Evening star., 1909-03-15
Both Bald as Eagles.

The Aero Club of France has designed
a group of statuary showing the brothers
studying the flight of an eagle This vas
TO have been presented TO them shortly,
but has been held UP owing TO a curious
incident in connection with its designing
1t must be remembered that Wilbur
Wright is almost as bald as Bill Nye
and has, 1t may be said, much of that
gentleman's fund of dry humor The
sculptor who modelled the statuary had
seen Wilbur and, taking 1t for granted
that badness ran in the family, made
the figure of Orville quite as bald as his
brother.
After Orvilie and his sister arrived at
Pau the sculptor took lcok at him and
rushed wildly back to Paris to grow a
thatch of beIated hair on the statue.
1t will he done in due time, and there
after will he presented.
Those who have recently met the
Wrights abroad say the feting and feast
ing to which they have been subjected
have not altered the quiet westerners in
the least. Miss Wright has been made
the heroine of all the entertainments for
which she would stand.
She is enjoying it hugely in a quiet way
and is as proud of her brothers it is
possible to be. She was one of the few
people in this country who knew all about
their work and was a firm believer IN
lQ6lT success pcloIe lUe VI the
country knew what they were doing.
Her Hope Came True.
While here in Washington nursing Or
Vile at Fort Myer, she used to laugh
over the change that even then was
beginning to be felt about the Wright
boys and their work. She said that she
knew she had long been known in Day
ton as that poor girl With the two
crazy brothers"
Her best friends regarded her with
mingled pity and regret in her confidence
IN their ultimate success. While she did
not say so. it was evident that the change
in the popular attitude was gratifying
TO her
France at the present moment has gone
completely and confessedly aeroplane
crazy There are now in use in expert
ments around Paris 300 aeroplanes. large
ly on the model of the Farman and Della
grange machines, but many Of them imi-
tations near as the patents Will permit
| of the Wright plane.
| The French declare that their conf
dence III aerial flight has been stimulated
by the success of Wilbur Wright more
than by anything else. They would like
to he able to keep him in that country in
definitely.
The officials of the War Department say
they have heard nothing definite from the
Wrights since they have been abroad, but
that the grounds at Fort Myer are ready
for the trials soon the brothers
elect 10 return.
There is d good deal of speculation over
the fate of a. NJ. Herring. the mysterious
designer of the other hcavier-tha air
machine for which the War Department
contracted. No word has been received
from him since late in October. when
his time for delivering the machine was
extended to June /.
1t has since then been announced tina t
he has decided to combine in business
with G.. ii. Curtis. the motor builder, who
designed and constructed the engine for
the Baldwin dirigible. and. as d member
OF the Aerial Experiment Association, is
closely identified with the trials of the
Bell tetrahedral at Baddeck. Nova Scotia,
and the successful flights that have just
been made there by J. A. d. McCUrdy' S
machine, the Silver Dart