Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-05-29
miscellaneous &eadins.
FLYING MACHINE THAT FLIES.
Successful Experiments Of the Wright
Bros, at Kill Devil Hill.

Hill-that's the place where the fly
ing machine is, and where the day be
fore I started out to look for it, it go
smashed up-is, as I have already
stated far out towards the storm.
dangerous eastern shore Of Nortf
1 Carolina, some ten or twelve miles the
other side of the end Of the world
which is at Manteo. 1t is the hill upor
which some several hundred years
Iago-the histories and story books
know when-the Indian chief, Man
teo, or some other heap big Injun,
killed the White Doe, in which the
spirit of Virginia Dare had taken ref
uge. He killed this White Doe with
a silver arrow presented to him by
Queen Elizabeth. And when he did
it, there was great rejoicing in Injun
land, because they thought the White
Doe, which had been wandering for
years up and down the shore, was the
devil. And now this flying machine
has taken it first flight from this same
| Kill Devil Hill, the first time in the
history of the world that man has
really flown successfully in heavier
than air machine, soaring back and
forth up and down the bleak shore
among the sand dunes, sand crabs
and pebble filled winds Of the shore.
Is it the soul of Virginia Dare, the
first white child born in America, or
is it the devil?
Chartering a fisherman's boat,
propelled by a greasy chu-chuing,
throbbing. gasoline engine, I gathered
together a small party at Manteo and
hied me away across Albemarle sound
for Kill Devil Hill. Nag's Head was
our first stop. Once there was an old
pirate by the name of Edward r.
Teach, who had his Office on the mar
row strip of land which encloses AL
bemarle sound, just few miles below
Kill Devil Hill. He had an old nag
upon whose head he used to tie lam
tern and drive her up and down the
beach. 1t was q particularly danger
Gus shOaly shore there and sailors out
at sea going past would see the light
moving and think 1t was a boat. Since
the sailors were having a pretty hard
| time Of 1t themselves and seeing the
other boat moving smoothly along,
| they would steer their vessels toward
the supposed boat to get into better
channel, when low. they would strike
the shoals. This was what the old
pirate was wanting, and he would go
out, stick knives through the sailors
and take their gold and jewels. He
was a sharp old pirate, and If he lived
at the present day he would have his
office in Wall street instead of on that
desolate place, which was named af-
| ter his horse.
| After the usual experience with the
motor boats engine, somewhat auto
mobilious, you understand, and after
climbing over a few sand dunes,
marshes, quick-sands and things, we
reached Kill Devil Hill, and there,
sure enough, was the flying machine
mailed up In boxes, they say: l
| OIlly lIldl IL was llOl
if it existed anywhere. it was in the
big barnlike house they called the
camp
The only natives" anywhere in
sight of the whole neighborhood were
some six or eight life savers-techni-
caly or professionally so-called-at
the United States life saving station
beside the roaring sea, a short dis
tance from the camp. These life saw
ers have been at this station since
1878. during all of which time they
have never been known to handle a
wreck or to save a life. Their special
ty seems to be, not to save life, but to
kill time. This may be another reason
for calling the place Kill Devil Hill,
Old Father Time being the devil, as
many folks are quite willing to attest
| The flying machine was a boon to
these poor fellows away there on the
desolate uninhabited shore, who had
nothing to do at all the live long day
but sit and look at one another. stare
at the ocean or make toad frog houses
in the sand. They watched the won
derful performances of the flying mer
from the top of the sand dune. Each
one of the life savers could tell Won
derOus things about it, and they each
had a theory about the puzZline
Wright brothers and the problem o.
flying. Ever since 1 had struck the
North Carolina line l had found the
air full of the flying machine and the
Wright brothers, not anywhere viSi"
BILE. but everywhere in the air audible
At Elizabeth City, on the boat goint
to Manteo, nobody could talk Of any
thing else. The mOnstrOus perfor'
manceS over at Kill Devil seemed t.
occupy the minds of all, men, womer
and children. Very few had seen it
though everybody claimed to be OF
intimate personal terms with the in
ventors. Accordingly / was enter
tanned with the most wonderful tales
At last I had reached folks who had
actually seen it. And these life saw
ers or time killers told me about it.
what was. what had been and wha
was going to be, not going it particu.
, larly strong, however, on the last, fol
they had little imagination, in spite OF
their intimate association with the
mystic and majestic sea. One of these
=. fellows showed me a picture of the
= machine in flight in a New York pa
per, which, by some wonderful. mex
plicabe process. had been blOwr
across the wide eSpanse of water
shifting sand dunes and still wider
expanse Of ignorance.
"Thar's the picture" said he. 1.-THE
fellow sho' got a good iii"
1t was an excellent picture indeed
, and, as | was admirng it and envyint
the luck of the man who had man
aged to take such a perfect photo
. graph, | asked, when was this pic
ture taken?'
Thursday" he replied.
why the papers dated Thursday,
/ said.
That don't make no diffunce," n
said. THAT ar picture wuZ TUX Thurs