The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1909-08-05
WRIGHT SCORES
TRIUMPH IN AIR
ORVILLE'S FLIGHT EASILY Full
FILLS GOVERNMENT REQUIRE
MENT IN SPEED TRIAL.
PRESIDENT CHEERS AVIATOR.
Aeroplane Travels Across Country at
Rate of Forty-two Miles an Hour,
with Passenger

WASHINGTON. d. c., July 31.-Or-
vile Wright Friday evening attained the
zenith of hard earned success. In the
ten-mile cross-country flight in the ia
nous aeroplane built by himself and his
elder brother. Wilbur. and accompanied
by Lieut. Benjamin ID. Foulois, an in
| trepid officer of the army signal corps,
he not only surpassed the speed require
ments of his contract with the United
States government, but accomplished the
most difficult and daring tight ever
! planned for a heavier than-air flying ma
chine. incidentally he broke all speed
| records over measured course and es-
tablished beyond dispute the practicable
! itv of the aeroplane in time Of peace and
! in time of war
! Wrights speed was moro than forty
! two miles an hour He made the ten
mile fight in II minutes and ~ sec
onds including the more than twenty
seconds required for the turn beyond the
! line at Shutter Hill. the southern end of
the course. He attained height in
crossing the VALLEY of Four.Mile Run
of nearly 800 feet, and the average alti-
tude of his practically level course was
about POO feet.
Taft Congratulates Pair
President Taft, who has become an
enthusiastic spectator of the aerOplane
trials arrived upon the parade ground
at Fort AIyer just in time to see the
| aeroplane land and to participate in the
! wild demonstration which welcomed the
triumphant avators. He sent Col.
Treat, commanding officer of the artil-
lery at Fort Myer, to bear his congratu-
lations to the victors.
A terrific wind and rain storm early
in the afternoon seemed proyIientlalIy
provided TO clear and quiet the atmos-
pheric conditions in preparation for the
flight, which was delayed only by the
failure of the army field telegraph line
to Shutter Hill, depended upon for com
municatiOn between the two ends of
the course. 1t was still out Of commits.
sion when Orvlle Wright, Selling the
moment of the best weather conditions
he had yet had for the speed test, hal
the machine placed on the starting rail
and gave the motor a final test.
The engine worked perfectly, and the
crowd seemed to realize that an epoch
making moment was at hand They
pressed forward against the line which
held them back, breathless, intense, Gag
erly watching every movement of the
aviator and his machine. The signal
corps men hOisted the great weight on
the starting derrick which gives the ma
chine its initial impulse. Orylc Wright
inspected personally every detail of prep
aratioh, while his brother, Wilbur,
walked about nervously. himself inspect
ing each minute particle of the mcchan-
ism upon whose fidelity depended his
brothers life.
Sister Fears for Aviator
Miss katherine Wright, the devoted
sister, made little concealment of her
excitement and anxiety Indeed, She
e IN ip1t 4, 4
close to the machine rs the crucial mo-
ment drew near that Wilbur was com
PEELED to ask them To step back.
Lieut.. foulois, 1.-THE, wiry, brown as a
berry in his khaki uniform and lcggiugs.
at a sign from Orville Wright climbed
into the passengers seat beside the mo-
tor. Wilbur Wright and Charley Tay-
lor. the Wrights' mechanican, took their
places at the propellers. Orville turned
on the sparker of the motor as they
whrled the blades around.
The smooth and even song of the en-
CINE aroused the crowd to excited cheer
ing. Wilbur took his place at the right
tip of the planes and Orville cambcrcd
into his seat beside Foulos. He gripped
the levers, ami nodding to his brother.
slipped the cable which released the
starting weight The acroplane shot down
the track, rose before ii reached the end
and skinned over the surface of the
ground for a hundred feet or more
As if drawn up by invisible powers.
the whte-winged craft rose higher and
higher, reached the end of the field,
turned at a slight angle, and came
about, facing the madly cheering multi
tude.
Crowds Cheer Air Trip.
Climbing up as it were on the air,
mounting higher and higher, Orvillr
brought the machine at great speed once
again fully round the field. Then with
a short turn he swept about almost over
the heads of the closely banked specta-
tors, and started straight southwark over
the center of the drill field.
They're off" thousand voices
shouted at once.
Like a giant bird the air craft swept
answering down its course. Unwaver-
ing, it kept straight 60 the south, and il
seemed to be rising ever higher, as il
passed over the diverse and heavily wood
ed country in the distance. Smaller and
smaller it grew, until il became mere
speck against the pearl sky above the
horizon.
Suddenly the speck was lost to view. |
and as the seconds passed a silence grew
upon the crowd, silence that spoke of !
deep concern.
Suddenly the speck came in sight again |
over the distant hill. \ cry swept over
the watching crowd.
Landing Is Easily Made.
Onward the machine came, growing
with the seconds, ana seemingly swerved !
from its course by a westerly breeze. II |
grew and grew, until almost every detail !
of it was visible. Soon the aerial navi- !
gators We're home again over the drill /
ground, flying very low. Orville steered |
straight across the field, and at a height |
bf ia