Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-09

With every worlds record knocked
into a cooked hat. Orville Wright this
brought his aeroplane to
ground at Fort Myer after a flight Of
ffty-seven minutes and thirty-one sec
onds.
August Post Of the New York Aero
Wright's mechanic, were the first to
the aviator. They shook
both his hands. and there was nothing
to choose between them.
"Fifty-seven, thirty one" said Tay-
lor
LAS much as that?" said Wright, ques-
tioningly. why, if 1 had known we
were that close to the hour / would
have stayed full time"
That was really the situation Appar-
emily it would have been as easy for
Wright to have stayed in the air for
an hour and half as it was to stay
there fiftyseven minutes.
The motor was working smoothly.
There was no air to speak Of. All con-
ditions were ideal for the flight
There was no way for those on the
ground to signal the aviator as to the
time. He came to earth after he had
been up what he estimated abont forty
minutes.
Glad America Holds Record.
Time goes rather fast while you arc
In the air. he remarked, with a quiet
smile, and wiped his forehead of perspi-
ration. Il really had no idea that l had
been up so long.
Il am glad we have the record for
time in this country. Both my brother
and myself wanted it that way. Tho
next thing We will go for is the hour"
wright Strengthened the kinks out Of his
back. 1t Is rather a cramped position
hunched up on the aeroplane seat He
told his mechanic he had better alter tho
back rest little and make it more COM
Portable for future flights.
The start was made at S:25 o'clock this
morning. There was a brilliant sun.
What little air was blowing came directly
out of the north
Not more than twenty people were pres
ent at the start. There was scarcely
more than twice that number present to
view the finish Of the record breaking
flight.
The crowd consisted principally OF
newspaper men, photographers and en-
listed men from the post. One or two
officers of Fort Myer were on the ground
None of the airship board from the War
Department was present.
The start was ideal, but differed little
from the others that have been made
The weight fell and the big machine shot
Off the end of the track with a scarcely
perceptible lift from the start.
On the first round of the wheel the
height was not above thirty feet. The
operator kept the machine we'll within
the bounds of the surrounding buildings
and tents.
Aeroplane Climbs High.
Then. as the motor continued to run
smoothly, firing with a regularity Of shot
dropping into a tin bucket. he seemed to
gather confidence. The big plane COM
menced to climb
Soon he was above the roof Of the
artillery sheds A little later he topped
the balloon tent and was sailing on
level with the trees in the Arlington
cemetery The highest of these trees are
about sixty feet.
Round and round the machine swept.
time after time. August Post kept record
each time the plane passed the starting
point.
AS the flight continued Wright increas-
ed the size of the circles. Soon he was
sweeping out beyond the balloon tent on
the south edge of the field and hugging
the wall of the cemetery on the east.
The biggest circles were certainly about
the limits of a mile track.
There was no way to estimate the dis
tance flown. The rounds expanded and
contracted at the will of the operator.
The average probably was little less
than mile, and the total number OF
circles was fifty-seven. 1t was just about
one minute TO the circle of the drill
grounds.
The motor was only running at about
speed, the setting not hav-
ing been altered since the long flight last
night. What the machine would be
capable of on a straightaway course with
the motor running at full speed is still
a question. There seems little doubt that
the time would be well over the contract
speed of forty miles an hour
Wright said, after the flight, that there
was the greatest temptation to Increase
the size of the circles and get out over
the broken country to the southwark.
But in case the motor had stopped this
probably would have meant landing In
trees or bushes, with the resulting torn
wings And the aviator was not taking
any such risks
Cold and Windy High Up.
Two or three times on the flight Wright
was seen to waive his hand to the spec
tators Once he adjusted his cap.
1t was cold and windy In the upper
heights owing to the speed of the ma
chine, although there was little breeze on
the ground. The thermometer on the
signal tower recorded no breeze at all at
the close of the flight. But some OF the
flags on the neighboring buildings seemed
TO indicate that the thermometer was
loaflng on it's job. I.
II was hard to estimate the height
reached by the machine. The consensus
of opinfon seemed to be that 1t was at
lea st $50 feet in the air. On the highest
turn Wright seemed to be IS or 100 feet
over the top of the highest smokestack
On the grounds. This stack Is 20 feet
tall.
At the close Of the flight the machine
came down as gently as a steamer COM
ng to dock. Half around. away from