The Washington herald., 1909-08-01
Scientific.

When Orville Wright, with Lieut.. Fou-
lois as a passenger, flew from Fort Myer
TO Shooters Hin Friday. the Wright
brothers completed their contract with
the government and won $500 bonus In
addition to the $4,000 contract price. The
flight was the most difficult ever made
by a heavler-than-air machine. as the
country IS rough and broken. The speed
was forty-two and a half miles an hour.
The flight was satisfactory in every re-
Bpect. The Wrights will now train Lieut..
Foulois and Lieut.. Lahm IN the operation
Of the machine which the government has
purchased.
On Tuesday at Fort Myer, in the pres
encc of President Taft and "a throng OF
COCO spectators, among whom were Cab
met Ministers. diplomats, Congressman,
and army officers Orvine Wright made a
new worlds record and complied with
one part Of the government specifications
bv sailing his aeroplaDe aloft with Lieut.
Frank p Lahm as a passenger for ]
hour II minutes and 80 seconds The pre-
vious record had been made by Wilbur
Wright at lie Mans, France. last OctO-
4 Der, when he few with a passenger
hour END
OF the flight the President sent for Or
vile and Lieut.. Lahm and congratulated
them. The distance covered was about
forty miles. or twice the width OF the
English Channel The weight OF the ma
chine and two passengers was about .20c
pounds.
on the 2lth, Orville Wright in a ?.
minutes and q seconds flight at Fort
Myer, made TIE new speed record OF
forty-ive miles an hour. A runner was
broken in alighting. ard this deferred the
trial with two passe0gc~s. on Monday
4 when President Taft and large gather
ing OF Congressman and public officials
were on hand to witness the official trial
the weather conditions were unfayorable
and only a short exhibition flight was
made.
While Latham was hurrying his pre-
parations FOR another attempt 20 fly IN
his monOplane from Calais across the
English Chanel 20 Dover and Count Lam
bert was getting ready for a similar at
tempt, suddenly the coveted honor was
won by another French aviator. NJ. Louis
Bleriot. who recently had made several
cross-country flights I'm his monoplane
Although he was using crutches for q
foot injured in a previous flight, NJ Bier
. Tot early on the morning OF July y. after
4 n nfne-TnIle tflhl night 20 test MS engine
started out over the sea with the torpedo
boat Escopette as an escort. At the
speed Of 6S kilometers, he soon passed tho
boat and was lost to view in the mists
For ten minutes he could see neither the
boatanor the shore. and held his course
bvn& Instinct toward the English coast
Jy wentv minutes after he sailed over
d gliffs at Calais. the green cliffs and
i ~ Castle ahead told Bleriot that he
vNs near the end OF his flight and the
goal Against choppy, gusty wind ht
sailed swiftly TO the eastward OF the tOwT
aud came lightly TO earth in meadow
Thus had he won the Daily Mail prize
OF 5000 and a lasting niche In the tenn
pie Of fame. The aerOplane in which he
made the trip was placed on exhibition
IN tho big American department store
run by Gordon Selfridge In London. and
Hler!ot was lionized at a luncheon there
aad acclaimed by all France when he
returned 70 Paris. He Is an aviator OF
long experience and had just been decor
Fied with thc Legion OF Honor re hac
reputation for reckless daring in nu-
tfrous experimental flights. French and
Nnslsh experts regard the success OF
bleriot as vindicauon OF the monoplanC
: type OF airship. His machine is compara-
y lively narrow. being only twenty feel
across the wings. II weighs 400 pounds