The times dispatch. [volume], April 06, 1913, Image 54

About The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914

Image provided by: Library of Virginia; Richmond, VA

                
CoprriRhr, 1913, by the Star Company, Groat Britain Rls&ta
Machines
Suggested by
a Swiss
Scientist to
Open Up
Earth's
10000
O* UAhO o*.
OCCAN /
TOAVH y .
OKlll' 1UA*T
XU 2 FAITS, i>CH
P**r HOmN?
0"C?rt f*.KTl
^ *ai?w
CIC>i.U?T\eh ?? DHJU.
,<A*LUV*.i?S
V4Kldl>& lA*Lw\
Fa* NClAMtCIAMI
rOo?
IOCOw
O u.
I
I LlVlMa
Milan, Feb. 20.
SELF-MOVING mechanisms modelled on
the linos of gigantic mosquitoes and
designed to enable man to conquer
Nature In those places whero the climate
or the formation of the country make it
Impossible for him to enter or to remain
for any length of time have been Invented
by Dr. Gustav Luchy, a Swiss scientist.
Dr. Luchy, who has been collaborator with
:he Chevalier Pint, the inventor of aeton
jfclng machines for exploring the sea bot
toms. asserts that If Captain Scott had
been equipped with one of his mechanical
mosquitoes he could have .made his way
to the South fole within a few hours after
leaving bis base. He also claims that the
machines will make Impossible any repeti
tion of the Scott tragedv. and will enable
man to wrest from the Antarctic continent
Its mineral treasures without exposing
their operators to the slightest danger.
Despite man's boasted mechanical
progress, his engines of locomotion are
singularly limited. The locomotive
Is dependent upon rulls; the auto
mobile demands at least n fairly
smooth surfare <>\\ which to run. and
the flying machine n? yet lacks ef
ficient carrying power. None of the
three 1? equipped to provide ade
quate abeltur for auy length of time
in parts of the earth's surface where
?without shelter man cannot exist.
Dr. Luchy> problem was to And a
mechanism which could be independ
ent of rails, would not. be deterred
by obstacles Impassable to the auto
mobile, would have practicable car
rying power, and would provide shel
ter to a sufficient number of men
for a sufficient length of time to en
able tlieu; to do whatever they had
set out to do />
In the formation of the mosquito
be claims he found the combina
tion of l?g height with carrying
power that he desired. The appear
ance of rhe machine* in action
would rooall vividly the appearance
of thp Fighting Machines of the
Martians ir. >1. G. WoHb's "War of
thp World's," a description of which
Is reprinted on this page.
Only small working model's of the
mpplii' ti'pnl mrwfiiiitcica no
been n.vle by the inventor, btit these
seem to bo practicable as the paper
plans jjr >n-1.e-1. A large working model
fortj feet nigh when the long, articula
ted legs are fully extended, 1e now in
course of construction. In tbe body
arf- the engines which provide Its
motive power and the quarters for a
crew of ten men. The h?*e.(i Is nothing
more tiia:. a huge engine, from which are
operated the drills, catting tools, lifting
cranes or whatever It is that is necessary
for ih?> work at hand. The inventor has in
mind Htill larger machines built on ex
actly the eume line?. He believes that
there ig no limit to the size of hie meoh
ar.isms, and that It will be poeelble to
build a mehanieal mosquito big enough
to walk through the .shallower deptlie of the
ocean, and to be powerful enough to cut
through earth's cnwit to the internal fires?
'iie fame plan that has been suggested by
flip famous -jisvronomer, t'-nmille Flamma
Striking the Earth'a Internal Firet. A Drawing by Lanos, thn Distinguished Fronfth
Imaginative Artiit, of the Great Bore Suggested bjr Camilla Flammarion a* a
Musi of Providing Haat an4 Energy for the Future.
Remotest
Places,
and to Make
Impossible
a Repetition
of the
Captain Scott
Tragedy
Picture Diagram Illustrating the Inventor'* Iden of the Development of the Luchy Maeh ne, Drawn from Sketches of the Small Working Model. The Essential Points of tho Invention Can Be Grasped Easily by Study of
the Carefully Worked Out Illustration. Tho Artist H.ic Shown the Machine at Work in the Antarctic, Boring Through the Ice Cap Down into the Internal Fires of the Earth. While the Inventor Hns Suggested the
Possibility of Tapping Earth's Heat in This Way, Other Scientists Believe Such a Development Highly Improbable. Not Only Would the Tool* Have to Be of Impossible Length and Sise. but It Would Not Be Pos
sible to Generate Enough Powor to Run Them. Besides, the Internal Fires, When Struck, Would Destroy the Tools Instantly. The Futu, . of the Invention Lies, It Is Believed,' in Smaller Machines Which Are
Able to Carry Men into Places Inaccessible to Other Means of Conveyance and at the Same Time to Provide Shelter.
rlon, as a solution of the problem of our
future source of energy when our coal
beds give out.
The Lucnv inacbines, besides being fore
shadowed In Wells's fanciful story, have
actual predecessors In travelling stages In
use at Whitby, Kngland, for martne work.
These machines, the lnvenrion of Messrs.
W. Hill & Co., are now being used for the
ocuatruotion of conorete breakwaters and
similar operations. A description of their
simpler mechanism will aerve to make a
trifle clearer the mode of locomotion oi
the Ivuchy machines The Hill stages have
eight lege and feet, four of which ar< used
at a time jvhan in motion. Thare are two
massive steel framework structures, one
inside the other, the outer being square,
and the inner rectangular, ihe latter hemp
somewhat smaller than the other. The
legs, comprising etouti members, which
can be moved up and down vertically for
& considerable distance, are fitted at the
corners of each stage, and are pointed at
the lower end to secure a firm grip upor^
the rocky seabed.
The walking action if secured ns fol
lows: The outer frame has Its front iegs
lowered unr.ll the spuds (or feet) secure a
grip upon the seabed The legs of the
inn?r stage are then raised 'o clear all
obstructions when the s'aee is moved for
ward the full extent of its travel, which
brings It against the forward end of the
outer stage, when Its legH are lowered to
the ground. The legs of the outer etage
are now eiova*r>d vertically, so that the
latter rests upon the former.
The outer stage is now moved forward
until the inner stage is brought into con
tact with the rear end of the outer stage.
The legs of the last named are then low
ered. those of the inner stage raised, and
:he fame cycle of operation is repeated.
The "walking man" is quite a massive
affair. The outer frame is feer
square, and it stands 33 feet high from
the bottom o? the snuds to the working
deck level. The inner stage is 29^ feet
by 40'4 feet. The result, is that the ma
chine can make a forward stride of about
ten feet, while tr\e inner stage can move
sideways for about three fe^t. The feet
are raised and lowered bv screw gearing
driven by electric motors. K complete
movement can be effected In fifteen min
utes.
It has been found that, with this trav
elling stage, work can he continued in the
roughest, weather. Indeed, it was the heavy
seas experienced at Peterhead that led to
its invention.
The Luchy machines have six articu
lated less, three on each side of the body.
Each leg ends in a deeply ridged foot, de
signed to civ gripping power and to in
sure stability. The parts tfhere the legs
come from "the mechanical body move on
ball joints, thus giving free movement in
all directions.
A study of the diagram on this page
gives more clearly than any written de
scription could, the essential principles
of the Luchy invention.
In the Antarctic are enormous fields of
mineral wealth. Captain Scott reported
great coal beds and evidences of platinum,
gold, iron and other useful minerals have
been reported bv other explorers. The
great question has been how to get this
mineral wealth awav from such a place.
The land is frozen and for a great, part
of the year is swept by terrific blizzards,
in which man can hardly live, much less
work. Rut it Is claimed for the Luchy in
vention that several machines, each capa
ble. of holdinjr crews of forty or fifty men.
could be taken down to the Antarctic
land mass. There they could be adjusted
and could be effectively worked for the
greater part of the year at least.
The boring tools in the head of the
mosquitoes ran bo manipulated entirely
from the Inside of the machine itself and
the body of the mechanism provides per
fect shelter against :he worst climatic
conditions that could be*encountered.
The machines will be made of ste?l and
aluminum, and are not inordinately hea
They are run by the Diesel oil machines,
and the problem of fue! is the difficult
one. It would be with coal. It will ovetl
he possible to use one machine as an
operating mechanism and to use se\cral
others as carriers for whatever ores or
other earth s treasure? their crews are
after.
For work in deserts, where the only
means of access is by caravan, it Is
thought that the l.ttch;. machines will be
extremely useful. They do away with the
necessity of ^rectiti^ >laiior<ite buildings
or elaborate fortifications against hostile
vibes, and can move easily and swiftly
from place to plac? They carry iheir
own supplies and their own inean:i of
nio\on-"n1 <*nd so are not dependent up*?
their f urroundinga.
In 11 oj)il"i 1 countries. where loco.-notlr?
:rave! ia impeded by the vegetable growth,
tlie machines can be equipped with nutting
tools, and could clear a path to whatever
point aimed a' in a fraction of the tim?
compared to the slow method? now In uae.
Finally their uae as war engines, al
wrible as the fanciful "walking tripods"'
of .Vr. U'nlls'n Martians, 1b being brought
to the attention of the Italian Govern'
ir.Rnt.
It is only fair to say thar many sclfta*
lists are skeptical as to the practicability
of the machine-. They grant that they
will have linilled use but doubt If they
ran be exte,id*rl to the deep a?a wading
*ize predicted by l)r. l-ucliy. Complexity
of parts. weight nn'J she enormous energy
needed to run them on a lurse t. ale are
litit forth as arguments asainst their uiv
limited use.
The Weird, "Living" Machines
of the Octopus-Like Martians
(From "Tha War of the Worlds," by H. G. Wolla.)
A XT) this Th. ^ I Bawl How can I
describe It? A monstrous tripod,
higher thun many houses, striding
over the young pine tree6 end smashing
them aside !n its career; a walking en
gine of glittering metal, striding across the
heather; articulate ropes of steel dangling
from it, and the rlnttpring tumult <t! its
paBsago mingling with the riot of the
thunder. A flash, and it rsnip out vividly,
keeling over one way with two feet in the
air to vanish and reappear almost instant
ly as it seemed, with the next (lash, a hun
dred yards neurer Can yon Imagine a
milking stool tilted nnd howled violently
along the ground? That was the impres
sion those instant flashes garp Rut in
stead of a milking stool imagine i! a great
body of machinery on a tripod stand.
Then suddenly the trees in the pirn*
wood ahead of mo were parted, as brittle
reeds nre parted by a man thrusting
through them; they were snapped off and
driven headlong, and a second hupe tripod
appeared, rushing, as it seemed, headlong
toward me.
Seen nearer the Thing was incredibly
strange, for it. was no mere insensate ma
| chine driving or. its way. Machine it was,
with a ringing metallic pace, and long,
flexible, glittering tentacles, ono of which
j gripped a young pine tree, swinging and
rattling about Its strange body.
It picked Its road as It went striding
along, and the brazen hood that surmount
1 ed It moved to and fro with the inevita
ble suggestion of a head looking about it
Behind the main body was & huge mass
of white metal like a gigantic fisherman's
basket, and puffs of green amoke squirted
out from the joints of the limbs as the
monster swept by me. And in an instant
it was gone.
The li'tle steamer wan already flapping
her way eastward of f.he hip crescent of
shipping, and the low Essex coast was
growing blue and hazv, when a Martian
appeared, small and fa'nt in the remote
distance, advancing along the muddy coast
from the direction of Foulness.
T.t was th'i flrat Martian my brother had
seer.. and he stood, more amazed than ter
rKled,. watching this Titan advane'ng de
liberately toward the shipping, wading
farther and farther into the water as the
ccafit fell away. Tnen, far away beyond
the Crouch, came another, striding over
some stunted trees, ard then yet. another,
Still farther off, wading deeply through!" a
shiny mud fiat that seemed to hang way
up between pea and sky. They were all
stalking seword, as if to intercept the
escape of tho multltudinoun vessels that
were crowned between Foulness and the
Maze.
? ? ? ? ? ?
The mecnanlsm it certainly was that
held my attention first It was one of
thoae complicated fnhrios th^ have since
heen called handling machines, and the
stucv of which has already given puch
an enormous impetus to terrestrial inven
tion. As i? dawned u,;on me first it. pre
sented a fort of metallic spider with five
jointed l?zs, and with c.n extraordinary
number 'if join'od levers, bars and reach
ing and clutching tentacles about his body.
Most of its arsis were retracted, but with
?three long tentacles it was Ashing out a
number of rods, plates and bara which
lined the covering of, and apparently
strengthened the walls of the cylinder.
These as it extracted them were lifted out
and deposited upon a level surface of
earth behind it.
Its Emotion was so BWift, complex and
perfect that at first I did not see It a's a
machine, ia apito of Its metallic glitter.
A Linos Drawing of the Fighting Machines of the Martians in Wells' "War of tkA *
Worlds"?Gf*nt Mechanisms Which tho Luchy Inventions Somewhat ResomfcU,,