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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 1916)
THE REMI.WFEKI V TnlRIINF NORTH PI ATTE. NEBRASKA JOFFRE'S MAIN RELIANCE i HIS YOUNG MAN HAS INVENTED A NEW FORM OF AEROPLANE THAT MAKES FLYING SAFER. WEALTH IN SIGHT FOR HIM AFTER LONG STRUGGLE AGAINST ODDS. By JERLE DAVIS. F a young follow lins the right stuff In lilm thoro la no limit to his soaring especially If ho invents an aoroplano that Is as "safo as a rocking chair." And this Is the situation which Mr. T. Charloa Russoll, a Chicago Inventor, faces. After Ilvo years of hard work and lighting big odds ho stands on the threshold of wealth and fame. Sovon or eight years ago, Ilussoll wob a freshman In tho academic courso at Northwestern university, Evanston, 111. Ho had nn uncanny knack for un- jderstandlng tho why and wheroforo of olcctrlclty fcwd mechanics, and waB nblo to earn his way (through collego by doing odd jobs for a light and Ipowor concorn. During tho four years ho put In at literature languages, mathomaticB and other subjects con tained In a collego arts courso ho was tlnkorlng along on tho sldo with toy aeroplanes of his own dovlslng. RubsoII was slowly working out tho details of a dream ono of tho kind of dreams that havo mado Edison, tho Wrights. Hammond, Uoll and Marconi sclontlllc conjurors. ' After ho had rocolvcd his bachelor of nrta do Kroo, this young man ho was born at Midland, a. D twonty-Bovbn years ago went Into tho en gineering school and specialized In phyalca and engineering. Then ho began to experiment with Ills noroplano for all ho was worth. Bccnusa it wasn't a part of tho regular courso, Ilussoll had iroublo getting shop spaco In which to do this work. Tho Bchool authorities, ho says, had mapped out a proscribed courso and thoy considered that a dovlation from it would mean confusion In tho rankB. Ho oven went before tho trustoes and mado a Ilea for spoclal concessions, but without success, pympathotlc mombora of tho faculty camo to tho roscuo, howovor, and Russoll found room in Dear Lorn observatory to mako oxporlmonts at night. Dozens of models woro mado, tried out and lrokcn. Tho experiments had gono forward with fair stoadlncas for throo years and longer, whon tho young man felt that ho had discovered and worked out satisfactorily tho principles of aero dynamics ho had sought. That was threo years ago. Thon ho wont gun ning for patont rights. It waa easy enough to jget slmplo patonts, but tho Inventor wanted basic patents. Slmplo patents cover processes una methods, whilo basic patents cover principles. So nftor another long wait, voluminous correspond enco and endless dealing with lawyers, Ilussoll was notified a few wcoks ago that tho basic patent rights woro his. Ho carried tho glad nows to a fraternity friend. Tho frlond carrlod it homo to his father. Tho father wont East on a business trip and told soma Boston capitalists. And tho Uoston capitalists Hont an aviator oxport to Chicago to talk to young Ilussoll and soo what ho had. What ho had waa "iho goods" ovidontly, for a short timo aftorward u company was organized, foreign agents sup posed to bo roprcsontatlvcs of tho Anglo-French-SlUBslan ulUcs signed contracts, a big factory ;wub leased and tho Inventor went on to tho plant to BUporvlBo tho manufacture of tho machines. F Just boforo Ilussoll wont East tho Chicago news papers printed brief accounts about tho patent grants and tho company's formation. Very llttlo was said about tho Inventor, When ho was ap proached for tho "Inaldo story" of his labors Mr. Itusaell wasn't easy to "get nt." Ho was found In t. llttlo chicken-coop olllco which occupies a corner in tho machluo shop which he calls his own. Ilia Bleoves wore rolled high and his hands woro grimy. Tho clattor and whang of machinory mado conversation dllllcult, but not so dlllluult as tho young Inventor himself mado It for ho is a Bliy Hud rotlcent person, who would mako a poor self ndvertiser. But onco ho began to tnlk about his nmcblno ho was n whirlwind of impulsive speech, making quick, draftsmanllko sketches to llliiBtrnto his points. Ills aeroplane differs In shape from all othor known makes. It is a biplane. That Is, It has two sots of wlngu, one set several feet abovo tho other In othor machlnos the planes Bprond btrntght across, and with tho body und tall form a big capital T. In tho Ilussoll mnchlno tho wings form a doublo V, llko this: VV. Tho tall Is nt Inched to tho place whoro tho lottcrs join and extends to the rear. The narrow points of tho totters form tho front of tho machluo, and tho Iillot. passengers and ongino company occupy a eort of canoo which rests where tho wlnga and lull Join. Tho lower wings oxtend forward of tho tipper oneslike a man with an undershot Jaw. Tho two propellers twirl on either sldo of tho tall Just hack or tho wings. Mr Ilussoll didn't havo war In mind whon ho was working on his Invention. Ills Idea centered In commercial possibilities So long as tho aero plane remained unstablo so long ob a driver had to keep his hands on tho control" to prevent tho tnachlno'H capsizing It would romaln a sporting proposition. Hut when tho tlmo enmo that, by Im provements In tho aeroplane, tho driver need only crank up and guide, simply us ho would guldo nn automobile, tho filer would bo very usoful In busi ness and pleasure. In tho doublo-V machlno tho young Inventor bo Uevos ho baB dlscoverod tho groat secret of In- SAVMVSi-j6r A L. . . (Copyright IVfittrnNewipaptr Union) W i hi Ft rsr?r - Mmssrrr1 ?APn (Inlilliliuilflfl fiffiil r sa mm , f I ? MACXW GUM horont stability. Placed In tho positions de scribed, tho wings present a broad surface to air curronts on all sides. "Tho dangerous air pockets aro no longor death gaps In tho atmosphere." ilus soll doclnrcs. All prcsont types of filers that Is, all tho new ones both In this country and abroad uso a gyroscope control. Thla 1b a sort of governor, llko tho governor on a stationary steam or gas en gine, that automatically warps tho aeroplano wings to meet constantly varying air surfaces whon tho machine la In flight. Thcso devices aro Just omorglng from tho experimental stngo. "With tho gyroscopic stabilizer doing tho work, what Is tho udvantago of tho Russell machine? Lot IIuhboII toll: "Tho stabilizing devices aro all artificial con trollers. If tho stablllzor gets out of fix when tho mnchlno la 3,000 foot abovo ground it means dan ger and posalblo death for tho paasengors. Tho safo machine la ono that needs no such control ler. It la a mnchlno whoso very shnpo Is an au tomatic controller a real 'automatic controller that cannot bo tinkered with If tho machine Is to leave tho ground at all." This now noroplano can bo mndo In nny size. It is understood that tho lllors bolng constructed In Dostou will havo a wing spread of a hundred foot or moro and will carry two Independent en gines, ench dovoloplng 150 homo power. Machlnos of this slzo and power nro capable of carrying hnlt a dozen passongors, ono or two rapld-flro guns, fifty to a hundred largo oxploslvo bombs, fuel for a 500-mllo flight and sclontlllc Instruments for navigation. . Thoy can trnvol rapidly, too fifty to ninety miles an hour, It is easy to imaglno tho valuo of such machines In penco ns well as In war. Already tho govern ment is experimenting with noroplano mall routes, and Postmaster General Burleson has recommended tho cBtnbllshmont of regular aoro mall service Tho possibilities are without limit, it scorns. And for war well, wo kuow a llttlo ot what thoy nro doing with noroplanca In Europe All tho chief bolllgoronts nro building hugo planes, trlplo-wlngcd and cnglnod, that in a pinch can fly closo to a thousand miles and carry half a dozen mon with small cannon, ammunition and deadly bombs of largo size In a report which ho has aubmlttod to President Wilson, and which will bo mado public soon, Secretary of tho Navy Dan tola tells of some remarkable developments in noroplano construction by Amerlcnn deslgnor3 and Inventors. He mentions specifically "an aeroplano that practically sails Itself. About all tho aviator has to do la to crank up nnd sit at tho steering wheel." Mr. Ilussoll's oxplanntlon ot tho prlnclplo In volved In his aeroplano Is Greek to tho layman. "Tho problem Is to maintain tho center of up ward presBUro to colncldo with tho center of area at all tlmos, no mnttor whether tho machlno Is In direct forward illght or Is railing. This problom I havo Bolved, if tho auccoaa of ull my oxporlmonta proves anything." Thoro's a young Inventor cither at work or dreaming over work to bo dona wherever you go in this broad land of ours. In tho townB and cities you seo amntour wireless rccolvlng stations strung from barn gables to attic windows. In tho country tho youngsters nro tlnkorlng ovor tho tool bonches working away at somo Idea that may revolutionize nn Industry. Tho history of young Mr. Ilussoll should bo au Inspiration to ovory youth bom without a silver In tho phalanx of brilliant gen orals who surround nnd support Gon oral Joffro, tho generalissimo of tho French army, General Foch occupies a plnco In tho front row. It Is gen erally admitted that It la General Foch who would bo called upon to roplnco General Joffro should circumstances suddonly require it. Gcnoral Foch was born In Tarbcs, Hautcs Pyrenees, in 1851. Mndo cap tain at tho ago of twenty-six, -ho soon becamo professor nt tho military acad my, whoro ho had an opportunity tc dovclop such theories as ho hold dear. When war broko out ho was In command of tho Twentieth army corps at Nancy. After fighting in Lor raino General Foch took command of tho Ninth army at tho battlo of tho Marno, in tho region of Sezanno, at Vltry-lo-Francols, whoro, as leader of men, ho rovcalcd such qualities that tho generalissimo has slnco then in trusted him with command of tho cntlro group of armies operating in tho region of tho north. Adored by all his subordlnatea, General Foch has ovor known how to mako his men appreciate the facility of his authority, which Is devoid of ull tho potty annoyances so irritating to tho French soldier, who resents bolng needlessly bothered about trifles. w mm Tf filSSLL AfACJMJ? spoon In his mouth. This Inventor saw tho light of day first In a South Dakota village. Ho spent somo of his childhood at Evanston, another small town. Ho received his common school and high school education at Paw Paw, Mich., which Is nc metropolis. Ho has had to paddlo his own linan cial cunoo and "help tho folks" besides. Ho has been denied opportunity and has forced his own pathway. Does ho expect riches to como immediately? This la hia point of viow: "I expect to get royaltiea later. My invention has to provo Its worth first If wealth comes. It will bo tho reward for toil and discouragemont. 1 cortalntly don't expect to sit around and wait for monoy to bo dropped into my hat. "Lot mo pay a tributo to two men who have stood by mo and holped to mako this aeroplano In ventlon possible Ono is Prof. Philip Fox of Dear born observatory. Tho other is Prof. Henry Crow of tho physics department at Northwestern. Mr. Fox helped mo with my oxporlmonta as much as ono man could help another. As for Mr. Crow tho training I got under him in learning to analyze things is pricolcss. "Thla analytic training has taught mo to sit down with a vagrant Idea and pursuo it to first principles to get to tho henrt of every proposi tion." Mr. Russell's first monoy-making invention was an electric blanket. This devlco looks llko an ordinary bed comforter. Its stuffing, however, is Interwoven with lino wires Incased In nBbostos, Connected with an ordinary light socket tho blan kot develops considerable heat enough, say, to keep an outdoor sleeper comfortable when the mercury Is huddled at tho bottom of tho tubo Othor Inventions aro an aero-fan, said to bo an Improvement on ordinary cool-brcczo makers; an electric heating pad, similar in principle of con structlon to tho blanket, and a thermostat for controlling electric heat. What promises to bo another Important Inven tlon, however, is an electro-magnetic rapld-flro gun. Mr. Russell has been working at odd times on this Idea for several months. Tho prlnclplo Is tho expulsion ot missiles from a gun without tho uso of oxploslvo material, ho says, and export monts with workshop models havo been highly gratifying. "It may bo years, though, botoro I porfect It,' tho young man smiles. "I have the Idea fixed In mind and It is a matter ot developing the Idea, Someone elso mny produco a successful gun of this typo boforo 1 do. 1 havo a gun that will shoot all right, but It Isn't ready lor tho war market by a long shot." And just to show you that a rising young lnven tor Is an ordinary human being llko tho rest of us. hero's ono on Mr. Russoll: Ho didn't want tho photographer to toko his plcturo as ho stood with his sloovos rolled up boforo a work bonch bo causo ho thought that tho dense growth ot black hair on his arms would show when tho plcturo appeared In tho paper. Furthonuoro, ho was vory careful to fix tho knot of his four-ln-hand tlo "just so" boforo ho said, "All ready!" Mrs. Frances Wlllard Munds Is a stato senator in Arizona. She was elected from Prescott and Is chairman of tho committco on education and public institutions. Sho ha3 greatly njoyed tho work and has been treat ed with great courtesy by tho male members. Sho has been called on twice to preside in tho senate. Mrs. Munds was born in California and was reared in Nevada. At tho ago of thirteen she went to Pittsfleld, Me, and entered tho Malno Central Insti tute in tho spring term of 1S82. Sho took a scientific courso nnd was gradu ated in 18S5. Soon after graduating sho wont to Arizona, whero her family waa located. Sho taught school two years and then married John L. Munds, for many years engaged in the stock business and mining. Her husband was eight years sheriff of Yavapai county. Ho and Mrs. Munds are Democrats. "I bellevo in suffrage for women because I think their influence in politics will bo of great benefit to themselves and to tho human race in general," says Mrs. Munds. "I am convinced that the women will form tho spiritual balance so much needed in legislatures. I hope to bo a member of tho next Democratic national convention, and if I am I shall work to get a suffrage plank in the national platform." Mr. and Mrs. Munds havo ono son and two daughters. VULGAR DISPLAY OF WEALTH. "My fnco la my fortune" said tho consclou beauty. "Well, It Isn't nocoBsary ror you to bo con stantly flashing your roll." remarked tho male cynic. Judge ARIZONA'S WOMAN SENATOR ZD GREAT MAKER OF POWDER "V " s Someone down East has suggest ed that T. Coloman du Pont would bo a good man for the Republicans to nominate for tho presidency, and to tho people of Delaware, at least, the idea does not seem incongruous. Gen oral du Pont is now fifty-two years old, active, wiry and aggressive, al most nervously aggressive it may bo said; tho typo of man who knows what ho wants to do and straightway atartB about it; the typo of man, fur thermore, who possesses thorough training for hia work and wldo ex perience in doing it. Ho was born in LouiBVillo, Ky., December 11, 1803, son of Bldermann du Pont and Ellqn S. Coleman. As a lad he attended Urbana uni verslty In Ohio, then went to Boston, whoro ho studied at tho Chauncoy school. lie finally entered the Mas sachusetts Institute of Technology, from which he was duly graduated as an engineer. He at onco began to practico his profession in largo enter prises in- Pennsylvania. Later ho took up tho mining of coal and iron ore, and still later tho construction and operation of street railways. Subsequently ho entered tho steel business, nnd finally, in 1902, becamo president of tho industry founded moro than a century ago by his patornal ancestors tho manufacture of oxploslvos. His interests continued to expand until thoy Included banking, railroad companies and coal mining, and also active participation in politics. i - . STONE, VITALIZER OF MONEY When tho National City bank an nounced that Charles A. Stono had boen seloctcd to pilot tho now $50,000, 000 company known ns tho American Internntlonnl corporation, that haB set itself to tho taBk of healing tho finan cial wounds that tho world suitors as tho result of the present war, peo plo outBldo of that mysterious world known as "high financial clrclos" wanted to know who Mr. Stono was, what ho nnd done and what he pro posed doings But whon President Frank A. Vandorllp of th National City bank further nnnounced that this samo Charles A. Stono was "a vltallzor of monoy" thoro was surprise as well as curiosity. For twenty-five of his fifty yoars Mr. Stono has boon known through out tho United States and Canada as ono ot Amorlca's foremost efficiency exports. Today thoro aro fifty corpora tions of tho public utility kind under his management ono for each year of his life No matter how sick they woro when Mr. Stono got them hia efficiency treatmont mado them wholo and strong enough to go about their usual work. His past twonty-flvo years havo been very active bocauso ho Is a con struction engineer as woll as an ofilcloncy man ho has built factories, powei plants and tho llko. 4 '-a.pimxi wWt mM
