The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1909-10-09
WRIGHT MAKES TRIP
HAD ABSOLUTE CONTROL OF THE
MACHINE.
SAILS OVER THE HUDSON RIVER
His Progress Over Warships of Four
Great Powers Was Marked
BY Cheers From the
Sailors.

New York.-An at roplane flashed
past the white dome Of Grants tomb,
then turned gracefully in midair over
the waters of the HI dson, shot like
falcon back to Governors Island, ten
miles away.
Wilbur Wright of Day ton, o., thus
placed his name in the rank with Hud-
son and Fulton in one of the most
spectacular feats in the history of
aeronautics.
Over the masses of warships, from
whose decks the hoarse cheers of the
sailors were borne up to him in his
elevated seat, he flew for twenty
miles back-remaining in the air for
thirty-three minutes and thirty-three
seconds and alighting at the aero
dome without mishap.
During the flight business was prac
tically at standstill in all parts OF
Manhattan from which view of his
remarkable performance was avail
able. Harbor crafts shrieked their
applause, cheer after cheer swept up
from the banks of the Hudson and the
lower bay, for the Dayton aviator had
made good" Growing the aviation
program of the Hudson-FuItOn celebra-
ton with a record.
Motor Crippled.
Wright started on his flight up the
Hudson at 1855 a. M, and finished ex-
actly at 1O:29:33. He had intended
to improve upon his achievement of
the morning by making a longer and
more hazardous flight at sunset, but
the Gripping of his motor just as he
was about to start his evening at
tempt dashed his hopes as we'll as
those of thousands who had assembled
on Governors island and along the wa
water front TO cheer him on.
The flight was made under weather
conditions only moderately favorable.
Like a Clock.
At this point the aeroplane was fly
ing at a height of nearly 200 feet but
unexpected air currents drove the
aviator to bring his craft closer to
the water. fitting the elevating Yud
der, he slowly brought the machine
down, sloping gradually until he was
a bare hundred feet above the foot
ing ferry boats and the busy river
traffic. His motor was churning as
regularly as a clock and setting him
self in his seat he sped onward up the
river. Over the warshipS of four
| powers he passed, his progress mark
ed by cheers from the sailors of his
own country and those of Great Brit
ain, Germany, France and Italy. The
blue jackets lined the rails of their
ships and gazed in wonder at the lit
tie craft above them.
When the air vessel reached the
British cruiser Argyle, anchored an
eighth of mile above Grants tomb
Wright brought his direction rudder in
to play, and, describing an easy ana
graceful curve, started on his return
journey down the river. The vino
conditions which had bothered him or
the journey were now more favor
able and it was here that the speed
possibilities of the machine were dem
onstrated While the ten miles III
| the stream occupied nearly twenty
minutes, the return flight was made
in a little more than thirteen min
utes, or at a rate slightly over forty
six miles an hour.
Nearing the harbor entrance he be
| gan lowering himself and when hi
reached the open waters of the bay
he was flying barely sixty feet above
the surface. Therc,ce onward he grad
ually lessened h'@ height.