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LANGLEY, AERONAUT. ‘
GOVERNMENT RECOGNITION OF HIS
FLYING MACHIN’: PLANS.
._.._L__
Elg— Ifivestigat-ion of the I’roblenl of l'fe'.
chanical Flight—The Flight of l‘llrcc-
Quarters of a Blile blade by His Machine
the Longest on Record.
The recent determination of the Uni-
ted States Board of Ordnance to ap»
propriate $25,000 to develop the idctl
of Secretary S. P. Langley, of the.
Srfiithsonian Institution in the con-
struction of a man-carrying, power-
driven aeroplane is an evidence of con-
fidence in the future efficiency of the
apparatus to which Profssor Langley
has devoted many years that must be
extremely gratifying to him.
The decision of the Board of Ord—
nance to institute further investiga-
tion was influenced by the value in
time of war to reconnoitre the ene-
my’s position and to drop high explo—
sives from above, the value of which
is appreciated by all strategists. and
one that has led some natiOns to ex-
periment with balloons. as this coun-
try did during the recent war. Bal-
loons have not, however, realized all
the hopes that have been entertained
rgarding them.
When the subject was recently un-
der discussion by the Board, Professor
Langley appeared before it and gave
his opinion in regard to making fur-
ther experiments, explaining the work-
ings of his own machine, and telling
in the most concise manner of the pro-
gress made in aerial navigation in Ger-
many and France, where he went last
summer and became familiar with the
state of the art. The official statement
is made that he has consented to give
the Board the benefit of his knowledge
and experience on the understanding
that he is to receive no remuneration
for his work, it being his ambition to
donate his services to the cause of sci-
ence and his country, as an evidence
of which his machine has not been pat-
ented and with his consent never will
be.
Prof. Langley's invention was per-
fected in 1895, and a short successful
flight was made with an aerodrome in
the spring of the year, but he was re-
‘luctant at that time, for reasons ob-
vious to those who have followedtho
story of mechanical flight from its be-
ginning, to make his success public,
and it was not until a year later that
the world was taken into the confi-
dence of the great inventor. On May 6.
1896. his aerodrome made two success-
‘ful flights, which were witnessed by
only a few people, but fortunately by
those who understood and had sympa-
thy with the project. and whose testi-
mony was universallyaccepted. Among
those few were Alexander Graham
Bell, who subsequently wrote an inter-
esting paper concerning his observa-
tions when the Langley machina.
made a flight of three-quarters of a
mile, the longest known. ‘
After only a few years devoted to
the problem of mechanical flight, Pro-
fessor Langley succeeded in surmount-
ing several obstacles that had hereto-
fore been considered insurmountable
and in producing a machine the incon-
testable point in regard to which is
that it will fly and is susceptible of
being steered. But his experience re-
cords many failures, and four ma-
chines were built before he made one
that met the requirements of free
flight. After many unsuccessful at-
tempts -to launch the fourth aero-
drome, he was finally gratified by see-
ing his machine soar like a great bird
through the air, and from this time on
the problem of launching was solved.
In an article published in “The Aer-
onautical Annual,” Professor Langley .
makes graceful allusion to those who
were associated with and assisted him
in his work. Dr. Carl Barus and J.
Elfreth “'atkins, the latter of whom is
still associated with him in thework.
Professor Langley's aerodrome looks
in flight like a huge bird; its propor—
tions. however. are greater than any
known inl;alli‘.':".n-t_of the air, measur-
ing from tip to tip of its wings four~
teen feet. It is built almost entirely
of steel and drig’en by a steam engine.
its weight. including everything it
carries, is about forty pounds. . .‘he
method of propulsion is by twin screw
propellers, and there is no gas or any
other aid for raising or keeping it up in
the air excepot its internal energy. The.
machine here referred to, however, did
not carry any passengers and was only
a working model. It remained about
two or three minutes.
Flies Took the Ship; Birds Took Them.
A most remarkable tale of the sea
is that related by Capt. Languill of
the British steamer Ken-sington.
which arrived in port from Sou-rabaya,
Java, with a heavy cargo of sugar.
The Kensington sailed from this
port over t\vo menths ago. The wealth-
er was extremely hot even for a tropL
lcal region. When five days out the
steamer passed through a vast area of
seaweed, the home of millions of dra-
goon flies. Hardly had the vessel's
prow touched the seaweed when the
tiles, attracted by the savory fumes
of the cargo, began to swarm about
the deck. They gathered in great
numbers. They penetrated the wicker
sugar bags. They attacked the crew.
stinging the men about the face and
hands in a frightful manner. For
five days the. dragoon flies continued
their onslaught. driving the men to
desperation.
Then there came, an unexpected res-
cue. A flock of boatswain birds, the
fee of the dragoon fly, circled and
wheeled above the unfortunate steam-
er, then swooped down upon it. In a
short time the birds had cleared the
Kensington of the pests.——Philadelphla
times. -
'staved there three days.
LIFE MASKS.
Worse Than Having a Tooth Pulled—Al
Rad as Havinga ’icture Taken.
A mask from life is taken almost
precisely the same way as after death,
save that much greater care has to
be used, as the subject’s life hangs
on a very thin thread, or, to be more
precise, two small quills. It requires
a great deal of nerve and patience to
Jndergo, the sensation being most dis-
agreeable. When a mask from life is
about to be secured, the supject re-
:lines on a long table, and towels are
placed around his neck and forehead
to prevent the plaster from going
where not intended. The face is
slightly greased, but not enough to
fill the pores of the skin. Care has to
be especially taken with the eye
lash-es, as otherwise, in the subse-
quent operation-s, these are likely to
be pulled off, which would not be ex—
actly pleasant. A small quill is now
inserted in either nostril to allow the
subject to breathe. and cotton wool is
then lightly pressed around the base
to keep the liquid plaster from in-
trudin". A pair of scissors is always
kept handy, so as to be able to cut
ed? the top of the quills, should by
any chance the plaster splash up and
cover them.
All being ready, a few cheering
werds are spoken to the unhappy 'vic—
tim, and the plaster is mixed. This is
carefully poured or Sprinkled over the
features. [The plaster, through being
mixed with warm water, quickly
hardens, and in'the course of about
five minutes the mold is strong enough
to be taken off. It has to be carefully .
done, as the subject is generally eager
to get a mouthful of fresh air again.
A. slight tap with the hand is given to
the two side pieces, which relieves
thejoints made by the thread. The top
or central piece is then lifted up and
pulled slightly downward. so as to
withdraw the quills from the nose, as
thev come out with the mould. The
sides are then taken ofi. Probably
some of the hair may hold the mold,
but with ,a little coaxing, or by the
insertion of the scissors, it can soon
be removed. Care must be used to
get the ears, but without breaking
either ‘the subject or the mold. The
ears are taken only on the front sides.
cotton wool being placed at the back
to prevent the plaster going around.
When removed. the three pieces are
put together and plaster placed on the
exterior to hold and strengthen them.
—Exchange.
The Railway Business in China.
There have of course been many lu-
dicrous as well as dangerous incidents
on the North China line. When it
was first opened Chinese would come
to the booking office and try to bar-
gain for tickets. \Vlien told the fare
they would offer half, and gradually
raise their bid, much disgusted that
they should not. in a business spirit,
be met half way.
One day a countr gentleman, on his
first ride in a train, seeing his house
midway between two stations flying
past. deliberately opened the door and
stepped 'out into space. At the pace
the train was going a European would
certainly have been killed, but the sup-
ple celestial after a prolonged period
of somersaults Was seen to pick him!
self and bundle up, dust his clothes
and set off home across the fields—-
much pleased 'With his short cut and
the convenience of the. “fire wheel
carriage.” ’ I ‘
An unfortunate railway coolie,
equally ignorant 'of the laws of me-
chanics, did‘ not get off so well. See?
in: two tracks coming at a snail’s
pace down a siding he placed his foot
on the rail to stop them. To his as-
tonishment. it was cut off, and he
learned, like Stevenson’s. cow, that
momentum is made up of mass as
well as velocity.———London News.
Do You Put “in Haste” on Letters?
“I’ll tell you a little fable,” said the
postal clerk. “Once there was a wo-
man who wrote a letter to her dress-
makcr. who was then staying in a
suburban town, asking her to call
some time next Week, and she put ‘in
haste’ on the envelope. as won‘cu do,
thinking she’d make Uncle' Sam
bitch up his brecclles and get on ad-
vlitional move on him. The collecting
carrier accidentally noticed ‘ii‘. h-‘iste‘
)n the envelope. so be carefully placed
it in the bottom of his bag. where it
slipped into a hole in the liningr and
W'hen the
clerk at the postoflice saw it he laugh-
ed painfully and elbowed the letter
ofi his desk. so that it fell into a bas-
ket andremained there three days.
The postmaster of the suburban town
smiled mornfully when he saw it, and
then accidentally put it into the box
of a farmer who drove to town for his
mail once every three days. And
when the dressmaker got the letter
it was the week after next. Yes, it
would surprise you to know how many
women put ‘in haste’ on their letters.
with the idea that Uncle Sam then
hitches up his breeches and gets a
move on him."—Philadelphia Record.
Salaries of Presidents.
Very few persons would suspect
how small the salaries of presidents
of republics are, when the enormous
sums crowned heads receive are taken
into consideration.
The foreigner often thinks the $.50,-
000 of the President of the l'uited
States is merely :1 joke, and that he
receives ten times as much in reality,
but the same foreigner may not know
that the French President, in a coun-
try where the wealthiest monarchs
once reigned, receives only $120000 :1
year. _
The President of the little Andorra
Republic contents him-self with a sal-
ary of $15 a year, and the President
of the Swiss Republic must be satis-
kfled with $3,000.—New York Herald;
. dining-room feature. ‘
Hints About Sleep
A proper desire for sleep is only ob-
tained by a due amount of exercise.
both mental and physical, which must
not’be continued sufficiently long to
produce prostration. lt‘is also essen-
tial with adults that for some time
before the hour for retiring the state
of the circulation in the head should
not have been excitml by deep study.
intense thought. or by tea. coffee, or
other stimulants.
Too much attention'cannot be paid
to the proper ventilation of sleeeping
rooms. The sleeper who retires to rest
in an apnriment from which every
effort has been made to exclude the
outer air. rises with a dull headache
and a t'i-rveris‘n. unrefrcshed sensation
to go about the duties of the day.
Care should also..ln-_- taken with ro-
gard to the quantity of bed—clothes in-
dulged in. too much clothing having
the effect of relaxing the body; and
it is right. therefore. to have only
sufficient to enable the individual to
sleep. for it is better to wake with an
inclination to draw the clothes round
you than to feel oppressed by their
weight and heat and a desire to throw
them ofi’.
Table Service for the “'ealth v.
Every one knows the elegance of a
modern table service. Silver baking
dishes are included now in dishes for
the table. All sorts of kitchen utten-
sils find their way into the dining
room. now that the chafing dishis in
high favor; still agcofi‘ee mill is not a
They maybe
bought in solid silver for $175. What
coffeé might not be ground in a $175
coffee mill. and what pleasure might
there not be in the grinding? Then if
mamma in her elegant kitchen wishes
to please the children she «pops corn
for them in a solid silver corn pop-
per, with an ebony handle, and she
cores the. apples for her apple pudding
with a solid silver apple corer that
costs not less than $3.75. For mixing
her cakes she uses the beautiful Rus-
sian lacquer bowls in many colors,
but fired so many fillies that the COL
ors cannot be removed by vinegar, oil,
or hot liquids. The bowl will last for
years, and is light and easy to handle.
A New Use for Oilcloth.
Oilcloth is the new material for pa-
pering ceilings. the term “paper" being
used at present in a very elastic sense,
signifying anything that. can be put on
walls or ceiling. The advantage of an
oilcloth ceiling is readily disceruable.
as dust, like good actions, is sure to
rise. and if one‘s home is illuminated
by gas or lamps there is only the re-
course to the unsightly chandelier pro-
tectors to keep the ceiling from getting
smudged. The oilcloth can be washed
frequently. and be kept, by the aid of
a damp cloth. as good as new for in-
tin ,te spaces of time or until one moves
to "newer apartment.
The task of putting on the oilclotb
requires an expert, as the joining is
not the easiest thing to do. if you
think so, try it. The patterns of oil-
cloths seem particularly well adapted
for ceilings, with their scroll and line
cfi’ects, which do not conflict with the
patterns of the wall paper or its mono-
chromatic efi’ect.—New York Herald.
A Dainty Dessert.
A pretty dessert that will eSpocially
please the children is called a Russian
cake. Two cakes, chocolate and
sponge. are baked in flat, oblong pans.
When cold they are sliced into fingers,
which are dipped quickly into a thick
syrup flavored with vanilla or lemon.
'l‘he fingers are then built up‘m a
fancy sh‘ape. A favorite one is to pile
mpm up in a square. filling the sqimi'k“
will: chariotto rnsse. ’l‘lie block-huggi-
i,:- then ("DVL‘l'c-‘l with the fingers an
1.41;:- hpjng p‘if- (‘11 the in“. 31w?
.~,:;;;;g'9§ 0f sponge cake :ll'c usm' {oi
iiiznnr-ys The charlorie rugs.) 111“:
.tiilllJ I‘m 11'; hill the (1:7 1"(‘i‘lll‘i‘up ‘ .
l“:(' Aramaic “Hill 1-- ""112 they“.
i-iallh‘x’. '._\‘-;':;.'.—‘. serving. '
/
THE HOOD REIGNS.
....._....,._—_
The American 'Girl Always Equal to an
Emergency.
Behold the hood! The problem of
the theatre hat seems to have been
solved at last. The American girl is
always equal to an emergency and
gracefully adapts herself to every sit-
uation. The clamor against the view-
obstructing Gainsboroughs and Dutch
bonnets became so great that she must
of necessity give heed 'to it.
Then the question arose. How could
she go to the theatre and look pretty
after she got there?
It was all very well for men to sav
that women must take off their hats
and for the comic papers to fill their
pageswith funny pictures of the gro-
tesque miseries of poor man behind one
of these picture hats!
Had a man ever tried to remove one
of,those same objectionable head ar-
rangements in a theatre, when each
long pin disappeared as completely as
though the fairies had spirited it away,
and stray locks would become entang-
led with the hat frame or the flowers,
and in consequence one’s whole coil-
fure became irretrievably disarrang-
ed?
Then.
after all this inconvenience,
,did any man ever have. to sit through
the performance. of a play or opera
:and experience the anything but de-
licious sensation of knowing that_one‘s
.coifi'ure vvas iii-disorder and yet not be
iable to determine the vexed question
toone‘s satisfaction? '
Well, thisis only a hundredth part
of what the American girl has. been
suffering ever since the edict wassent
forth that “hats must come off in the
f theatre."
Being a creature of resources, she set
her brains to work to evolve a way' out
of the difficulty, and it must be con-
fessed that she has succeeded beyond
expectations. and thatthe theatre girl
never looked so pretty. fascinating and
seductive as she does this winter.
She has adopted hoods ad mfinitum
---hoods for the theatre. hoods for [b.-
opera. hoods for dinners. for balls. for
concerts. for sleighiug and for skating.
Each girl's ingenuity is taxed to the
utmost to have more hoods. more fetch~
ing hoods than any of her dear friends.
Old costume books have been pored
over. grandmothers wardrobes and
chests ransacked and from all this
study and hunting the girls have
emerged more fetching and pretty than
they ever were before.
For the theatre and opera rich crim-
sous. ci-rise, blue. grays. and white are
most in favor. The style and shape
are at the discretion of each fair wear-
er. It yet remains for the American
girl to ever find herself in such a tight
place that she ‘annot find a way out
of it and not reappear just as seduct-
ive as ever.
____._.__.
“'omml in Outdoor \Vnr'k.
The number of women ranch owners
who manage their ranches is increas‘
ing. and in California. ’Arizona and
Florida women are going in for fruit
culture, with great enthusiasm and
verylfair success. A number of girls
are studying forestry. and horticul-
tural colleges for women are springing
up like mushrooms. Germany in par-
ticular is enthusiastic over horticul-
ture. as a prm'essiou for women.
A great nrribor of American women
'of good social position cultivate flow-
ers and fruit for the market. Violet
culture. especially, seems to appeal to
women: and some. of the most success-
ful violet farms in the country are
manaenzl l-v women whose names are.
in society's ltlzu- hooks. ‘
' ‘-.i':::;; . .-l':‘ 11:3..22; tip genera! .‘lLZ'l'l
, , flower and trim
(viz-‘rc .\ fine course in agrimzltxuw-
has recently been owned to wonwn :n‘
..\iinucapolis. I‘vt llussia has :1 ion:
lead in the matter of agriculturw "u;
women and caduates cf the «n = q].
ture schools are sure'of Civil posz: ions,
(n-‘r "1‘ :l‘»‘ Wm. :I:~
UNCERTAlix'TY OF FASHIONS:
Summer Fabrics Displayed in Shop Win-
(lows.
(By sperziz'i arrangement with the ELY. Sun.)
Fashion has a variety of enticing
charms at all times and seasons; but
there is nothing else quite so fascinat-
ing after all as her uncertainity. No
Sooner do we feel ourselves comfortab-
l'y fixed, for winter gowns than sum-
mer silks, piques. batistes, organdies,
and the sheerest lawns blossom out in
the'shops without any regard to tem-
perature or present needs of dress.
Rather small patterns prevail among
the new China silks and satin-finished
foulards, some of the prettiest being
polka dots of various sizes grouped to-
gether with scattering dots between
groups. Among the new silks of the
heavier kinds there are moires an-
tique, glosse talfetas, shiny brocadés
prettily shaded in varying tints of one
color for evening wraps and gowns.
The variety in cotton robe dresses
of batistcs and sheer lawns. trimmed
with embroidery and lace. is also very
tempting, as the trouble of making
them up is simplified so much by the
finished skirt, which requires nothing
but a hand. The satin finished crepe
de chine is another material which is
very popular and altogether lovely in
the new sheath skirts, which seem to
have come to stay for another season
'at' least.
Just how all the pretty summer fab-
rics are. to made up is a. matter of con-
Jecture at the Illunurut, but it is pretty
safe to say that our thin gowns will be
cut with a train. that overdresses will
flourish, and that rufiios of every kind,
and description will add
frou-frou to the varying modes of dec-_
oration. \Viih the scant skirts and
.gauzy materials ruff] :: are almost a
necessity to give the flare and hold
the skirt out around the feet. What—
ever the overskirts and tunlcs may be-
comc. later. they have no preceptible
effect on the figure ycr. so far as
broadening it is concerned, for they
fit just as closely well below the hips
as the skirt underneath, and if they
are made rery long.’ almost covering
the skirt. they take very little from
. thé height. , . ,2
M,“ .,...~.-.. .- :..
their soft"
,< J \
AFELLOW'S
MOTHER
“A fellow’s mother.“
said Fred the wise
With his rosy cheeks
and his merry bill.
eyes.
“Knows what to do it
a. fellow gets hurt
Bv a. thump, or a.
. bruise, or a fall in
the dirt.
"A fellow"s ziiotiier has bass and strings.
Bags and buttons and lots of things:
No matter l:ow busy she is. she'll stop,
1‘0 568 how well you can spin your top.
“She does not care—not much. I mean—
[fafellow‘s face is not quite clean.
And if your trosucrs are torn at. the Rim"
She can put. in a. patch that yuudflfi‘el "
“A fellow’s mother is never mad.
And only sorry if you are bad;
And I’ll tell you this, if you’re only true .
She'll always forgive you, whate’er you :.
"I’m sure of this," said Fred the wise,
With a. manly look in his laughing 05’05.
“I’ll mind my mother every day:
A fellow’s a baby that. won‘t obey}: ,
—Phi1adelpbla Pr! “a.
Hints on Short.- Distance Running,-
The champion sprinter—or short
tance runner—is Bernie Wefers. of
Georgetown College, and his sue/3:5“?
has been so phenomenal that anytii-{zim
he may say on.the subject will i."
listened to with interest-
“The secret of fast sprinting,” my»
Mr. Wefers, “lies in the control
runner has over his nervous for-..
“There seems to be no scale of ’5
or build to aid in picking out a. spri ..
er. The best ones diner physicallh‘ it“
a startling manner.
“The most vital point in a sprinier’2.
action is what is called the bounu i'r
‘getting up on your toes.’ When yo 2!
foot strikes the ground, the nearer
toes the better, you rise up on it, and
with a hard, sharp spring, or reflex
action, throw the foot straight out in
front of you. - If it rises behind 0
too high in front, time and motion ar-
lost, Most beginners run almost flat
footed. and lose lots of power. Th-
bound is not hard to learn. Just kee
in mind that the toe of your she.-
should dig a little cup in the track a
every stride, and try to make it do so
“The worst defect that most novice
have is throwing back the head an-
shouldcrs when running at top speed
It moves back the centre of gravity
destroys the balance, causes the strid-
to become short and happy, and th
motion, instead of being all forward
is like climbing up stairs. The runnel
who does this would travel faster i
he didn’t try so hard and used a por
tion of his energy to keep himself i
proper position. The knees shOuld al
ways he kept straight, and not allowe-
to bend outward. The arms shoul
be swung straight by the side, and no
crossed in front of the body. '
“The start is a great factor in
sprint race. The crouching start i
undoubtedlylearned and no false mo
tions can be made, such as jumpin
backward or Stepping sideways, an
other involuntary motions that ama
teurs make when they start. standin
up.. _There are no set .rules: for ma
ing the start. A man must make hi n
self comfortable as he crouches. ' H
places the tips of his fingers with hi
corks held in position by the thumb
if a rubber band around the wrist i
is not used. puts his left foot si
inches. more or less, as he finds co -
fortable, back of the mark, the
places the right knee on the groun
alongside the middle of his right foo
having dug another hole for his righ
feet.
“When told to get ‘set’ by the starte
he raises his right knee from th
ground and croiu-lzcs further forwar
keeping his body in a horizontal pos'
tion, or as nearly so as possible, an:
places almost all of his weight on hi
finger tips.
“When the {li‘ftll is fired, he pushe
with both feet and hands. The beaut
of this start is that with the suppor
of his fingers removed, he is co
pelled to run fast. 0 keep himself fro
falling down. The start is easily ma‘
tered in a few trials and then it b.
comcs simply a question of practice.
"When a sprinter comes out on
track for the first time, he would b
'wise to let sprinting alone for a wee
at least. and take long jogs aroun
the track. or slow, short jogs. grad
ally increasing the speed and distanc
day by day. If he starts the spri
the first time out, he will be so sor
that he won't get over it for a wee-
'and he is likely to strain a muscle a
tendon and lay him up for the seaso
After he has hardened himself in
measure, his system of work should I
.as follows:
f'pancc up and down or break awa
slowly several times from the mar
until you are thoroughly warmed 11
Then run short dashes, from fifteen t
sixty yards, at top speed, resting
short time after eacn one.
“If your companions are as first i
you are, “on together from scratcl
,But if nor so. take handicaps fro
one another to draw out. After 'Lhi
take a rest until you stop breathin
rapidly. When again ready to worl
jog two hundred yards with a lon
easy, springy stride, and this shoul
finish your work for the day. If yo
can. take a shower bath and rub you
self with a rough towel before dre
sing.-—l.and and Water.
Bridget [watching her mistress .
she packs a missionary barren—A
,sure mum yea: nuzsht put in th’ ha"
i mer, so they'll hov somethin' t’ open
wid.—Judge. .
Norwalk Chronicler