CHAPTER XIIFIELD-TRIALS IN 1903

◊[p255]CHAPTER XIIFIELD-TRIALS IN 1903

[p255]

The extended series of shop tests which had occupied a considerable portion of the late winter and early spring of 1903 had demonstrated the following facts: First, with the aerodrome mounted on the launching car, a propeller thrust of from 450 to 475 pounds could be maintained indefinitely by the engine, and even when the engine was delivering its full power to the propellers, the vibration was so small as to cause no apprehension that the wings and rudder would be made to vibrate sufficiently to produce undue strains in them. Second, with the aerodrome suspended from the ceiling by springs at the points at which the wings would be attached, the vibration produced by the engine developing it’s full power was even less than when the machine was mounted on the launching car and there was, consequently, even less cause for concern that the wings and rudder might be set in vibration when the machine was free in the air. Third, the engine could be depended upon to deliver something over 52 horse-power when the five cylinders were working properly, and even with one cylinder not working, but acting as a dead load against the others, approximately 35 horse-power could be developed, while with two cylinders not working at all, the three which were working would deliver about 25 horse-power. Therefore, even assuming that two of the five cylinders might become deranged during a flight, there should still be sufficient power to propel the machine. These tests, some of which had been witnessed by members of the Board of Ordnance and Fortification, clearly demonstrated that the time had arrived when it was safe to give the aerodrome a test in free flight. The machine itself together with all its appurtenances and much extra material for repairs in case of breakages, which previous experience had shown to be almost certain, was accordingly taken from the shop and placed on the house-boat preparatory to taking it down the river to the point opposite Widewater, Va., which had already been selected as the “experimental ground.”

Owing to the limited size of the shops it had been impossible to place the wings and rudder in their proper positions on the aerodrome and determine its balancing in a way similar to that practiced with the models. The approximate settings for the wings and rudder had, however, been determined by calculation from the data obtained in the test of the quarter-size model, so that it remained only to place the wings and a weight to represent the rudder actually on the machine in the large space of the house-boat (which, however, was not large enough to permit the rudder to be assembled along with the wings), and thus check the balancing previously determined by calculation. There were very[p256]few appurtenances which could be shifted in balancing the aerodrome, but the proper disposition of weight had been so accurately determined by calculation that the floats, which, as will be seen from the various photographs, were merely cylindrical tanks with pointed ends, and of a sufficient capacity to cause a displacement great enough to float the aerodrome when it came down into the water, proved sufficient ballast for shifting the center of gravity to its proper point. The flying weight of the aerodrome was 830 pounds,47including the weight of the writer, which was 125 pounds. The total area of the wings or supporting surfaces was 1040 square feet, or the ratio of supporting surface to weight was 1.25 square feet per pound, which is the same as .8 pound per square foot.

After the balancing of the large aerodrome had been completed on the house-boat, and everything else got in readiness as far as could be done before actually arriving at the point at which the test was to be made, the house-boat was towed down the river on July 14, 1903, and fastened to its mooring buoy, which had been placed in the middle of the river at a point practically opposite Widewater, Va., and approximately forty miles from Washington. See Coast-Survey Chart, Plate85.

Sleeping quarters for the force of eight workmen and the regular soldier from the United States Army, who had been detailed as a special guard, had been provided on the boat, but owing to the lack of space it had been found impracticable to arrange proper cooking facilities on the boat, and it had been found necessary to arrange to transport the workmen to Chopawamsic Island, near Quantico, Va., for their meals. It had been planned to use the twenty-five-foot power launch for this purpose, but owing to the heavy storms which became quite frequent soon after the house-boat was taken down the river, it was found that the small launch was not sufficient, and it was necessary to employ a tug-boat and keep it stationed there at all times. This added very considerably to the expense of the experiments, as the hire of this one tug-boat very nearly equalled the pay-roll of the workmen, and while it was not expected that the stay down the river would be so greatly prolonged as afterwards proved the case it was felt certain that minor delays were sure to occur and the experiments would at the very least require several weeks.

FROM SHEET NO. 3, U. S. COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY CHART OF POTOMAC RIVER, ISSUE OF 1882 SCALE 1 1-16 INCH TO STATUTE MILEPL. 85. LOCATION OF HOUSE BOAT IN CENTER OF POTOMAC RIVER,JULY 14, 1903◊lgr

Had it been possible to foresee the great delay which finally occurred before the large aerodrome was actually launched, and the great expense arising from the necessity of maintaining one or more expensive tug-boats constantly, it is very certain that an experimental station nearer Washington would have been selected, even though the nearer places on the river which were available were much less suitable, both on account of the river being much narrower and the traffic very much heavier. In fact, at the time that the house-boat was taken down the river on July 14, with the expectation that the experiments with the[p257]large aerodrome would certainly be concluded within four weeks, the expenses of the work, which had been met from the Hodgkins Fund of the Smithsonian Institution since the original allotment from the Board of Ordnance and Fortification was exhausted more than a year previously, had already made such heavy drafts on this fund that Mr. Langley was most reluctant to draw further on it, even to the extent which seemed necessary to meet the expenses of a month of “field-work.”

Before making the tests of the large aerodrome, it was intended to give the quarter-size model a preliminary trial to test the balancing which it was proposed to use on the large machine. For this test it was planned to employ the small launching apparatus mounted on top of the small house-boat, which had been used in the experiments with the steam-driven models Nos. 5 and 6 in 1899, and later with the quarter-size model in 1901. However, after arriving down the river, it was found that the small house-boat which had been anchored at Chopawamsic Island since the experiments in 1901 had deteriorated to such an extent that it was unsafe to take it out into the river. The launching apparatus for the model was, therefore, removed from it and placed on the turn-table of the large house-boat, alongside the launching track for the large machine. After completing this transfer of the model-launching apparatus everything was thought to be in readiness for a test of the quarter-size model, but upon making a shop test of the model to make sure that its engine was working properly, it was found impossible to get it to work at all. A few explosions could be obtained once in a while, but very irregularly. After spending considerable time in trying to locate the difficulty, it was found that the commutator which distributes the high-tension sparking current to the proper cylinder at the proper time was short-circuited. This commutator had been made of “insulating fibre” and had never caused any previous trouble. It was now found, however, that the very damp atmosphere which had been experienced during the preceding two weeks, when the fog for a large portion of the time was so heavy that objects at a short distance across the water could not be seen, had caused the moisture to penetrate the fibre and thus destroy its insulating qualities. After much trouble some vulcanite and mica were secured and a new commutator made to replace the fibre one, and, then, after some minor difficulties had been remedied, the engine for the model was got into good condition again. After getting satisfactory shop tests on the model aerodrome, and having everything in readiness for a flight, it was necessary to wait many days before the weather was calm enough for a test. However, on August 8 the weather quieted down and the model was launched at 9.30 a. m. into a wind blowing about 12 miles per hour from E. SE.

Referring to Plate86, which shows the quarter-size model mounted on its launching car on top of the large house-boat, and which was taken only a few[p258]minutes before the model was actually launched, it will be noted that a board (A) projects from the front of the launching car. This board, which is mounted in a false floor of the launching car, is so arranged that when it strikes the two blocks (B) at the end of the track it is driven backward in the car against the triggers which prevent the uprights (D), supporting the aerodrome, from being folded down against the floor. When this board strikes the triggers it releases them and the springs (C), which in this case were rubber bands, immediately fold the vertical posts or uprights (D) against the brace posts (E), which are immediately folded down flat against the floor of the car through the action of the spring hinges, by which they are connected to it. These uprights (D), which support the aerodrome at the front and rear, respectively, are not released until a fraction of a second after the release of the clutch hook (F), which is attached to the middle upright (G), and which, grasping the lower pyramid, holds the machine down firmly against the uprights (D) previously referred to. In order to prevent the possibility of the aerodrome being released prematurely while the car is held at the extreme rear end of the track by the hook (H), a steel pin (J), which can just be seen in the photograph, is pushed through a hole in the board (A), and into a hole in a cross-member on the bottom of the car, thus holding the board in its proper position. After the engine is started up one of the mechanics who has assisted in starting it is under orders to remove the pin at the word “Ready,” and at the word “Go” the other mechanic who has assisted in starting the engine is under orders to release the hook (H), and thus allow the car to dash down the track. In the experiment on August 8 the mechanic failed to remove the pin (J) at the proper time, and it was only after the machine had been released and started down the track that it was seen that the pin had not been removed. It was then, however, too late to stop it, so the car dashed down the track. Although the striking of the board against the blocks caused the pin to split the board to pieces, the launching apparatus worked perfectly and the aerodrome started off on a perfectly even keel, the propellers revolving at an exceedingly high rate of speed. The aerodrome flew straight ahead for a distance of 350 feet, when it began to circle towards the right, descending slightly as it circled. Upon completing a quarter circle it again began to rise, flying straight ahead until it had gone a similar distance, when it again lost headway, but before it reached the water the engine increased its speed and the aerodrome again rose. When the engine slowed down for the third time, however, the aerodrome was not many feet above the river, so that before the engine regained its normal speed the aerodrome touched the water with its propellers still revolving, but very slowly. While the total distance covered was only about 1000 feet, and the time that it was actually in the air 27 seconds, yet in this brief time it had served the main purpose for which it had been built, which was to find out if the balancing of[p259]the large aerodrome, which had been determined by calculation from the results obtained with the steam-driven models, was correct. For it was assumed that if the quarter-size model, which was an exact counterpart of the large machine, should fly successfully with the same balancing as that calculated for the large one, the large one could reasonably be expected to act similarly. It was at first thought best to make another test with the model immediately after recovering it from the water, but by the time it could be brought into the house-boat and the water which had got into the engine cylinders could be removed and the engine made to work properly quite a strong wind had sprung up and rendered further tests of the model on this day impossible. If the launching track for the small machine could have remained on the top of the boat without interfering with the completion of the preparations for testing the large machine, it would have been left there and other tests made with the model when the weather was suitable, but as this could not be done without interfering with the work on the large machine, and the delays with the model had already been so great, the small track was immediately removed and the model stored away in the house-boat for possible later tests.

At the first it was impossible to account for the engine on the model running so irregularly and slowing down so soon after it was launched, as it was felt very certain that the cylinders could not in so short a time, and with the aerodrome actually moving through the air, have heated up sufficiently to cause it. After a while, however, one of the workmen volunteered the information that in his zeal to fill the fuel tank completely so as to insure a long flight, he had caused the tank to overflow so that some of the gasoline had run into the intake pipe, and that he had noticed gasoline dripping from the intake pipe as the machine went down the track. This excess gasoline in the intake pipe had caused the mixing valve which controls the quality of the explosive mixture to be improperly set, so that it would not furnish the proper mixture when the fuel was supplied in the proper way by the carburetor, and consequently when this excess gasoline had evaporated, the mixture furnished to the engine was not proper, and it consequently slowed down, there being no human intelligence on board to correct the adjustment of the mixing valve.

A series of seven photographs of this flight of the quarter-size model is given in Plates87to93. Plate87, taken with a kodak from the tug-boat stationed several hundred yards directly ahead of the house-boat, shows the machine in full flight heading directly for the tug-boat. Although the aerodrome was about fifteen or twenty feet higher above the level of the water than the camera, still, at the considerable distance from which the photograph was taken, this view would not show so much of the under side unless the machine had been pointing upward. The photograph also proves very clearly that at the time it was taken the machine had certainly not dropped at all below the level[p260]at which was launched. In Plate88the camera was unfortunately not well aimed, and only the front guy-post, bearing points, float and bowsprit are visible, besides the blur of the propellers, which, it will be noted, were moving very rapidly. The camera with which this and the succeeding plates were taken was one of the two special telephoto cameras belonging to the Zoological Park, but built in the course of the aerodromic work and used where especially rapid shutters were needed. As the shutters on these cameras give an exposure of only1500of a second, and consequently are sufficiently rapid to show the individual feathers in a rapidly moving bird’s wing, any distortion of the machine in flight would certainly have been shown, but, as will be seen from the later photographs, no distortion of any kind occurred, both the surfaces and the framework remaining in a perfectly straight condition. Near the bottom of Plate88is the tug from which Plate87was taken, and a careful inspection of Plate87shows two persons standing on the roof of the house-boat, below the upper works, the gentleman on the left being Mr. Thomas W. Smillie, the official photographer of the Smithsonian Institution, who took all of the photographs except Plate87, and, as stated above, used therefor the special telephoto cameras with the rapid shutters. Plate89is an exceedingly good view, and shows the propellers revolving very rapidly while Plates90,91and92show very clearly that the speed of the propellers had greatly decreased between the successive photographs. Plate93shows the aerodrome shortly after it touched the water and had been almost completely submerged, in spite of its floats, by the very strong tide which was running. Though these plates show all that photographs can, they give no adequate idea of the wonder and beauty of the machine when actually in flight. For while the graceful lines of the machine make it very attractive to the eye even when stationary, yet when it is actually in flight it seems veritably endowed with life and intelligence, and the spectacle holds the observer awed and breathless until the flight is ended. It seems hardly probable that anyone, no matter how skeptical beforehand, could witness a flight of one of the models and note the almost bird-like intelligence with which the automatic adjustments respond to varying conditions of the air without feeling that, in order to traverse at will the great aerial highway man no longer needs to wrest from nature some strange, mysterious secret, but only, by diligent practice with machines of this very type, to acquire an expertness in the management of the aerodrome not different in kind from that acquired by every expert bicyclist in the control of his bicycle.

PL. 86. QUARTER-SIZE MODEL AERODROME MOUNTED ON LAUNCHING-CAR◊lgr

PL. 87. QUARTER-SIZE MODEL AERODROME IN FLIGHT,AUGUST 8, 1903◊

PL. 88. QUARTER-SIZE MODEL AERODROME IN FLIGHT,AUGUST 8, 1903◊

PL. 89. QUARTER-SIZE MODEL AERODROME IN FLIGHT,AUGUST 8, 1903◊

PL. 90. QUARTER-SIZE MODEL AERODROME IN FLIGHT,AUGUST 8, 1903◊

PL. 91. QUARTER-SIZE MODEL AERODROME IN FLIGHT,AUGUST 8, 1903◊

PL. 92. QUARTER-SIZE MODEL AERODROME IN FLIGHT,AUGUST 8, 1903◊

PL. 93. QUARTER-SIZE MODEL AERODROME AT END OF FLIGHT,AUGUST 8, 1903◊

In describing this flight immediately after it was made, Professor John M. Manly, who took the photograph shown in Plate87, said: “The flight of the small aerodrome was an event which all who saw it will remember for the rest of their lives. We were, of course, in a state of considerable nervous excitement and tension, for, after weeks of delay from high winds, rains, and[p261]other uncontrollable causes, at last we had a day ideally suited to the test. This was, to be sure, not the great test, the final test, the test of the man-carrying flyer, but it was felt by all to be of almost equal importance, for if the balancing of the small aerodrome was correct, the large one would maintain its equilibrium, and the problem of human flight would be solved practically as well as theoretically. That the weather was now favorable for the test filled us with excitement. Again and again the favorable moment had seemed to come, and had gone again before we could make ready for it. The aerodrome was rapidly carried to the upper works of the house-boat and the observers and helpers went hastily to their positions. The large tug-boat was stationed directly ahead, almost in the line of flight, and about a mile from the house-boat. Signals of readiness were exchanged, and with every sense astrain we awaited the supreme moment. The rocket gave the starting signal, and instantly there rushed towards us, moving smoothly, without a quiver of its wings, with no visible means of motion and no apparent effort, but with tremendous speed, the strange new inhabitant of the air. Onward it moved, looking like a huge white moth, but seeming no creature of this world, not only on account of its size, its ease of movement and its wonderful speed, but also because of its strange, uncanny beauty. It seemed visibly and gloriously alive as it advanced, growing rapidly larger and more impressive. Straight at us it came, and for a moment there was a wild fear that it would come right on and crush itself against the ponderous tug-boat. There was a half impulse to move the tug-boat out of its way, but the aerodrome seemed to realize its danger and rapidly, though not abruptly or violently, as if it had intelligence and power of self-direction, it checked its speed and circled to the right, descending slightly. Soon it quickened its speed again and went straight ahead for about ten seconds, when it again checked its flight and descended, circling once more. Once again it attempted to increase its speed and rise, but it was too near the water, and in a few moments the waves had wet its propellers and wings, and it sank, a poor, bedraggled creature. But the vision of its beauty and power and seeming intelligence and life will long remain with those who saw its flight.”

After removing the model-launching track so that the final arrangements could be completed for testing the large machine, many weeks of delay were experienced, almost entirely due to the unusually bad weather conditions which prevailed, and which were unprecedented for the time of the year. However, on September 3 the weather became more suitable, and the aerodrome being in readiness the metal frame of the large machine was hoisted to the top of the boat and placed on the launching car, and the wings, rudder, etc., were then hoisted up and properly assembled and everything made ready for a flight. The parties with the telephoto cameras were sent to their stations on the shore, where definite base lines had been marked out so that with the data as to[p262]altitude and azimuth, which these cameras automatically recorded, the speed, height, etc., of the machine in flight could be accurately computed. After stationing the tug-boats at proper points, so as to render assistance should the aerodrome come down into the water at a considerable distance from the house-boat, it was found, upon attempting to start the engine, that for some reason it would not operate. The sparking battery which had been placed at the extreme rear of the aerodrome was found to be giving such a weak spark that it would not ignite the mixture in the cylinders. Upon removing the connection which grounded the terminal of the battery to the framework and replacing it by a large copper wire leading up to the engine so as to decrease the resistance of the circuit it was found that the battery still would not give sufficient spark. A large quantity of dry cells, such as were used for the engine, had been procured to insure against delay from lack of batteries, but upon attempting to get a new set from this reserve supply it was found that they, as well as the set that was on the machine, had so deteriorated that instead of giving eighteen amperes on short circuit they would give only three, which was not a sufficient current to enable the engine to operate. No shop tests on the large engine had been made since the large aerodrome had been brought down the river, as no provision had been made for properly supporting the aerodrome in the house-boat in such a way as to permit the large propellers to whirl around without causing damage, and, therefore, the batteries which had hitherto proved to be suitable had not had any special test since they had been brought down the river. As no batteries suitable for use were on hand, and as none could be procured from a point nearer than Washington, the test had to be abandoned for the day and the aerodrome removed to the interior of the boat.

It was at first impossible to account for the rapid deterioration of so large a number of dry cells, but it was later found that the damp, penetrating fogs which had been experienced for nearly two months were responsible for it, and that in order to preserve the batteries in such a climate it was necessary to place them in metallic boxes which could be nearly, if not quite, hermetically sealed. New batteries were immediately procured from Washington, and before again mounting the aerodrome on the launching track provision was made for testing the engine inside the house-boat.

PL. 94. HOISTING WING OF FULL-SIZE AERODROME◊

Up to this time the wings had been stored inside the house-boat by suspending them from the ceiling, but the time required to hoist them to the upper works on top of the boat, after the main body of the aerodrome had been placed on the launching car preparatory to making a flight, had added so greatly to the delay, and consequently to the difficulty of getting the machine entirely ready for a flight while the weather conditions remained suitable for a test, that it was decided to build some framework on the upper works and cover it with canvas so as to provide some boxes in which the wings could be[p263]stored whenever it seemed probable that a flight would soon be possible. Some of the difficulties experienced in hoisting these wings from the interior of the boat to the upper works may be appreciated by an inspection of Plate94, where one of them is seen just ready to be hoisted from the raft. Only one wing at a time could be handled on the raft, even when there was no appreciable wind or roughness of the water, so that in order to hoist all four wings the raft had to be hauled around from the door at the end of the boat to the side where the wing was hoisted, and back again four times every time the machine was assembled preparatory to a flight. The necessity for making occasional tests of the engine in order to make sure that no trouble would be again experienced in having proper batteries, etc., for the engine when the machine was again on the point of being launched also made it imperative to remove the wings from the interior of the house-boat, as the tremendous blasts of air from the propellers would certainly have wrecked the wings had they remained in the boat while the engine was being tested.

After the wings had been stored in the “wing boxes,” thorough tests of the engine were made, and before there came another day which was at all suitable for a trial, it was accidentally discovered that the glued joints in the cross-ribs of the large wings had been softened by the moisture of the fogs which had penetrated everything, and that the joints had all opened up and left the ribs in a practically useless condition.

It will be recalled from the description of these cross-ribs, Chapter VI◊, that the rib is composed of two channel-shaped strips, the edges of which are glued together while the strips are bent over a form which causes the ribs to maintain the curved form desired after the glue has hardened. Recalling these facts, it will be readily understood that there is at all times a considerable strain on the glued joints due to the two strips of wood trying to straighten out, and, therefore, if the glue should at any time become softened sufficiently to allow one strip to slide along on the other, the joint would open up and the rib would consequently become straight. When the construction of the hollow ribs was first contemplated it was realized that although the hollow construction would enable the ribs to be strong, and at the same time exceedingly light, yet it would make it imperative that the ribs be covered with a water-proof varnish in order to prevent the glue from being softened when the aerodrome came down into the water, as it was expected from the first that it would do at the end of its flight. Considerable time and attention had, therefore, been given to this very problem of securing a suitable water-proof varnish, and ribs coated with the varnish which was finally used had been submerged in water for more than 24 hours in testing this very point, and no softening of the glue could be detected after this long submergence. It had, therefore, been felt that the ribs had been given a test which was much more severe than any conditions which[p264]were likely to be met with, since the aerodrome would, in no case which could be anticipated, be in the water for so long a period as 24 hours, and no trouble from this source need be anticipated.

In the present case, however, the moisture of the atmosphere, which had been heavily laden with fog for several weeks, had penetrated the varnish and softened the glue, even though the submergence of 24 hours in water had shown no effect. To construct new ribs for the wings would have required several weeks, and the delays which had already been experienced had by this time prolonged the stay down the river so greatly that even under the very best conditions it seemed hardly possible to complete the tests before the coming of the equinoxial storms, which would make it necessary to remove the boat from the middle of the river and place it in a safe harbor. Something, therefore, had to be done, and that very quickly, so that an immediate test could be made, or else the tests would have to be delayed until the following season, or possibly postponed indefinitely on account of the lack of funds.

Owing to the varnish with which the ribs were covered, it was impossible in repairing them to carry out the first plan which suggested itself of binding the ribs with a strip of cloth impregnated with glue and wound spirally from end to end. As the wood was so very thin, it was impossible to bind the two parts together with wire, and even thin bands of metal driven up on the tapered portion of the rib were not likely to draw the two strips together without crushing the wood. What was finally done was to scrape the edges of the two strips where the joint had opened, thereby removing all the old glue, and after putting fresh glue on all these edges the two strips were drawn together and bound with surgeons’ tape, which was found to adhere very firmly even to the varnished surface.

After repairing the ribs in this manner and readjusting the guy-wires of their framework so as to make the wing assume the correct form, which had been slightly altered by the warping and twisting consequent on the opening up of the ribs, everything was again in readiness for a test in free flight, numerous tests of the engine having meanwhile been made both with the aerodrome frame inside of the house-boat and also when mounted on the launching track above. The weather, which had been unprecedentedly bad all summer, now became even worse, and although short periods of calm lasting an hour or less occasionally occurred, there were for several weeks no calm periods long enough for completing the necessary preparations and making a test, although the time required for assembling the aerodrome had been greatly shortened by building the “wing boxes” on the superstructure, and in other ways previously described. On several occasions when an attempt was made to utilize what appeared to be a relative calm, the aerodrome was assembled on the launching apparatus and everything got in readiness except the actual fastening of the[p265]wings and rudder to it, but in every instance, before the wings could be actually applied and a flight made, the wind became so strong as to absolutely prohibit a test. On two occasions when the wings were actually attached, heavy rain storms suddenly came up and drenched the machine before the wings could be removed, and on several occasions it was necessary to leave the entire metal frame and engine of the aerodrome mounted on top of the boat all night, because the heavy sea which was running made it impossible to utilize the large raft in returning the frame to the interior of the boat.

Finally, however, after it seemed almost useless to hope for calm weather, what appeared to be a most propitious day arrived on October 7. The wind which had been quite high in the early morning gradually quieted until at 10 a. m. it was blowing only about twelve miles per hour and the indications were that it would quiet down still more. Every energy was concentrated in getting the aerodrome ready at the earliest possible moment, as previous experience had shown too clearly that the conditions might be completely reversed in less than an hour. As the tide and wind caused the boat to swing up the river from its buoy, and thus made the launching track point down the river, the steam tug-boat was sent down the river for a distance of a mile or more so that, should the aerodrome come down into the water without being able to make a return trip to the house-boat, the tug-boat would be able to reach it quickly and render assistance to both the writer and the machine should they need it. At 12.20 p. m. everything was in readiness and what appeared to be the decisive moment had arrived, when the writer, after starting up the engine and gradually raising its speed to the maximum, and after taking the last survey of the whole machine to insure that everything was as it should be, finally gave the orders to release it.

Although the writer did not have the privilege of seeing it glide down the track, as his attention was too thoroughly engaged in insuring that he was in the proper position for reaching immediately any of the control apparatus, either of the aerodrome or of the engine, yet those who did witness the actual passage of the machine down the track have said that the sight was most impressive and majestic. No sign of jar was apparent when the machine was first released, but with lightning-like rapidity it gathered its speed as it rushed down the sixty feet of track, the end of which it reached in three seconds, at which time it had attained a speed of something over thirty-two feet per second. Just as the machine reached the end of the track the writer felt a sudden shock, immediately followed by an indescribable sensation of being free in the air, which had hardly been realized before the important fact was intuitively felt that the machine was plunging downward at a very sharp angle, and he instinctively grasped the wheel which controls the Pénaud tail and threw it to its uppermost extent in an attempt to depress the rear of the machine and[p266]thereby overcome the sharp angle of descent. Finding that the machine made no response to this extreme movement of the tail, he immediately realized that a crash into the water was unavoidable and braced himself for the shock. The tremendous crash of the front wings being completely demolished as they struck the water had hardly become apparent before he found himself and the machine plunging downward through the water. By some instinct he grasped the main guy-wires which were above his head, and pulling himself through the narrow space between them freed himself from the machine and swam upward as rapidly as possible. A few moments after reaching the surface of the water the uppermost point of the pyramid of the machine was seen to project from the water and he swam over and sat down on it until a row-boat could be sent to it from the nearby power-boat.

The first thing that the writer saw after looking around him was a newspaper reporter, his boatman expending the utmost limit of his power in pushing his boat ahead to be the first one to arrive.

After giving directions to the workmen regarding the recovery of the machine, the writer returned to the house-boat to obtain dry clothing, and although his first inclination was not to make any statement until a complete examination could be made to determine both the cause of the lack of success and also the extent of the damage which had been sustained by the machine, yet owing to the very great pressure brought to bear by the press representatives who said that unless some statement was given out they would write their own conclusions as to the cause of the mishap, he finally gave out the following statement:

STATEMENT MADE BY MR. MANLY TO ASSOCIATED PRESS“It must be understood that the test to-day was entirely an experiment, and the first of its kind ever made. The experiment was unsuccessful. The balancing, upon which depends the success of a flight, was based upon the tests of the models and proved to be incorrect, but only an actual trial of the full-size machine itself could determine this. My confidence in the future success of the work is unchanged. I can give you no further information. I shall make a formal report to Secretary Langley.”

STATEMENT MADE BY MR. MANLY TO ASSOCIATED PRESS

“It must be understood that the test to-day was entirely an experiment, and the first of its kind ever made. The experiment was unsuccessful. The balancing, upon which depends the success of a flight, was based upon the tests of the models and proved to be incorrect, but only an actual trial of the full-size machine itself could determine this. My confidence in the future success of the work is unchanged. I can give you no further information. I shall make a formal report to Secretary Langley.”

PL. 95. FLIGHT OF LARGE AERODROME,OCTOBER 7, 1903◊

PL. 96. FLIGHT OF LARGE AERODROME,OCTOBER 7, 1903◊PHOTOGRAPH BY T. W. SMILLIE

After recovering the machine the foreman of the workmen (Mr. Reed) [who together with Mr. McDonald were the only ones on top of the boat when the launching actually took place], busied himself to discover what had caused the jerk to the machine at the moment it was released, which had been immediately followed by the great depression of the front end. After some little time he discovered that the upright guide at the extreme front of the launching car (which, as heretofore stated, was slotted to receive a metal lug projecting from the end of the guy-post, and thus prevent the front end of the[p267]framework from being twisted by a side wind striking the machine while it was still on the launching car) had been distorted, the metal cap on it being stretched out of shape in a way which indicated that the pin of the front guy-post had hung in the cap, and that the guy-post was not therefore free from this part of the car when the end of the launching track dropped. The shock which the writer felt at the moment of launching and which had also been seen by others to occur was thus conclusively shown to have been due to the falling track, dragging the front end of the machine down with it. As the machine was travelling forward and the car had been almost instantly brought to a standstill by its buffer pistons co-acting with the buffer cylinders at the foot of the track, this front guy-post had been pulled backwards, and thus not only pulled the main guy-wires of the wings backwards and thereby depressed the front edge of the front wings so that they had no angle of inclination, but had also bent the front end of the metal framework downward,—effects which were discovered from the later examination of the frame and the guy-post itself. From the instantaneous photographs which were obtained, indisputable evidence was obtained that this was what actually occurred. Referring to the photograph, Plate95, which was taken by Mr. G. H. Powell, Secretary of the Board of Ordnance and Fortification, and which shows the machine just a few feet in front of the point where it was actually launched, it will at once be seen that the front end of the frame is bent downward and that the front guy-post instead of being parallel with the rear one has been deflected backward at the lower end through an angle of 30 degrees. Referring further to the photograph, Plate96, which was taken at the same instant as the one just described, it will be seen that even this one, which is a view of the machine as it passed almost directly over Mr. Smillie’s head, most clearly shows the extreme extent to which the front wings had been distorted, the rear edges of the wings near the frame having been twisted up until they struck the cross-frame, and the outer ends being free to twist had been forced up very much higher.

After completing the recovery of the machine and the examination as to the extent of the injuries it had sustained, and finding unquestionable evidence that the accident had been caused by the front guy-post hanging in its guide block on the launching car, the workmen were set to work straightening out and arranging the various parts, fittings and accessories, and cleaning up the engine which fortunately had sustained no injury whatever. After a consultation in Washington with Mr. Langley, who had been unable to be present at the experiment, both concerning what had already occurred and also what should be done regarding the future of the work, and in view of the fact that the statement which the writer had given to the press representatives, immediately after the accident, had been made before there had been time to make an examination of the machine itself, it was decided that it would be best to give to the press[p268]a short statement to correct the earlier one, and Mr. Langley accordingly made public the following note:

“Mr. Langley states that he was not an eye witness of the experiment at Widewater yesterday, having been detained in Washington by business, but that on the report of Mr. Manly, immediately in charge, he is able to say that the latter’s first impression that there had been defective balancing was corrected by a minuter examination, when the clutch, which held the aerodrome on the launching ways and which should have released it at the instant of the fall, was found to be injured.“The machinery was working perfectly and giving every reason to anticipate a successful flight, when this accident (due wholly to the launching mechanism) drew the aerodrome abruptly downward at the moment of release and cast it into the water near the house-boat. The statement that the machine failed for lack of power to fly was wholly a mistaken one.“The engine, the frame and all the more important parts were practically uninjured. The engine is actually in good working order. The damage done was confined to the slighter portions, like the canvas wings and propellers, and these can be readily replaced.“The belief of those charged with the experiment in the ultimate successful working of the machine is in no way affected by this accident, which is one of the large chapter of accidents that beset the initial stages of experiments so novel as the present ones. It is chiefly unfortunate in coming at the end of the season when outdoor work of this sort is impossible.“Whether the experiments will be continued this year or not has not yet been determined.”

“The machinery was working perfectly and giving every reason to anticipate a successful flight, when this accident (due wholly to the launching mechanism) drew the aerodrome abruptly downward at the moment of release and cast it into the water near the house-boat. The statement that the machine failed for lack of power to fly was wholly a mistaken one.

“The engine, the frame and all the more important parts were practically uninjured. The engine is actually in good working order. The damage done was confined to the slighter portions, like the canvas wings and propellers, and these can be readily replaced.

“The belief of those charged with the experiment in the ultimate successful working of the machine is in no way affected by this accident, which is one of the large chapter of accidents that beset the initial stages of experiments so novel as the present ones. It is chiefly unfortunate in coming at the end of the season when outdoor work of this sort is impossible.

“Whether the experiments will be continued this year or not has not yet been determined.”

In view of the many inaccurate accounts published in the daily press at the time of this experiment, special attention is directed to the fact that even under the enormous strain to which the aerodrome was subjected, due to its striking the water at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees and at a speed certainly not less than forty miles an hour, no bending or distortion of any kind was found in the frame after it was recovered, except that a slight depression at the front had been produced by the lower guy-post catching on the launching car, as previously described. This is very clearly seen in Plate97, Fig. 1, which shows the aerodrome being hoisted from the water, and in Plate97, Fig. 2, which shows it just afterwards resting on the raft, the wings, tail and rudder having been completely demolished by towing it through the water to the house-boat from the place where it struck the water. This single distortion, therefore, was in no way a result of the strains experienced by the frame either while it was in the air or when it struck the water. Some of the press reports, and, in fact, some of the accounts published in the scientific press, stated that the aerodrome frame had proved so weak that it broke while the machine was in the air, and that this was the cause of the accident. Nothing could be farther from the actual facts than this, for though there were many things connected with the machine which could not be properly tested until it was actually in the air, yet the strength of the frame had been most thoroughly[p269]tested in the shops prior to the trial, and it had been found that with the frame supported only at the extreme front and rear, no appreciable deflection was produced upon it by the concentrated weight of four men at the center, even when they simultaneously jumped up and down on it. That the aerodrome frame was amply strong was further evidenced by the fact that in the later trial, hereafter described, no injury was sustained by the frame even when the machine turned over in mid-air and struck the water flat on its back. In fact, no point regarding the aerodrome is more certain than that the frame was more than strong enough for its purpose.

Plates98to100show the aerodrome in the water from the moment after it arose and the writer, who had extricated himself while it was plunging down through the water and beat it to the surface, had swum over to it and sat down on the upper pyramid to await a row-boat, until the machine was taken in tow by the tug-boat.

As the weather conditions were continually growing worse, owing to the lateness of the season, it was decided that it would be absolutely impossible to undertake to keep the house-boat down the river until the aerodrome could be repaired and another test made, and the writer accordingly returned to Quantico on the following day, expecting to take the tug-boat from there to the house-boat and complete arrangements for bringing everything to Washington. On reaching Quantico, however, it was found that a most violent storm was raging on the river, and had, in fact, been increasing in violence since the evening of October 7, immediately following the trial. On account of the storm it was impossible to reach the house-boat or to get into communication with the workmen, who had sought refuge at the hotel at Clifton Beach, as the tug-boat itself was not at the point at which it was expected to be found, and, in fact, it had not been seen by any of the river people since the morning of October 8, when it was seen taking the workmen from the boat to Clifton Beach. Two days later, or October 11, when the storm had subsided and the tug-boat, which had been blown many miles down the river, was able to return the workmen to the house-boat, it was found that the storm had made a complete wreck of all the row-boats, the power-launch, and the large raft. The row-boats had been completely demolished on the beaches, the launch had been broken from its moorings to the house-boat and driven ashore some four miles down the river, where it was found with the deck torn completely off, a large hole stove in it amidships, and the engine seriously damaged, while the raft had been very seriously damaged on the beach many miles down the river. After making temporary repairs to the raft and getting it launched, it was used as a floating dock for making temporary repairs on the power-launch; both were then returned to their moorings at the house-boat and everything got in readiness for towing the house-boat to Washington, and this was finally accomplished on October 12.[p270]Even while the boat was en route some of the workmen were busily engaged in the repair of the damaged parts, the others having been sent ahead to Washington to begin work on the construction of new wings, so that another trial could be had at the earliest moment that the weather would permit.

One extra pair of wings was on hand, but these had been stored in the house-boat while it was down the river, and the damp weather, which had caused such serious damage to the cross-ribs of the wings which were actually used, had also so seriously affected the ribs of these extra wings that it was necessary to discard some of them and repair the others. An extra Pénaud tail was on hand, as well as a steering rudder, and it was estimated that unless some unforeseen delay occurred the aerodrome would be ready for flight in three weeks.

After making a careful examination of the places on the river which seemed most available for an experiment, it was finally decided to make the next test just off the Potomac Flats, at the junction of the main body of the river and the Eastern Branch, the traffic on this part of the river, which would have been more dangerous and troublesome during the summer, being quite light at this time of the year. By making the experiment at this point it was possible to leave the house-boat at its dock until the weather seemed suitable and then have a tug-boat tow it to the exact point, which would be determined by the state of the wind and the tide.

After more completely examining the condition of the framework of the machine, and discussing and maturely deliberating on the causes which had led to the accident of October 7, the writer advised Mr. Langley not to make any changes either in the machine itself or in the launching apparatus, except to remove the small lug from the metal rod which projected from the end of the guy-post, and which by catching in its guide on the launching car had been the sole cause of the accident. The aerodrome was accordingly repaired so as to reproduce exactly the conditions which obtained at the time of the previous experiment, except for this slight change, and it was again ready for trial by the middle of November. The weather, however, at this time was very variable, there being at times comparatively quiet periods which lasted for only an hour or less, which was not sufficient time for procuring a tug-boat and towing the boat to the proper point, and then assembling the aerodrome and making a trial. However, after many days waiting, what appeared to be an exceptionally quiet day occurred on December 8, the wind quieting down by noon to such an extent that practically a dead calm prevailed. Vigorous search was immediately instituted for a tug-boat to tow the house-boat to the point selected, but it was very late in the afternoon before one could be procured, and by the time the boat arrived at the proper place darkness was descending and a strong[p271]and exceedingly gusty wind had sprung up, and it seemed almost disastrous to attempt an experiment.

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