THE 3EMI-WEEKLV TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE. NEBRASKA.
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-rv LMHR 13. SPERRY or Now York city
Gv liaa given aviation n now Htart, inns
f"" much aa ho has nrovlded a wav to
rob It of sotno of Its mont Insidious
perils. Ills apparatus Is an auto
matic stabilizer, which maintains tho
equilibrium of tho flying machlno no
matter how ficklo may bo tho condi
tion or tho air aloft. Don't lot this
term stabilizer puzzlo you a bit; you
can Just as well substitute tho moro
familiar word "baloncor."
If you happen to have access to a list of aero
nautical, nccidents during tho last two years, es
pecially where Uig henvlor-thnn-alr flying ma
chlno is concerned, you will find that tho major
& lty of tho catastrophes havo been attributed to
"Iobs of control." Loss of control is merely an
other way of saying that tho air pilot was caught
napping or taken suddonly unawares, and beforo
ho could apply tho usual facilities to right his
machlno tho air craft was dashing earthward
and utterly beyond human arrest. Perhaps it was
iv sudden gust of wind, tho bwcop of a cross cur
rent, or oven nn "air holo" that started tho up
netting or tipping movement, but tho rosult was
disaster. Tho outcomo is not difficult to explain
It one. half reallzoB the airman's problem.
Tho aviator, when once afloat aloft, has a task
protty much akin to that of tho slack-roufpor-former.
Ills machlno can reel from sldo to sldo
or tip lengthwlsp with tho utmoHt onBO, especially
If tho aeroplane bo of comparatively light weight
flind of tho racing typo. From tho momont tho
pilot takes his sdat, it tho wind curronts bo vari
able ho has to Juggle continually with his wing
tips or ailerons to provent too much lateral roll
ing, and, too, to a lessor degree, ho haH to manipu
late tho tail-planes to check any pitching or toss
ing on tho part of tho head of tho noroplano. Tho
lateral control ho exorcises by shoving his body
sldowlso agalnBt an enveloping yoko, and tho
longitudinal correction ho applies by moans of a
lover, which ho olthor pushes away from him or
draws toward him, ns tho caso requires. In time,
tho skilled airman docs this moro or less invol
untarily, responding to tho motions ot his craft.
Unhappily, however, his corroctlvo efforts nro
relatively sluggish, und they aro applied only
aftor tho aeroplane has obtained a considerable
angle ot heel or pitch.
It 1b perfectly plain that tho aviator, at boat,
when dopcndlng upon his own initiative, but
Ioofly Imitates tho efforts of n soaring bird,
which can maintain its polso steadily oven- though
tho wind bo fitful and tho chnngo of forco ex
tromo. Apparently, tho bird does this without
rocking violently in Its endeavor to hold itself
balanced; but simply becauso tho oyo cannot
traco tho sweep of Its wlng-tlps, we do not soo
liow It keeps Itself poised. Mr. Sporry, by his
stabilizer, has mado this secret of natural flight
clear to us. Tho bird Is Bonslttvo to tho first
oncoming disturbing current and Instinctively
acts to offset It. Dy catching tho upsotting force
In Its very beginning, only tho slightest flexing
of tho wing-tips is necoBsary to meet tho con
tingency, In other words, tho bird never pormltH
tho wind to got tho upper hand of it It meets
tho approaching monaco, so to speak, promptly
and neutralizes it at once. If tho bird wore as
relatively InBonsltlvo as tho aviator, tho change
ful wind or guaty air curronts would mean tho
snmo danger to it that thoy do to tho pilot.
Mr. Sperry has substantially changed all this
try his gyroscopic stabilizing apparatus, and how
fiuccossfully he has nchlovou this end was provod
French aviation commission. There wero 57 com
petitors entered In that contest of aeroplane safe
ty dovlces, and tho American victory Is ono In
which wo should take a good deal of pride. By
that success avlntion broadly acquires a now ele
ment of practicability, and tho flying machlno will
havo far wider Holds of dally usefulness open to
It. Wo aro now within roach of that state of tho
nrt whore flying will bo as safe ns yatchlng;
tho nlr pilot will have llttlo moro to do thnn sim
ply to steer IiIb machlno to right or to loft, or up
and down, as ho may desire tho stabilizer will
keep blm from upsotting and will oven check him
Bhould ho deliberately trespass toward tho hazard
ous In some wilful movement.
Now a gyroscope will ordinarily react agnlnst
tho oxtornnl 'dlBturblhg forco, no matter In what
direction that upsetting effort Is npplled. How
then does Mr. Sperry mako use of tho gyroscopo
In stabilizing tho aeroplane, and, especially, how
docs ho produco harmony of action when ho utll
Itzes four of those remarkable little spinning fly
whuols? Tho four gyroscopes aro combined In pairs
ono pnlr to reguloto tho floxlng of tho wing tips
and tho other pair to prompt tho shifting of tho
toll planes. Now, each pair must bo "dond" to
tho forco which calls for action In tho othor, and,
again, there must bo an ovon measure of con
flict between tho two gyroscopes constituting a
pair. That In to say", tho gyroscopes for lateral
stabilizing nro opposed to each othor like two
persons facing and alternately pushing nnd pull
ing each other to obtain the right ot wuy. Sud
donly some ono trios to clear tho patch by shov
ing thorn from ono aldo, and, instinctively, to
maintain thalr own bulanco, thoy unite against
tho Intruder. It is JuBt in this fashion that Mr.
Sperry unites by seeming opposition each pair of
gyroscopes so that thoy will bo nbsorbed in their
mutual struggle until aroused to sorvlce In tho
designed plane or mutual action.
Each gyroscopo Is not any bigger, Including Us
casing, than a fair-sized fist, and don't supposo
that tho porslstont tendency to hold to tholr
chosen pianos Is In Itsolf capable or exerting tho
forco that directly pulls tho controlling wires that
work tho several stabilizing surfaces. Their mis
slon Is to "feel" tho need of action nnd to call
Into servlco mochnnlsm of sufficient vigor to do
what tho pilot would otherwlso accompllnh by
swinging his body or working a lover In tho
latest form of his Btnblllzer Mr. Sperry has re
course to n power apparatus which ho calls a
servomotor. This sorvomotor Is driven by elec
tricity, nnd is a sturdy apparatus, Instantly re
sponsive to tho call of the gyroscopes. To It uro
led tho control wires, and those nro oporatod Im
mediately upon tho first urrlval of a tilting or tip
ping gust ot wind. Without n stabilizer tho aero
piano mny bo unbalanced a goodly number ot
degrees beforo tho pilot is nllvo to the situation,
and tho movoment acquires oven n greator ampli
tude before ho can check It. With tho Sperry
stublllzor, on tho othor hand, tho flying machlno
1b hold to Its equilibrium woll Inside of a zono
of one degree.
Havo you over lost your way In a fog? Well,
U you havo, thon you mny npproclato tho variety
of wuys In which an nvlntor may go nBtray when
aloft. Onco above tho clouds; tho horizon dis
appears, and, within somo limits, ho may not
know whether ho Is going up or down or whither
his machlno Is bonding. His poise, when ad
vancing, is nlwnys nn angular ono, and ho may
think himself going straight ahead, whllo, In fact,
ho is actually descending.
i " i . r -v. -" 4
2wix&q'S2?mzr sew orfflfMu&fflfc
knowing tho anglo of thnt ascent, may be equally
perilous. A small wind disk is associated with
tho mechanism of tho stabilizer. This llttlo plato
is so swung that It always "feels" the full forco
of tho arriving nir curront as the aeroplane
sweeps on. It Is associated with a prossuro meas
uring mechanism, and this pressure corresponds
to speed In miles per hour. This velocity Is Indi
cated by a little dial in front of tho aviator, so
that ho can know, If watchful, how fast his craft
Is going and whether or not there Is lifting forco
enough against the aeroplane's wings to keep
tho machine safely afloat.
When, ascending, tho pilot turns the nose of
his muchlne upward ho offers a broader surface
of his wings to the oncoming air, and what ho
thus loses In movement forward he gains in rise,
Just Uko the motion of a kite, when you pull tho
string and square Its face moro nearly, with tho
wind. Now, the aeroplane must move onward at
n prescribed minimum speed; this velocity differs
with different machines, and below this speed the
air current has not force enough to sustain the
craft. Should an aeronaut, seeking to climb too
faBt, halt tho speed forwnrd in order to Increase
the rapidity of rise, ho Is suro to start plunging
backwnrd If that velocity drop ever so llttlo below
tho prescribed minimum required for support.
Hero is where tho little wind gaugo plays Us
vital part.
Automatically, should tho aviator be heedless
or unaware of his peril when within a certain
limit of tho nonsustnlnlng speed, tho wind gauge,
through associate mochnnlsms, turns the tall
planes so that that end rises, while the head of
tho machlno dips, and, Instead ot sonrlnc. starts
upon an earthward volplane. In that earthward
Bweep tho craft acquires Increased Bpeed, gains
renewed supporting pressure, und Is onco moro
under safe control.
This control, however, Is taken out oftho hnnds
of the pilot pro tern, until tho required safety
speed has been thus obtained. This same pro
vision provides ngalnst that much feared con
tingency, the stopping of tho propulsive motors
during flight. It was an accident of this sort that
almost cost the lives of an aviator nnd his wife
hero a llttlo over a week ago. Hy desperate ef
forts that pilot managed to keep tho zigzag vol
planing of his craft within some bounds, and by
great good luck the machlno landed in tho water.
In sweeping around upon a circular (light, es
pecially If tho turn bo ut all short, tho ordinary
aviator has a multiplicity of things to do: To
must regulate his wing tips or ailerons, function
tho tall plnne and, nt tho samo timo, mnnipulnto
the rudder. Tho trouble Is that the rudder and
tho tall piano become somewhat Intorchanceablo
In their nctlonB becauso of tho heeling anglo ns-
sumod by tho craft. This Is ticklish work and
has caused many accidents and cost a number of
Hvoh. With tho Sperry stabilizer this hazard Is
romoved. Tho pilot, will have nothing to concern
himself about except the path ho wishes to follow
tho llttlo gyroscopes will look out for tho rest,
as has been amply provod during the exacting
tests In Franco when tho shifting ot tho pilot and
his mechanic sot up disturbing forces that would
havo meant certain destruction In an unstnblllzod
neroplano.
Now you know JuBt what Mr. Sperry hns done
for aviation. Ho has masterod a very hard prob
lem, and ho has made his mastery complete.
NEBRASKA IN BRIEF.
fcy his winning tho $10,000 prize offered by tho Hut tho risks In climbing skyward, vithout
FIREMEN.
Illll Who's your friend?
Jill Oh, he's a llroman.
"What kind of a fireman, tho kind that wears a
red shirt or the kind who hns a smutty face?"
FUNNY DANCING.
Patience I noticed, last night, that Goorgo has
tango eyes.
Patrice Why do you call them" tango cyos?
"Ilecauso thoy dnnco so runny."
Mrs. Thoron Nye, ono or Fromont'8
earliest ploneors, died.
Tho equipment or tho volunteer
tiro department at Ohlowa has been
Increased.
" Three negro box car robbers aro
confined in tho new county Jail at
Plattsmouth.
Robert Wynn or Chicago addressed
a mass meeting of Superior cltlzeno
on the subject or water power.
The Dodge county teachers' Insti
tute will bo held nt Fremont this
week. A strong program has been
scheduled.
Nebraska's npplo crop this year
will reach 2,200 ncordlng to forecasts
by tho department of agriculture at
Washington,
Material has been received at Ohlo
wa for tho Installation of electric
street lights. Tho work of installa
tion wll start at onco.
The furnlturo and equipment donat
ed to tho Franklin acadomy from tho
Weeping Wntor acadomy Is being pre
pared for shipment.
Georgo Dill of West Point, former
night marshal and later In the cream
nnd poultry business, has moved his
family to Schuyler.
Omaha's Ak-Sar-Ben fall festival
will be held Soptembor 30 to October
10. Electrical parade evening of Oct
7, Fraternal rarado Oct. 8.
Tho Cuming county teachers' Insti
tute has closed at West Point. Tho
attendance was larger than evor be
foro nnd the programs wore success
ful. Glenn AVeleh, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Harry Welch of Hastings, is suffering
from a severe case of blood poisoning
resulting from stepping on a rusty
nail.
Tho Germp.n-Amorlcan picnic, which
wns to have been held at Seward Sep
tember 1, ha? been postponed Indefi
nitely, on account or the war In Eu
rope. Tho Holiness camp meeting at
Weeping Water, under tho auspices of
tho Nebraska conference of Menonlto
brethren has closed a ten day ses
sion. The city council of Superior oponod
a new well hlch first filled with water
and then with milcksnnd. it u
.thought that a now location must bo
round for tho well.
James McKorno. who war thrown
under a car at' tho Rock Island sand
pit, near Fairbury, died. His legs
wer amputated and ho received fatal
Internal Injuries.
Garnett Hartlet, a well digger, was
overcome by gns resulting from blast
ing and plunged to tho bottom of a
sixty-foot shnft at Plattsmouth. Ho
was Instantly killed.
Tho five-year-old son of f!hnrl(w Po
land was drowned In a bayou of tho
untie Dluo river, a mile southwest of
Fairbury. The bodv was recovnrprl hut
lire could not bo restored.
An appenl for funds has reached D.
M. Rosenburg of Hastings from his
brother, who is stranded in Antwerp,
Belgium. He fled from Russia when
hostilities broke out.
Business men at Plattsmouth aro
planning to build a pontoon bridge
across tho Missouri for the conven
ience of farmers on tho Iowa sldo
who trade In Plattsmouth.
Lowney Bellnay, colored, haB been
bound over to the district court on a
charge of burglarizing a Rock Island
.boarding car, near South Bond. Hla
trial was hold at Plattsmouth.
Mrs. P. E. Becker was 'seriously in
jured, John Bacon sustained a frac
tured collarbone, and threo others re
ceived moro or less serloii3 bruises
from which they will recover, wen
an auto In which all were riding
struck a Burlington fast train near
Exeter.
Dlttman's department store of Falls.
Ulty was destroyed by fire. The loss
la $30,000, with insurance of $18,000.
Tho fire originated In a new stock
stored In tho cellar. Despite a high
wind flromen succeeded In confining
the blaze to tho building where it
originated.
Tho Young & Bolton lumber yard at
Hebron was destroyed by fire. Tho
firo department oxertod every effort,
but the flames could not bo controlled
In time to Bavo tho yard and n hard
fight was necessary to keep the fire
from spreading to adjoining buildings.
Tho loss will reach $20,000.
At a meeting of the directors of
tho Callaway fnlr association, It was
unanimously decided to not hold a
fair this fall. Tho association, bo
cnuso of bad weather last fall, wont
behind several hundred dollars, and
owing to present circumstances It wns
deemed best to not attompt to hold a
fair this senson.
Dr. Klein, stato veterinarian, nt.
., , . n.
tended a meeting of fifty farmers six
miles north of Beatrice. The object
of tho meeting was to Induce farmers
to take snnllary precautions agains't
tho spread of hog cholera. Tho far
mers have agreed to carry out meas
ures advocated by the government nnd
stato veterinarian and a disinfecting
spray pump will be bought and used
In each township.
Nobrnska City has filed a suit
against tho light and water company,
alleging that Impure nnd dirty water
is furnished patrons. Tho city asks
for tho dissolution of the franchise
granted the company.
A special elctlon wns hold In Ra
venna for tho purpose of voting on a
proposition to Issue bonds to construct
a bower system. Tho voto stood 115
for and .forty-eight against, thero
being but a light voto cast. This prop
osition was voted on nnd carried
about two months ago, but legal tech
nicalities mado It necessary to hold
nnnther election.
BUILDING , CRACKED1
NbRMAL BOARD KICKS ON CHAD
RON STATE DORMITORY.
PASSENGER RATE THREATENED
Commission Fears Application of Ok
lahoma Case to Nebraska '
Two-Cent Law.
Lincoln. Tho stato normal board
has taken up tho question of a
defective building and a proposed de
partment for tho .study of defective,
childeen. J. R. Gettys, a mombes of
tho board, reported that tho now dor
mitory at tho Chadron normal, built'
by Mr. Mulholland or South Dakota,
was defective. He said thero woro
cracks under tho roof nenr the eaves
atftl open spaces not Intended by the
nrchltcct, that the floor In the top
story Is not in good condition and tho
flooring is poor and the cement floor
in tho basement is crumbling, and'
cracked. The building was to have
boon finished by June 1, yet thero aro
no outside doors In tho structure. Tho
board Instructed the scretary to no-,
tlfy tho contractor It the building Is
not fllnlshed and Jn good condition by,
September 7, the board will tako tho!
Job off his hands and finish it. Tho
architect who designed tho structure,
was asked to Inspect it.
Mr. Gettys made a verbal report In
favor of establishing a new depart
ment in all four stato normal schools,
commenolng with tho Peru school. Ho
advocated a department for tho study
of defective children with an expert
in charge who will be able to Instruct
teachers how to discover defects" lnt
children and how to caro for such
children. The board took no action,
but asked for a written report on tho
subject.
May Affect 2-Cent Law.
Death knells may bo sounded one of
these days for the 2-cent passenger
law, now effective In Nebraska. And
when that time comes tho 3-cent
specter, which played ghost until tho
federals courts spoke, will assume
form as far as travelers in this stato
are concerned.
This is tho conclusion reached by
(the state railway commission aftor
reading the recent decision of tho in
terstate commerce commission in
the case of the corporation commis
sion or Oklahoma against tho Santa
Fo and other roads of that state.
In tho proceeding on which Is
basod this startling announcement it
was alleged that the Interstate faro
of 3 centa per mile through Arkansas.
Missouri and Oklahoma wa3 unreas
onable and discriminatory to the ex
tent that it exceeded the 2-cent faro
maintained in the three states. Tho
prayer was for the establishment of
a 2-cent fare on all Interstate business
between the threo states.
In discussing the problem in tho de
cision the federal regulatory body
cites the United States suprmo court
decision giving authority to regulate
purely intrastate rates whero Inter
state rates aro seriously affected
thoreby. That Is whero the cloud
rises on the Nebraska horizon. It
menns in 'short that if the Nebraska
2-cent passenger rate is found to in
terfere with a through rate, then tho
Nebraska rate can be raised to meet
the demands of tho occasion. It Is a
grave danger, according to tho state
commission, and one that threatens
freight traillc as much as passenger
business.
Open Season for Ducks.
The publication of a news item that
tho open season on ducks did not be
gin until October 1, has brought in a
flood or letters to Game Warden Rut
cnbeck asking nbout the, law. Tho
game, warden has kept his stenogra
pher busy trying to untanglo the mys
tery aijd gives out that the open sea
son for wild duck, geese, brant, cranes
and game water fowls, begins Tues
day, September 1 and will close Wed
nesday, December 16.
Assistant State Engineer Hero.
Friends or "Cy" Mason, assistant'
state engineer, who stopped a run
away team at Fremont the other day
and saved the lives or a woman and
two llttlo children, will mako efforts
to land a Carnegie medal for him. Tho
deed Is termed, by those who saw It,
as ono or the bravest they ever witnessed.
Accept Craddock's Plans.
Tho State Normal board at Its reg
ular meeting decided to accopt the
plans prepared by J. II. Craddock ot
Omaha ror a now model school build
ing at the Peru normal school to cost
in tho neighborhood cr $80,000, bids to
bo considered nt the next meeting Tot
the board, October 1.
Firms Rush to Exhibit.
Novel and unique farm machinery
exhibits will be ono of tho features of
the state fair this fall.
During tho last fow years, declares
a machinery expert, many Improve,
ments In machines havo been captur
ed by companies outside the alleged
tniBt. Smnll manuracturorB have rush
ed In, eager to show their Improved,
up-to-date models.
A long list or Implement and ma
chlnery flrm3 have already signed
contracts wltli the Stato Board or Agriculture.
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