Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-09


dying down.
She. sailed .on an almost even keel close
to the point from which she had risen
Then the operator. with a little twist
threw the forward planes into the air ano
checked the drift OF the machine.
The bobbed with a little sort OF
curtsey and settled on the grass. SLIDING
not more than six or seven feet.
Tie little crowd that had been watching
the exhibition rushed forward and sur
rounded the machine. everybody anxious
to shake Wright's hand and congratulate
him on the success of the trip.
He did not look much like man who
had lust broken a worlds record He was
cTamped from long sitting in the same
position and made a Wry face as he I'M
coiled himself and crawled out through
the wires.
Glad America Wins.
While receiving the congratulations OF
the crowd ne wore the same quiet smile
that has characterized him throughout
his experiments. Pleased at the record
made he seemed particularly elated over
nothing except the fact that the long dis-
tance figures were again held in America.
Wright said. in talking the matter over
afterward. there was really little he could
say about the flight from the vantage
point of the operators seat. He said he
was feeling more and more in touch with
the machine and felt that each flight
Some of the shorter turns had been
made at an angle of almost 80 degrees
with the horizon. Wright said he was
not conscious of much of tilt al any
stage of the flight and knew that ne al
ways had Il large reserve OF fitting angie
and rudder power to bring him back on
an even keel.
He commented on the tempt alton of go
inS far off the parade grounds but salo
he did not wish to risk that yet.
From the highest point, he said, 1t was
easy to see all over Arlington. which was
spread out beneath him. but that the
view of Washington was cut on py pailhs
of early morning mist. The only tilng
perfectly plain from his position was the
Washington Monument, the upper part or
which was standing out above pahh oi
fog and cloud around its base.
This old WashingTonianS VIII recog-
nize as a tolerably familiar sight. But II
seemed to strike Wright as an unusually
interesting spectacle .
He said that when once ABOVE the trees
and the houses at the fort one lost all
fear Of them as obstacles, and there was
little inclination to regard them IN case
one wanted to make a flight into the sur
rounding country.
thermometers Capacity Limited.
There was little help in estimating the
distance flown from the thermometer ana
stop watch attached to the machine lhls
is only set for flight of ten kllometers
or less. On such long flight as was
made this morning. the little machine
ceases to serve as a distance recorder.
1t is possible that Wright VIII MAKE
another fight this afternoon between D
oDd & O'clock If he does he either VIII
carry a wrist watch to give him an loea
of the time or the black ROOF Oh She9
near the starting point may De u.iitLe re
by one of his assistants 10 Chalk up Jul
letins in large letters.
Lieut.. Selfridge of the airship board
came out from the War Department just
in time to meet Wright at the Aqueduct
bridge, coming back from his record
breaking flight He congratulated the
aviator on his success and promised 10 De
on hand this afternoon.
There were witnesses enough to the
fight to make an official record. Prob
ably the Aero Club will get up SUCH
document and have it signed
There were two successful flights OF
the aeroplane yesterday afternoon, the
first lasting eleven minutes and the sec
ond one six. They were both succesSfui.
and broke any records made at Fort
Myer up TO that time. But OF course they
dwindle into complete insignihcance COM
pared with the performance this morning
The speed on these flights was estimated
at between thirty-six and forty miles an
hour. But there will be no accurate meas
urements made until the official speed
test is held.
At the rate of progress now being made
1t looks as though this test would not
be long delayed.
Longest Record Doubled.
BY his wonderful flight Orville Wright
practically doubled the best official rec
ord ever made by heavier-than-air ma
chine
1t was only Sunday last that Leon
Delagrange, president of the Aviation
Club of France. established a new world s
record up to that time by remaining in
the air % minutes "a As seconds. He
circled the field at Issy, near Paris, if
teen and half times and covered a dis
lance of fifteen and one-quarter miles.
Monday Delagrange. after installing a
fuel tank of increased capacity on his
machine, made flight of thirty-one min
utes. But the record was not allowed to
stand, three minutes being deducted on
account of the machine having touched
the ground while making its first round
of the field.
Delagrange's sensational flights set all
Europe agog, especially as the foreign
field of aviation had but lately been in
vaded by an American. Wilbur Wright,
brother of the young man who accom-
pllshed today, at the army post over
looking Washington, the worlds most
spectacular trip in a flying machine not
inflated by gas.
The preparatory flights of Wilbur
Wright the field of LIE Mans, France.
had promised notable achievements But
the American aeroplanist had been able
10 remain In the air less than twenty
minutes when Delagrange succeeded In
establishing new figures both as to dura-
ton of flight and distance covered
The acclaim occasioned by the distin-
gClshed Frenchman's performance, how
ever. was in no way disconcerting to
Wilbur Wright, who still expressed con-
fdence that he would be the better able
10 fulfill the condition of the French
com petition.
Whether A. NJ. Herring who is under
contract to furnish aeroplane to the
Signal Corps, will deliver his machine
Monday, the day upon which, under the
contract, 1T must be at Fort Myer is the
question that is asked generally at the
fort
February 1 bids for a heavier-than-ail
hyinS machine were opened in the Office
or the board of ordnance and fortified.
tons. week later contract wa.
awarded to A. NJ. Herring for $4,000
Herring was required to deposit 81 OO(
as an evidence of good faith. II he doe.
not bring his machine to Fort Myer this
sum will be forfeited.
According TO his contract Herring was
TO have delivered his machine August Ii
AT that time he secured an extension o.
one month. He said then that he intended
TO bring his machine to Fort Myer unde,
It's own power, flying from some poin-
within 100 miles of Washington
There are numerous aeronauts at Fort
Myer who have seen various parts of Her
rings aeroplane. II is doubtful whethe,
any one has seen the complete machine
Herring's Big Claims.