September 30, 1909] 



NA TURE 



399 



interested in aviation. His first models, lilce the old- 

 fashioned quadrilateral boy's kite, had aeroplanes of 

 considerable longitudinal dimensions, but on becoming 

 acquainted with the g-liding- experiments of Chanute, 

 Herringf, and the Wright Brothers, he was not long' in 

 adopting the two-surfaced rectangular type. Captain 

 Ferber materially developed our theories of longitu- 

 dinal stability, and he also gave a mathematical in- 

 vestigation, probably the first, of lateral stability. In 

 view of the last statement, and the fact that Ferber's 

 machines were furnished with special triangular sails 



THE ROykh OBSERVATORY AND 

 ELECTRIC TRAMWAYS. 

 "P ROM statements recently appearing in the public 

 -*- Press, many people have been led to regard the 

 Astronomer Royal as an uncompromising opponent 

 of tramway electrification ; but as it is perfectly well 

 known that Greenwich is very well supplied with 

 electric trams, it must be quite evident that this im- 

 pression cannot be correct. 



It is specifically alleged that : — 



(i) The e.Ktension of the overhead trolley system 



Flc. J.— 8. Ble'riot monoplane after accident. 9. Luyties American helicopter. 10. Bonnet Labrauche biplane. 11. Vuia helicopter. 

 12. Goupy triplane. 13. Curtiss's American biplane. 14. Zeus aeroplane. 15. Ferber biplane. 16. Santos Dumont s Demoiselle. 

 17 Gastambide Mangin biplane. iS. Farman's biplane which travelled from Bony to Rheims (October 30, 1908). 19. Wrights 

 machine which made the record flight with tvvo passengers (ih. 9m. 45s.). 20. The Antoinette V. which made the record for mono- 

 planes (ih. 7m. 35s.) and attempted to cross the Channel. 21. The BWriot XI., which crossed the Channel on July 25, 1909. 



in order to render them laterally stable, it seems some- 

 what rash to suggest that his fatal accident^ was due 

 to the precautions being inadequate; yet it is just 

 possible we mav find that such was the case ; if so, it 

 "is remarkable 'that Ferber should fail when others 

 who have taken less adequate precautions have suc- 

 ceeded. Before his death Captain Ferber attributed 

 the accident to flying too low, so that the machine 

 struck the ground when it heeled over. Captain 

 Ferber was the author of a number of papers and 

 articles dealing with aviation, and also a keen bal- 

 loonist. G. H. B. 



NO. 20S3, VOL. 81] 



from the Arsenal gates to the ^^'oolwich Free Ferry 

 is blocked bv the refusal of oflicial sanction. 



(2) The same official sanction is withheld from all 

 schemes for the authorised electric tramway from 

 Woolwich to Eltham. 



The facts we have been able to ascertain are as 

 follows, premising that the Admiralty, and not the 

 Astronomer Roval, is officially responsible for safe- 

 guarding the efficiency of the observatory records, and 

 that the Board of Trade has to provide for_ adequate 

 protection of the observatory for the magnetic portion 

 of the work. 



