New-York tribune., 1909-10-05
WRIGHT'S FLYING VISIT
Continued from first page.


strong as it was last week. When he arrived at
! his shed the wind was blowing at the rate of
ten miles hour from the northeast
The flying machine was taken to the monoraiI
! a little after o'clock There then pres
/ ent not more than three hundred spectators.
| The reporters and photographers by special
! arrangement, were permitted to stand close
together. within twenty feet of the machine. be-
! hind ropes, James NJ Beck chairman. and
! William J. Hammer, secretary of the aeronaI-
tics committee of the Hudson Fulton Commits
sion. were near Mr. Wright while the mechanI-
| clan attended to a few details At a slight sig
nal from the aviator Mr. Beck and Mr.. Hammer
retired to the spot that the reporters consid-
| cred sacred and all. except the two men at the
| machine, felt exhilaTation that was difficult
/ 10 subdue. There little trouble with the
! prOpellers at first. Their siren song began.
! however. and continued for about ten minutes
/ before Wright gave a sIdewse hawklike look
/ at the heavens and little nod to Taylor. Two
American flags suspended from the front
rudder; tiny flag looked brave sticking up
from the corner of his alright canoe. life
preserver was placed on his machine near his
/ feet. He wore the familiar cap and gray busi-
ness suit. There was aviator's jacket no
scenic embellishments of any kind. He pulled
down his vest and wiped of his chin with
| handkerchief: then while the propellers ground
the atmosphere into crumbs. he jumped into
the seat and literally picked up his skypiece and
scared
FLIES STRAIGHT FOR WATER.
/ He went straight for the water. There was
no swaying or diving of the ir-thirsty machine
No one knew his destination. unless it the
machine and it did not tell. All knew that the
aviator meant TO reach Grants tomb before
/ leaving the city, but whether he would make
/ that his target on his first trip Of the morning
remained TO be seen
The start was made at 9:j3 o'clock. He rose
steadily. and in a remarkably short space of
! time was half hidden by great columns of black
smoke. heavy enough almost to cut UP into
foundation blocks. But he kept rising little
higher until the silver aeroplane appeared again
without stain, passed west of Castle Williams,
twenty-five feet above, but not directly over it,
/ and then dartcd due north.
Conflicting air currents at the Battery con-
Centrat ted their skill TO make the flyer Vaver
at that point. They We're shot through and
forgotten. one tug woke up and whistled It
+ never had before. The harbOr became mad with
snorting vessels and the growing and shrieking
! of other water craft Crowds TO the water
front from streets and alleys, putting and shout
ing the news of the aerial gadabout
Wright was flying much faster than the
/ crowds could move however, that he dis
( appearing up the historic Hudson faster than
he could be watched He continued up the
stream cautiously old Henry Hudson did
three hundred years ago. but many times
fast. He, too. sensed dangers from all sides
and like those Henry felt. they We're hidden
foes. The air currents. like the Indians. kept
out of sight. as. rising approximately two
hundred and fifty feet he passed safely through
an onslaught of the up-to-date enemy that
/ puffed yiCiOuSly of
WATCHED FROM WARSHIPS
The warships were scenes of animated uncer-
tainty when the visit of the white wings. so
often looked for acclaimed a fairylike
fact. The men behind the guns became way
ing and dancing dolls under the influence of the
noise made by their ships whistles and the
magic Cf the flight. Wright passed directly
over several of the warships, and gave no ind-
cation that the gases from their tunnels or the
blasts from the whistles worried him.
At IO:1:S::iO rising from fifteen to twenty-five
feet to make the turn he began 10 cut a semi
circle about one thousand feet north of Grants
Tomb. and while completing il passed nearly
over the middle British warship the Drake. He
turred to the left toward the Jersey shore, the
whole turn occupying three-quarters of min
rta The height was estimated at from lGn To
lJO feet.
The speed was greater on the return. tho wind
Tomb he passed out of sight far down the river
at 10:17 He arrived at Governors Island at
/ 10.26:y3 having been in the air 33 minutes and
/ 3} seconds.
The official distance from the starting point
10 Grants Tomb is 1910 miles and the total
distance travelled by Mr. Wright. on one OF the
most perious aerial trips ever undertaken, was
therefore estimated approximately twenty
miles The fight upriver made in 20 min
utes and 80 seconds in the face of the wind
The down river journey made in 13 min
utes and 3 seconds the average rate Of speed
being about forty-two and one-half miles an
hour for the round trip.
SILENCE GREETs HIS RETURN
The REGULARLY of the reception Of the home
coming hero when he reached Governors Island
WA. IT'S supreme silence. Not cheer was Of
f.red a. ne stepped from the mae hine No man
in the little group behind the reporters ropes
-loke ,o his n,ghbor
'rht i.lurunihcd effect Was relieved when Mr..
Iirc., JUMPED the ropes and str"de To Mr
WTisht'- side
Il should like 20 say that YOU permitted me To
Le the FIRST to shake your hand after this great
achievement" said Mr. Beck. before any one
present knew whether Wright had really reached
hi North Pole not
Where did YOU go?" came in spasm from
men whose throats were lumpy from trying 10
aprcaf self-contsined.
\ Htte be, ond Grants rom1, ne replied, no
change in his manner. uO indication by eSelash