Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-01-13
THE MACHINE
REALLY FLEW
Wright Brothers, Of Indiana, Are the
Latest to Make a Successful Test
Of Flying.
CONDITIONS NOT FAVORABLE
Four Flights, All OF Which Were Sue.
c~essful, Were Made Against
a stir Wind.

Dayton. o., Jan. S.-Wright Bros,
inventors OF the flying machine which
has attracted such widespread atten.
ton. have prepared the following,
which they say is the first correct
statement OF two successful trials
made " hem:
On the morning Of December 18th,
between 1890 and noon, four flights
werem AIDE, two by Orville Wright and
two by Wilbur Wright. The starts
we're all madef RON a point on the lev.
el and about 200 feet west of our
camp, a quarter OF a milen orth of
the Kill Devil sandhill, In Dare coun.
ty, North Carolina. The wind at the
time OF the flights had a velocity OF
q miles an hour at 10 o'clock, and "a
miles an hour at noon, as recorded by
an aerometer at the Kitty Hawke
weather bureau station, This aero
meter is 80 feet from the ground. Our
own measurements, made with a hand
aerometer at a height of four feet
from the ground, showed a velocity
of 22 miles when the first flight was
made, and 22I2 when the last flight
was made. The flight was made di
rectly against the wind.
Each time the machine started from
the level ground by its own power
with no assistance from gravity oil
other course whatever. Alter a run
OF about 10 feet along a monorai,
track. which held the machine eight
inches from the ground, IL rose IRON
the track, and, under direction OF the
operator, climbed upwards on an in
| clined course until a height Of eight
or ten feet from the ground waS
reached, after which the course was
kept as near horizontal as the vino
gusts and limited skill OF the opera
tor would permit. Into the teeth Of
the December gale the flyer made itS
way with a speed OF ten miles al
hour over tn ground. and of 80 TO g.
miles an hour through the air. 1t hac
previously been decided that for rea
sons OF personal safety these frs
trials should be made as close to thu
ground as possible. The height cho
sen was scarcely efficient for maneu
vering in so gusty a wind. and viii
no previous acquaintance with thu
conduct OF the machine and its con
trolling meChanisms. Consequent!
the first flight was short. The sue
cceding lights rapidly increased il
length. and at the fourth trial a iigh
oil % seconds was made, in which tn
machine flew a little more than a hal
a mile through the air. and a distance
OF more than So feet over the ground
The landing "A due TO a slight crro
OF Judgment on the part uf the nayi
gator. After passing over a it'll
hammock ii sand, IN attempting I,
bring the machine down TO the desire,
height, the operator turned the rudde'
too Jar and the machine turned down
ward more quickly than had been ex
pected. The reverse movement OF th'
ruddr was a fraction OF a second too
late to prevent the machine iron
touching the ground and thus endinl
the flight. The whole occurrence oc
cupied little, if any, more than on'
second OF time.
Only those who are acquainted will
practical aeronautics can appreciate
the difficulties OF attempting the frs
trials of a flying machine in a 25.mil'
gale. As winter had already set Il
we should have postponed our tria
TO a more favorable season, but 10
the fact that we were determined, he
fore returning HON, to know whethc,
the machine possessed sufficient pow
er to fly. sufficient strength to with
stand the shock of landings and suffi
cient capacity OF control to make {
flight safe in boisterous wind as wei
as in calm air. When these points
had been definitely established We a
once returned home, knowing this
age Of the flying machine had CONT
at last.
From the beginning we have EN-
ployed entirely new principles OF con
troll. and as all experiments have beer
conducted at our expense without as
sistance from any individual or insti
tuition, we do not feel ready at pres
ent to give out any pictures or detail