The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-09-29
WILBUR WRIGHT
C|RC[ED ABOVE
new YORK. CITY
Trial Fights This Morning In
dicate Success of the Gerat
Aviation Event
MADE FIFTY NILES AN
HOUR WITH THE VINO
Curtiss Also Had a Successful Try.
out of His Machine at an Early Hour
This Morning-Balloon Race for
Prize On.

New York, Sept. 29.-An aeroplane
hew over New York bay today and
racing balloon speed up the Hudson
river for the first time in history. The
tricky guests of the harbor and the
towering masts of shipping were de-
fed by Wilbur Wright and Glenn H.
Curtiss, whose performances today
promised the fulfillment of their con-
tracts with the Hudson-Fulton COM
mission to make flights of one hour
duration over the waters about New
York. The big dirigibles that started
up the Hudson valley were piloted by
Captain Thomas S. Baldwin and Geo.
L. Tomlinson, who were racing for
the prize of $10,OOO offered by the
New York World, with Albany as
their goal. Wilbur Wright made two
flights each of about five miles. The
second time he darted far out over the
bay, circling the Statue of Liberty and
waving greeting to passengers on
the boats below. Curtiss' flight was
on Governors island, where the avia-
tors started.
Just as the skyline of New York
city became dimly visible above the
haze which hung over the harbor to-
day. Glenn H. Curtiss, the winner of
the Gordon Bennett international cup
at Rheims. France, successfully tried
out the new aeroplane. She runs
well,' said Mr.. Curtiss. The machine
rides smoothly and l am well salts
fed with it,"
Two hours after Curtiss completed
his flight, Wilbur Wright had his ma
chine taken from the shed and made
flight, encircling Governors Island,
sailing over the water and covering
SIX miles. Wright made bad land
Ing. the tip of one his planes strik-
ing the sand and. swerving the. ma
chine around. Fortunately, no dam
age resulted.
After tightening the wires and
screws of his aeroplane and shifting
the strating rail SO that it faced di-
rectly against the wind, Mr.. Wright
made another flight, during which he
crossed the lower bay and passed
around the Statue of Liberty. He
started on his flight at 1918 o'clock
ana hnished in six minutes and thirty
seconds.
While returning from the statue
with the wind behind him he made an
proximately a speed of fifty miles an
hour. In starting. the machine went
along the monorail for the entire dis
tance of 165 feet and then turned up-
ward. Ascending as he circled about.
Wright headed his machine directly
| toward the Statue of Liberty. At a
height of thirty feet he flew directly
over the water. with the wind coming
slightly over the portside. He climb
ed gradually as he approached the
New Jersey shores and had attained
height of 100 feet when he began
his turns to southwark to pass around
the statue. He was fully $50 feet high
when he headed for the starting point
on Governors Island. Coming with
a speed of an express train, the aero
plane was only ten or fifteen feet
from the ground when it reached the
aerodrome. Amid the cheers of the
soldiers, guests and newspaper men,
Wright brought his machine head-up
to the wind and made perfect land
ing. II guess made fifty miles an
hour coming back he said.
He had taken advantage of the fly
ing with. the wind by using the force
of gravity in coming down from a
height of $50 feet. He had made his
return trip in almost one-half the
time that 1t took him to go over to
the Statute of Liberty. After his
flight. Mr.. Wright said he would thor
oughly overhaul his machine before
taking 1t into the air again.
Five minutes after Mr.. Wright had
landed, the giant steamer Lusitania
crossed under the course which
Wright had taken in his fight. Dur
ing the entire time that Wright was in
the air, the craft on the lower bay
blew their whistles.