Rocket PoweR, InteRstellaR tRavel and eteRnal lIfe

In 1927, the Elmira Sunday Telegram stated that Daniel
Hungerford, the “recognized authority in aerial matters”,
was familiar with the work of Charles S. Teasdale,
who in Elmira in 1910 had built a glider and planned to
add an engine. The “five cylinder rotating plan” was to
weigh ninety pounds and develop sixteen horsepower.
177 Whether this plan related to the Hungerford-
Newlands patent in 1932 is unknown.
Both engines at the Curtiss Museum were on exhibit
in 2013. The larger, five-cylinder engine was shown
taken apart so that visitors could see the mechanism.
ROCKET-POWERED SOLDERING IRON
Daniel Hungerford said he and his brother devised this
item to speed aircraft construction work. Keith Marvin
wrote it was the press of the aircraft repair business that
induced the Hungerfords to develop their soldering
iron.
The Hungerfords said the idea was that the iron with
a blast of burned gas would push itself away from the
soldered area. Marvin said gasoline was used for fuel in
the iron and added,
Low octane – air-spark plug principle. This they
soon had, and after some experience they perfected
it, Attached to an air hose, once activated, the hose
and head gave a quick but firm jolt, not unlike the
kickback of a rifle or shotgun. When asked why the
head was used instead of the more conventional
iron which wouldn’t kick, Daniel explained: “In the
repair business, particularly during the annual
soaring contests, we had more than enough business
and had to do perfect work. Much of this
involved soldering, and after all, if you have a rocket
iron which works four times or so faster than the
regular type, it really does seem more practical.” 178
The iron was a gift from Marvin to the State Museum
in 2005.
ROCKET-POWERED LAWN MOWER
Marvin wrote, “This, sad to relate, was never finished;
it would have been more interesting to see how quickly
grass and weeds might be cut by rocketry, or how much
mayhem might have been created with hedges, bird
baths and the like, had the machine ‘gotten away.’” 179
AUTOMOTIVE CHASSIS
Marvin donated to the New York State Museum a sheet
of typing paper on which is marked by hand in pencil
“D. D. & F. S. HUNGERFORD INVENTORS AXLESS-
AUTIMOBILE MOUNT AND DRIVE.” A second notation
says “EXACT DATE OF CONCEPTION NOT
AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT MODEL OUT IN
OUR SHOP SOME WHERE BUT IN LATE 20’S OR
EARLY 1930’S”.
The drawing on the page shows what appears to be a
vehicle with four, independently-suspended wheels; in
an era of solid axles at both ends of automobiles, the
independently suspended wheels, indeed, were unusual.
Taped to the drawing is a letter Daniel Hungerford
sent to Keith Marvin on June 6, 1964.
Dear Keith:
Appended here to is an idea Floyd and I – puzzled
over once for some time many years ago – and
actually built some parts of a model – It is out in
our shop -. It will be some task to locate the parts
we did make - You will understand with one look
into our shop. Such a mess.
Full detail is now shown – obviously[.] Floyd was
right – when he said one day – Dan we have
enough planned to consume ten thousand years –
building-. Keith – I’m amazed –at the amount of
work you have done [on the ‘Wizards’ article].
Most sincerely
Dan
D.D. & F.S. Hungerford
If the model to which Daniel Hungerford referred
was a full, or near full scale, device, then it was attached
to the fuselage of a Curtiss Oriole airplane which
George Mapes remembers seeing in the Hungerford
shop in the 1940s. He recalls the airplane covered with
junk “ever since I knew him [Dan]”. The fuselage had
two wheels on it with a mechanism. “I really couldn’t
understand” for making them lean to change the center
of gravity. The idea was to use such a system in automobiles
for high speed cornering. 180 A photograph of
the Oriole fuselage being transported to the Curtiss
Museum in Hammondsport shows a portion of the left
side of the fuselage with a balloon type automobile tire
and wheel mounted under a fender. The fuselage subsequently
was rebuilt, without the suspension device,
as the part of a complete Oriole airplane on display at
the Curtiss Museum.
44 Daniel and Floyd Hungerford: Rocket Power, Interstellar Travel and Eternal Life, by Geofrey N. Stein