The midland journal., 1908-09-25
WASHINGTON LETTER.

The disaster. to the air. ship of Orville
Wright in which the Inventor was badly
injured and his companion killed is felt
keenly in Washington where the expert
ments were being made The official test
was to have been made this week and Mr.
Wright and the officials of the War De-
partment as we'll as the crowds who have
daily attended the trial flights were con.
fident that the aeroplane would pass all
Of the tests. 1t lies now in the shed
where it had been kept, mass of broken
wires, splintered wood and torn muslin.
Lieutenant Selfridge who accompanied
Mr.. Wright is dead, and Mr.. Wright with
a broken leg several broken ribs and
many bruises. is lying in the Army Hos.
pital at Fort Myer in the suburbs Of the
city. Of course every one has reason
why the propeller should have broken
and why the machine should have fallen
but it takes little technical knowledge to
see that when flying machine gets any
thing wrong with its machinery while in
air it has but one thing to do, and that is
to obey the laws of gravity and reach the
earth by the shortest line When an
automobile stalls on hill it may be
annoying but it is not dangerous. When
a flying mechanism fails it is not only
dangerous but probably fatal.
This fact postpones by many years the
time when flying machines will be useful
either for war or transportation and
before that time it will doubtless demand
heavier vital toll than those who shave
already fallen victims to the experiments
Lieutenant Selfridge was clever, prom
ising young man of twenty-six. He had
for several years taken the keenest in
terest in all air ships and had made many
ascensions. He was also the inventor of
some of the parts of the Baldwin dirigible
balloon and was fearless in experimenting
with them. His death, happily, was
painless as he-did not regain conscious
ness after striking the ground.
~
The official opening of the Inter
national Tuberculosis Congress took
place on Monday, when distinguished
scientific men from far away parts of the
earth met for the first time in three years
to discuss the progress that has been
made in the fight against the great white
plague and to exchange ideas for the
advancement of the work. Many distin-
guished officials of the Government who
have only the layman's knowledge of the
subject will address the convention, but
it is safe to predict that no one who
goes to the quarters prepared for the
convention in the National museum will
escape without having learned something
about the work in which its members are
engaged. There will be many compre-
hensive exhibits from European countries
and from the different states to show lust
how the scourge is being attacked and TO
demonstrate the scope of the crusade
against it. DIR. Carl Hamel of Germany,
is already putting in place the German
exhibit which will be small but> perfect
model of the tuberculosis colony at Belitz,
health resort near Berlin where the
most advanced methods are used in
caring for patients with that disease. 1t
will be true to scale. even to the forest of
balsam frs which surround the sanitorium
buildings. Sweden is sending a similar
exhibit in charge of one of the officers of
the Association for the Prevention of
tuberculosis whose members number
twenty two thousand and who support
this fiourishing society without the finan-
I'cial aid of the Government.
The many conventions which have
been held in Washington have at last
brought home to the residents that this
city is poorly provided with restaurants
where moderate prices prevail. To obvi-
ate this lack which would be keenly felt
by foreigners who are accustomed to dine
much better and at cheaper prices than
Americans, huge restaurant is being
added to the museum by number of
women who expect to be able to provide
meals for 5000 delegates daily. Enter
tainments of many sorts are being
arranged for the delegates, notably
garden party in the White House grounds
by the President and Mrs. Roosevelt.
Many sight seeing trips are also on the
program and not the least of the prepa-
rations for the comfort of the visitors is
the appointment of corps of interpreters
for ali the Europeans and a special one
for the Japanese who may attend.
~ 5
The couvening in Washington of three
important Congresses almost simultan-
eously will inaugurate ''small" social
season. A reception at the White House