The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-07-26
10. WRICHT SAYS
| 4 TOLD You SO"
Is Glad BIeriot Crossed the
Channel.
PROUD OF OWN MACHINE

taken Air Voyage From France to
England Last Fall but For Accl.
dent at Fort Myer--Expects to
Make Big Flight This Week.
Washington, July 26.--On the evo
of making an aeroplane fight involv
ing greater dangers than Bleriot risk.
cd In crossing the English channel.
Orville Wright expressed great pleas
lure when he learned the success OF
the Frenchman.
Il have said all along that Bleriot
would be the first to make the fight
across the channel once he decided
to attempt It." said Mr.. Wright. Tt
was a great flight" he added. That
II was a personal triumph for Bleriot
however, rather than any indication
of advancement in the art of flying,
was Wright's idea of the significance
Of the accomplishment. He spoke ad-
miringly of Bleriot. saying that he
was one of the most daring OF all
aviators. Mr.. Wright Is familiar
with the Bleriot monoplane, which,
he said, Is of the Antoinette type
used by Hubert Latham. but ante
dates the latter's form of construc-
| tion.
II believe Bleriot has added NOV.
able wings to his machine since
saw it," said MIR. Wright. His type
of monoplane is based on the princi-
pies Of the old French toys and on
the models used by Penaud, 10 which
Professor Langley's machine was
also similar. The monoplane, how
ever, has not as good a method OF
control as the biplane which we use."
The Wrights are loath to discuss
the comparative merits OF the work
and the aeroplanes of others. They
take great pride in their own ma
chine and believe that it surpasses
all others. In speaking Of Bleriot's
| fight and while praising the work OF
that aviator. Orville Wright said:
"Of course none of our men were
ready to make the attempt. or they
| should lave done so. Count Lam
bert's mother died recently and that
made 1t necessary for him to give up
the trial temporarily"
II is said that Orville Wright had
expected himself to make the chan.
mel fight last fall, but was unable to
do 80 on account of the accident at
Fort Myer in September. His Off
cial speed trial. which is expected 10
take place at Fort Myer this week..
Is regarded here as decidedly more
| perilous and In some respects more
difficult than Bleriot's channel flight
or than any of the cross-country
flights that have been made by Far
man or Bleriot in France.
The country between Fort Myer
and Shulers Hill. near Alexandria,
the course over which Orville will
| fly. is very rough. some of the hills
being $50 to 300 feet high. The dis
tance to be covered is Ave miles and
return. Neither the height at which
II will be necessary to fly for the dis
tance gives Wright any concern. but
he Is solicitous about the fact that he
| must carry a passenger. make 40
miles an hour and fly over country
whose topography is marked by un-
tried obstacles and conditions. All
the French aeroplane flights have
been over level country.
"If the country over which have
to fly was clear, with clumps Of trees
here and there, IL would not he half
so bad as with trees and houses scat
tered about so that safe landing
places are few and difficult to find.,"
l said Mr.. Wright. "In an emergency
| might land on the top of thick
clump of trees, but It is the scattered
obstacles that cause me concern"
| The obstacles-trees, rouses, hills
| and gulliesr-which are numerous
| along the Fort Myer course, cause up
trends and down trends of the air
currents, which are not met with In
flying on, level land or the open sea.
Orville will not attempt the Official
speed trial until he has made the
| one hour endurance flight about the
Fort Myer drill grounds. In this trial
also he must carry a passenger. II
he finds the weather conditions dur
ing the next few days as bad as they
have been in the past week il will be
necessary for him to obtain an ex-
tension of time.