The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-01-06
AIRSHIP WAS A
GREAT SUCCESS
The Wright Brothers Give Out a
Statement Regarding Their
Recent Experiments.
Their Machine Succeeded in Travel
ing Into the Teeth of a
Winter Gale.

Dayton, Ohio, Jan. 6.-The Wright
brothers, inventors of a flying ma
chine which has attracted widespread
attention., have prepared the follow
ing which they say is the first correct
statement of the two successful trials
made by them:
con the morning of Tee. II four
flights were made, two by Orville
Wright and two by Wilbur Wright.
The starts were all made from point
on the level. The wind had velocity
of from "a to 27 miles an hour, as re-
corded by the aerometer at the Kitty
Hawk weather station. The flight was
made directly against the wind
Each time the machine started
from the level ground by it's own
power, with no assistance from grav-
ity or other source whatever. After
q run of about forty feet along a
mono-rai track, which held the ma
chine eight inches from the ground,
1t rose, ard under the direction of the
operator climbed upward till a height
of eight or ten feet from the ground
was reached, after which the course
was kept as near horizontal as the
wind gusts and the limited skill of the
operator would permit.
The First Trials.
ut had previously been decided that
for reasons of personal safety these
first trials should be made as close to
the ground as possible. The height
chosen was scarcely sufficient for
maneuvering in so gusty wind and
with no previous acquaintance with
the conduct of the machine and it's
controlling mechanisms. Consequent
ly the first flight was short. The sue
ceeding flights rapidly Increased In
length and at the fourth trial flight
of SO seconds was made in which the
machine flew a little more than half
q mis- thru the air and distance of
more than S52 feet from the ground.
1.-The landing was due to a slight
error of Judgment on the part Of the
navigator. After passing over a little
hummock of sand in attempting to
\ bring the machine down to the de-
. sired height, the operator turned the
turned dow inward more quickly than
had been expected. The reverse
movement of the rudder was a frac-
\ ton of g, second too late to prevent
( the machine from touching the
ground and thus ending the flight
The whole occurrence occupied little
[ If any more than one second of time
Weather Unpropitious.
Y "Only those who are acquainted
Z with practical aerOnautics can appre-
|, ciate the difficulties of attempting the
I 1lESL lIldlS ,Ol IL Lying liiStCilllC III q
L twenty smile gale. AS winter ha6
! already set in, we should have post.
poned our trials to a more favorable
season but for the fact that we were
II determined before returning home tt
know whether the machine possessed
sufficient power to fly sufficien
strength to withstand the shock O.
landings, and sufficient capacity O.
control to make flight safe in bolster
GUS winds as well as in calm air
\ When the points had been definitel!
\ established, l we at once returned
1 home, knowing that the age Of flying
I machines had come at last.
1--WE have employed entirely nev
principles of control and as all the ex
I periments have been conducted at gu
1 own expense without assistance from
i any individual or institution, we d
4 not feel ready at present to give on
any pictures or detailed description o
the machins.n