The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1915-01-22
WHY We CAN'T FLY
The Reason Man Is Unable to Rise
In the Air Like a Bird.
HE LACKS THE BREASTB0NE.

Developed Like the Keel Of a Yacht,
and Therein Lies the Secret Of Its
Enormous Wing Power.
Man has always longed to fly like a
bird, and all the ancient attempts at
flight were based upon the tapping Of
wings attached to human arms.
These efforts were given up long ago
when 1t was realized that man was
not and could not be strong enough to
sustain himself In the air by the use OF
his arms. A man can only just lift
himself with his arms--chinning the
bar. for example-but he finds himself
pretty heavy after he has done 1t a
few times.
The reason why no man will ever be
able to fly with self moved wings is
that his breastbone is not big enough.
A birds breastbone has along Its mid
die q deep keel, from which spring the
enormous muscles that draw down the
wings when tapping or hold them level
when soaring, the muscles, I'm other
words, that support the entire weight
Of the bird.
The most powerful niers have the
deepest breastbones. Look at the skel-
eton of an albatross, condor or a
humming bird In museum and you
will notice that the keel Of its breast
bone projects like the keel Of a racing
yacht.
You can see this keel, only much
smaller in proportion to the size Of the
bird, on the carcass Of any chicken or
turkey after the meat has been re-
moved, and the tender white flesh from
the breast is nothing but the muscles
with which the bird few when alive.
You notice that even on chicken.
which Is one Of the weakest Of fiers,
this flesh forms the greater part Of the
body. On humming bird there is lit
tie else but this mass Of flying muscle.
In other words, the humming bird is
nothing but tiny flying machine.
An albatross has a vast spread Of
wings, and its small body Is little else
but a pair Of powerful pectoral mus
cles. These are attached by tendons
to the bone called the humerus. which
Is the counterpart Of the upper arm
bone Of a man. They spread out like
solid fan and are fastened to the
breastbone with its deep keel, to the
clavicles, or "wishbone." and to the
ribs.
A mans breastbone has no keel. His
humerus, or upper arm bone, Is hinged
to the clavicle, or collarbone, and
shoulder blade. His pectoral muscles,
which move the arm forward, and del
told muscles, which lift it, are attach
ed to It by strong tendons and spread
fanlile over his upper chest, being In
serted In the ribs and collarbone.
These are the muscles that do the
same work for man as the pectoral
muscles do for bird. These are the
muscles on which he would have to
rely II he were to IA stem wings to his
arms and try to fly.
Compare these muscles with those Of
an albatross and you will see how in
adequate they are Though an alba
tross weighs only few pounds. 1t has
pectoral muscles that are actually lar
ger than those Of the most powerful
athlete.
In order to have muscles powerful
enough to lift his weight In the air by
tapping wings n mans breastbone
would have to develop keel like a
birds and his collar bone would have
to be changed to giant "wishbone."
Some writer on aviation has calcu-
lated that this keel and "wishbone"
would have to project at least six feet
In order to furnish attachments for the
necessary muscles, for man In proper
ton to his size is far heavier than an
albatross. This birc has small and
very light legs, whereas mans legs s-are
solid and heavy. The albatross' long
wing bones are hollow tubes.
This makes It plain why experiment
ers In flying long ago gave up the idea
of self moved wings and fight like
that of a bird.-San francisco Chroni
Gle.