The Washington herald., 1909-06-29

It was $50 o'clock yesterday afternoon.
Wilbur and Or,iIle Wright sat on one end
OF the monorail. in the parade ground at
Fort Myer. Beside them their aeroplane
rested. poised for fight.
Farther OF, paving the ground behind
a rope. were 1900 persons. including men
Of high degree in the Senate and House
Of Representatives, well-known army
officers, scientists. diplomats. and per-
sons Of the fashionable world.
The Senate had adjourned 70 allow
It's members 10 see the flight.
The two aviators neither saw nor heard.
The galloping officers. fretting over the
delay. casting anxious gIances al the
lawmakers. whose fingers were on the
purse strings that govern approprla-
tions for more flying machines. might as
well have been gasping for air in a
vacuum Wilbur and Orvine we're chew
ing each a piece Of wood. and watching
an ant climb up one side Of a blade Of
grass anc down the other
shifted at the Breeze.
Finally Wilbur heaved a glance 10
windward. at the weather. and shifted at
the breeze.
Take her back 70 the shed" he said.
And back she went The wind was TOO
high.
II the person with a keen sense OF
dramatic effect had framed up the whole
thing he could not have shown better
the utter immunity Of the two brothers
from the fumes OF importantly and the
intoxicatio1 OF an august assemblage.
From FIRST 70 last the effect was aecumu-
lative.
There was the machine. There was the
crowd. There were the brass buttons.
the flowing gowns. the strange get-ups
OF the statesmen. A light shower had
passed by. To the crowd the breeze
seemed tmpercepuble. Everything was
lovely. Anticipation had whetted its ap-
petite on a long wait. The indifference
Of the aviators could be pardoned If al
the end of 1t their bird OF canvas and
iron got UP in the air and few.
Then, Ike paIlbearers. the yeHow-clad
men OF the Signal Corps gathered about
the machine al a word from Wilbur, and
started it on its slow journey back 70
the shed The 1900 persons departed, say
ing things.
Shouldn't Have Done Il.
"Oh. pshaw," said Wilbur Wright when
he wcs told the Senate had adjourned 10
see the machine fly. THAT was ridicu-
lous. They should not have done II. They
should not have come all the way out
here on the chance Of seeing the first
eight
This machine has never been in the
air before. II is absolutely untried by
actual performance. We cannot tell ex-
actly how il VIII act We intend 20 wait
until weather conditions suit US exactly.
so that II anything is wrong. il VIII be
entirely due 20 the machine. and we shall
be able to locate il and remedy q.
"A flight VIII be made Tomorrow. II the
weather is all right. and viii probably
be made in the afternoon. II the weather
is not right. we shall not fly We have
both made flights in winds much heavier
than this, but We are not going TO take
a chance with a new machine"
At the time the flyer was taken back
70 the shed, the velocity Of the wind
was about fourteen miles an hour.
The report that the flyer was to be
tried brought the first cohorts OF the
crowd 10 the parade ground early. Hun
dreds had arrived by O'Clock. and by
the time Maj. Frederick S. FOltz. Fir-
teenth Cavalry. in charge Of the policing
of the grounds, gave the order to clear
the field. practically all the coacourse
had assembled
Everybody was hustled to the north end
Of the grounds, where those with special
badges were admitted. after careful
analysis. 10 a region behind a rope in
which were tent flies 70 keep off the di-
rect rays Of the sun The rest lined the
rope rows deep at either side. The en-
listed mems barracks showed khaki uni
forms at every window and on every
balcony. The brick fence along the side
Of Arlington Cemetery was hidden by
spectators.
Impatience Was Keen.
But it was in the charmed arena about
the tents that the colors were brightest.
the personnel Of the onlookers the most
representative OF the significance Of the
tests, and-need 1t be said?-the impa-
tience the keenest.
In that assemblage were such men as
Speaker Cannon, whose word is an open
sesame TO the Treasury vaults: Repre-
sentative Tawney, the watch dog Of the
Treasury; Senator Aldrich. leader Of the
Republican party in the Upper House.
and chairman OF the Finance Committee:
Franklin MacVeagh, Secretary OF the
Treasury: Assistant Secretary OF State
Wilson; Senators Nixon, Dixon, Lodge,
Root, Perkins. Flint, Tillman, Wetmore.
Guggenhein, Nelson. Bacon. Carter. FOs-
ter. Overman. Sutherland. Cummins. ana
others. and fifty or seventy-five Repre-
sentAtiveS Among the diplomats were
Ambassador de la Barra, Of Mexico; I.
A CorOmilas. the Grecian Minister, and
Minister Louden, Of The Netherlands.
President Taft was not there. He play
ed golf instead Charley Taft was there
Continued on PAGE z CoIuu.u n