The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-07-29
WRIGHT BROS.
ARE SCIENTISTS
Successful Airship Men Are Not
cranks But Have Carefully
Studied the Matter
AVOIDING INTERVIEWS
They do Not Like to Talk to News
paper Men for Fear that their
Words VIII be Mis-
quoted.
AVOIDING INTERVIEWS

The newspaper men who cover the
aeroplane flights at Fort Myer are
discovering new angles in the mental
processes Of Orville and Wilbur
Wright
Through well known member of
congress who processes knowledge
of world politics and who confessed
that he patronizingly talked of suoa
things with Wilbur recently, comes the
information that the elder one of the
Dayton boys is a keen student of
world affairs and wonderfully well in
formed on international politics. The
congressman admitted that he had
learned lot of new points from VIII
bur as to the policies of the foreign
Offices OF France, England. Germany,
Spain and Italy. For instance, that
John Bulls fear of invasion via the
channel by aerial craft is well found
ed is one of Wilbur's conclusions.
There were those who figured that
the Wright aeroplane was merely the
3 result of constant experimentation in
more or less hit or miss style A
talk with Orville along scientific lines,
however, soon discloses the fact that
he is a perfect encyclopedia of aerial
technique. He is as wei grounded in
physics and the higher scientific studt
of atmospheric conditions and dyna-
mics as he is in the three RS. He
Is scientist in tie fullest sense of
$he u-avd t>,,< x-;fl h,& n
among scientists of never airing his
technical store of knowledge unless il
is required of him.
The secret of the non-commital at
titude the two brothers adopt toward
the newspaper men and their aversion
to interviews is based, SO the news
paper men have come to believe, or
the fear that they will be misquoted
It is impossible for them to talk
the aeroplane without using technical
terms, and it is their conviction that
these terms will be iuggled and
wrongly paraparased that makes the
two aeronauts so word-shy.
we have never been able to make
newspaper man understand the ex
act principles OF he fight of oui
aeroplane," said Oryille one evening
recently. The precise points in oui
bi-plane which are covered by paten
have never been perfectly explained
nay own idea of the cause of the acci
dent at Fort Myer last fall has neve
been correctly printed. You news
paper men can't seem to grasp tn
technicalities of aerial fight.
IF Wilbur and myself want to hav
good laugh" Orville continue,
smiling, all we have to do is pick u
newspaper and read a description
of our machine nobody ever coul
fly in the monstrosities that are S
infinitely and graphically depicted
The newspaper men. among them
selves, believe that Orville and Wi
bur just like all scientists. can't bea
to have anything called by any nam
which isn't the scientific appelatioT
When Orville says main plane fo
instance, it hurst him back in hi
well-ordered scientific mind to b
quoted as saying main wing"
Orville and Wilbur talk unrestrail
ed-provided what they say isn't fc
publication The newspaper men a
like the two brothers. despite the
Discrimination to formal interview
Wilbur has warmed up sufficiently S
far during the trials at Fort Myer
crack an exactly half dozen jokes an
Oryille's record is nearly double tina
If some neurotic young lady shout