Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-05-15
New Aerop|ane Sails at
Rate Of z Miles a Minute.
Easily Controlled and Returns
10 The Starting Point.
Successful Days Flight Ends With
q Bad Wreck.


Wilbur and Orville Wright, who have
for two weeks made successful flights
with their aeroplane at Kill Devil
hill, N. c., for, after the greatest
flight ever made with a similar ma
chine the aeroplane was wrecked.
Wilbur Wright. the navigator, es-
caped unhurt except for a scratch on
his face. but the machine was smash
ed and is now useless for further
tests.
The aeroplane had flown eight miles
in l minutes and 40 seconds under per-
feet control and the disaster was due
to an error by the navigator, who di-
rected the course of the machine down.
ward too quickly. The wrong lever
was used and the bird-like framework
darted downward, striking the ground
with great force.
Manteo. N. c., May H.-Circling in
mid air with the buoyancy of a kite
ard responding readily to each turn Of
the levers which guided the 95O-pound
machine, the aerOplane invented by
Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton.
Ohio continued it's remarkable feats
today, covering more than seven miles
on one of it's flights. Over the heads of
the small. scattered party of unwel-
come spectators, some of whom leveled
cameras and field glasses at it, the
airship sailed for miles above the
well-nigh desOlate country in the vi
cinity of Kill Devil Hill lifesaving sta
ton, where a narrow sand pit sepa-
rates the waters of the Atlantic from
those of Albemarle sound.
Today's experiments proved but a
repetition of yesterdays achievements,
when the dauntless aeronauts accom-
plished four successful flights, two of
them after sunset, covering three and
a half to four miles each time and do
ing four miles down the coast in 2
minutes and so seconds at an altitude
of 40 feet. The aeronauts alighted each
time, moreover, at the place of start
ing.
TOday's flights Were satisfactory to
the inventors and both the morning
and the afternoon were utilized. The
inventors were astir early and had
their airship ready and in operation
at an hour when it was impossible for
the visitors to reach the immediate
neighborhood of Kill Devil hill from
Manteo. the nearest place where
strangers can be domiciled, good
dozen miles across the sound. Every
thing favored the test. The weather
conditions were good: the atmospheric
conditions seemed to be in accord with
the best hopes of the aerial navigators
and the wind was but a 12-mile-an-
hour blow from the southwest. The
"heavier- than-air'' machine glded
oSi1
to the touch of the levers and trav-
ersed four miles. finally landing with
in hall a mile of the starting point.
A. second flight was made this af-
ternoon. Promptly at o'clock the trip
began, and it covered between seven
and eight miles, the aeroplane this
time landing two miles away from the
starting place After both flights the
machine appeared to be in splendid
working order.
The inventors will continue their ex-
periments here as long as they can do
SO without being hampered by too
many curious eyes. The aeronauts are
afraid some one may learn their Sc
cret and they are taking no chances
in safeguarding the machine. They
keep it in a sheltered house behind q
sand dune near the lifesaving station
and sleep close to it with loaded rifle
within reach. When any persons such
as a newspaper correspondent or pho
tographer is anywhere on the beach
the inventors lose no time in covering
the aeroplane and carrying 1t to their
house. Nevertheless, quite number
Of visitors have arrived in the vicin-
ity, mostly magazine and newspaper
writer's and photographers.