Balzer Motor

Around the same time Horsman and Whitehead were attempting to add power to a glider via a small, 3hp gasoline motor, Smithsonian Director, Prof. Langley was too. Langley ordered a 3hp, gasoline aircraft engine in New York from a Hungarian immigrant named Balzer. Its delivery was similarly delayed:

Dream of Wings, pp. 259-260:

"On November 3, 1898, Richard Rathbun, Langley's secretary, sent a letter to Stephen M. Balzer, a New York inventor, inviting him to accept an order for a 12-horsepower motor weighing not more than 120 pounds complete with flywheel, water jacket, water, and all accessories. Balzer, a native of Hungary, had built the first automobile in New York City in 1894. The three-cylinder, rotary, air-cooled, internal combustion engine that powered this car first attracted Langley to Balzer."

Dream of Wings, p. 269:

"Manly paid a surprize visit to the Balzer shop on July 14, 1899. He found that the Langley engine was in precisely the same condition as it had been at the end of April." 

So far, it couldn’t yet be determined if the same engine-builder was involved. However, the commonalities are striking.

- New York engine builder

- three horsepower engine

- delayed delivery

- German/Hungarian.

At the time, Hungary was part of the restive Austrian Empire. It had a large German-speaking population, many of whom emigrated to America. Because Magyar is so different to indo-European languages, Hungarian immigrants tend to be a close-knit group. In this regard, Whitehead's German-Hungarian wife, Lujza, and his own ethnicity may have provided a second link to Balzer.