The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-09
new AIR RECORD.
OrVille Wright Eclipses All Pre-
vious AerOplane Flights
Either in This Country or Eu-
rope at Fort Myers.
UP NEARLY AN HOUR.
He Circled the Parade Grounds
"a Separate Times.
The Maximum Height Reached
Was $50 Feet.

| when Orville Wright circled above the
broad parade grounds there, 81 times,
and remained in the air 81 minutes and
81 seconds. official time. His smashing
all previous records carried out his
promises of yesterday evening after his
| two remarkable ascensions when at the
maximum height of 60 feet, going 1OA
miles in all and averaging SO miles an
hour. he spent IL minutes in one fight
and eight minutes in the other.
Todays achievement was accom-
plished under ideal weather conditions
and in the presence of about % spec
tators aside from the soldiers. The as
cension was made at 1925 o'clock this
morning. 1t was an easy ride in the
air, the machine was under perfect
control and the aviator Travelled at a
speed approximating SO to SO miles an
hour.
Mr.. Wright expressed himself as
highly pleased at what had been ac-
complished by his machine and de-
clared that had he known that he was
so close to being in the air an hour he
would have remained that much long
er. He said he came down because his
motor slipped once or twice and that he
| thought he had only been in the air for
half an hour. He promptly announced
that he would make another attempt
later in the day, possibly not until in
the afternoon.
Except for the slipping of the motor
no trouble whatever was experienced
in the working of the aeroplane
Everything worked as smoothly as the
most perfectly adjusted clock and the
man who essayed to beat all previous
records in this branch of aeronautics
handled his invention with as perfect
ease as a trained engineer would
handle the lever of his locomotive To
some of those who had been closely
watching the performances of the ma
chine. the new record did not come as
a complete surprise. Orville Wright
has all along expressed complete con-
fidence in his ability to break all rec
ords and in his previous flights has
pointed out that the practically per-
feet working of his machine augured
the success which he purposed to
achieve. He did not even rest conten-
with his performance this morning for
Immediately after alighting he sent for
more gasoline and prepared for further
flights.
Tn $50 Feet. 4
The maximum height reached by
Wright today was $50 feet. AS the
machine was brought to the ground,
August Post of the New York aero
club of America, and Charles Taylor
Mr.. Wrights mechanic, pressed
ahead to congratulate the aviator
| They shook both hands.
''Fifty-seven thirty-one," said Tay-
lor.
GAS much as that?'' said Mr. Wright
questioningly.
why, if 1 had known we were that
close to the hour 1 would nave stayed
| the full time"
| That was really the situation Ap-
parently it would have been as ca sy
| for Mr.. Wright to stay in the air for
an hour and a half as it was TO stay
there 81 minutes odd. The motor was
working smoothly, there was not air TO
| speak of and ali conditions were ideai
! for the flight. There was no way for.
those on the ground to signal the
| aviator as to the time and ne came
| to earth after he had been up what ne
| estimated about 80 or 40 minutes
Time goes rather fast while you are
| in the air." he remarked with a quiet
smile and wiped his forehead of per-
SEPARATION. 81 really had no idea THAI
| had been up so long. 1 am glad we
| have the record for time in this coun-
try. Both my brother and myself
| wanted it that way. The next thing
we will try for is the hour"
Mr.. Wright Strengthened the kinks
| out of his back, for it is rather a
! cramped position hunched UP on the
aeroplane seat. He told his mechanic
| that he had better alter the back rest
| a little and make it more comfortable
| for future flights.
The start was made at S:25. There
was brilliant sun and what little air
| Was DlOWlnS came directly out of the
| north. The spectators consisted prin>
| cipally of newspaper men, photOgra-
| pliers and enlisted men from the post
| One or two officers of Fort Niye- were
on the ground. but none of the ar
! ship board from the war department
was present. The start was IDEAL but
differed little from the others that
| have been made. The weights fell anc
the big machine shot off the end or
the track with a scarcely perceptibie
from No cfa rf m, a
of the wheel the height was not abo,-c
| 80 feet and the operator kept the ma
chine we'll within the bounds of the
surrounding buildings and tents.
His Plane Grew Larger.
Then as the motor continued to run
smoothly. firing with a regularity of
shot dropping into a tin bucket the
aviator seemed to gather confidence
and the big plane commenced to climb
soon 1t was above the roof of the ar
tinery sheds and a little later topped
the balloon tent and was sailing on a
level with the trees in Arlington Gem
etery. The highest of these are about
60 feet. Round it swept, Mr.. Post
Keeping record each time the plane
passed the starting place. As the
flight continued Mr.. Wright increased
the size of the circle and soon was
sweeping out beyond the balloon tent
on the south edge of the field and hug
cling the wall of the cemetery on the
east. The biggest circle was certainly
about the limits of mile track
There was no way to estimate the
distance flown for the rounds expanded
and contracted at the will of the oper-
ator. The average probably was lit
tie less than mile and the total num-
Der was f1fty-seven. 1t was Just about
one minute to the circle of the drill
grounds. The motor was only running
at about three-quarters speed. the
setting not having been altered since
the long flight last night. What the
machine would be capable of on a
straight away course with the motor
running at full speed is still mystery,
but there seems little doubt that the