Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-10
EoNVM W

latest invention of man to challenge the
laws of nature rose grandly into space
! and sailed over the greensward OF the
drill grounds. Higher and higher it rose.
| turned at slight angle as the aviator
| brought it around at the far side of the
! field and sailed along at increasing speed.
| There was hardly culver of the aero
| plane in the first few rounds of the field,
| Wright evidently having the steering APP
| paratus we'll in hand. Rising and lower
ing at will, the sight of the man-built
| bird was most impressive.
Round after round the machine travel
| ed on, cutting short turns. shooting along
| the stretches and presenting somewhat
| the appearance of an automobile racing
| about an imaginary course in the air
The aviator paid little heed to anything
but his levers for warping the surfaces
of the planes and controlling the planes
| which control the altitude of the craft.
| He seemed oblivious of the crowd below
until, having broken the record of 81 min
utes and 81 seconds, established by him
| in the morning, the crowd raised cheer
that told him of his new achievement.
Then Wright waved his acknowledge
mentS.
Before the fight was begun a watch
was tied to the seat next to Wright.
When he saw he had been aloft for over
an hour, the time required in order for
him to fulfill his contract with the gov
eminent. he made for Mother Earth
Swooping down in sort OF bump the
bumps fashion. the machine bore down
! The crowd quickly scattered, fearing the
| aeroplane would run them down.
Raising a cloud of dust as 1t slid along
on the skids, the aeroplane, which weighs
nearly a thousand pounds, came to stop
within twenty feet OF the crowd. AS
moved his goggles, he was greeted with
| lusty cheers.
| At the time a letter from his brother.
Wilbur, who has been making flights at
Iemans, France, was handed TO him.
| Wright smiled as he broke the seal.
| 1t was the first letter he had received
| from his brother for nearly two weeks
1t seemed to interest him more than
the record-breaking fight he had just
| completed.
! Lieut.. Selfridge. who operated the first
| successful aeroplane of the Aerial EX-
| pertinent Association at Hammondsport, N.
Y, was the first to congratulate wright
! Secretary Metcalf of the navy, Secretary
of War Wright and numerous army and
! navy officers, together with enthusiasts
| from every walk of life. gathered about
the wizard of the air to grasp his hand.
| AS three cheers were given Wright
calmly gave orders for repla cling the ma
chine on the starting track to prepare for
another flight.
| Turning to Lieut.. Lahm. one of the lead
ing aeronauts Of the army. Wright said:
|
1t was an invitation that needed no
repetition. There were no skeptics in the
crowd of enthusiastic spectators and
great number envied the favored lieuten-
| ant.
With the two men, Wright and Lahm.
| in their places the start was made at
GAO o'clock. The machine apparently
rose from the ground as easily with ITS
! increased burden as it had with only the
inventor aboard.
| AS it sped along the road bordering
Arlington cemetery it came in a direct
| line between the onlookers and the nun
September moon, serving to recall the
famous work of Jules Verne, "A Trip to
| the Moon"
| AS the machine completed the first
| round the motor "skipped'' on one cyl
inder On the succeeding five trips there
was no evidence that the engine built by
| the Wright brothers was overtaXed by
the great strain imposed on 1t.
| After the sixth lap beautiful landing
was made within a hundred feet of the
! aerial garage where the machine is
sheltered from the elements.
Wright. as usual. displayed no emotion
Lieut. Lahm was most enthusiastic.
1t beats spherical ballooning.' was his
first comment.
Il had fine trip, but did not attempt
to manipulate any levers / watched
Wright closely, however, as he handled
the controlling apparatus.
I'VE could see Washington in the dis
lance and everything that went on be-
low 1t was great sensation. am i'm
patient now until we have machine
| which we can operate ourselves.
Fifty-Five Circles Made.
In the first flight last evening the aero
plane circled the field tifty-five times at
an estimated speed of thirty-seven miles
an hour. The power was not fully turned
on in any of the flights. 1t is estimated
that q distance of 3S s. miles was covered
in the longest flight.
LAS the thermometer attached to the ma
chine registers only every ten kllometers,
said Wright, lit Is impossible for me to
tell accurately what speed l made. From
the figures registered l think II was
either 81 or AZ miles an hour
II will probably make few short flights
tomorrow, in order to see how my present
speed compares with that made in our
flights at Dayton and Kitty Hawk.
To the crowd that surrounded him after
landing fro mthe second flight Wright
appeared to be the coolest man around
and entirely free from nervousness, nor
did he show any signs OF fatigue. He
iokingly remarked, when somebody asked
him about the effect Of his experiences on
his health, that he weighed several pounds
more now than when he came to Wash
ington to start his experiments with his
flying machine.
| One feature that is annoying to the
aviator is the difficulty of conversing with
his companion Wueu o4c 10 Idhcu dAouS,
the signal office specifications requiring
the contractor to furnish a machine ca
BILE OF carrying two men. This was
demonstrated forcibly when talk between
the two men was limited because of the
high pitch to which it was necessary for
both Wright and Lahn to raise their
voices.
Yesterdays fight with a companion was
mot the first made by Wright During his
experiments in North Carolina some
months ago he took another person along
with him.
Distinguished Men Look On.
l Among the large number of officials who