Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-03
RECORD HIGH FLIGHT
0rviIIe Wright Exceeds 1900
Feet at Potsdam.
CHEEREO BY Multitude
Takes Crown Prince on Short Trip,
Sixty Feet in Air.
RECEIVES COSTLY SOUVENIR
- s-,-. .->-5
Daring Aeronaut Descends From
Lofty Altitude at Terrifying
Speed, But Lands Safely.
RECEIVES COSTLY SOUVENIR

POTSDAM, October 2.-Orville Wright,
the American aviator, today broke his
own and all other records for high flying.
He reached the unprecedented height OF
more than 1000 feet, although an official
measurement was not taken. He had a
red letter day in a double sense In his
experience as an aviator, taking up
Crown Prince Frederick William as a
passenger. and more than doubling the
altitude record which he made recently
over the same field.
The crown prince had been constantly
urging Wright since he first saw the
American fly, to take him up as passen-
ger. Wright evaded this responsibility
while making flights at the Tempelhof
Field, owing to the unfavorable winds.
but since the beginning of the flights at
Bornstedt Field. near Potsdam. the
prince had been telephoning the aviator
every morning, asking him If he was
ready to crafty his request. Wright
finally consented today.
Prince as Passenger.
The prince reached the field at 4:30 in
the afternoon without his adjutant. After
drawing on his overcoat. at Wright's sug-
gestion, to save his uniform from being
spatted with oil, the prince took his
seat alongside the aviator and the ma
chine rose in the air. Wright kept 1t at
a height of about twenty feet for brief
period. but the crown prince exclaimed:
Higher. Higher" Finally the aviator
went up about sixty feet and the crowds
heartily cheered the prince, who waved
back his ackno wledgment. .rhe aeroplane
gllded back to the starting point ten min
uteS later.
v,rin orof nj q tod Mr
Wright on the easy and safe motion of the
aeroplane and presented him with a SOU
venir of the occasion, diamond and ruby
pin composing the letter w and crown.
ne watched the daring aviator make his
high night, which also was viewed by a
large multitude. While the machine was
at It's greatest altitude eXcursionists on a
Hawai- steamer, three miles distant, thought
1t was a big box kite that was in the air
and were surprised when further evolu-
tions showed the object to be Wright S
aeroplane.
Wright Makes Statement.
When he returned to the earth Wright,
speaking of his marvellous flight. said:
Il never flew so high before. No meas
urement was taken, but l estimate that
l reached an altitude of $40 meters Q,637
feet. 1t is difficult to gauge height, but
l make the estimate from the time 1t took
me from the starting point to the great
est altitude.
Immediately after rising l set the
height rudder at the maximum. and kept
climbing steadily for fifteen minutes un-
til the field and adjacent country re-
minded me Of the picture had from Zep-
pelin's airship, only things seemed
smaller.
Descends in Five Minutes.
THE descent l made in five minutes.
I came down at simply terrifying speed
The whole machine shook as 1t rushed
through the air, but my sensations were
inst the same as in lower attitudes. The
air was no colder and the wind resistance
was no greater"
with regard to his passenger, the crown
prince. Mr.. Wright said: The prince did
not say much more than Fine during
the flight, but / was able to read his i'm
nressions from his face. l never took up
q messenger who looked SO pleased. He
irsr smiled when we started and he kept
Smiling all along. l felt great respon
sibility in having the future German en-
neror as a passenger. Not that / mis-
trusted the machine. but any little irreg-
n,arity might have caused the people anx-
ietv stayed low at first, but the prince
kept urging me to go higher"