Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-10-05

| me2nOr winch mas characterized all OF
his flights the aviator pulled his cap
over his eyes and reached for the start
| ing lever. In u moment the machine
WAS OFT.
! With planes tilted to one side the
machine slowly assembled into the air.
| rising to Il height of barely 20 feet, as
ii SWOopcd in q scmi-circlc towards the
waters edge. Here the presence Of
many craft, all Historically footing
their Whistles caused him to ascend
! higher before making for the mouth of
the river
! Almost indiStinGuishahe against the
gray banked clouds, the acropllne
! scared vast old Castle William and
| soon ,nt' red the wide CanCn made by
the giant Sky 9craperS of Manhattan
| island and the New Jersey hills vt
this point the aeroplane was flying at
height OF nearly 300 feet, but uneX-
lc"tcdiy air currents caused by the
great building moved the aviator to
| bring his craft closer to the water
fitting the "l"vatinS ruddCr he slowly
| brought the machine down, stoppingly
gradually uItil he was barely 100 feet
above the footing ferry boat and the
|
churnin1 as regularly as a clock and
settling himself in his seat he sped
| onward up the river.
| over the WarShipS of four great pow
ers lac passed. his progress marked by
cheers from the sailors of his own
country and those OF England, Ger
many. France ana Italy. The bluejacIl-
cts lined thu rails of their ships and
= uaZ in
above them, perhaps thinking yagucl :
that it's kind might seine day rendc
their own monster lighting machine
| obsolete.
When the air vessel reached tn,
british cruiser Argyly, an eighth Of =.
mile above Grants tomb, Wrigh
brought his direction rudders into pla..
and describing a graceful curve, start
ted on his return journey down til :
| river the wind conditions were nov.
more favorable and it was here tina
IN" speed possibilities of the machin
were demonstrated. While the nigh.
of 10 mites up STREAM took nearly -
| minutes the return flight was made l..
little more than is minutes or at 4
| rate of approximately ~ miles an hour
Nearing the harbor entrance asai
| he was confronted with the same al
currents which had caused him to vary
his altitude on the way up ASain h."
| lowered himself and when he reached
| the open water of the bay he wa,
| lying barely 60 feet above the surface
Then onward he gradually lassened thn
| attitude. Past Governors island tho
| machine flew an eighth of mile owe"
! the hay. then, Vccring sharply arounf,
| he headed swiftly for tho landing place i.
on which he settled with the case O
q bird amid the enthusiastic plaudits OF
| soldiers and civilians
Among the first to offer his congrat
ulatipns WAS Major General Leonard
Wood, L. s. A.. commanding the dc
partlnent of the East. who had hces
an interested spectator. Other ARM
officers warmly shook the aviator By
III hand, cXciaiming: at was splcn-
ana performance. | congratulate you =
Inc flight today was a surprise to
all. Wrought the Hudson Fulton cele =
hratinn crowds had waited in van 70"
the Higth up the Hudson, expecting re
markablc performances by both Wri@hr
and Glenn II. CurtisS. But With thr
exception of Wrights flights on
Wednesday last when he cncirclcd thu
statue of Liberty, the elements ,,rc-
vented any substantial dcmonstr alton.
So today Wrights achievement war
matted with enthusiasm and as If by
magic the ncWS spread along the river
front from the Battery to Harlem. The
tops of office buildings. apartments.
dwellings, and other structures were
soon crowded with humanity who wit
messed his upstream Journey
| There was keen disappointment when
the miShap to the motor prevented a sec
ond flight for the aviator had announced
Immediately after the conclusion of his
morning flight that he would make Il
longer and more spectacular one in the
AFTERNOON, when he proposed to fly not
only over water but over the less monu-
mental buildings heading the water front
of lower New York, thence westward un-
til he reached the New Jersey shore and
back to Governors island Himself cha
grincd at the turn of affairs Wright was
forced to abandon the program and re-
turn to New York tonight ready to go
to Washington tomorrow. There he VIII
instruct army officers in the manipua-
ton of the Wright aeroplane which the
Signal Corps purchased last August.
| Wright was preparing for the second
flight when the accident which marred a
day of achievement occurred. Due to eX-
cessive pressure. a cylinder head blew
loose and shot through the canvas of the
upper plane. ripping a large hole. AS
soon as the damage was ascertaineo
Wright ordered the machine wheeled back
To it's shed. Such repairs as were needed
to put this flyer into commission again.