- "Mr. W.J. Lewis, of New York City,
has invented a flying-machine, which scientific gentlemen pronounce a decided
wonder," begins a news story in *Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper* of
December 30, 1876. It "is the forerunner of an apparatus," the
story continues, "which he promises to attain a speed through the
air of at least one hundred miles an hour."
-
- Then, startlingly, the story provides
detailed specifications: "... two propellors for lifting, and the
shorter part bending downward ... [with] a propellor at the rear end which
is used for driving the machine forward." Its motive power was a huge
spring "weighing several pounds," and: "Running through
the entire length of the frame is a shaft, connecting with and communicating
the power to the different propellors. The shaft of the rear propellor
is connected with the main shaft by a universal joint. The propellors are
right and left handed, the flanges or blades, of which there are four to
each propellor, are concave-convex in form. Each one is set in motion by
four beveled wheels, which are connected with the shafts, and therefor
the motion is simultaneous.
-
- "Situated near the center of gravity
are a pair of movable planes, slightly convex-concave, one on either side,
which are used to guide the machine up or down. In the front is a rudder
to give a right or left motion ..."
-
- What *about* this? A helicopter flying
through the skies of 1876? Well, the news report includes an illustration,
which seems to show exactly that; and, the article continues tantalizingly:
"During a formal test, Mr. Lewis directed his machine at various angles,
and in all instances it flew" -- "flew"! -- "sraight
in the direction pointed." And, that's all this forgotten story has
to say about that. Is it possible? Could it really have happened?
-
- I consulted a designer for Grumman Aerospace
Corporation, Joseph Lippert Jr., ... And, in a report headed "The
Lewis Flying Machine of 1876", aircraft designer Lippert says: "It
is believed that such a device ... could make short flights since it is
indicated to have the necessary lifting forces, and arrangement of forces
to provide longitudinal stability, directional and roll control."
-
- So there you have it: the picture and
specifications described in this forgotten story apparently make sense
to one of Grumman's ace designers.
-
- He continues: "From the description
and illustration, a 'modern' equivalent may be sketched as follows ...
The counter rotating lifting propellors", he says, "would reduce
the overturning torque, but there would be some residual torque .... The
downward inclination of the rear portion of the fuselage is interesting
since this results in a thrust inclination of the rear thrusting propellor
which produces a stabilizing influence. This principle is ... in use today
.... A minor ... defect in the design could be the placement of the 'rudder'
in the forward position. Some early pioneers did however fly aircraft with
forward surfaces .... It is concluded that ... a similar model today ...
could fly and be controllable."
-
- So that's that: a helicopter in the year
of the Custer massacre. And which the nineteenth century seems to have
forgotten. Maybe so. Because I think the nineteenth century took "Progress"
for granted, took stunning inventions in stride. Few soothsayers of the
times ever failed to predict that the skies would soon fill with flying
machines. So when W.J. Lewis sent a helicopter flying through the air of
1876, I think people weren't a bit surprised. That they'd been expecting
it.
-
- Probably wondered why it took so long.
And then, what with one thing or another, they got busy, the whole thing
just slipped the nineteenth century's mind, and they simply forgot to pass
the news down to us.
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