Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-14
MACHINE IS A WONDER
Wrights Succeed in Flying
Three Miles at Manteo, N. C.
MAKE THEIR BEST RECORD
Flight Changes Whole Aspect Of
Aerial Navigation.
WITHOUT THE AID OF GAS
Glides Through the Air Like Huge
Bird Under the Control Of the
operator-Weighs $50 Pounds.
MAKE THEIR BEST RECORD
WITHOUT THE AID OF GAS

operator-Weighs $50 Pounds.
MANTEO. N. c. May 14.-With the
ease and swiftness of a huge eagle. the
Wright brothers aeroplane made flight
of more than three miles yesterday. cir
| cling about the great sandhills at times
skimming along the surf dipping. rising.
| turning corners and landing within a few
yards of the starting point The distance
| was covered in q little more than three
! minutes. Both men rode in the machine
yesterday, which adds much to the impor-
| lance of the flight. This had been done
| only. once before. then by Farnum and
de la Grange In France and they made
| only a few hundred yards.
There is 10 longer any grounds for ques-
| tioning the performance of the men and
| their wonderful machine. Yesterdays
flights were observed by a group of men
congregated in the woods within mile
of the starting point. and by another
group of disinterested men who watched
them through powerful glasses from a
nearby point.
Did Not Know They Were Observed.
The wrights did not know that they
were being observed by any except the
lifesaving men who were assisting them.
nor did they regard their three-mile spin
as anything out of the ordinary. In fact.
the machine was brought to the ground
only because the operators discovered
something slightly wrong with the mech
anism. aid 1t was stated by one of the as
sistants that the machine could have gone
on for twenty miles at the same rate. ex-
cept for the desire of the operators to
correct every slightest defect the instant
1t is discovered.
Yesterdays performance, while not
equal to hundreds of flights the Wrights
| have made, will place them on new foot
Ing before the world. because 1t will be
the first time that considerable NUMBER
Of disinterested outsiders have ever seen
] them in any fights and doing what they
| have told others they could do.
At Head Of Worlds Flyers.
There is no longer any chance for ques-
tionine that they stand at the head Of the
worlds inventors and operators OF dy-
manic flying machines. Their flight yes
terday exceeds by nearly two miles the
flight made by Farman January Ii last.
when he won the Observation-Disclosures
prize. and far exceeds anything that
either Farman or De La Grange has &C.
complislfed since that time.
record OF twenty-four miles to beat. That
record was made October j, 1905. when.
they say. they made that distance In
thirty-eight minutes. going most OF the
short. their flight yesterday will practical
~ change the whole aspect of things In
the field of aerial navigation, because 1t
goes a long way to establishing that
night with a dynamic machine and with
out the aid Of gas is practical. and that
hAo ,fnN- ho n
trolled as easily as dirigible balloon
and surpasses the latter in speed and
progress against strong air currents
Going Against Strong Breeze.
For more than one-half the distance
yesterday morning the aeroplane was
blowing through a twentymile coast
breeze, but it appeared to move with
great steadiness and with just as much
speed going against the wind as sailing
with It, Every moment that the craft
was in the air 1t appeared to be every bit
as obedient to the will of the operator as
are the wings OF a bird.
The machine complete with its operator
weighs about $50 pounds. but to one
watching 1t 1t appears to glide through
the air with the buoyancy Of tissue
paper kite.
and out among the glittering sand hills
one must have imagined 1t to be huge
bird in soaring flight, except for the
constant roar and rattle of the motor and
somewhat rigid directness of Its course
for the greater part of the distance.
Began Flying Early.
Their first flight was made shortly after
sunrise yesterday morning, when the ma
chine went only about three-quarters of
a mile In a straight course. After this
short flight 1t was brought down. and for
a long time the Wrights could be seen at
work on the mechanism.
Later it was wheeled back again to the
starting track, and few seconds later
both men could be seen climbing into the
frame. and then the motor was started
Perhaps for two seconds the propeller
blades could be seen flashing in the sun.
and then the craft moved swiftly forward
for about twenty-five feet. when 1t lifted
from the track and sailed away. Instant
ly it gathered great speed.
At all times the operator could be plain
~ seen bending and turning he manip-
ulated the levers With a twist of one
lever one great wing Of the machine
would tilt up and away 1t would shoot to
the left or to the right. The twist of an
other lever and 1t would dart downward
or upward. the movement being more
easily accomplished than the manipula-
ton of an automobile under moderate
speed.
Another Flight Today.
The Wrights were flying again today in
their aeroplane. Pleased with their early
morning experiments Of yesterday. they
were up early today and had their air
ship flying before it was possible for WIS.,
itors to reach the scene of operations
from this point. which is twelve miles
distant across the sound. The weather
conditions were good again today.