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VOL. XXIV, No. 21. ESTABLISHED 1878. Z 4 g CLEVELAND -- MAY 23, 1901 Ee CHICAGO. $2.00 Per Year. 5c. Single Copy LAKE CARRIERS: A To consider and take ° the navigation > maintain to > a SS a SS TEL 4 sa Aosed vessels Aties are ssend the el across the éctre of Cana- dada should en- ping would never ce when it could dently and safely in <merican ship canal by ak valley could be built éin which that amount of advantage. jive an enormous extension id give us the shipbuilding great lake fleets could be em- months, when lake navigation ailders, who can build the cheap- ke orders for ocean construction. ‘of subsidy talk when the sea was under the American flag, built and d4ciples. dA solve the state canal problem in New (ruetion of such a work the state and na- dite.”’ ee ork Herald, which steadily maintains its lead wine and foreign intelligence, has with charac- érprise established a wireless telegraph service cket lightship, By this means it will be possible to 4ews from incoming trans-Atlantic steamers fifteen /arlier than at present. Not only will the approach of essels be reported, but all important happenings on d during the voyage. The Herald continues to avail it- . of all modern means of collecting news. LYING MACHINES AND THEIR COMMERCIAL USES. The underlying principle of maintaining equilibrium in le air is that the center of pressure upon the sustaining - irfaces shall at all times be upon the same vertical line as \e center of gravity due to the weight of the apparatus. In im air this is fairly secured, but in a wind the center of ‘essure is constantly shifted by the turmoils of the air, for advances or recedes with the diminution or increase of the igle of incidence. In regard to the shape of surface to be employed, Lilien- al demonstrated that concavo-convex wings, like those of rds, are far superior in supporting power to planes, and the tter have now been practically abandoned by aviating-exs--~~ rts. The propeller is the next thing to be considered after the uilibrium has been secured and a reliable motor worked t. Both Hargrave and Lilienthal gave preference to flap- ig vanes over thescrew propeller, but other experimenters fer screws. It is yet too soon to draw definite conclu- ns on this question, and it opens a field for further ex- ‘imenting. Ve can, however, already calculate appoximately the pro- ‘tion, the strength and weight, the supporting efficiency, : speed, and the power required for a projected flying chine, so as to judge of the practicability of a design. leed, the mathematics of the subject have been so far olved that engineering computations may eventually re- ace vague speculation in the domain of aerial navigation. But after the problem has been worked out to a mechani-_ cal success, the commercial uses of aerial apparatus willbe’ small. The limitations of the balloon are various; su¢h craft will be slow, frail, and very costly. _ We are now sufficiently advanced in the design of flying machines to perceive some of their limitations. They will be comparatively small and cranky, require much power, carry little extra weight, and depend for their effective speed, on each journey, whether they go against the wind or with it, so that they cannot compete with existing modes of trans- portation in cheapness or in carrying capacity. It is true that high speeds may be attained, and this may serve in war, in exploration, perhaps in mail transportation, and in sport; but the loads will be very small, and the expenses will be great. But flying machines will develop new uses of their own; and as mankind has always been benefited by the in- troduction of new and faster modes of transportation, we may hope that successful aerial navigation will spread civil- ization, knit the nations closer together, make all regions accessible, and perhaps so equalize the hazards of war as to abolish it altogether, thus bringing about the predicted era of universal peace and good-will.—Octave Chanute, in Cas- sier’s Magazine for June. 8 UNITED STATES newspapers are making all the capital they can out of the accident that happened in the St. Law- rence canals to one of the vessels that recently left Chicago for Liverpool. The New York Journal says, the much talked of Canadian route has proved a failure. The Buffalo Express says it has reason to believe that the St. Lawrence canal route is in no better condition than it has been for the last five years. Similar statements appear in other papers. We trust the Government will lose no time in issuing an official statement as to the practical capacity of our enlarged water- way. If the United States papers are circulating false state- ments about the St. Lawrence route they ought to be cor- rected by an official statement from the Government. If the statements are true the Government ought to lose no time in removing the obstructions that interfere with the safe navi- gation of 14 foot vessels.—The Toronto World. Piiruesy