Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1908-09-17
At Last Man Can Fly.
Man has conquered the air.

what for ages has been dream.
he has added another achievement
to the most wonderful age in the
worlds history; an age which, in little
more than generation, saw the de-
velopment of the electric light, the
telephone, the phOnograph, the type
writer, wireless telegraphy, the sub
marine and the automobile.
Over the parade ground Of Fort
Meyer, near Washington City, among
the Virginia hills, Orville Wright,
seated upon frame of wood and steel
and cloth, for more than An hour
swept through the air, travelling at
rate which at times approached fifty
miles an hour.
In great broad circles like those of
a huge white eagle, this machine-in
no sense balloon, but a real flying
dsvice-swooped and glided. Now it
was close to the earth, now it scared
$50 feet in the blue sky. 1t was hy-
ing-the most perfect mechanical fly
ing the world has ever seen.
Wright broke one record in the
morning, when he remained in the
air 81 minutes 81 seconds. In the
evening he smashed this record by
sweeping aloft for 80 minutes Is Sec
onds. Then, when this was over, he
took on his airship companion, and
for six minutes the two men scared
above the trees and buildings.
Below, members Of cabinet, army
officers and men of science watched
the evolutions, thrilled and awed.
And this demonstration Of the 9th Of
September, 1908, wonderful as it was,
is but an infants step in the develop
ment which the Wrights and other
men who have made a study of avis.
tion declare will come in the next few
months.
OrVille Wright, in his phenomenal
flights last week, established new aero.
plane records that not only assure the
SUCCESS of the official trials before the
army board, but indicate that aerial
flight is now only a matter of devsl-
opment. War on land and sea will
find in the aeroplane valuable means
of reconnaissance and possible carnage.
The morning flight was witnessed by
only handful of enthusiasts, but the
news spread 80 rapidly that several
hundred persons gathered on the mil
itary reservation across the Potomac
from the national capital to see the
afternoon event.
At 5.l6 o'clock, as the sun was dis
appearing below the Virginia horizon,
the latest invention of man to chal.
lenge the laws of nature, rose grandly
into space, and sailed over the green
swsrd of the drill grounds.
Higher and higher it rose, turned
at a slight angle as the aviator brought
it around at the far side of the field
and raced along at increasing speed.
There was hardly culver of the
aeroplane in the first few rounds of
the field, Mr.. Wright evidently hsv.
ing the steering apparatus we'll in
hand.
Rising and lowering at will, the
sight Of the msn-built bird was most
Impressive. Round after round the
machine travelled on, cutting short
turns, shooting along the stretches and
presenting somewhat the appearance
of an automobile racing about an i'm
aginary course in the air.
The aviator paid little heed to any.
thing but his levers for warping the
surfaces OF the planes and controlling
the planes which control the altitude
of the craft. he seemed oblivious to
the crowl below until, having broken
the record of 81 minutes and 81 Sec
onds established by him in the morn.
ing, the crowd raised cheer that told
him Of his new achievement. Then
Mr.. Wright waved his acknowledge
ments.
At the close of the fight the ma
chine came down as gently as steam
er coming to dock. Half around away
from the starting point it could be
seen that the operator intended to de-
scend. The big craft drifted lower
than on the previous round, and as
she came arouud toward the derrick it
was apparent the sngine had been cut
out and was dying down. She called
on an almost even keel close to the
point from which she had risen, and
then the operator, with little twist,
thre1 the forward planes into the air
and checked the drift of the machine.
She bobbed with little sort of curt
sey and settled on the grass, sliding
not more than ak or seven feet.