t
HAVE LONG SOUGHT
MASTERY OF AIR
Ambitious Minds Would Con
- trol Only Element That
Has Defied Man
Now It Is Thought That the Aero
plane Devised by Wright Brothers
May at Least Point the Way to
Success---Could Laugh at Vessels
of War.
N
EV YORK. Thoso reti
cent mul Intensely ab
sorbed westerners, the
Wright brothers of Day
ton, O., appear to havo
at Inst conquered tho ele
ments which havo so long b.ifllod tho
ingenuity of -man, and aerial naviga
tion, so long rogarded as a fascinating
absurdity, now seems to bo very much
of a practical reality, says a writer iu
the Now York Times.
Asldo from tho triumph of tho long
and apparently easily controlled lllght,
tho most Important Horn contained in
tho noWB dispatches from Mantou, N.
C, whoro tho brothors havo been con
ducting tholr experiments, is tho state
ment thnt tho aeroplane- not only car
ried both men, but carried them in a
sitting position. Tho carllor neroplano
of these Inventors carried but one
aviator, and It was necessary for him
to be prone upon his stomach.
Tho significance of tho statement lies
in tho apparent fact that tho Inventors
havo at hiBt succocdcd In overcoming
tho real problem of moohanlcal lllght
tho problem of equilibrium. Aero
planes that would support their opera
tors havo previously been tested. En
gines of sufficient lightness to propel
them through, tho air at a sufllclont
speed nnd to carry their own weight
and that of tho operators havo also
been successfully tried. There havo
been plenty of aoroplanos that would
fly In still air. Tho ono needful, csson
tlnl, and undiscovered thing was an
nlrshlp that would not capslzo when
tho wind was blowing.
Writing in a recent Issue of Mc
Cluro's Magazine, Ooorgo Klbbo Turn
er quotes tho Wright brothers as as
serting that no ono who had not nav
igated tho air can appreciate tho real
dlfllculty of mechanical flight thnt
tho great problem tho problem of
equilibrium never occurs to any ono
who has not actually tried Hying.
The Wright Brothers havo conducted
crecy. The above illustrations give, however, an excellent Idea of their aer
oplane. They are from photographs taken from a distance for McCluro's
Magazine. Tho upper picture shows the glider In motion. The lower picture
shows the method of starting.
Thus, tho real question of tho flying
machine Is how to keep It from turn
ing over.
Air In Constant Turmoil.
"The chief troublo," tho brothors ox
plalnod, "is tho turmoil of tho air.
The common Impression is thnt tho
atmosphere runs in comparatively reg
ular currents which wo call winds.
No ono who has not been thrown about
on a gliding noroplano rising or fall
ing ton, 20 or ovon HO feet In a fow
seconds can understand how utterly
wrong this Idea is. The air along
tho surface of tho earth, as a
matter of fact, Is continually churn
ing. It is thrown upward from every
Irregularity, liko sea breakers on a
coast line; ovory hill and tree and
building sends up a wave or slanting
current. And it movos not directly
back and forth upon Its coaBt lino,
like tho sea, but In whirling rotary
masses. Some (if these rise up hun
dreds of 'ynrds. In a fairly strong
wind tho air near tho earth Is moro
disturbed than tho whirlpools of Ni
agara. "Tho problem of mechanical ' flight
Is how to balance In this moving fluid
which supports tho flying machine; or,
technically speaking, how to mako tho
center of gravity colncldo with tho
center of alr-prcBsuro. Tho wind often
veers sovoral times a second, quicker
than thought, and tho center of pres
sure changes with It. It la ns diffi
cult to follow this contor of pressure
ns to keep your linger on the flicker
ing blot of light from a prlam swing
ing 'In tho sun.
"It has been tho common nlm of
experimenters with tho aoroplano to
b61vo tho problem of equilibrium by
sonio automatic syBtem of bnlnnclng.
Wo bellovo that tho control should bd
left to tho operator. The Benso of equi
librium is very delicate- nnd certain.
If you Ho upon a lied throo-quartcrs of
an Inch out of true, you know it at
onco. And this sense of equilibrium Is
Just ns reliable a mile above tho enrth
as it Is on it.
"Tho management of our neroplano
like that of the bicycle, Is based upon
tho sense of equilibrium of tho opera
tor. Tho mechanism for preserving
the balance of tho machine consists of
lovers operated by Blmplo uniform
movements which readjust tho Hying
surfaces of tho machine to tho nlr.
Tho movement of theso lovers vory
soon becomes automatic with tho avi
ator, ns does tho balancing of a blcy
do rider, and simpler to operate than
a blcyclo. In fact, tho aeroplauo la
easier to learn. In nil our experiments
with gliding and Hying machines, wo
havo not oven sprained a limb; wo
havo scarcely scratched our llcsh."
Fatalities Among Inventors.
nut If theso two experimenters havo
had immunity from mishap their pre
decessors havo not. Among tho first
to undcrtnko tho task of demonstrat
ing that a mcchnnlcal Hying innchlno
Is posslblo was Otto Lllllonthal, a Ger
man mechanical engineer. Ho mndo n
s.tudy of tho flight of birds and ovont
ually concluded that very little was
known of tho laws which govern tho
lllght of tho feathered tribe. Ho be
gan experimenting In 1891, UBlng wings
constructed liko thoso of soaring birds.
Equipped with these, ho sailed down
hill sides Into valleys. After n scries
of moro than 2,000 flights ono of hlc
wings gnvo way ono day and in his
tumble to earth ho dislocated his Bplno
and died tho following day.
That was in 189G. Three years later
an Englishman, Porcy S. Pllchor, bo-
their experiments with great se
gan experimenting along tho samo
lino.' lie had essayed only a fow flights
when ono of his wings broke nnd ho
sustained injuries which caused his
death a few days later.
On this sido of tho Atlnntic, Prof.
S. P. Langloy conducted some notnblo
oxporlments, fashioning In 189G a
small, steam-driven aeroplano which
mado a lllght of three-quarters of a
mllo. In tho snmo year Chanuto of
Chicago constructed a gliding ma
chlno which attracted some attention.
Four ycarB lator tho Wright, brothors,
two young blcyclo mnkers of Dayton,
began oxporlmontlng.
It was not long beforo tholr efforts
began to attract attontlon. Hut they
sedulously avoided notoriety, kopt
their own counsel, and devoted tlom
selvos to the tnsk of solving the prob
lem of mochnulcnl flight. Mr. Tumor,
howovor, gained their conildonco, and
thus describes them: "Two lean,
quiet men In a dingy, commonplace
llttlo brick bicycle shop; ploasant, un
assuming, most npproachablo, but
shy and silent under tho oppression
of tho groatost secret of tho time. Or
vlllo, of tho moro soclnl nnd conversa
tional temperament, did tho greater
nharo of tho talking an amiable, kindly-faced
man of 85. Wilbur promn
turoly bald, nbout 40, wllh tho watch
ful eyes, marked facial lines, and dry,
brief speech of n naturally reticent
man."
Their New Method.
To quoto his account of what tho
b.-othera told him Just prior to tholr
going abroad last year for tho demon
stration of their machines boforo for
eign war dopartmonts:
"We had worked out a now method
Of practlco with gliding machines,"
they explained. "Lllllenthnl anil Cha
nuto had obtained their experience in
flying witli tho operator's launching
himself from a hill and gilding down
on to lowor land. This involved car
rying back tholr apparatus, after a
short flight, to tho top of tho hill
ngnln. llccausa of tho difficulties of
this awkward method, although Lll
llenthnl had mndo over 2,000 flights,
wo calculated that in all his flvo ycarB
of experiment ho could not lmvo been
actually practicing flying moro thnu
flvo hours far too short for tho ordi
nary mnn to loam to rldo a bicycle.
It was our plan to follow tho example
of soaring birds, nnd find n place
whoro wo could bo supported by
strong rising winds.
"A bird is really nn neroplano. Tho
portions of Its wings near tho body
are used as planes of support, while
tho moro flexible parts outside, when
flapped, net as propellers. Some of tho
soaring birds are not much more than
animated sailing machines. A buzzard
can bo safely kept in nn open pep 30
foot across and ten feet high. Ho
canndt fly out of it In fact, wo know
from observation mado by ourselves
that ho cannot fly for any dlstnnco up
a grado of ono tn six.
"Yet theso birds sailing through tho
nlr nro among tho commonest sights
through n great suction of tho country.
Every ono who has been outdoors has
Been n buzzard or hawk soaring;
overy ono who has boon nt sea has
Beou tho gulls sailing after a steam
ship for hundreds of miles with scarce
ly a movement- of tho wlngB. All of
theso birds nro doing tho snmo thing
they nro bnlnnclng an rising cur
rents of nlr. Tho buzzards and hawks
find tho currents blowing upward off
tho laud; tho gulls that follow the
BtcamerB from Now York to Florida
nro merely sliding down hill a thou
sand miles on rising currents in tho
wako of tho Bteamor in tho atmos
phere, and on tho hot nlr rising from
her smokcstnckB."
Think Great Speed Possible.
Tho brothers bollovo that tho event
ual speed of tho aeroplane will bo
easily 60 miles nn hour, nnd may bo
forced up to 100 miles. "Our experi
ments have Bhown," thoy said, "that
a flier designed to carry an aggrcgato
of 74 G pounds nt 20 miles nn hour
would requlro only eight horsopowor,
and nt 30 miles an hour 12 horso
powor. At CO miles 24 horsopowor
would bo needed, nnd nt 120 miles CO
or 7G horsopowor. It Is clear that
there Is n certain point of speed be
yond which tho nlr rcsistnnco mukos
it Impossible to go. Just whut that la
experiment will dotormlno. Every
year gas engines nro being made
lighter a fact which will lncreaso tho
surplus carrying power of tho maehlno
avnllablo for fuel and operator and
heavior construction, but nt present
00 mll08 an hour enn bo counted on
for tho flying maehlno. This, of
course, means speed through tho
air.
"Tho noroplano running CO miles an
hour will havo surplus lifting powor
enough to carry fuel for long jour
neys. Our 1907 maehlno will carry
gasollno enough to fly G00 miles at a
rato of Bomo 50 miles an hour. We
can, and possibly coon will, mako a
ono-mnn innchlno cnrrylng gnaollne
enough to go 1,000 miles nt 40 miles
an hour. Moreover, nny muchlno mndo
to movo nt speodB up to GO mllus nn
hour can bo operated economically ut
n cost of not much over ono cent a
mllo for gasollno,
'Thoro Is no question that n man
can mako a lighter and moro elllclcnt
wing than a bird's. A cloth Biirfaco,
for Instanco, can bo produced offer
ing leas surfneo friction than feathers.
Tho reason for this fnct is that a
bird's wing is really a compromise.
It Is not mndo for flying only It miiHt
bo folded up nnd got out of tho wny
when tho bird is on its foot, nnd olll
clency In (lying miiBt be sacrificed to
permit this. Tho wings of aeroplanes
will vary In slzo according to spued.
A sldw machine will requlro a Iuiko
wing, but tho faster the Bpced tho less
will bo tho Biipportlng Biirfnco noe
essary, and wings for high speeds will
naturally bo vory Btnnll. Not only will
less support ho needed, but tho Blza
must be reduced to reduco tho fric
tion of the nlr."
Fearful Only of Capsize.
Although ono of tho brothors had nn
ugly fnll only a few days ago, they
both maintain thnt the only danger
to be npprchonded from nn aoroplnuo
Is the danger of n capsize. A break
down, or a sudden stopping of tho en
gine, thoy say and they certainly
should know does not entail dlsns
tor, as on tho first thought It might
appear. Tholr explanation Is thnt
whlto tho noroplano Is supported in
tho nlr through Its own motion
through It, yet gravity furnishes all
tho energy that Is needed to get
safely to tho ground. Whon tho
power Is shttt off It moroly acnlos
through tho air to Its landing. Theo
retically, It Is safer nt ti mllo nbovo
tho cartli thnu nt 200 feet, because It
has n wldor choice of places in which
to lnnd; you can chooso your land
Ing from 2GG square miles from n
jnllo above tho surface if descending
ono in slxteon. "As a ninttor.of fact,"
thoy said, "wo "always nhut off tho
powor when wo start to nllght, and
como down by tho forco of grnvlty.
We reach tho ground nt bo Blight 'an
angle nnd bo lightly that It 1b Impos
sible for tho opcrntor to tell by his
own seuBntlou within oovornl yards
of where tho ground was flrst actu
ally touched.
"Wo feol that It la absolutely essen
tial for lis to keep our method of con
trol a secret. Wo could pntont many
points In tho machine, and It Is possi
ble that wo could muke a success of
tho Invention commercially. Wo havo
been approached by many promolors
on the matter. Hut we bellovo that
our best market Is to Bell tho ma
clilnu to sonic government for uso In
war. To do this It Is necessary for
us to keep Us construction nn abso
lute secret."
To tho samo writer tho brothers
mndo tho Interesting statement that
they did not expect tho aeroplano ever
to dlsplnno the railroad or tho steam-
boat. They predict that itB chief
valuo will bo In war time, whon It
may bo omployed for dropping explo
sives upon nn enemy or for recon
nolterlng purpoaoa. In this connec
tion may bo added the fact thnt tho
imvy dopurtmont has planned un ox
tonslvo series of experiments with
dirigibles, tho purpose being to dis
cover their nvallnblllty for wnr usage.
Thoso who advocato tho employment
of theso machines point out tho fact
that flying machines sailing over n
licet are Immuno from any attack
navo that of small arm lire, and that
thoy cotdd attain n height ho great as
to bo out of range from theso smaller
weapons. There Is no typo of largor
gun now carried on shipboard that is
capable of such extremo elevation. Of
course It would bo easily possible to
construct a gun mount that would per
mit of high angle, or ovon vortical
fire, hut tho question la asked how
would you bo able to hit ono of theso
small targets sailing no high iu air?
Whon firing at a floating target nny
error of sighting can bo detected by
tho splash oj tho shell, Hut how is a
gun-polntor t toll where his sholls
aro going when ho Is firing upward
Into tho air?
No Danger.
"Whatever you do, dear," wrolo tho
ardent lover, "don't show my letters to
you (o anyone."
"Iluve no fear, dcai-oat," canio tho
reply, "I'm Juflt nn much uahamod of
them nB you aro."
And, with that, tho cngiigemont bo
cumo a mattor of history. Judge.
These New Coiffures.
"What a queer ornament Mien Snuf
lira wears in hor hair!" said Mrs.
Trulywod. "Can you soo what It Is?"
"Yo that's not an ornament. It's
tho prlco tug," anaworud MIbb Hollo
Tlnkly, Cleveland Leador.
The Colonel's Campaign
BY CHARLES MOREAU HARGIS
iCnt'yriaM)
Col. Lolth wns proud of his porscs
filon. Tho big, rod, vociferous car ox
actly stilted his mood for ho liked to
do things hurriedly; ho worshiped
swiftness. Evon now ho had left tho
fort by tho valloy road nnd was
dustily tearing toward Hockwoll City,
four miles away.
So Col. Lolth wont unconsciously on
his way, driving his motor car fnHtor
and faster until something happened.
Something usually docs happen with
motor cars. Several tilings hap
pened llrst and Inst with this ono nnd
the colonel.
This wn a compnrntlvoly hnrmloss
happening. Ho cavorted around thn
bluffs by tho city's edge, careened
through tho deep cut by tho rlvor
and canio plump on Ornco Dowoy,
daughter of tho best known ranchman
In tho vnlloy.
Her mount roared, but trained
horsewoman thnt she wns, she kopt
her sent in the Bnddle. Tho car
wheezed and tho horso reared again.
This lime she did not keep her scat,
hut went down in a limp bundlo to
tho hard road, while tho horso raced
ui tho ravine, as If It, too, wore
working for a speod record.
To mnko tho incident tho more strik
ing, I.lout. Roberts just then came
cantering down the highway, his ac
coutrements jangling and his cavalry
charger doing Its prettiest gait.
Roberts and tho colonol woro at thu
girl's side simultaneously. 1
"I nm sure I did not mean" be
gan tho colonel.
"Let. mo nsslst you, iuIfb," and tho
llotiteiinut wns lifting her, his arm
around her shoulders and her Jaunty
hat resting ugalnBt his coat sleeve. At
that Identical moment tho lieutenant
nnd tho colonol pnrted company as
friends. They did not renllzo that
thoy woro at tho Boparatlon of tho
wayB, but It was so. Miss Dowey
opened her oyoB, looked Into thu
colonel'B face; thon recognized tho
nontenant and straightened up, fully
recoverod. They woro not strangers;
nil hnd met nt MrB. Mnrson'H recep
tion a month beforo.
"1 nm not hurt not hurt. Hut
whoro la Hex?" she asked, looking
anxiously around.
"1 think, madam," replied tho
colonel, bowing with awkward and
old-fashioned courtesy, "that ho iB'Just
Her Mount Reared.
crossing tho Rocky mountains by this
tlmo, If ho kopt on going at tho
rato ho Btarted. Hut may 1 tnko you
homo?"
IIo motioned toward (ho voclforoua
red car that panted and rumbled by
thn rondsldo.
With Roberts riding Btlflly hohljid,
tnlklng nt lntervuls to tho pnsHongor,
they mndo tholr way slowly across
the long bridge nnd over tho broad
vnlloy toward tho wldo-porched bungn-
low-uwoiiing oi mo jjowoy ranch.
Tho next day tho colonol ant in his
loather chair and ugnln went over tho
affair at tho ravine. A long tlmo ho
mused, and now and again a smile
lighted tho bronzed face. Twonfy
years in tho army, four ut West Pinnt
yea, It wns (lino. IIo would think
moro about It.
From that tlmo It was a rnen im.
I tween tho colonol and tho lieutenant.
Tho colonol drovo aa swiftly 113
over; tho lieutenant took lonoly horso
back rldoa. Then ono ovonlug Rob
ertu called on his enmmaudor.
"I would liko absence for a fow
dnys, sir."
"Going to lcavo us?" queried the
colonel. "You know wo may havo
marching ordors for tho niauouvoru
booii."
"No no, not a great distance, Dir.''
The nontenant was embarrassed.
Tho loavo was granted nnd tho
colonel was necrotly glad to do It. Tho
Hold would bo clour for awhllo, at
least. Ho ordered his car for tho
oarly evening.
"See that It la iu porfoct trim,
Jamos," said ho to his sorvnnt. "I may
want to tako a long run."
Out ovor tho open plains ho went,
30 mllea nn hour, tho froBh breath of
tho lovol lauds boating hlu face and
tho Inspiration of wldo reaches of un
trammoled view dollghtlng his eyes.
Turning Into tho valloy along the
rlvor, ho enmo to tho tnll cottouwoods,
onco tho hiding (daces of savages
with whom tho early commnndeni of
tho carrlson hud fought. Tho lamps
fllckorcd on tho underbrush
What stop! Rovcrso (ho engine-!
Closo In front woro roaring flguros.
Two homes woro plunging in tho road
aide, ono had fallen, tnngled In a
bnrbed wlro fenco thnt bohio reckless
farmer had strung cloao to tho road.
Thn colonol leaped from IiIb car nnd
inn to holt) tho travelers out of tholr
prodlcamont.
"Ho careful, miss thoro, I'll help
you up," and he lifted from tho vlnoJ
nnd tall grasses besldo tho road t:
slender form garbed in gray.
"la nlio hurt?" enmo n voice from1
tho depth of tho tangled saplings, ns
her companion forced hlo way toward
thorn.
Turning, tho colonel recognized Jfh
tho bedraggled cnvnllor Roberta.
Ho almost fenrod to look nt th
young woman who wob regaining he
foot but ho did. It wns as ho bui
prctod.
"I nm so sorry" ho begnn. "1 sup
poBOd thoro wns u clear rond."
"Wo don't blame you at nil," re
plied Roborta, cheerfully, "hut tho fnct
Is, It la somewhat embarrassing.
Grace's MIhb Dowey'a horse has run
off nnd we thnt Is, woll, wo want to
get to Rockwell City mighty bad
and quick!"
"I am sure It was no, fault of yours,"
added tho young woman, now regain
ing her feet and showing a constant
ly Increasing, dlscomllturo.
Tho rod motor cur glnred nt tho
trio wickedly mi If It woro glad It hnd
(llscoi)Dortod tho plana" of any ortomyof
Its master.
"Now, colonol, I hnto to tell you
thlH," began Roberts, norvously. "t
am auto you will oymputhlKo with mo
and with draco Miss Dowey.
You boo, colonel, wo nro that la, well,
wo are going to bo married."
IT tho red tuitomobllo hnd turned
somersuulta, If tho river had maidenly
stood on end, tho colonel CQiild scarce
ly havo been moro tukou aback. Ho
turned IiIb faco bo that it would not
nhow pnlo In tho glare of tho pilot
lamp.
"Yes, 1 understand," ho finally man
aged to Bay.
"And Mlaa Dewey's fnthor does not
liko it vory woll," with tho Bimplclon
of a laugh In tho words. "In fact, ho
will probably bo after us whon ho
finds out. Wo havo como this round
nbout way to throw him oft tho track
and you bco whoro wo nro?"
' "Yes, 1 nee," wnu tho Blow roaponso.
Tho colond'a volco wnB Btrungoly
cold, nnd hu was conscious of a dlB
tlnct effort In getting tho words out in
tho proper form. "I boo. You nro
afruld ho will catch you boforo you
nro marrlod? Ho docB not liko army
men?"
There wns nn odd twist In tho
colonel's volco as If ho, too, woro in
clined to smile.
"Papa has hla prejudices, you
know," put in Miss Dowoy, demurely,
"IIo will miss us boforo long;" tho
Houtennnt'a wordB fnlrly dripped with
excltoment. Ho peered nnxlously
down tho road. "And Grnco'a horBO
has gono for good,"
"My duty Is clonr," began tho
colonol, hlo volco BtlU husky. "I know
vory woll thnt you young pcoplo
should ho taken In charge. You, lieu
tenant, should bo put under ar
rest, and you, MIbb Graco, ought
to hu turned ovor to your fa
thor. You both know thnt this should
bo dono."
IIo had not looked at thorn whllo
ho talked now that ho did, ho saw
thut Roberts' arm wub around tho
rancher's daughter, nnd that hor oyoa
were gazing nppeallngly toward him.
Ho always had admired thoao bluo
eyos ho looked Into thorn, hla heart
In tho glnnco, then with a. iIubU of his
bund wiped out tho vlnlon.
"You Bcnpcgracca doacrvo this but
J don't know thnt your fnthor, mlaa, la
nny friend of mlno. Where did you
say you wanted to go?"
"To Rockwell City to a mlnlator'u,"
cngerly exclaimed Roborta.
"Climb In hero send that, horso of
youra up tho rond wo'll got him in
the morning.". His ordora woro poal
tlvo nnd doflnlto.
A stroko pt tho whip nnd tho lieu
teniinl'n mount wont racing up tho
path aftor tho ranch girl's Rex. Rob
erts and Grace clamhorod Into tho car.
With a crunch tho car Btnrtcd, and
In nnothor minute thoy woro apoedlng
toward Rockwell City, 40 miles an
hour.
Up tho deaortod street, across tho
lallroad tracks, past tho hotol with
ltd many lights thoy Bped. With a Jolt
they stopped at a modcBt dwelling on
a aldo strcot. Col. Lelth was first to
leap from tho cnr.
Gently ho helped tho young woman
from her plnco, and hla strong hand
wan In hers na ho gnvo 1191- to Rob
orta' caro,
"Tills Is a very Informal and undig
nified proceeding, young pcoplo," ho
began. "I am sorry to boo you do
tills way." lie was talking against
tlmo, for bo long na ho tnlked horhund
Iny In hla. "I nm not going to glvo
my approval but I will glvo tpy bless
ing." IIo hesitated a llttlo. "As for you.
Llout. Roberts, If you show yoursolf
on tho reservation for two weoks, you
will ho placed In tho guard-house,
Good luck good-by!"
Aa tho colonol loft tho town bolUnd
on IiIb wny to tho post,' ho mot an
eager rider hurrying cltywnrd. IIo
might havo told him boiuo Intoroatfng
nowa had ho wished. Instond, ho
unshod thu car to n swifter nnnmi
1 Why, cuubo people uimcco3sury worry if