the age of invention-第34章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　light　canvas　covered　with　paper　and　〃cannot　possibly　cause　any　harm　and　which　will　some　day　prove　serviceable　to　the　wants　of　society。〃

Franklin　wrote　a　description　of　the　Montgolfier　balloon　to　Sir　Joseph　Banks；　President　of　the　Royal　Society　of　London：

〃Its　bottom　was　open　and　in　the　middle　of　the　opening　was　fixed　a　kind　of　basket　grate；　in　which　faggots　and　sheaves　of　straw　were　burnt。　The　air；　rarefied　in　passing　through　this　flame；　rose　in　the　balloon；　swelled　out　its　sides；　and　filled　it。　The　persons；　who　were　placed　in　the　gallery　made　of　wicker　and　attached　to　the　outside　near　the　bottom；　had　each　of　them　a　port　through　which　they　could　pass　sheaves　of　straw　into　the　grate　to　keep　up　the　flame　and　thereby　keep　the　balloon　full　。　。　。　。　One　of　these　courageous　philosophers；　the　Marquis　d'Arlandes；　did　me　the　honor　to　call　upon　me　in　the　evening　after　the　experiment；　with　Mr。　Montgolfier；　the　very　ingenious　inventor。　I　was　happy　to　see　him　safe。　He　informed　me　that　they　lit　gently；　without　the　least　shock；　and　the　balloon　was　very　little　damaged。〃

Franklin　writes　that　the　competition　between　Montgolfier　and　Charles　has　already　resulted　in　progress　in　the　construction　and　management　of　the　balloon。　He　sees　it　as　a　discovery　of　great　importance；　one　that　〃may　possibly　give　a　new　turn　to　human　affairs。　Convincing　sovereigns　of　the　folly　of　war　may　perhaps　be　one　effect　of　it；　since　it　will　be　impracticable　for　the　most　potent　of　them　to　guard　his　dominions。〃　The　prophecy　may　yet　be　fulfilled。　Franklin　remarks　that　a　short　while　ago　the　idea　of　〃witches　riding　through　the　air　upon　a　broomstick　and　that　of　philosophers　upon　a　bag　of　smoke　would　have　appeared　equally　impossible　and　ridiculous。〃　Yet　in　the　space　of　a　few　months　he　has　seen　the　philosopher　on　his　smoke　bag；　if　not　the　witch　on　her　broom。　He　wishes　that　one　of　these　very　ingenious　inventors　would　immediately　devise　means　of　direction　for　the　balloon；　a　rudder　to　steer　it；　because　the　malady　from　which　he　is　suffering　is　always　increased　by　a　jolting　drive　in　a　fourwheeler　and　he　would　gladly　avail　himself　of　an　easier　way　of　locomotion。


The　vision　of　man　on　the　wing　did　not；　of　course；　begin　。with　the　invention　of　the　balloon。　Perhaps　the　dream　of　flying　man　came　first　to　some　primitive　poet　of　the　Stone　Age；　as　he　watched；　fearfully；　the　gyrations　of　the　winged　creatures　of　the　air；　even　as　in　a　later　age　it　came　to　Langley　and　Maxim；　who　studied　the　wing　motions　of　birds　and　insects；　not　in　fear　but　in　the　light　and　confidence　of　advancing　science。

Crudely　outlined　by　some　ancient　Egyptian　sculptor；　a　winged　human　figure　broods　upon　the　tomb　of　Rameses　III。　In　the　Hebrew　parable　of　Genesis　winged　cherubim　guarded　the　gates　of　Paradise　against　the　man　and　woman　who　had　stifled　aspiration　with　sin。　Fairies；　witches；　and　magicians　ride　the　wind　in　the　legends　and　folklore　of　all　peoples。　The　Greeks　had　gods　and　goddesses　many；　and　one　of　these　Greek　art　represents　as　moving　earthward　on　great　spreading　pinions。　Victory　came　by　the　air。　When　Demetrius；　King　of　Macedonia；　set　up　the　Winged　Victory　of　Samothrace　to　commemorate　the　naval　triumph　of　the　Greeks　over　the　ships　of　Egypt；　Greek　art　poetically　foreshadowed　the　relation　of　the　air　service　to　the　fleet　in　our　own　day。

Man　has　always　dreamed　of　flight；　but　when　did　men　first　actually　fly？　We　smile　at　the　story　of　Daedalus；　the　Greek　architect；　and　his　son；　Icarus；　who　made　themselves　wings　and　flew　from　the　realm　of　their　foes；　and　the　tale　of　Simon；　the　magician；　who　pestered　the　early　Christian　Church　by　exhibitions　of　flight　into　the　air　amid　smoke　and　flame　in　mockery　of　the　ascension。　But　do　the　many　tales　of　sorcerers　in　the　Middle　Ages；　who　rose　from　the　ground　with　their　cloaks　apparently　filled　with　wind；　to　awe　the　rabble；　suggest　that　they　had　deduced　the　principle　of　the　aerostat　from　watching　the　action　of　smoke　as　did　the　Montgolfiers　hundreds　of　years　later？　At　all　events　one　of　these　alleged　exhibitions　about　the　year　800　inspired　the　good　Bishop　Agobard　of　Lyons　to　write　a　book　against　superstition；　in　which　he　proved　conclusively　that　it　was　impossible　for　human　beings　to　rise　through　the　air。　Later；　Roger　Bacon　and　Leonardo　da　Vinci；　each　in　his　turn　ruminated　in　manuscript　upon　the　subject　of　flight。　Bacon；　the　scientist；　put　forward　a　theory　of　thin　copper　globes　filled　with　liquid　fire；　which　would　soar。　Leonardo；　artist；　studied　the　wings　of　birds。　The　Jesuit　Francisco　Lana；　in　1670；　working　on　Bacon's　theory　sketched　an　airship　made　of　four　copper　balls　with　a　skiff　attached；　this　machine　was　to　soar　by　means　of　the　lighter…than…air　globes　and　to　be　navigated　aloft　by　oars　and　sails。

But　while　philosophers　in　their　libraries　were　designing　airships　on　paper　and　propounding　their　theories；　venturesome　men；　〃crawling；　but　pestered　with　the　thought　of　wings；〃　were　making　pinions　of　various　fabrics　and　trying　them　upon　the　wind。　Four　years　after　Lana　suggested　his　airship　with　balls　and　oars；　Besnier；　a　French　locksmith；　made　a　flying　machine　of　four　collapsible　planes　like　book　covers　suspended　on　rods。　With　a　rod　over　each　shoulder；　and　moving　the　two　front　planes　with　his　arms　and　the　two　back　ones　by　his　feet；　Besnier　gave　exhibitions　of　gliding　from　a　height　to　the　earth。　But　his　machine　could　not　soar。　What　may　be　called　the　first　patent　on　a　flying　machine　was　recorded　in　1709　when　Bartholomeo　de　Gusmao；　a　friar；　appeared　before　the　King　of　Portugal　to　announce　that　he　had　invented　a　flying　machine　and　to　request　an　order　prohibiting　other　men　from　making　anything　of　the　sort。　The　King　decreed　pain　of　death　to　all　infringers；　and　to　assist　the　enterprising　monk　in　improving　his　machine；　he　appointed　him　first　professor　of　mathematics　in　the　University　of　Coimbra　with　a　fat　stipend。　Then　the　Inquisition　stepped　in。　The　inventor's　suave　reply；　to　the　effect　that　to　show　men　how　to　soar　to　Heaven　was　an　essentially　religious　act；　availed　him　nothing。　He　was　pronounced　a　sorcerer；　his　machine　was　destroyed；　and　he　was　imprisoned　till　his　death。　Many　other　men　fashioned　unto　themselves　wings；　but；　though　some　of　them　might　glide　earthward；　none　could　rise　upon　the　wind。

While　the　principle　by　which　the　balloon；　father　of　the　dirigible；　soars　and　floats　could　be　deduced　by　men　of　natural　powers　of　observation　and　little　science　from　the　action　of　clouds　and　smoke；　the　airplane；　the　Winged　Victory　of　our　day；　waited　upon　two　thingsthe　scientific　analysis　of　the　anatomy　of　bird　wings　and　the　internal　combustion　engine。

These　two　things　necessary　to　convert　man　into　a　rival　of　the　albatross　did　not　come　at　once　and　together。　Not　the　dream　of　flying　but　the　need　for　quantity　and　speed　in　production　to　take　care　of　the　wants　of　a　modern　civilization　compelled　the　invention　of　the　internal　combustion　engine。　Before　it　appeared　in　the　realm　of　mechanics；　experimenters　were　applying　in　the　construction　of　flying　models　the　knowledge　supplied　by　Cayley　in　1796；　who　made　an　instrument　of　whalebone；　corks；　and　feathers；　which　by　the　action　of　two　screws　of　quill　feathers；　rotating　in　opposite　directions；　would　rise　to　the　ceiling；　and　the　full　revelation　of　the　structure　and　action　of　bird　wings　set　forth　by　Pettigrew　in　1867。

〃The　wing；　both　when　at　rest　and　when　in　motion；〃　Pettigrew　declared；　〃may　not　inaptly　be　compared　to　the　blade　of　an　ordinary　screw　propeller　as　employed　in　navigation。　Thus　the　general　outline　of　the　wing　corresponds　closely　with　the　outline　of　the　propeller；　and　the　track　described　by　the　wing　in　space　IS　TWISTED　UPON　ITSELF　propeller　fashion。〃　Numerous　attempts　to　apply　the　newly　discovered　principles　to　artificial　birds　failed；　yet　came　so　close　to　success　that　they　fed　instead　of　killing　the　hope　that　a　solution　of　the　problem　would　one　day　ere　long　be　reached。


〃Nature　has　solved　it；　and　why　not　man？〃

From　his　boyhood　days　Samuel　Pierpont　Langley；　so　he　tells　us；　had　asked　himself　that　question；　which　he　was　later　to　answer。　Langley；　born　in　Roxbury；　Massachusetts；　in　1834；　was　another　link　in　the　chain　of　distinguished　inventors　who　first　saw　the　light　of　day　in　Puritan　New　England。　And；　like　many　of　those　other　inventors；　he　numbered　amo