Evening star., 1909-06-07
Wright Bros. Due to Arrive
Next Thursday.
COME TO RECEIVE MEDALS
Luncheon the Only Entertainment
Planned for Aviators.
WORKING ON NEW MACHINE
Little Change in Plan Of Aeroplane
Being Constructed at Dayton for
Coming Washington Flights.

Orville and Wilbur Wright will be in
Washington June 10 to receive. from Pres
ident Taft the medals that have been pre-
pared for them by the Aero Club of
America. but they will be In Washington
for only a single day and Will not make
any exhibition flight at that time.
This was the news brought back here
by John Barrett. director of the bureau
of American republics. who went to In
dianapolis to see the start of the inter-
national balloon race and who stopped in
Dayton on his way home and visited the
Wrights at their workshop.
Mr.. Barrett says that the plans of the
brothers at present are to stay in Day.
ton till the night Of June o. when they
win take a train for Washington, arriv-
ing here early on the morning of June TO-
They will receive the medals at the hands
of the President at the White House and
previously will attend the luncheon to be
given them at the Cosmos Club. The
luncheon will be at 1880 and the medal
presentation at 2:3O.
The Wrights are about as busy as hu-
man beings can be, and they will not have
much time in Washington for social en-
tertainment. The medals are the gift to
them of the Aero Club of America and
the entertainment of this club and OF
by the Aero Club of Washington. The
board of governors of the Cosmos Club
is doing everything in its power to
make the luncheon a success.
Program Limited One.
The luncheon will be the only enter
tainment at which the Wrights can be
present in Washington. Several people
have been arranging to entertain them.
but they will not be able to accept any
other invitations. They plan to go back
to Dayton the evening of June 10. and.
aside from a business visit to the War
Department, they will do nothing else in
Washington.
Their work in their shop at Dayton is
taking every moment of their time. They
have no regular aeroplane factory, and.
except for a couple of mechanics. they
have no workmen on whose assistance
they can depend. Both the brothers
work themselves, and are putting In
long hours and working good deal
harder than the average mechanics.
The aeroplane that they are preparing
for the Washington flights does not differ
except in minor details from the one
they had here last summer. Mr.. Barrett
says they intend to use the same engine,
and, except that the guy wires will be
little differently arranged, the machine
will be little changed. 1t is possible that
they may be able to finish 1t In time to
snip IL 10 washington When tHey come
down here for their medals. but they do
not think they will. At any rate they
are due back in Dayton for the two-day
celebration that the city is planning In
their honor June II and Is. so there will
not be much time for them in Wash
ington between the two events. Before
they have finished their contract with the
government they will have to train three
officers to handle the machine, and,
though this probably will run over the
90 T.,r uyho fhnir ic
due to be finished. there is little trouble
anticipated over the few extra days of
time.
Governments Lost Opportunity.
Now that the time for the return of
the Wrights is SO close at hand. after
all the foreign nations they visited have
exerted themselves to honor the broth
ers, the members of the aero clubs in
this country are regretting the fact that
the government ever allowed the pos
session of the Wright machine to get
away from it. AS much as three years
ago this government could have bought
exclusive control of the Wright device
and would have been prepared to lead
the way in aeronautics for the whole
world. At that time the machine had
been flown, even flown In public. but
themselves and a few scientists knew
what the heavier-than-air machine
meant. 1t was offered to this govern
ment at that time, and the War De-
partment would not even send an Of
ticer out to Dayton to see it fly.
When the government was ready to
accept bids for a flying machine. negotia-
tions had already been carried on with
foreign governments and syndicates.
Foreign patents had been taken out, and
it was no longer possible to get tue
use of the machine exclusively for the
United States. The Wrights did not
care much whether they bid on the gov
ernment contract or not, and it was only
after special invitation that they were
induced to build machine for the Fort
Meyer flights. They are going to COM
plete the contract and deliver the one
machine, but how long it will be before
the government is able to do anything
more in the line of heavier than air