From this have developed the aeroplanes of to-day, such as the "Hannibal," " Do X," the Vickers giant flying boat, which can carry loads of three, 5 and seven tons respectively.
But although flying has advanced so far, it is not by any means perfect.
In the plane and internal-combustion engine type there are not many more things to be found out; the aeroplane stalling, or losing flying speed and diving, the engine stalling, or stopping without mechanical failure, fire, have all been partly eliminated by the use of Handley-Page slots, electric starters, and the use of crude oil instead of petrol in the engines.
In the other types, such as the ornithoptor, auto-gyro, helicoptor, and the rocket-driven machine, there is a lot more to be found out.
To make a working ornithoptor, you have got to have a tremendously powerful engine with small weight and size, and this has yet to be found. This applies to the helicoptor as well, but in the helicoptor it would be necessary to have a variable pitch propeller, or else you would not be able to get it off the ground, for if you revolved a fixed pitch propeller at a high speed, it would merely cut a hole in the air.
Therefore you would have to start with a low-pitched propeller and increase the pitch as it rose off the ground, much the same as working the gears of a heavily-laden lorry.
The auto-gyro is at present only practical in small planes, because if the principle was used on large aeroplanes, the rotor and pivot would have to be very strong and therefore heavy.
Also, what would happen to the passengers if the pivot seized up !
In the rocket-driven plane the disadvantages are that the machine cannot be started gradually, and flight cannot be maintained very long because the supplies of rockets will not last long.
P. HIXTOX.
(To be continued.)
A TEN-SHILLING NOTE.
An old man stepped up to a gentleman who was standing by the kerb waiting for an omnibus, and touching him lightly on the shoulder, said, " Excuse me, but did you drop this note? " at the same time holding out in his hand a ten-shilling note.
The gentleman questioned looked at the note with an eager look, made an examination of his pockets, and said, "Why ! So I did, and I hadn't missed it ! " holding out an eager hand.
The old gentleman slowly drew out a note-book from his pocket, took the name and address of the loser, and placing the note in the pocket-book, turned away.
"Well," said the other, " do you want it all as a reward? "
" Oh, no ! I did not find it," said the old man, " but it struck me that in a large town like this there must be a great deal of money lost, and upon inquiry I find you are the twenty-first person who has lost a ten-shilling note this morning.''
R. HARLE.
THE SHIP THEY COULD NOT SINK.
The " Hygeia " was a paddle steamer built in 1890 at Glasgow, and under her own power she crossed the 20,000 odd miles of ocean to Australia, where for forty years she plied up and down Port Phillip Bay. In all weathers, winter and summer, she sailed between Melbourne, Mornington, Dromana, Rosebud and Sorrento, including monthly moon-light trips during the summer.
Eventually good coast roads were made, but nevertheless she continued to make her trips, ignoring the hundreds of car users. But, alas ! her fate was sealed at last. A firm of shipbreakers bought her, and under a bond of £l,000_to the Harbour Trust, undertook to sink her outside the Heads after all valuable parts had been removed.
Accordingly the tug " Eagle " took the " Hygeia " in tow one stormy day in August, and, putting two men and 50 lbs. of gelignite aboard, proceeded to tow her to her destined fate. A strong southerly wind swooped on them, and the gallant little tug strained manfully ahead, but the " Hygeia" grew more and more difficult to manage. After a grim struggle of three hours, a great wave lifted the tug high above the " Hygeia," and the tow-rope snapped. A stern chase ensued, and after a struggle, another rope was made fast until, on the crest of a huge wave, she gave a twist and once again broke free.