The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-10-04
Wilbur in His Trusty AeropIane
Circles Over City, Battle
ship Fleet and About
Grants Tomb.
THOUSANDS WATCHED
HIM SPELL BOUND
t He Was in the Air About Thir-
ty-five Minutes, Flying
Twenty Miles and Going at
a Great Speed.
(American News Service)

(American News Service)
New York. Oct. An the most
spectacular airship flight the world
has ever seen, Wilbur Wright. of Day.
ton, Ohio, flew up the Hudson river
in his aeroplane from Governors Is
land today, passing Grants tomb, and
circling in the air hundreds of feet
above the ships of the International
navy. Wright mad his machine under
perfect control although the atmos-
pheric conditions were not the best. |
Thousands along the route stood and
watched in astonishment. Boats in
the Hudson river and the bay gave the
salute of whistling which lasted five
minutes. The flight was begun at
9:55 o'clock and ended at 1929
o'clock. Wright remained in the air
exactly thirty-four minutes and sail
ed approximately twenty miles. The
highest altitude reached was estimat-
ed at five hund-sl feet. the greatest
speed attained being about fifty miles
an hour. It landed within twenty feet
of the starting point. The whistling
salutes of the harbor craft informed
gun and all piers, ietties. roofs and
windows were quickly alive with open
mouthed humanity. There was plenty
of cheering but most persons were
wonder bound. The official flight
probably occurred this afternoon.
!, A Perfect Landing.
Wright came back near Castle Will
n u y,or
did not attempt to go around Grants
Tomb" he said. $. shall probably do
that this afternoon. 1t was a very
successful flight Wright left Gov
ernors Island at 1855, rising like a
bird as he started. AS the shipping
in the river saw the great bird-like
machine above, there was a blast OF
whistles. Wright headed for Jersey
shore and started uD the river Word
that the aeroplane was making the
flight quickly spread and docks and
ietties and steamships piers were
thronged. To many spectators it was
the first sight of an aeroplane flight.
The lazy hum of propellers came to
their ears and they saw Wright, alert,
guiding the machine, now rising and
now dipping. The machine passed
swiftly. Wright evidently did not
have the motor at full speed but the
powerful propeller drove the car
ahead at a pace which out-distanced
the tugboats. Ferry boats stopped in
mid-river, while passengers crowded
to the rail, marveling at the sight
above. Along the streets uptown peo-
pie hurried to the river front. At
1912 o'clock when Wright reached
Forty-second street there was a big
throng there.
Flock to River Front.
Along the riverside drive people
flocked. Apartments along the drive
had every window tenanted. Resi-
dents of the high buildings sought the
roof for a glimpse of the machine. At
1915 O'Clock Wright passed Seven
ty-fifth street.
At the time he was flying he was
about one hundred feet in the air with
his machine under perfect control and
making fast time. Riverside drive be-
gins at Seventy-second street and
from that point to the viaduct, away
north of Grants Tomb there were
crowds of people cheering the daring
aviator. At 1917 o'clock after pass
ing Grants Tomb, Wright turned
back. Circling at $50 feet above the
warships in the harbor Wright started
on his return voyage. Upon decks of
ships were crowds of sailors On the
American. English. Italian, French.
German and other war vessels there
Sc ,f oh
ably not one of them had ever seen an
aeroplane before. It was an inspiring
sight. Wright lost no time in manouv-
ering, although he did not seem par
ticularly anxious to hurry back to
Governors Island
Just Tops Warships.
He started down past the drive
where the crowds mad greatly increas-
ed AT 1925 o'clock Wright had pass
ed Fifty-sixth street on his return
journey and was about fifty feet above
the spars of the warships in the river
At 1927 o'clock he passed Twenty
fifth street and ar 1929 he reached
, Governors Island again. Wright flew
with life perserver about him and a
canoe strapped to the aeroplane to
avert death by drowning in case he
fell into the river. The flight was es-
pecially remarkable from the fact that
he made 1t under adverse weather con-
ditions. When he started from Cover
nor Island the wind was blowing at
the rate of eighteen miles an hour. It
is considered hazardous to make an
airship flight In wind blowing ten
miles an hour.