Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-29
WRIGHT TO GET TIME
He'll Be Given an Extension
of Nine Months
TO MAKE OFFICIAL FLIGHT
Navy Aeroplane Must Float as Well
as Fly
AND STAY UP FIVE HOURS
AND STAY UP FIVE HOURS
Aviator Herring Hasn't Shown Up.
Baldwin Dirigible Shipped Back
Here-Wright Flies Long.

Secretary Wright today approved the
recommendation of the acting chief signal
officer of the army that Orville Wright's
contract time for delivering his aeroplane
to the government be extended to June
%, 1909. This was done in order to allow
Wright ample time to recover from the
injuries he received in the accident al
Fort Myer
The application for an extension was
signed by Catherine Wright, a sister who
has been at OrvilIe's bedside since shortly
after the accident. Today was the last
one on which Orville Wright had to de-
liver the machine to the government un-
der the original contract.
1t is felt that the machine already has
demonstrated all that It's inventors
claimed for tin fact. they claimed moth
ing for it except that it would come UP
to the War Department specifications. and
while these specifications seemed eXtraor-
dinarily exacting when they were issued
year ago, the machine met them sc
easily in the preliminary flights that the
officers looked upon the problem of flight
as already solved.
The machine is the only one SO fan
demonstrated that is admitted to have q
real system of control in the air. anG
while the accident that resulted in the
death of Lieut.. Selfridge is regarded as
deplorable. it has not affected the belief
Of the department in the soundness OF
the theory on which the machine is built
Exacting Navy Specifications.
In fact, the Navy Department expects
in few days to have out specifications
for a machine that will be much more
eXacting than those of the Signal Corps
1t will be demanded that the machine
be able to make forty miles an hour anC
stay up four or five hours. This will
necessitate carrying larger gasoline sup
ply. There must be floats, too, SO thai
the machine may alight in the water
after its return to the parent ship. The
Navy Department has appointed Lieut.
Commander Charles Sweet and Lieut.
Commander Cleland Davis to draw vi
the specifications. The bids will be Oper
to the world, as was the case with the
War Department bids, but the navy
rather expects that the Wrights will bt
the only people able to fulfill the condi
tons OF the contract.
At the signal service bureau today it wa:
said that nothing had been heard from A
NJ. Herring OF New York, who is now
on his second extension of time for the
machine he was to have delivered al
For: Myer August Ii. 1t has been sale
that Mr.. Herring is dissatisfied with the
testing ground at Fort Myer. and that hi
wants to try out his machine in secret
with one or two army officers. before
finally submitting to the official test. The
Signal Corps will deal with any Sucf
application when it is received.
Through With Baldwin Balloon.
ST JOSEPH, Mo-, September 29.-Dir.
igible balloon No. l of the War Depart
ment. which has been used here in ex.
perimental flights during the military
tournament, was shipped last night to Fort
Myer, Va, in charge of Lieut.. B. D
Foulois. Lieut.. F. p. Lahm has gone &c
Omaha, Neb., to take part in balloon
flights there.
Wilbur Wright in Long Flight.
LIE MANS. September 29.--WHbul
Wright, the American aeroplanist made
three successful flights last evening. On
the first flight he was unaccompanied an6
remained in the air for l hour minutes
IL 40 seconds. covering Il distance OF
about thirty miles. On the second flight
he was accompanied by the aeroplanis,
Tissandier and he succeeded in beating
the record for flight with a passenger by
remaining up IL minutes 81 % seconds
His previous flight with passenger was
made Friday last. when he remained in
the air minutes. l3 15 seconds at a
height of fifty feet.
Count Delambert was his passenger or
the third trip yesterday. when he covered
about 3Ia miles in minutes and IL sec
onds.