The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1909-07-08
The WRICHTS SHOW
THEIR PLUCKINESS
Successful Flight After Three
Failures.
Successful
Crowds At Fort Myer Cheer The
Aviators' Perseverance - Orville
Makes The Flight. While Wilbur
Aids With His Advice--The Troub-
lie At Last Located And Remedied.
The Machine Is A New One They
Used Yesterday.

Washington, d. c. Especially -
After making three unsuccessful eff
forts to get his new aeroplane into
the air Orville Wright made a short
fight. encircling the Fort Myer aero
drome.
Lack of power, due to a loose
spark control. was finally determined
upon by the two Wrights as the
cause for the refusal of the machine
to fly for more than a few hundred
feet beyond the end of the starting
rail. Their persstency in trying
time after time to make the machine
behave properly won the approval
OF the large crowd that had gathered
in anticipation of q flight.
"A lying machine is like horse
was the way Wilbur put it afterward.
If It's new you have to get used to
it before it will go just as you want
it to. You have to learn its pc
culiarities. l am glad we learned
what the trouble Is and after a few
more trials you will see some fun"
Everything being in readiness,
Wilbur Wright and Taylor, the me-
chanic, each stationed himself at one
OF the propellers, ready to turn 1t
like "cranking" an automobile. Or
vile Wright turned on the ignition
and his brother and the mechanic
gave the propellers a twist. The lat
ter whirred around at a great rate
as Orville took his place in the opera
tors seat. Wilbur stationed him
self at the end of the aeroplane and
ran along with it when Orville re-
leased the weight, which pulls it
down the track and gives it mo-
mentum.
The machine rose from the ground
as soon as it left the rail, but ap-
peared to be able to mount into the
air but few feet. The right wing
veered toward the ground and struck
the earth at its tip. The machine
was swung completely around so that
it faced the starting apparatus. Or
vile quickly stopped the motor and
climbed out to inspect the damage,
which was trivial.
1t was found that the canvas at
the tip of the wing had been torn
slightly by scraping the ground. Af-
ter the canvas had been repaired the
rail for another trial. 1t had travel
ed distance of about 200 feet.
At $50 o'clock the machine was
ready for another trial, and the first
mishap was repeated, with the excep-
tion that this time the left wing
scraped the ground.
The machine was again returned
for third trial, and the crowd see
n O hnf nrN IAtr rrV,at, cd A1
make a fight, cheered Justify. His
brother contended that the weight
was not sufficient in front and he
gave an illustration of his ingenuity
by attaching a rather heavy vice on
one of the skids forward of the ma
chine and an iron clamp on the op-
posite side.
Orville stuck to his theory that the
power was not sufficient. He said
that the machine required three miles
more average speed per hour to rise
from the ground than the old ma
chine had needed
Orville did not appear to be the
least bit nervous or concerned over
the two failures. He joked with the
newspaper men, who were the only
persons allowed within the field, and
seemed to be confident that the ma
chine would ultimately make a sue
cessful fight.
The third attempt was even less
successful, the machinery refusing to
rise at all. The motor was then
given a trial to time the number of
revolutions, and the power was in
creased before the machine was
brought back for a fourth attempt.
At 745 o'clock the final trial was
started and the machine rose to
height of about.15 or 20 feet. Short
ly after 1t ascended from the ground
it showed signs of losing headway.
but Orville kept on around the field.
remaining in the air about so sec
onds and landing almost Immediately
in front of the starting track.