AERIAL LOCOMOTION 4II 



lead him to deny the newspapers the opportunity of witnessing 

 the experiments. But the newspapers insisted upon being rep- 

 resented. The correspondents flocked to the scene, and camped 

 there for weeks at considerable expense to their papers. They 

 watched the house-boat containing the aerodrome by day and 

 by night; and, upon the least indication of activity within, news- 

 paper reporters were on hand in boats. After long delay in hopes 

 of securing privacy it was at last decided to try the apparatus ; 

 but the newspaper representatives, embittered by the attempts to 

 exclude them, were bringing the experiments into public con- 

 tempt. They nicknamed the apparatus " The Buzzard," and 

 were all ready to presage defeat. 



Two experiments were made ; but on both occasions the 

 apparatus caught in the launching ways, and was precipitated 

 into the water without having a chance to show what it could 

 do in the air. The newspapers immediately announced to the 

 world the failure of Professor Langley's machine, and ridiculed 

 his efforts. The fact of the matter is, that the machine was 

 never tried ; and that there was no more reason for declaring it 

 a failure than for deciding that a ship would not float that has 

 never been launched. After having witnessed the successful 

 flight of the large sized model of 1896, I have no doubt that 

 Professor Langley's full sized aerodrome would have flown had 

 it been safely launched into the air. (See Plate XI.) 



When the machine was for the second time precipitated into 

 the water it was not much damaged by the accident. Pro- 

 fessor Langley, of course, was more anxious about the fate 

 of his intrepid assistant than of his machine, and followed 

 Mr. Manly into the house-boat to ascertain his condition. 

 During this temporary withdrawal from the scene of the 

 catastrophe, the crew of a tug-boat grappled the frail frame- 

 work of the submerged aerodrome ; and in the absence of any 

 one competent to direct their efforts, they broke the machine to 

 pieces, thus ending the possibility of further experiments without 

 the expenditure of much capital. The ridicule of the news- 

 papers however effectually prevented Professor Langley from 

 securing further financial aid; and, indeed, broke his heart. 

 There can be little doubt that the unjust treatment to which he 



