rived at the spot where it should leave
the wire it appeared to meet with some obstruction, and threatened to
come to the ground, but it soon recovered itself and darted off in
as fair a flight as it was possible to make at a distance of about 40
yards, where it was stopped by the canvas.

'Having now demonstrated the practicability of making a steam-engine
fly, and finding nothing but a pecuniary loss and little honour,
this experimenter rested for a long time, satisfied with what he had
effected. The subject, however, had to him special charms, and he still
contemplated the renewal of his experiments.'

It appears that Stringfellow's interest did not revive sufficiently
for the continuance of the experiments until the founding of the
Aeronautical Society of Great Britain in 1866. Wenham's paper on Aerial
Locomotion read at the first meeting of the Society, which was held at
the Society of Arts under the Presidency of the Duke of Argyll, was
the means of bringing Stringfellow back into the field. It was Wenham's
suggestion, in the first place, that monoplane design should be
abandoned for the superposition of planes; acting on this suggestion
Stringfellow constructed a model triplane, and also designed a steam
engine of slightly over one horse-power, and a one horse-power copper
boiler and fire box which, although capable of sustaining a pressure of
500 lbs. to the square inch, weighed only about 40 lbs.

Both the engine and the triplane model were exhibited at the first
Aeronautical Exhibition held at the Crystal Palace in 1868. The triplane
had a supporting surface of 28 sq. ft.; inclusive of engine, boiler,
fuel, and water its total weight was under 12 lbs. The engine worked two
21 in. propellers at 600 revolutions per minute, and developed 100 lbs.
steam pressure in five minutes, yielding one-third horse-power. Since
no free flight was allowed in the Exhibition, owing to danger from fire,
the triplane was suspended from a wire in the nave of the building,
and it was noted that, when running along the wire, the model made a
perceptible lift.

A prize of L100 was awarded to the steam engine as the lightest steam
engine in proportion to its power. The engine and model together may
be reckoned as Stringfellow's best achievement. He used his L100 in
preparation for further experiments, but he was now an old man, and
his work was practically done. Both the triplane and the engine were
eventually bought for the Washin