New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-09-10
WRIGHT BREAKS
AEROPLANE RECORDS
WONDERFUL FLIGHTS At
FORT MYER.
Remains Up 6e Minutes and Is
Seconds in One of Three
Trials.
rrrom The Tribune Rureau.l


.Ao.tered all records for heavier -than-air ma
..h,nes when he sailed over the parade grounds
=. Fort Myer for So minutes and is seconds. 81
-,,nutes and 81 seconds, and again. with Lieu
..,-. r.ahrn by his side. for six minutes. These
e.-h+s which surpass those of the French avi-
..or Delagrange We're made without hitch,
o,a there was not a moment when the spec
...o-s did not realize that the man was COM
.,e,e master Of the machine. While no ofhciai
.,-...e If the speed maintained has been given
o,+ nv the authorities. it is judged by the ex-
-s-+s present 5hat Mr.. Wright covered at least
..,-,,,-seven miles an hour. and there is little
.o,,h, that the government will buy the ma
..,,s within the next few days. The after
tests az which the longest flight was
,ae and Lieutenant Lahm took his first aero
-,o,e ride, were witnessed by throng which
,,c,used General Nelson A. Miles and Secre-
,,-,es Wright, Straus and Metcalf. not to mem
.,o, host of army officers and civilians. AT
&c roorning test only a few newspaper men
.,s photographers were present That these
airbts record breaking they were Will be
r,,-,sssed by Mr. Wright in the trials at Fort
Mver is confidently predicted
REMAINS Up OVER AN HOUR
.+E.1e = m. as the sun was disappearing
,elovv the Virginia horizon, Mr.. Wrights aero
,,s,e rose and sailed over the drill GROUNDS
Higher and higher Il rose, turned at a Slight
-. =. ,ba aviator brought It around at the
Gar side Of the field, and raced along at increas-
a.. sread There was hardly a quiver Of the
dc sOf
wr Wright evidently having the steering ap-
-. ,a,l under control. Rising and lowering
al will. the sight Of the man-built bird was
,r,nressive. Rotnd after round the machine
travelled on. cutting short turns, shooting aIons
the stretches and presenting somewhat the ap-
,ssranca Of an automobile racing about an
,-n.vinarv course in the air The aviator paid
little heed 10 ANYTHING but the levers for warp
.nr tha nlanes and controlling the planes which
-erulate the height of the fight He seemed
ohl,vious of the crowd below until, having
broken the record of 81 minutes and 81 seconds
established by him this morning, cheer tnat
4o,a him NJ his new achievement was raised
Then Mr.. Wright waved his Acknowledgements
Before the flight began a watch was tied to
the seat next to Mr.. Wright, and when, little
later. ne saw that he had been aloft over an
hour the time required TO fulfil his contract
with the government, he descended SWooplhg
down in a sort of bump the bumps fashion.
the machine bore in the direction Of the crowd
which quickly scattered. fearing that the aero
plane would run them down Raising a cloud OF
dust as it slid along on the skids, the machine,
which weighs nearly thousand pounds,
stopped With ntwenty feet of the crowd AS
Mr Wright stepped from the seat and removed
his goggles he was greeted with cheers. At the
same time letter from his brother Wilbur, who
has been making flights at lie Mans, France
was handed 20 him. Mr. Wright smiled as he
broke the seal II was the first letter he had
received from his brother for nearly two weeks
and II seemed 10 interest him more than the
record breaking flight he had just completed
Lieutenant Selfridge who operated the first
successful aeroplane Of the Aerial Experiment
Association at Hammondsport n. " was the
first 10 congratulate Mr. Wright. Secretary
Metcalf Secretary Wright and many army and
navy officers together with enthusiasts from
every walk Of life gathered about the wizard
Of the air" TO grasp his hand. AS three cheers
were given Nr. Wright calmly gave orders for
replacing the machine the starting track TO
prepare for another flight.
TAKES LIEUTENANT LAHM Up.
Turning to Lieutenant Lahm one Of the lead
ing aeronauts Of the army, Mr.. Wright said:
How would you like to go up with me?'
Il was an invitation that needed no repetition.
There were no skeptics in that crowd Of en-
thusiastic spectators. and there were a great
number who envied the favored lieutenant.
With Mr. Wright and Lieutenant Lahm in
their places. the start was made at e:42 o'clock.
the machine apparently rising from the ground
as easily with its increased burden as it had
with only the inventor aboard. AS it sped along
oaav anna
in direct line between the onlookers and the
full September moon. recalling to many the
work Of Jules Verne "A Trip to the Moon"
AS the machine completed the first round the
motor skipped" one cylinder. but on the next
FIVE trips there was no evidence that the engine
built by the Wright brothers was overtaxed by
the great strain imposed on IT. After the sixth
lap q beautiful landing was made within
hundred feet Of the aerial garage" where the
machine is sheltered.
Mr. Wright. as usual, displayed no emotion,
but Lieutenant Lahm was enthusiastic at
beats spherical ballooning." was his first COM
ment- 7 had fine trip, but did not attempt
70 manipulate any Of the levers watched Mr..
Wright closely as he handled the controlling
apparatus. We could see Washington in the
distance. and everything that went on below.
1t was a great sensation. and am impatient
now until we have a machine we can operate
ourselves"
THIRTY SEVEN MILES AN HOUR.
In the first flight this evening the aeroplane
circled the field fifty-fve times at estimated
speed Of thrty-seven miles an hour. The power
was not fully turned in any Of the flights.
IL is estimated that 3s.5 miles were covered in
The longest flight
As the thermometer attached TO the machine
registers only every ten Kilometres" said Mr..
Wright, 'it is impossible for me 10 tell accurate
~ what sreeS I made Frou1 he figures