The Washington herald., 1909-07-18
.AEROPLANE SCARS
SIXTEEN MINUTES
0rville Wright Hands Blow
to His TraducerS.
MAKES SIXTEEN CIRCUITS
Longest Flight of Present BiPIRne
Concludes Early Because OF Bear
Beachey Witnesses FIight-CrOwd
of Spectators Applaud AviatOrs.

I Orville Wright handed a body blow L
his tradueers yesterday afternoon at For
Nyer. when. after one unsuccessful at
tempt. he rose into the air and made the
longest flight yet placed to the credit Of
the present aeroplane.
beautiful landing was made after tht
machine had stayed up sixteen minute.
and hfty-three seconds. and made q
hundred yards less than sixteen circuit!
OF the parade ground
Orville and Wilbur said the flight wal
brought 10 an end TO prevent the bearing.
from becoming heated. To DR.. Zahm. OF
the Catholic University. secretary OF tn,
| Washington Aero Club, Orvlue said be
fore the start that he intended TO stay VI
only fifteen minutes. As the machine
was being wheeled back 10 the shed h,
/ said Il was under perfect control Will,
In the air. and responded quickly and &C
curately 10 the slightest touch on The
levers.
May Increase Length.
"As the bearings become worn into
smooth running order" he said. 7 shall
increase the length OF the flights"
I
record previously made by this machine
on July ?, by four minutes and ffty-three
seconds.
Among the first 10 sreet the two avia-
tors after the flight was Senator CuIber-
son, who presented his little daughter.
The only objection she had. % said ths
/ Senator, was that both of you didn''
go up"
TIE brothers bowed an acknowledg
ment
That VIII come later. said Wilbur
The day was perfect. The clouds
which were OF the gOod-natured sort. ar
I ranged themselves in strange. fantastic
/ and beautiful contortions. through whicl
the suns rays sprayed out as they sci
dom do outside OF picture in paradise
| Lost" Against such a background the
I great white bird showed vividly as q
swept about the parade ground. cuttinl
| circles larger than any made up 70 thi'
! time. In the intervals before and be,
/ tween ne flights the cavalry band play,
l ed everything from Hearts and Flow
e:s'' 20 the most syncopated and corus
Gated rag
/ The spectators-and The crowd was un-
] usually large-were IN a Eappy frame OF
I mind. They were glad 70 see the aero
/ plane take brace and Orvile take
ny, and applauded him rOundly as D,
/ swept down the north end OF the field
a cool hundred feet in the air and hardly
thirty feet in front OF the rope. Amonl
/ those who watched were Mrs. Nicholas
LOngworth. Senator's Newlands. Elkins
and Depew, former Senator Long. Gen
Allen. chief signal officer; and Represent
atives Scott, OF Kansas; Keifer and Colt
. of Ohio aud Coy ~ Indiana
Beachey n Spectator.
lincoln Beachey. OF Toledo. the dlri
gible exhibitor who three years ago sailet
from Luna Park. encircled the Wash
ington Monument. and landed IN th'
I White House grounds. was there takInf
Il al in. He said he vas going 10 sticl
to gas FOR awhile. anyhow
Z The first start was made az SIS q
1 o'clock. and lasted twenty seconds i
was the old trouble. The machine IackeS
/ impetus enough when II left the mono
rail 20 take the air properly. and OrvlI'
. was unwilling 10 Try the turn az tht
| south end OF the field The landing wa.
made without injury 10 the machine, al
though the yellow dust was thrown "
I so freely that for a moment the machine
was completely concealed. At one poin
IN the brief flight the left wing sagget
sharply downward. and the spectator
held their breath for a moment as TIT
machine veered.
/ In starting the second time. AZ 6,52.IO
the rod beneath the machine 70 which N,
rope from the falling weight IS connected
caught in the track and was broken Or
Vile said he saw II fy OF. The star
was not affected, however, and the dam
age can be fixed in half an hour.
As the aeroplane left the end OF TIT
track. It skinned along close 10 tn
ground for some distance before making
the first rise. For few seconds IL wa.
a question whether Orville would be abl,
70 make the turn. but after that wa.
lpassed the machine rose easily and RAPID
" 10 a height Of nearly 100 feet. From
that point the flight was perfect.
The brothers had previously place
landmarks about the field TO indicate tn,
course, which they figured was abOu
4o0O feet TO the lap. or about three-quar
tiers OF a mile. According 20 those figures
the machine averaged between forty-on'
and fOrty-twO miles an hour IN speed
Dogs Antics Please.
The spectators were much amused a
a small yellow dog which lost It's heat
and much of its dignity when It becam,
aware Of the new denizen Of the air fly
ing around above II. FidO not havins
I even the ordinary layman's knowledge o
what makes a heavier-than-air appa
ratus fly. began 20 feel sort or funn!
about IT. His misgivings finally gave wa!
to terror. and he raced down the fiell
under the aerOplane so fast that his from
feet and back feet changed places. Ik'
the legs OF a camp stool
FidO wasn't the only beast that saw
ghosts. The cavalry horses In the corral
although used to charging valorously a
a battery Of pink parasols. threw n
their heels and got their heads tOgethe
over Il at the far end OF the fncIosure
The Wright brothers were well please'
with the days work, and on the stree
car trip back 20 town were pOsitlvel,
jOvial. and ar times JOcular. Wilbur wa
asked # that afternoon was the first tim
he had ever grabbed hold Of the rope an,
helped pull up the starting weight. II
denied the allegation without Qualifica
ton. Also, he said. Curtiss fight wa
very fine.