The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-09-22

signal corps and serious injury Of
Orville Wright, presented cheerless
aspect today. The air Of gloom was
reflected in the faces of the brother
officers of the unfortunate lieutenant
when they met at the fort this morn
ing to make All official investigation
of the accident, in the manner in
which the usual morning cavalry drill
was gone through with, over the
very ground upon which the Inflated
aerial ship was wrecked. -
Lieut.. Sclfrdige' s body was today re
moved from the hospital at Fort Mey-
or to an undcrtaker's, where it will
remain until the arrival Of the young
officers father, who wired today from
San Francisco that he would like to
have his son buried either at Arling-
ton or West Point. a military fun
eral will be held and burial rpobably
will be at Arlington.
Miss Catherine Wright, the sister of
the injured aeropalnist, arrived here
from Dayton this afternoon and visit
ed her brother. Octave Chanute, Il
close friend and adviser of the Wright
brothers, Charles r. Flint and G.. e.
Taylor, and G.. w. Furness, Orvillc
Wright's mechanics, were the only
other persons permitted to see him
today.
Maj. Geo. O. Squier, acting chief
signal officer of the army, this morn
ing convened the board Of signal Off
GERS for the purpose of making All
official inquiry into the death of Lieut.
Selfridge. Maj. Charles Mex. Saltz-
man acted as chairman and Capt.
Charles S. Wallace and Lieut.. Frank
P. Lahm were the other members pres
ent.
The wreclSage Of the aeroplane had
been placed in the shed last night
and the'members Of the board, accom-
panied by Octave Chanute and Prof.
Albert Zahm of the Catholic univer-
sity, both of whom are authorities on
aeronautics, inspected the tangled
mass. 1t was seen that the broken
piece of the propeller was indcnted
as though it had come in contact with
wire.
During the inquiry several eye wit
nesses we're questioned, among them
being DR.. Spratt, who was present
during the earlier experiments of the
Wright brothers in North Carolina,
Scrgt. Sweeney Of the artillery corps,
Sergt. Downey of the signal corps and
other members Of the artillery, caval-
ny and signal corps who were among
the first on the scene.
Maj. Squicr, as acting chief signal
officer, reviewed The findings Of the
court, which were given out by Mai
Squier as follows:
"The board finds that the accident
which occurred in an unofficial flight
made at Fort Meyer, Va, at about
5.lS p m. on September II, 1908, was
due to the accidental breaking of a
propeller blade and q consequent un-
avoidablc loss Of control, which re-
suited in the machine falling to the
ground from a height Of about rs
feet
'T he board finds that First Lieut..
Thomas E.. Selfridge, First field aril-
lery (attachcd to the signal corps by
war department orders and assigned
to aeronautical duty), accompanied
Mr.. Wright, by authority on the
aeroplanc, for the purpose of official
ly receiving instruction, and received
injuries by the falling Of The machine
which resulted in his dcath.'
Contract Not Invalidated.
The signal corps will proceed with
its acronautical work and it is under
stood the Wright brothers will be per-
mtted to make their official trial
whenever they are ready, without en-
dangering their chance of receiving
the contract price of $25 900 for their
aeroplanc
Mr.. Wright s assistants, Taylor and
Fmness, took with them to the hos
pltal today two of the broken parts
OF the aeroplanc; the piece of the pro-
peller which gave the first indication
to tie spectators that an accident had
occurred and the attachment which
held one of the controlling wires fast
to thn rudder. They showed these to
Mr.. Wright, who said to Taylor:
"I'he machine was already recover