Edison’s Latest.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 196, 15 September 1888, Page 2

Edison’s Latest.

Mb A. Edison, the inventor, was at work in one of the large upper rooms of his laboratory perfeoting an attachment for oenveying piano notes to his ponograph, when a New York Sun reporter presented himself: — " A flying machine ? Oh, yes, I’m going to do the best I can towards solving that ancient problem,” he replied to the reporter’s inquiry about the electric flying machine, which, it had been reported, he was commissioned by the Spanish Government to make. “ A man, whose name I can’t recall now, came here about two or three weeks ago. He said he had been sent over from the Spanish Government to study the science of aerial navigation. He said they wanted a machine so constructed that it would carry an electric motor, camera, &0., to a considerable height by means of wings or fans propelled by the motor. It would be operated from a covered waggon, in which an officer would be seated, and would be connected with a dynamo in the waggon by wires. In this way it was hoped photographs could be taken of the eneai" nd their movements, while the operator i.. his waggon below need not expose himself. The photographs were to be dropped from time to time by some arrangement. These in brief were all the instructions he gave me ; the rest was to be left to my own taste and fancy. " It reminded me of a scheme I had many times thought of, and I promised him I would do my best in the matter. I wanted to tackle the problem on my own account. I like to try and answer these hard questions. If I am able to construct the kind of a machine they want, I shall have practically solved the longmooted question of the possibility of aSrial navigation. For the main point in the question is that of the lifting power, or motor. The matter of propelling the machine through the air and steering is a comparatively simple affair. So many people have been studying the question, however, that I am not in the least confident of success, and perhaps I have not the ghost of a chance.” “ Have you arrived at any theory on this subject ?” asked the reporter. " No: I don’t begin that way. I am now only experimenting upon a few of the fundamental questions involved. There are two ways of inventing. One is to make your machine first, and then see if it will work. The other is to first find out whether it is possible to do the thing, then make your machine. The greater number of inventors adopt the first plan. “What we want to know first is whether or not aerial navigation is possible. When I have settled this question, which may take a year or more, I will then take up the other points in their order. I always like to begin at the A.B.C. in these matters. Any other system is a good deal like trying to read a a language without having learned the alphabet. I began the other day by weighing a motor with fans attached on a Fairbanks scale. After getting the exact weight of the motor we set the fans to working. They, of course, lightened the work to a certain extent and we thus got figures as a basis upon which to calculate the lifting power of the fans or wings of certain sizes. I intend to measure the pulling power of birds sooo, by tying a piece of string to their feet, fastening the other end to a spring registering scale, and then letting them fly away. Oh, dear, there are a hundred facts to discover before I can think of tackling the real question of an aßrial ship. I have never gone very deeply into the matter, but it’s a subject that interests me very much.- Almost all persons when they think of aßrial navigation imagine the necessity of rising to a great height. But why do this! Why not go along the roads at an elevation of about ten feet ’ Of course, when neoeasary, we could rise higher, but, as a rule, a few feet above the ground would answer all purposes. If the aßrial navigation is possible, I believe this will be the popular mode of travel in the future. One advantage it has is the small power necessary for the propulsion of an air ship and the great speed which could be obtained ’,