Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-03
FALL DELAYS FLIGHTS
AeropIane Accident Will Cost
Whole Week for Repairs.
DAMAGES NOT SERIOUS
But Aviators May Have to Send to
Dayton for Materials.
ENGINE STOPPED IN MIDAIR
Orville Not Hurt When Machine
Snags on a Tree-Wilbur Throws
Stick at Photographer.


Wright last September the Wright ma
chine was damaged again yesterday
1t will not be possible to make any
more flights for about a week. Orville.
who was operating the machine, was not
hurt. Damage to the plane. while vexa-
lions and likely to cause considerable de-
lay, is not serious.
Somebody must have buried a hoodoo in
that corner of the field, for the accident
happened at the last moment of what
would have been an interesting flight.
The motor stopped while the machine
was 100 feet in the air. The trouble was
undoubtedly due primarily to the mag
neto.
Tree Makes Trouble.
But the aviator made a gliding descent
and would have landed all right but for
small tree, scarcely more than a big
bush. that caught one wing of the plane
when about ten feet from the ground.
This punched a hole in the plane and
broke one or two of the ribs.
1t also caused the machine to slew
around. The skids, instead of landing
fiat and fair so that they could slide,
struck at an angle and snapped off.
It was a nasty little accident after a
good afternoons work.
Nothing could have been better than
the first flight. The engine had been
set for a little faster work The machine
was sent off in the presence of a big
crowd a little before 3 o'clock.
The increased impetus from the engine
was shown in the fact that the aeropane
left the rail- ten feet before the end was
reached. Springing at once into the air,
it went off at faster gait than it has
yet shown.
1t can hardly be said that 1t was going
fast even then. Glenn CurtfSS of Ham
mondsport. one of the spectators, said he
thought the machine was making thirty
seven miles an hour.
His estimate is quoted because he is
himself aeroplane builder and has
made a number OF flights, winning the
Scientific American trophy two years ago.
There is yet no way of accurately esti-
mating speed. The course has not yet
been measured.
The machine was making bigger circles
than it did on the flight of the first day
and was higher in the air. attaining
maximum height of about 100 feet.
First Landing All Right.
The first landing was particularly good.
From high aloft Orville came down and
made a circuit of the field quite close
to the ground. He landed finally to the
east of the starting derrick gently and
straight as could be wished.
On what was to prove the last flight
for some time. the machine went away
with equal facility 1t was flying higher
and making larger circles. The lnten-
ton was to have made the flight the
longest yet taken.
The first flight had lasted twelve min
utes. lacking few seconds. Orville had
been In the air over eight minutes when
the trouble occurred.
AS he passed the starting derrick high
in the air on the last round OF the field
the engine could be heard missing worse
than it ought.
The engine has always been ore of the
strong points of the Wrights' machine.
Its reliability has contributed largely to
the success of their flights. 1t missed
badly on only one of the flights last year.
While the brothers are carrying a new
magnetic this year it has been ebhaVlnS
we'll.
Nobody thought much of the occur
renee at the time. AS the machine
Strengthened out for the flight down the
field the engine was soon out of hearing.
But just as the turn was made at the
lower end of the field the propellers were
seen TO be loosing their speed.
From an almost imperceptible blur they
came into plain sight as a gray circle.
Then they moved so slowly that the
blades could be seen. They kicked slow
ly against the compression in the cylin-
ders and then stopped.
Orville knew that the engine was dying
on him almost as soon as the trouble
commenced. When he found he was los
ing Roadway he commenced to glide
downward. He crossed the aeroplane
shed, cleared d bad gully with running
stream in the bottom and was making
satisfactory landing in an open space
southeast of the aeroplane shed, when
the right wing of the lower plane was
caught by wicked dead limb of a small
tree not more than ten feet from the
ground.
Had Miscalculated Tree.