Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-03
AWAITING CONDITIONS
Airship Flight Again Delayed
by the Wind.
MACHINE IN READINESS
0rville Wright Hopes to Fly Plane
Before Nightfall.
HOW THE SKYFL1ER SCARS
HOW THE sKYFL1ER SCARS
Launching of Machine the Most I'M
portant Feature of the Passage.
Yesterdays Balloon Ascension.

"No flight this morning owing to vino
conditions" was the announcement or Or-
VILE Wright on the testing ground at fort
Myer early today. There was a sn1ah
crowd disappointed, but they consisted
mostly of newspaper men and photosra-
pliers, neither OF whom count. Ihere mao
been an effort to have a flight last nignt'
but the work was NOT completed III time.
The plane was brought out from the cal
loon tent just at dusk and run up ana
down on the starting track, but though
everything was in good working order 1t
was too late for fight. and 1t was said
thar contlitions being favorable there
would be fight this morning between
: and S o'clock.
A little after o'clock Mr. Wright ar
rived on the ground. accompanied by a
number OF newspaper men and photogra-
piers, who had made an early start In
hopes of getting a sight Of the first
fight. The conditions were good at I
o'clock, but there was about an hour
work In making further adjustments to
the track, and by the time everything
was in readiness there was a fifteen mile
wind blowing just at the back Of the ma
chine, hope for flight was again de-
layed till the calm that usually comes
about 4 o'clock in the evening.
The starting track has been laid on the
north side of the drill ground. There Is
a skeleton tower from the top Of which
weights are suspended. \ rope runs from
these weights through Il block 70 the
starting track, which Is about fifty feet
of single rail laid on the ground. The
weights are released by IL trigger and IN
| falling they pull the rope alongside the
| track and this starts the aeroplane at
high rate of speed. The motor is started
before the weights fall, and after the
| plane has run the length of the short
! track it is going at d speed that carries
| it into the air.
plane, and at the end of the track this
merely falls over and the plane mounts
| into The air free of all fncumbrance ex-
cept the landing sk:ds under it. When
the landing is made these runners come
into play and the machine settles on them
and slides along the ground.
NJ Wright says that q landing can be
safely made at speed Of 100 miles an
hour, and the operator does not Know gust
when the machine first touches the
ground.
Important Part of Flight.
The launching of the aeroplane is really
the most important part of the flight. and
it is because of this that Mr.. Wright is
being so careful about getting everything
in perfect condition. 1t is necessary to
rise against the wind. like soaring bird,
and this was the thing that prevented
the flight this morning. When the art
of flying Is a little more advanced the
starting track will be done away with
or else ii will be arranged to revolve
around the bottom of the tower SO as to
face whatever wind happens to be blow
ing
Everything seems to be IN good condi
ton for flight now, and If the weather
is good this afternoon there seems no
reason why the plane should not get into
the air.
There were a number Of visitors at the
drill ground yesterday afternoon One Of
| them was Capt. Willoughby, the owner of
the first bicycle imported into the United
States. Capt. Willioughby was the official
| pilot of the torepdo boats on their recent
| trip down the the Atlantic coast through
| the inland passage. He Is patron of au-
| tomobile races and owns a number of
| fine motor boats. He is also a member of
the Aero Club and interested in aerial
navigation.
Another of the visitors was Mr.. Fl. c.
Lake, father of Simon Lake the inventor
| of the submarine that bears his name
Maj. Sauires and Capt. Wallace of the
Signal Corps were on hand unoffi cially,
| as this was not to be an official test. One
| of the most interesting OF the photogra-
pliers there was Jimmy Hare of Col
| Tiers. a man who has been all over the
world on war and other stories and who
did some of the finest Photographic work
|
| churia.
Yesterdays Balloon Event.
| Lieuts Lahm, Foulois and Sellridge
were not on hand. having been carried
off in the spherical balloon early in the
morning and not getting back to Wash
ington till late.
The start was made from Fort Myer,
Va, at 1927 and a landing was affected at
point two and half miles south OF
| Pocomoke. Md, within a dozen miles of
| the Atlantic ocean, at 1.O2 pm.
( Lieut. Frank p. Lahm, the winner of
the 1905 James Gordon Bennett interna :
| tienal balloon race. acted as pilot, and
| accompanying him were Lieuts Benjamin
d. Foulois and Thomas e. Selfridge OF
the aeronautical division of the Signal
| Corps.
| Lieut.. Lahm has been entered as one Of
| the three representatives of this country
| in the international balloon race to take
| Mace at Berlin October. IL but It is now