved
the right to do all the talking and to
ask more questions per minute than a
seven year-old boy.
Langley. however. was likely to act
ferocious the moment he found him
self face to face with a newspaper
man. because he assumed that the
man had come TO look him over and
then make fun of him.
The facts were that everybody, aside
from a few scientists, were cocksure
in those days that flying without gas
bag would ever remain among the i'm
possible things and any man who UNI
dertook to defy gravitation was looked
upon as legitimate prey not only for
the photographers but for all amateur
parlor comedians. Langley on the
other hand knew that he was right.
He had satisfied himself that II he
could get the proper sort of motor
and work out few minor details his
aeroplane theory would make good.
Having the thing firmly esta biished In
his own mind Ii was little wonder that
he got sick and tired of the gibes and
mirth that his efforts produced.
The Wright boys would have been
laughed at during the experimental
n
Langley was. except that Langley be-
ing located in a big news center like
Washington was unable to keep his
plans and movements so we'll 10 him
self. AT that. the hereof writer, who
used to live near the Wrights expert
ment field. can recall the tolerant
amusement and derisior that they ex
cited throughout that part OF the
country. IL is interesting TO recall,
too. that on the very day the Wrights
first contrived to fly, there was in
type in a big southern Ohio newspaper
office a long editorial explaining in a
learned way just why flying with a
heav!er-than-air machine was a scien-
tific impossibility. When il was re-
ported that the Wrights had really
flown. that editorial was held over,
pending an investigation of the report.
II was kept in type for a week or two.
But il was never printed.
All this. however, is clear away
from our main subject. which happens
10 be a joke the boys played on
Frederick W. Steckman, when he
struck Washington.
Steckman. now "A well known Wash
ington newspaper writer, came 10 the
capital from Missouri 10 take a job on
= paper. on the second day after his
arrival. his associates got their heads
together and said:
We'll. | guess we'd better send the
cub down 10 interview Langley"
IL was agreed that that should be
done and one Of the group motioned
for Steckman and called him 10 one
side.
The Office has just had a tip" this
man explained. that an odd-looking
aerial craft was seen flying over the
Potomac about daylight This morning.