The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 9, 1896, Page 29

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 1896. 29 Mén Will Soon Navigat Be Sooner or later the man will solve the f g-machine prob- lem and give us aerial gation. The de- { ach mode of locomotion is one of the characteristic | ventive genius of when a desi there always mate: rializes something to want. Fifty vears ago any i s laughed at most minds means of navigating the lane is about to be added le machines engaged in rapid transit. America is, as usual, in the lead in atter of constructing 8 flying mac Maxim, and latterly Profes- ave built practical mas all demands exceptin power to remain the principle and its mode of applica- tion have not been made public until now, Desirable aerial navigation demands the emvployment of two fanctio (the power to suspena a body in t from place to place) tion may t of a gaslig lines ¥ t must be totaliy e for om old systems. t from the e materia e surface of the horiz rectio! tive to the body ence are engaged 1n | e the rial Regions i moving. This principle is illustrated by the boy’s kite, which is maintained aloft | by the passing breeze. The kite is held | captive to a fixed spot on the earth and the moving current of air acting upon its inclined’ surface forces it aloft. Now. should the air be perfectly still—a dead calm—then, if the kite were moved in a horizontal plane by means of its strinz at | the same rate of spesd as that of the| breeze in the first instance, it wouid at-| tain precisely the same elevation. [ Much study has been given to the phe-| { nomenon of the flight of birds, 1t having | | been hoped that therein lay the solutiom ; | of the problem. Many birds possess the | ability of sustained flight without any ap- | parent great exercise of power. The frig- ate bird, the tachypetes aquila of the or- nithologist, will float in the upper atmos- | phere for hours without the perceptible in one place, thei might be termed “sailing.” These | , with a body the size of that of al oo average a spread of six feet from tip mi tip. They are the true “‘aeroplane.” | The humming-bird is an example of the | power of mamtaining a fixed position. | h rd may be observed asanappar-| xed speck. It may be seen hover- | flower without either vertical or | tion, its wings beeting with | ip) | A great deal of inventive genius has | ved in the attempt to produce calculated to commaunicate to | nt to cause it to risein the | tion of this problem rests | he ability to produce a| nerator of sufficient lightness. | will undoubtedly be produced before | of the present century. The re- | scovery of the properties of acety- s bids fair to render this task an —the ability to secure flota- cedy horizontal motion, is an | important factor in the accomplishment of ’ I navigation. But there are many tors essential to complete success. use of an aerostat there are times | hen horizontal movementis undesirable; | as when it is requisite for the machine to | in a fixed position of rest as regards surface location; and also, to ascend and | descend vertically, and to commence and | movement of a featber; but they do not : consummated by the v motion being | employment of hor- THE SCIENTIFIC AEROSTAT — THIS WILL FLY. € 72 INCRES izontal motion. In the latest device , are provided with wings that| of flying machinethis feature of fixed sus- pension is provided for by the employ- ment of fanlike screws revolving in a horizontal plane. The accompanying drawing of the scien- ficiently simple explain itself. The body or “‘boat” is of aluminum. At either end is a screw propeller, which sive movement. These screws are pro- vided with universal joints, and are con- trolled by a steering wheei placed in the boat, and may be made to assume an ang- ular position, so that the machine can be steered in any desirable direction with ease and certainty. The large fan screws revolving at the top of the machine lift or depress the aeroplane according as they are revolved to the right or left. Two large wings, adjusted by hinged bearings, one on each side of the body of the ma- chine, furnish the necessary sliding sur- {ace, analogous to the wings of the float- ing bird. These wings areso attached as to be controlled by proper ropes or stays, and can be adjusted at any desired angle, both horizontally and vertically. Up to the present time the main diffi- culty in the accomplishment of success aped and inclined body a | when in motion communicates progres- | terminate all motion without any sudden | has been the weight of the engine neces- | | or violent shock; all of which cannot be | sary to drive the screws. Mr. Maxim has| 250 Miles an Hour. Plan View of the Aecroplane, Looking ! Downward From the Top. stated that if it were possible to produce an engine thatshould | not exceed forty pounds per horse- power employed the problem of serial navigation would be solved. Since thein- troduction of acety- line gas an engine using that gas as fuel has been built, which as to render them almost | tific aeroplane is sul- Principle of the Aeroplane Shown in the Flight of the Frigate Bird, Which Flies Weighs twenty-seven to pounds per horse- power. Itis fairtoin- fer, therefore, that beore long an “Atlantic and Pacific Aerial Express’’ will be com- peting with the Octopus for the traffic be- tween the Golden West and the effete East. It is not to be expected that railroads will go out of use, or that the humble country road will be obhierated. There | are lots of people to-day who could not be prevailed upon to trust themselves upon a railroad. In spite of the marvelous growth of the bicycle fad there remain many who look upon the wheel as an invention of Satan, specially devised for the purpose of increasing emigration to hades over the prolanity route. Scientific men, however, who have not time to indulge in senti- ment, are not deterred in their labors by any apprehension of orthodox timidity, but are busily working to produce the practical serostat. They will succeed. The aerostat pictured here has a shell of | aluminum thirty feet long, one-eighth of an inch thick, weighing 300 pounds. It carries at its sides wings of varnished silg To Unload Railway Cars| ned method of unloading A ik bstance: S of Cleveland, all he claims it to be. v asort of elevator operated by the sim- alic machinery, al- , steam could be used as levating cradle is placed in such a that a railway track is built on it y with the main line. owerful clamps that clutch s position cradle and car the dumping mechanism The die is so con- ns the cradle is held fast fall out. The .and allows the [ tsof the car to fall into and so slide into ship, barge or simplicity itself, being cheap to so that it will undoubtedly of unloading as well as The Tides and Death. The Atlanta Constitution relates the fol- ng fact regarding the des on persons lying at the h: ves of Charleston who reside e beach have recently observed t of death expire. sking whether or not the rising and f the tide had this effect upon in places removed from the nd, if so, how far inland make a more expensive | oaded is pushed onto the | 0 made fast and immovable | of the sides by | the tide goes out those who are | A gentleman | 1 | { | the influence extended. Thers ssems to‘ | be no doubt in the minds of those who | e on the sea coast that life becomes ex- tinet, especially in the case of old persons, when the tide has gone out. Whether any scientific research has ever been made | on this subject couald not be ascertained. Every one, however, almost without ex-; ception, who was spoken to, knew that it was a fact, and the general impression cemed to be that it was caused by some | i {-electrical force controlled by the coming | in and going out of the water. S Rppr ) [ Jracks for Fire-Engines I havean idea for praventing fires get- | | ting headway in the downtown districts. | I would use the electric road. Build | switches to the engine-bouses from the | nearest line of electric road, and have one | | or two cars and have an engine and hose- | cart on the car at all times when in | | engine-bouses. When called put on the [ | norses and start. The whole South Side | is so traversed by cross-town lines that | | any engzine may get to the Courthouse in | | a remarkably short time. The team will 1 | be fresh, and I see no reason why there | cannot be engines enough massed in time | | to pat out any fire before it gains danger- | ‘[ ous proportions. I would have a danger | { signal drop or slide out from every pole | on the line, ringing a bell, so that teams | | would be out of the way, and the com- | | pany’s cars could leave the track at the | nearest crossing, which is every few | squares.—Chicago News. i { ———-——— | | At Eitham, the late Colonel North's| seat, there is said to be one of tine strong- est of strong rooms in the world. Not |{only was his gold and silverware stored here, but special arrangements were made for the security of the jewels of lady vis- itors daring the nights of their stay. The strong room is floored with cement many | feet thick, and walled all round with | mighty blocks of granite. A CLEVELAND MAN’S INVENTION FOR LOADING VESSELS FROM THE CAR. A GERMAN PATENT FOR LAYING RAILROAD TRACK. Aerial Bicycle There is a likelihood that the problem of rapid transit has been solved by Hiram Mikerson of Stoughton, Mass. He has invented an apparatus that he calls the “gerial bicycle,” altnough it travelsona - 5 The rail for this apparatus is on a post that curves outward several feet at the top, and the rider sails along beneath the rail. Two wheels run on the rail. They are connected by a tiepiece, to which is fast- ened a framework that extendsdownward. At the end of this framework is a pro- | peiling mechanism, seat and handle being | very much like the ordinary bicycle. The | pedals are driven in the ordinary way,and power is communicated to the wheels above by an endless chain that passes along the framework and over one of the hubs. Such a railway should be very cheap to build, and it has the advantage of not taking up any ground to speak of, as crops can be grown between the posts. Consid- erable speed ought to be developed with very little power. — Genuine egret feathers are sold as arii- ficial in London in order to salve the con- science of women who think it wrong to wear bird feathers in their headgear. The society for the protection of birds kad shown that the egret, or whité heron, would soon be exterminated, us the feath- ers must be obtained during the nesting season. Its agents have now proved that the only artificial thing about the feathers sold is that they are split in two, thus making two plumes instead of one. Motor Bicycle One of the first patents granted for motor bicycles is the property of Charles H. Barrows of Willamantic, Conn. Just what the machine will do can only be determined by exveriment, but it seems to be bailt on scientific principles. The general appearance of the bicycle is much like the first “safety” invented that was called the *kangaroo.” The hind wheel is of the ordinary style, but the frame of the machine is very heavy asis necessary to carry the propelling appara- tus. Mounted on either side of the hind wheel are storage batteries that are con- necied by wires with a twin motor mounted on the steering head. The front wheel really has two tires, and between them a driving surface over which a chain passes, and thence over a driving surface between the armatures of the twin motor. This secures direct connection without possibility of siipping and puts the power at the point of least resistance. Of course the motor will bave to make a great num- ber of revolutions to one of the wheel, but this is easily accomplished under the cir- cumstances. The apparatus mentioned should cer- tainly be capable of driving the bicycle over a level road at a fair pace, and if enough power is generated by the storage battery also be capable of climbing hills. T e On the State railways in Germany the carriages are painted according to the colors of the tickets of their respective classes. First-class carriages are painted ye&ow. second-class green and third-class ‘Wwhite. Flight on the New Motor Bicycle. X-Rays at Home The following simple and inexpensive device for the production of X rays is de- scribed in the Scientific American of June 11, from which we also copy the accompanying illustration: “The expense of special Crookes tubes, powerful coils and batteries has deterred many from entering this interesting fiela of experiment; but R. McNeil of this city has recently devised apparatus in which an ordinary incandescent lamp is substituted for the Crookes tube, and an induction-coil of common form is made to supply electricity.of sufficiently high po- tential to produce the X-ray phenomena. “The lamp, which is a 52-volt, 16-candle- power Sawyer-Man lamp, is made of Ger- man or lime glass. For convenience, it is mounted in an insulating standard. The ] | freight. | to a distance of forty feet, giving an area The Atlantic and Pacific Perial Express twenty-four feet wide and stretching out of 1920 square feet of seroplane surface. These wings are framed in light phospor- bronze rods, which weigh 164 pounds. The lifting fanscrcws are twenty-four feet in diameter, having eight blades each made of aluminum. They each weigh 98 pounds. Their two shafts of steel weigh 120 pounds, a total of 316 pounds for both fans complete. They revolve at a speed of 2000 times per min- | ute, requiring an expenditure of eight | horsepowsr for both, and exert alifting power of 3700 pounds. Two screws are employed, as thereby rotary motion of the aerostat is prevented. The propellers are of thin steel bronze, weighing with their shafting 212 pounds, and with an expendi- ture of 32 horsepower drive the aerostat | through the air at a speed of 100 miles an | bour. The stays and braces weigh about | 100 pounds. The engine of 40 horsepower weighs 1000 pounds. The total weight of the machine is 2092 pounds, giving a mar- gin of 1608 pounds for passengers and The dimensions and weights here given are for the first machine. It isto be ex- pecied that with experience future con- structions will be made embodying greater power with less weight. The aerostat possesses a feature totally wanting in the bicycle. It has the charm of companionship. We may soon expect to see high in the air at evening time not only the huge aerostat of travel and com- merce, bearing their burdens of passengers and freight, but also the dainty little air- boat laden with that most precious cargo of humanity, happiness; and if the dis- tance be not too grest there may drop to our ears from the empyrean the impas- sioned words of two young beings who, thanks to the latest trinmph of inventive genius, are able to leave behind them the cares and chills of a sordid world, and in the warmth of the rosy-tinted cloudland enjoy the bliss of love’s young dream. The commercial value of aerial naviga- | tion is yet to bedetermined. Its scientific value is already proven. An atiempt to reach the nortn pole by balloon is now under way. 8. A. Andree, examiner-in- chief of the Royal Patent Office of Swe- den, an adventurous Swedish aeronsut and scientist, has started upon such an expedition. He has constructed him an immense gas balloon, ninety-seven feet in | height, with which he expects to reach | the pole, using the motion of the air, which has a generally northerly direction in those latitudes. He is accompanied by two other scientific gentlemen, and his project is thought feasible by a number of enthusiastic parties who have contributed nearly $40,000 to defray the expenses, While admiring the spirit which prompts the undertaking, I do not believe that it will succeed. The huge bulk of the gas balloon will prove unwieldy, and without doubt will become so weighted with snow and frozen rain as to be unable to longer maintain its buoyancy long before the pole is sighted. Meantime the aeroplane is building. Frayx M. Crosg, D.Se. Power From Niagara It is promised that electric power from Niagara Falls will be furnished to Buffalo manufacturers before November 1 next, and at a price less by one-half than power now costs in that city. Contracts for the work will be let this week, the transmis- sion line to be large enough for 20,000 horsepower. So much so for the business side of the enterprise. The scientific side is of equal interest, as developments in that direction make possible the economic transmission of power over long distances. The scientific triumph is Tesla’s. The vower will be transmitted to the Buffalo city line by overhead conductors. From the dynamo it will pass through a transe former, which will give it a much highe= voltage, and in that condition it can he safely and economically transmitted, to be transformea azain at the Buffalo station to a direct current ready for use. The higher the voltage the less is the loss. Some idea of the value of the new system can be had by comparison. The two-phase system transmits power so that there is a loss 400 times greater in the transmission of 500 volts than in the transmission of 10,000 volts.—New York Post. it L OB Fire Department drivers say that itis but little if any more difficult todrivea three-horse team than it is to drive a team of two hors=s. It iakes more strength to pull a three-horse team up short, but otherwise the three-horse team is about as easily handled, so far as the actual driving is concerneda, as one of two horses. The hardest place for the horse in the three- horse team is in thé miadle, and any mis- hap to the middle horse makes the most trouble. So it is customary in making up a three-horse team to put the bestand most intelligent and sure-footed horse in the center.—New York Sun. Speedy Jrack-Laying top of the lamp is covered with gluminum | foil, which is connected with one terminal | of tbe secondary of the induction coil, and | then the bottom is connected with the other terminal of the secondary, asshown. | The X ray proceeds from the cathode. By means of the fluorescope the shadows of the bonesof the hands and feet, slso of | the limbs; may be seen when they are placed between the instrument and the | lamo. “It has been found in this experiment | that when a blue fog appears in the lamp the vacuum is too low for the best results. By placing the lampin the house circuit for fifteen or thirty minutes the high vacuum is restored by the bheat and will remain good for about fifteen minutes. “The coil is capable of eiving a three- inch spark, and the X ray produced by | this simple and inexpensive apparatusis| sufficient for making radiographs.” po gy B The Purity of Air An ingenious device for testing the purity of the air in workshops and other crowded places is on exhibition at Zurich. A closed vessel filled with a chemical solu- tion, sensitive to carbonic acid gas, sends out a drop through a glass siphon every two minutes; the drop soaks through a cord hanging vertically from the end of the siphon. If the air is very bad the drop | changes its natural color, red, to white at once, at the upper end of the cord. It keeps its color along the cord in propor- tion to the purity of the air, not changing at all if the air is perfectly pure. A grad- uated scale fixed to the cord marks the degree of impurity. It is estimated that Abyssinia’s war force numbers 200,000 men, one-third of whom are armed with improved rifles. HOW AN X-RAY EXPERIMENT MAY BE SIMPLIFIED. Robert Beherends of Frankfort-on-the- Main, Germany, has been granted patents for a machine intended to lay railway track at a rapid pace. The idea of this invention is that the work of fastening the rails to the ties, at the proper distance apart, can be done in a factory while the road is being graded. When that 1s done the machine will lay the sections out in front of itself and proceed over them as soon as the joints have been bolted to- gether. The machine consists of a heavy truck with an inclined track mounted on it, over which a grappling movement travels, The rail sections are pilea six or eight deep on small trucks, which in turn are mounted on flat cars having a track on top of each and also connected between the cars, so that the trucks can be moved from one end of the train to the other. ‘When ready for work the track-laying machine is put at the head of the train of freight cars. Ona2 of the cars is directly under the gripper mechanism, so that a section of rails can be rzised onto the in- clined track. The gripper movement is then allowed to slide down the inclined track, which pushes the rail section out the right distance beyond the completed track and until they strike the ground. The train of cars is then '‘backed up” a few feet and the other end of the section drops off. It is then only necessary for a few men with crowbars to slide the section to just the right place and bolt the ends of the rails together. While this is being done another section of rail can be hoisted into position, and the machine can then go ahead over the new track and repeat the operation justdescribed. When one pile of rails is exhausted from the nearest freight car the trucks that carried them are lified off and the pile of rails behind rolled forward into position. This apparatus should lay rails ata very rapid rate, and in time of war ought to prove most valuable. NEW TO-DAY. NoTo-Bac Mends Nervs, Lost Life-Force Restored and Shattered Nerve - Power Quickly Repaired. The Tobacco Vice Undermines Vigor and Vitality — Nervous Prostra= tion, General, Debility Mean Tobacco Nerve-Poisoning. Tobacco-using 18 & reckless waste of life money and manhood. The tobacco- broken, his life is going out of him, he’s losing bis grip, but No-To-Bac, the strongest, quickest nerva tonic in the worid, braces his brain, nourishes his nerves, kills nicotine, manhood. 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