Harriman Aerocar Concepts

[hesham]

Hi,

J Emery Harriman, possibly Brookline MA?
Harriman Aerocar Artist's concept
Harriman Aerocar A better artist's concept (National Archives)

Aerocar 19?? - No data found on this fanciful critter that appeared on a postcard. Design seems much earlier than supplied date of 1910, could even be pre-Wright. A working or filial relation with the following entry?

http://www.aerofiles.com/_h.html

 

[riggerrob]

Those gaps at the wing roots would have substantially increased drag and reduced climb performance.

 

[hesham]

Those gaps at the wing roots would have substantially increased drag and reduced climb performance.

That's right Riggerrob.

 

[hesham]

From Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/5AGmci

View: https://www.flickr.com/photos/amphalon/3018060351/in/photostream/

 

[fortrena]

From the looks of it, John Emery Harriman, Jr., a civil engineer from Boston / Brookline, filed for a patent in February 1904. He seemingly got it (972,448) in October 1910.

As of February 1912, the aeroplane in question, a foolproof machine it was hoped, had yet to be completed. Whether or not it was completed is unclear.

A drawing all but identical to the one above can be found in the March 1st, 1912 issue of The Duluth Herald (p. 21).

Harriman died on May 18th, 1916, in his 49th year.

 

[Stargazer]

Some info I gleaned on the web over the years (some of it no longer available).
I'm attaching the image of the Harriman stock, and also the Harriman patent.

Harriman Aeromobile Company
Harriman Brothers, Engineers, 53 State St. Boston, MA Mr. J. Emery Harriman Jr. Boston, MA
1910-1911- Company developed two general purpose engines and displayed them at the Boston Aerial Exposition of February 1910 as potential aeronautical engines:
- Harriman Rotary Internal Combustion engine
- Harriman Rotary Steam engine

Source: http://www.massaerohistory.org/MA_Engine_Mfrs.html#Harriman [NO LONGER AVAILABLE]

One of Mr. Urmston's favorite certificates was issued by the Harriman Aeromobile Co. in 1911, and is now valued at around $2,000. "It has a great picture of a flying machine that flapped its wings like a bird," he said. "It managed to get off the ground, but the company didn't."

Source: The New York Times; "Collectors Seek Out Old – and Scandalous – Paper", by Judith Rehak (published July 8, 2000)

https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/08/your-money/IHT-collectors-seek-out-old-and-scandalous-paper.html

HIGHLY DESIRABLE EARLY AMERICAN AVIATION STOCK
HARRIMAN AEROMOBILE
1911, Maine. A truly exceptional blue vignette of an early bi-plane with an inset stating “Aerocar
designed by J. Emery Harriman, Brookline, Mass, USA. Patented Oct. 11, 1910.” An extremely rare,
early American aviation stock.

Source: http://www.scottwinslow.com/images/file/catalogs/2000-SUMMER.pdf [NO LONGER AVAILABLE]

J. Emery Harriman, Jr., inventor of the aerocar, has just launched the first of his machines and named it the Sealandair. It has not yet been in the air, but its trial on the water of Dorchester Bay was satisfactory. In a 14 mile wind with three passengers aboard, it developed a speed of eight miles an hour against the wind. A 10-horse-power motor was used. In the air it will have 125 horsepower to propel it and Mr. Harriman thinks it will make 20 miles an hour. Tha air propeller will be installed within a month, when the first air trip will be essayed.

Source: The Sunday Oregon (Portland, April 7, 1912)

The Harriman hydroaerocar, which is being tested out near Boston, is now equipped with wings and Mr. Harriman is studying the action of these wings and of the canopy above them while running the boat along the surface of the water. It will be a month, at least before he has made all the observations necessary, and is ready to go into the air. Mr. Harriman expects to go into the car while in the air by manipulating the canopy above the wings and in case of accident he expects this canopy to act as a parachute.

Source: The Sunday Oregon (Portland, October 6, 1912)

 

[Aerohydro]

Some images of the 1912 Harriman Hydroaeroplane; these come from the Library of Congress's Flickr account.

In the first image, showing the machine from the front, note how the interplane struts match those seen in the promotional material.

Cheers,
Paul

 

[Aerohydro]

In 1914 Harriman gave a talk on "Mechanical Flight", a summary of which can be read here;.

United States Naval Institute Proceedings - May-June 1914 - pp 915-920​

I've attached scans of the three illustrations which accompanied the printed article. The last shows a catamaran airship, which Harriman called "a pivoted parallel dirigible, adaptable to land, air and water". I think the drawing at the top right shows the craft in "land mode", while the drawing at bottom left shows it in "water mode".

Note the two HydroAerocars nestled between the envelopes.