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1 PROGRESS W
| I . FLY
W Working Out the Man-Fl
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The day is almost at hand when man
will dispute with the bird for supremacy
in the air. For hundreds of years
'.' $ his ambition has been at work with
Ei'afc shaIi iioi'ciiiton/'V nf f>flF<-.rt tVint lit? nntv*
jm begins to see the end. He has grapj.
pled with the invisible forces of the
K- atmosphere, sometimes blindly, but
always courageously; generally to
1- meet with disappointment, but happily
|1 with enough success to keep alive his
uJL* determination to master the most dif
y ficult of all problems in physics. Lives
have been lost and fortunes have been
; -' expended iu the pursuit of this baffling
question of man-flight. Ridicule has
been heaped upon the heads of those
who sought to cope with the feathered
0 h messengers of the air, and their sanity
J! ^ questioned by the world at large.
The advancement made toward the
full solution of the problem of man;
flight during the year 1896 was greater
1 than that of any previous year, and
Mf* attracted the widest attention among
cientists. Probably more interest
?entered in the experiments conducted
thirty miles southeast of Chicago on
$ v the shore of Lake Michigan by Octave
< Chanute. of Chicago, than anywhere
else. The prominent position occupied
by Mr. Chanute in the scientific
El:- world was accepted as a guarantee that
EWBV -? J iw Lia ourl
1UC liau XUtbU XU uio va|/vx huvu
that he had.no other purpose in view
but to demonstrate certain principles
involved in the problem.
At the time he was thus engaged Mr.
Chanute observed much caution in his
utterances concerning the results obtained.
Fearful lest his conclusions
might not be properly formed, or that
he might be misunderstood, he refrained
as far as possible from commiting
himself on the subject further than
to say his experiments were very satis[factory.
Singe then he has gained
1; courage, so to speak, and has become
jr. enthusiastic over what has been accomplished.
He is now confident that
the way is clear for the solution of the
I. problem, and modestly takes to himW'
self a goodly share of the credit for
I pointing the way. He claims that his
osperiuients have marked out the best
lines for investigators to follow, and
numbers them as follows in the order
. of their importance:
, 1. The development of the self-propeiled
aerodrome.
2. The development of the motorless
air sailer.
3. The development of the motor.
i Daring the past week the experiments
of last year have been renewed
near Dune Park, Ind., and Mr.
Chanute has been almost a daily
visitor to the scene of action. His interest
in the result will not let him
' stay away longer than one day for several
reasons. One reason is that the
machine being used is one of his own
invention in its most important details,
and another is that the experiments
are following the second line of in
Ivestigation, which he laid down as
necessary for the solution of the
problem of man-flight. It is said that
Mr. Chanute is the real one who is
. conducting the experiments, bat this
he dehies in favor of A. M. Herring, a
young man of considerable scientific
knowledge, who was associated with
Mr. Chanute last year in his extensive
experiments at the same place.
The machine with which Mr. Herring
is now experimenting daily represents
the ideas of both himself and
Mr. Chanute. It belongs to the same
class as the machine which the late
Otto Lilienthal, of Berlin, brought out
in 1894 and in the use of which he met
" his death last year. It might well be
termed a flying machine, and yet this
description does not fit accurately. It
irROFESSOE CIIANUTE'S
is technically known as an aero-curve,
or a gliding machine. Better still, it
miglit be called an air coaster, for in
its action it approached very closely to
the motion of those machines known
as roller coasters. The resemblance
is carried still further in the application
of the principles of operation.
'S It is one of three sailing machines
M invented by Mr. Chanute, including a
steering apparatus designed Mr.
Herring. The first machine was based
V.i upon a reverse of the principles evolved
in the Lilienthal apparatus. Instead
of the man moving about under the
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W
ITH THE |
INO MACHINE. S
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light Problem Along Scien- -r.i
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| machine to bring the center of gravity
i under the center of air pressure, it
was constructed with a view to bring
| ing the center of pressure over the
j eeuter of gravity by the aid of wings
| moved automatically. This machine
j had twelve wings, each six feet long
and three feet wide, and each pivoted
; to a central frame. It had a total
wing surface of 177 square feet, and
weighed thirty-seven pounds.
By a process of evolution this apparatus
became the machine in use at
the present time with which such remarkable
results have been obtained.
I Experiments showed many defects in
j the machine, and it was rebuilt on a i
different principle. The twelve wings ]
' were discarded, and in their stead i
were substituted three superimposed !
A GOOD
concave surfaces, each sixteen feet
long and four feet three inches wide, ]
with an aggregate surface of nineteen 1
square feet. Attached to the rear of |
this machine was a oombined horizon- j
tal and vertical rudder, designed by 1
Mr. Herring as a result of his frequent 1
trials of the machine. In the course
of the experiments it was found necessary
to remove the lower surface, and
this left the present machine.
The several changes > therefore reduced
the sustaining surface of the
machine from 177 square feet to 135
square feet. The weight was lowered
at the same time from thirty-seven
pounds to twenty-three pounds. This
general reduction did not impair the
strength of the machine, while at the
same time it improved its efficiency to
a remarkable degree. Repeated trials
showed the machine capable of sustaining
an aggregate weight of 178
pounds, this figure representing the
combined weight of the operator and
the machine. The frame is constructed
of spruce wood, braced with
fine piano wire, and the concave surJ
oilV !
iaces are luruicu uj ?m: j
stretched over the frame to the'highest '
tension. j
Will this machine fly? Mr. Chanute j
will answer this question by replying
that was never intended to fly. He
will inform those asking the question
that the machine is made for experimental
purposes solely, with the end
in view of developing the motorless
air sailer. At the same time, Mr.
Chanute might say, the experiments
may lead to a solution of the most important
part of the problem of manflight?the
maintenance of the equilib
rium of the machine under all cir- j
cumstances. He holds that this problem
must be solved first. It has been 1
demonstrated to his satisfaction that 1
until automatic stability at all angles '
of flight and conditions of wind is ^
evolved and safety thereby secured it 1
would be premature to seek to apply a 1
motor or a propelling instrument to a
full-sized machine. (
The ordinary observer would an- 1
swer that the machine does fly, never
LATEST FLYING MACHINE.
j heless, after witnessing a day's ex:
perinaents among the sand dunes. The
i distinction between sailing and glid!
ing and flying would not appeal to any
I but the scientific mind while watching
i j the "double-decker" travel through
! the air a distance of 200 yards with
Mr. Herring hanging by his arms be,
neath. If the spectator was daring
' enough to tackle the machine himself
i and succeeded in getting the right
. kind of a start he would be willing to
. take oath that the machine flew. He
[ would also be willing to testify that
> his sensations while the flight lasted
were indescribably thrilling and delightful.
All the flights begin from an eminence,
the numerous sand hills near
Dune Park offering all the opportunities
desired for starting. Another requisite
is that the operator must start
facing the wind, although with proficiency
good results may be obtained
with the machine traveling at an angle
with the wind. Those who have seen
a buzzard or most any other large bird
begin a flight from the surface of the
earth will have noticed that the bird
invariably faces the wind and runs a
few steps before rising. For the same
reasons the operator of the Clanute
flying machine must face the wind,
holdine the machine over his. head,
then run a few steps down the side of
the hill on which he stands and finally
give a jimp outward into space as
though he never expected to come
down. He will be doing nothing more,
in effect, than he did when he jumped
from the top of a fence in boyhood
days with an umbrella over his head.
The wind ruslrng against the lower
sides of the two surfaces of varnished
silk holds the operator suspended,
while the angle at which he holds the
surfaces either impels it forward or
retards its motion. Sometimes a
strong gust of wind comes along when
least expected and suddenly raises the
machine higher than the starting point.
But for the automatic rudder this
START.
might prove disastrous to the operator
He would, in all likelihood, turn a
back somersault with the machine and
get badly hurt. Again, a blast of air
from above might strike on the top of
the machine and cause it to shoot downward
at a terrific rate of speed. This
is what happened to Lilienthal last
fear, and was the cause of the accident*
which resulted in his death.
The line of flight of the machine in
the hands of such a skillful operator as
iur. nerring may oe conironeu very
largely. He has, demonstrated time
*nd again his ability to steer the machine
in broad curves by simply shiftng
the weight of his body from one
jide to another. Last Monday he sucseeded
in describing a compound
jurve during a flight of about 300 feet,
ind landed with his back almost completely
turned to the wind. It has
ilso been demonstrated that the mashine
can be made to travel almost at
'ight angles with the wind at a high
ate of speed.
Flights have been made in all sorts
)f winds, the speed of which varied
:rom ten to twenty-one miles an hour,
rhe latter wind is higher in its speed
:han any gliding machine was ever
tried in before and tested the steadi
ALBATROSS WHICH FAILED.
aess of the machine most thoroughly.
The speed at which the machine travels
rests very largely with the operator
ind depends upon the angle of descent
from the starting point. When he
finds that he is approaching the ground ;
too swiftly it is only necessary for him
to tilt the front of the machine upward, !
when its speed will be immediately 1
checked, and a landing can be made in i
safety. The range of flight is also !
very largely within the control of the
operator, one who is skillful being '
able to alight within ten feet of any
spot indicated while the wind main- '
tains an even rate of speed. The
longest flight recorded is the one made
this year by Mr. Herring, which was
almost 900 feet. Another flight of 600
feet was made last week.
.Long flights are not tne aim 01 me i
men who are conducting the experiments
with the gliding machine. They
are seeking to arrive at intelligent
conclusions concerning the problem of
automatic stability more than anything
else, and it is claimed by Mr. Chanute
that many new facts have been discovered
bearing upon this question. In
anticipation of an early solution of the
question Mr. Herring is hard at work
on a motor which he hopes to be able
to apply to the gliding machine. An
evidence of the faith that is within him
is shown by the fact that he predicts
that an air ship will be cons'ructed
within another year which wi! 1 fly to
Xew York with but four stops on the
way to replenish the stock of fuel.?
Chicago Times-Herald.
Rewarded F?r Fiiullnc a Feather.
The Gazette of Moscow says that
while the King of Siam was passing
through the streets of that city a white
leather fell ::rom the plume of his helmet,
and was picked up by the peasant
Toukianow, who is in the service of
M. Koch. Toukianow hastened to restore
the feather to the chief of police.
He was greatly surprised several days
later upon receiving from this official,
in the name of His Siamese Majesty, a
casket containing a portrait of the
King and a massive gold chain decorated
with a token of the same metal
bearing the arms of Siam in enamel.
Toukianow has not yet recovered from,
this unexpected piece of good fortune,
I
.J,-. i .1 : '/-f . '
SHE IS A MILITIA CAPTAIN.
Two States liestow a Title Upon a Chivalroun
Young Woman.
Miss Mamie Telford Combs, better
known now as Captain Combs, has created
a sensation among military people.
When the Fourth Regiment
of Missouri National Guards was
camping in Carrollton in the summer
CAPTAIN COMBS.
of 1896 Miss Combs, who was visiting !
her sister with a number of girls !
from various States, went daily into
camp. Miss Combs took such an unfeigned
interest in military affairs
that she soon found herself on a footing
of comaradarie with all the soldiers
in camp. Her favoritism, which was
unusual, culminated in a suggestion
to adopt her as "daughter of the regiment."
Fearful, perhaps, of a complication
of relationships that might
ensue if their daughter offered to be a
sister, etc., the boys begged that she
be given a rank on the grounds that
only a resident of Missouri should be
accorded a daughtership. Accordingly
Colonel Corby accepted her as a
member of his staff, she was designated
captain, and upon camp breaking
up she was duly commissioned.
Of course, when she returned last
fall to her home in Lexington, Ky.,
accounts cf the "honors thrust upon
her" by Missouri were heralded
abroad. Infected with the fever of enthusiasm,
Kentucky, her adopted
State, vested her with the same title,
and now she is commissioned captain
by both States.
Captain Combs is a handsome woman
of commanding appearance, and |
in her dark blue uniform, which off- j
sets to a nicety her exceptional blonde
beauty, she could not fail to attract
nnnKf1a?fl I
tkI ICUtlUU auj nuytvi j^vmvmvww
Combs inherits her military instinct,,
as she is a granddaughter of that character
well remembered in the history
of Kentucky, General Combs.
Influence of Manic on the Hair.
An English statistician has recently
been engaged in an original task,
that of studying the influence of
music on the hair. The investigator
establishes, in the first place, that
the proportion of bald persons is
eleven per cent, for the liberal professions
in general, with the exceptions
of physicians, who appear to j
hold the record for baldness, which is
thirty per cent. Musical composers
do not form an exception to the rule,
and baldness is as frequent among
them as in the other professions. The
cnrnAf-*-TMHtmi and the French horn
act with surprising surety and rapidity;
but the trombone is the depilatory
instrument par excellence. It
will clear the hair from one's head in
five years. This is what the author
calls "baldnessof the fanfares," which
rages with special violence among regimental
bands.?Scientific American.
Odd Use for a Flower Pot.
Frequently ice is hard to keep at
hand with campers and picknickers
and the food suffers for the want of it.
A common clay flower pot may be
made good uro of in keeping the butter
cool and firm. Place the pot over
the plate of butter and wrap around
it a cloth wet in cold water, sprinkling
water over the outside of the clo;h as
it becomes dry. Milk will remain
cool and sweet if treated in the same
manner.
Prehistoric Mexican Doll.
The sketch illustrates a prehistoric
Mexican doll unearthed by a French
ahthropologist, Dr. Chipault. The in
A DOLL OF AXCEENT DATS.
side is hollow and contains a rattle,
which proves that prehistoric child), en
were not unlike the little ones of today.
Sprigg?"Hello, old man, I'm awfully
glad to see you out again. I hexrd
that the doctors gave you up." Bonles
?"Yes, I guess I'd have died if they
hadn't."?Cleveland Leader.
4
[ WORN BY LITTLE ONES.
' SEASONABLE AND STYLISH CAR.
MENTS FOR CHILDREN.
Coat Made of Heavy-Weljjht Material
For Fall and Winter Wear?A Bolt For
a Little Girl That la Simple and Vet
Stylish?Boy's Russian Blouse Costume
In spite of the fact that much bright
color has been and continues to be
worn, writes May Manton, white is altirastfl
mTTAn stltniskci t*%f AllF fnffl'
Waj o ^ivcu moi tuuitc ivi wui *vw
CHILD'S 8H0BT COAT.
wear. The charming little coat showh
in the illustration is made of heavyweight
diap-d'ete in a softy, creamy
tone and is lined throughout with silk
n
jHS
I GIRL'S DRESS THAT IS 81!
of the same shade. For early fall
wear it is sufficiently warm withont interlining,
but'for gennine cold weather
a layer of wadding between the cloth
and the lining is essential. The short,
snug body is fitted by shoulder and
under-arm seams and opens at the
left side where the closing is effected
by handsome pearl buttons and button-holes.
The skirt, which includes
' '+Via nontro-hftfk.
| Uliuerijruig jsm&wo <av ?uV wM*>v ?,
is joiQed to the body, the lining being
neatly hemmed over to conceal the
seam. The sleeves are in Bishop
style but narrow, having only one
seam. The fnlness is gathered at the
shoulders and again at the wrist,
where they are finished with pointed
cuffs edged with a frill of ribbon and
trimmed with a simple braid. The
deep circular cape that falls in ribbon
effect has a seam at centre-back and
ooth it and the turnover collar are finished
with braid and ribbon frills as
are the cuffs. With the coat is worn a
cap of soft silk.
To make this coat for a child of four
years will require two yards of forty|
four-inch material.
Dresii For a Little Girl.
Nothing suits extreme youth so well
as does simplicity, and the model
shown in the large illustration, according
to May Mauton, has the merit of
being absolutely simple while it is
stylish at the same time. The bodice
takes the popular blouse form, but is
made over a plain fitted lining which
ensures perfect neatness and the
necessary warmth. The lining shows
the usual number of pieces and seams,
closing at the centre-front, but the
blouse has shoulder and under-arm
seams only and laps well over the left
side where it closes invisibly and is
finished by a frill. The back is quite
plain, but the front show a gauged j
" * ; *
ehirrings that run from the shoulders
to a point at the front and forma simulated
joke. The sleeves are tf^iahop
shape and one-seamed,
row. At the shoulders the fnlnesPi^fe^^^
simply gathered, bat the wrists shoif
rranrra/1 oil ii~rin nr whlVh 1 ik? that ftt th?
?********?,,
neck, shows narrow black velvet ribbon
over each stitching. With it is
worn a deep collar ahd cuffs of narrow
batiste which also makes the frill at
the left side of the blouse. The
material for the frock is a mixed plaid
iu gay coloring showing a line of ecru
with which the soft tone of the batiste
harmonizes to perfection.
The skirt is perfectly straight, the
fulness being arranged in tuck shirrings,
which, like those of the bodice,
show black velvet ribbon over each
stitching.
To make this frock for a girl of eight
years will require three and threefourths
yards of forty-four-inch me- i
terial.
Boy's Russian Blouse Costume.
This stylish little suit is designed
for small boys from two to four years.
As represented it is made of serge in ft ,
deep shade of cardinal with white
serge for the collar and cuffs. Narrow
braid enters into the decoration, and ft
jaunty little Tain o'Shanter cap ao- ,
companies the costume. A highnecked
and sleeveless under-waist thai
- - * - _ Ga
is shaped with shoulder and under-arm
seams and closing in the back, supports
the kilt skirt that is deeply
hemmed and laid in plaits. The blouse
is simply adjusted by shoulder and
under-arm seams. A casing is sewed
at the waist line through which an elastic
or tape is inserted to arrange the
fulness which droops in the regulation ' -J
blouse fashion. To the edge of the
left-front a wide box-plait is applied
through which button-hole 3 are worked
to effect a closing, buttons being sewed
1 1 millr 1 HulsNkYda
MPLE AND VET STYLISH.
to the edge of the left-front. The "L ^
neck is completed by a wide sailor collar
the lower edge of whioh is shaped J
in rounded outline. ^
The sleeves are one-seamed and an.
gathered at the top and at the bottoaf
where they are laid in plaits that art. '
stitched to position. Flannel, serges
and all manner of light-weight aloth*,
are commendable for making, while
| ,
EOVS BTiOTTSE.
? ' ,,
braid or machine stitching is the ao?
j cepted finish. ^
'' 4