Show SHALL WE EVER FLY april 8 1897 your editorial ot of april jtb on an this prompted me to address you thin corn com muni cation flying machines machine way maj be as aa common to in a 4 tow few yearn yeara as bicycles bicycle i are today toe the air will be traversed traT erd by men As the water la is navi narl gated by boats and with a as little danger to life perhaps about the same came proportions proportion a what the principle selected or yet invented Tented In will be I 1 am not able to say lay there in ii no now new principle about the he bicycle and there may be no new prin about the flying me ma only improvements id the principles principle ot of he baloon I 1 think that oen can be improved at least made ad more mere safe afe for serial aerial navigation it if she he bal loon were divided into compartments compartment KB gas tight I 1 believe that would improve lubrie its safety for if atou oue part of the balloon balloga were damaged the be other compartments compartment would be able to float tb atie balloon ballo with its if cargo and land jand it uto iafe at its iti or at t losea at some safe afe port or the be bal loon may be improved by a number oi of other smaller mailer balloons bal loona instas of the larger one all inflated inflate ds and controlled as ai the malo main balloon in ie enough gas gai could be carried in the auxiliary balloons to float the in came oa oi of an accident to the be parent balloon there are other improvements improTe mento that may be made and the principle ol of till remain the same flame 1 I toe the flying machine la is tu go be operated on we the principle of a bird files then the model will be the bat and not the bird the reason of thin will be BO ao apparent to every think log ing mind that I 1 need not discuss this point the present hope of serial aerial flight the aeria plane J that may or way may not be the power in the successful fly ift machine that the air itself may be utilized in creating a motive power to assist in ameial areial flight I 1 have not the least doubt and just a at into DO far as aa this power maybe may be ampil applied d in toe lifting and pro dro polling of a flying machine may depend the he economical feature of the enterprise but bat after alj ail what are we going to gala gain by serial aerial flight transportation in ia becoming so e and plentiful on land and water that ameial areial competition la is out of the question As a solent scientific ifie problem it is sure to be solved and is novelty in carriage it will most meet with many devo tese but as a factor in trade and commerce it does doea not net seem to in me as aa if it would eug cut much of a figure JAMBS DUNN |