The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-09-18
Remembered Engagement.

Remembered Engagement.
Major George o. Squier, chairman OF
the signal corps aeronautic board and
acting chief signal officer of the army,
was one of the first to see Mr.. Wright
after mis- injuries had been dressed. The
first words Mr.. Wright uttered were:
Il guess we won't take dinner together
tonight, major
They had dinner engaged this afternoon
Mr.. Wright's remarks to those about him
indicated that the shock which the news
of the accident would cause his family
was his chief concern.
While the surgeons were at work set
ting Mr.. Wrights leg. he asked an at
tendant 10 carry word to his assistant
Mr.. Taylor, to ask him to examine the
wrecked machine to ascertain If there was
anything wrong with the transmission
Mr.. Taylor, after examining the wreck
stated that he did not think there was
anything wrong with the transmission
Among the eyewitnesses was Charles
R. Flint of New York. international rep
resentative of the Wright brothers. Mr.
Flint was accompanied to Fort Myer by
Admiral and Mrs. Brownson. Mr.. Flint
said tonight that the Fort Myer
flights will be resumed as soon as
Mr.. Wright recovered and the machine
has been repaired.
Could Not Get Insurance.
Several days ago an admirer of the
Washington insurance agent for a life
policy in favor of Orville Wright Tho
agency applied in the regular way to the
nome office Today the agent received
pany, saying that 1--WE cannot issue a pol
icy in favor of Mr.. Wright or any one
else in his line of work. We consider
the hazard too great at this time but it
CATION will reach a development which
may change this view
Representatives of accident insurance
companies would not even consider a pol
icy in his favor
Accident Due to Defect.
Officers of the signal corps and other
enthusiasts at Fort Myer were inclined
TO express the belief that today's acct
dent was not due to a faulty principle,
but 10 a defect in the propeller, which
was made OF spruce. One of the men,
bers of the signal corps board who had
been conducting the Fort Myer tests said:
THE resumption of the aeroplane trials
will depend on the length of time which
it will take Mr.. Wright to recover from
his injuries. This accident will. of course,
seriously hamper the possibility of secur-
ing appropriations from congress for the
aeronautical work of the signal corps.
The Wright brothers. however. have even
more advanced ideas in regard to the air
flights, and If they continue their work
ii is very probable that the effect of this
one accident will be overcome"
The belief was expressed by a sergeant
OF the signal corps that the aeroplane had
been tempered with previous to its flight,
but this is improbable, because the ma
chine had been closely guarded while at
the fort
Should Not Be Condemned.
Charles White of White & Middleton,
Baltimore. mechanical expert. gave this
description Of the accident to Messrs.
Wright and Selfridge:
Tine aeroplane was performing beauti-
fully for six or seven minutes when sud-
denly one of the propellers broke near the
end This caused the machine to become
so thoroughly out OF balance through CEN
trifugal force as to make il unmanage-