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74 1907 June 12 Wednesday at Baddeck Star Washington DC. 7 Apr 1907 Von Lendenfeld's Investigations Into the Secret of the Flight of Birds and Insects AId Given by the Smithsonian Institute A Further Grant Signed The Object Being to Discover the Ultimate Extension of Man's Control Over the Air. What is the secret of the flight of birds and insects? How much of this secret can be discovered and applied to the practical use of man? To answer these questions from thoroughly scientific observations is the ultimate object of a series of investigations by Dr. R. von Lendenfeld of the Zoological Institute, Prague, conducted under a grant from the Smithsonian Institution at Washington. Machines sustained by gases lighter than air have been found unwieldly and impracticable. If man is ever to be carried through the atmosphere, it is now generally conceded it must be by application of some scientific principle involved in the flight of birds and insects. Dr. von Lendenfeld's researches, extending over a period of about six years, have brought to light some vitally interesting facts so full of possibilities that the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution has just signed a further grant to enable the continuance of the work. The fund from which these grants are made, established in 1801 by Mr. Thomas George Hodgkins of Setauket, N. Y., amounted to $200,000, the income from one-half of which is devoted to "the increase and diffusion of more exact knowledge in regard to the nature and properties of atmospheric air in connection with the welfare of man." The object of this fund has been interpreted very broadly. Flight of Birds and Insects. To discover the secret of the flight of birds and insects is a purpose to which a portion of the income of the Hodgkins fund has been devoted. It is an object touching directly upon human progress. The fund, therefore, lends material support to experiments which may mean the ultimate extension of man's control over an element hitherto unconquered. The present grant to Dr. von Lendenfeld is for the special purpose, as Secretary Walcott says, "to make a investigation of the organs of flight of the best representative flyers of the insect order. In this investigation the wings of insects are to be considered in relation to the mechanics of flight as well as from a purely morphological point of view." This research follows naturally upon conclusion which Dr. von Lendenfeld has already reached in work conducted personally and under his direction for a number of years. Two reports have been published by the Smithsonian Institution and two more are now in press to appear as regular issues of the Smithsonian miscellaneous collections. Dr. von Lendenfeld's first work under a Smithsonian grant was performed in 1900. It consisted mainly of general studies into the structure and functions of the organs of flying creatures as a preparation suitable for researches into the actual mechanics of flight. Since then much of his time has been taken up in personal laboratory investigations of in directing investigations of his pupils in the university at Prague. The first set of experiments, completed about three years ago, brought out some curious facts concerning the wings of birds in relation to the weight of their bodies. It was established beyond a doubt that some property of air enabled the larger and heavier birds, such as the albatross and eagle, to sustain their weight with comparatively much smaller wing surface. It was worked out by analogy that, given the secret of control of motion, a man weighing 200 pounds (90 kilograms) could sail through the air with a sustaining wing surface of about three squared yards (2.7 square mters). All Do Not Fly Alike. But when Dr. von Lendenfeld turned to consider the actual mechanics of flight he was confronted immediately by the fact that all birds by no means fly alike. In fact, there could hardly be established a mean similarity between all the varieties. From the great soaring albatross and sea eagle, which may sail for half an hour without the quiver of a feather, to the whirring sparrow and the buzzing humming bird, which rely for support solely upon the rapid movement of their wings, there is a long line of flyers. These two extremes, the albatross and the humming bird, the experimenter took as types. Insects, also, he found could be classed in a like manner. Among both birds and insects, however, the sailers were found not to be restricted to the large creatures and the flappers to the small. On the contrary, there were discovered creatures of all Chronicle Houston Texas. 7 Apr 1907 Wellman On Ballooning. Says Peary's Knowledge of Aerial Navigation is Limited. Special to The Chronicle. New York, April 5.-"If Mr. Peary knew half as much about ballooning as he does about sledges he would not be likely to condemn the project of reaching the north pole by means of a balloon as impracticable." With this preface Walter Wellman, who will hunt the pole in a balloon this summer, spoke today of his undertaking. Mr. Wellman arrived from Europe in the steamer Kaiser Wilhelm II to attend the wedding of his daughter, Rose, to Leroy Chamberlain in Washington next week. When told that Peary attached little value to the balloon for northland work, and that he believed that the needlelike snow would destroy it, Mr. Wellman added: "Mr. Peary is a king of sledge work, but his knowledge of ballooning must be limited. He does not know, perhaps, that the envelope will have a tensile strength of 500 pounds to the square foot. I would like to see the snow which could harm that. Snow falling on this envelope would have no more effect than on a tin roof. "The balloon which I will use is constructed by an emulsion of rubber. It has a lifting power of 19,500 pounds. We will take 7000 pounds of gasoline, 3000 pounds of food and 12 Eskimo dogs for enforced sledge work. "We hope to leave Spitzbergen early in June, that we may take advantage of July, the best month for Arctic work. We will make test flights in May and June before we leave." "How do you expect to come back?" "We will cross the bridge when we come to it." "Do you there this is land at the pole?" "No; I think there is an open sea." "What's the use of scientific parties going there, then?" "We don't know what science may discover. We will find out and theorize afterward." Stampa Sportiva [[Turin]]? 7 Apr 1907 Il Gran Premio Dell' [[image]] 0.000 versato. e Depositi in: [[3 columned table]] | --- | --- | --- | | A | Roma | | | mbre, 5 | Viale Castro Pretorio, 92°, 94° | Piazza | | agliano, 17 | Viale della Regina, 142° | | | E | Padova | Pis | | Ottobre | | | [[image]] Auto-Grage in Torino - Corso Re Umberto, 62-64, angolo
