The Washington herald., 1909-07-03

II the engine had not stopped eighty
hve feet up IN the air. and If the stub end
ot a young oak tree had not been lying in
wait down on the parade ground at
Fort Myer. the Wright aeroplane would
now be resting safe and sound in It's
shed, with the best fight to its credit
1t has made since it got over its first
baIkiness.
AS it is. the machine is lying on the
hoor Ike a bird with its legs cut of. The
skids, or runners. are a mass Of spin
tered wood. on which the silver paint
looks strangely garish. The guy wires
are q tangled mesh. The right wing
tip. which had the falling out with the
young oak tree. IS torn to shreds
AS Orrille and Wilbur Wright explained
when they had examined the crippled ma
chine, the outcome Of the flight was due
10 nothing but a bit Of hard luck-or
bit Of young oak tree-and the sturdy
frame Of the aeroplane is not otherwise
injured in the least. Neither is the en-
gine- Some new canvas will have to be
sent from Dayton, and a new pai- Of
skids viii have 10 be made Flights viii
probably be commenced agar. next Tues
day.
The engine was at the bottom Of the
trouble again. After a beautiful fight
OF twelve circuits OF the parade ground.
followed By a perfect landing and new
start, eight more laps were reeled or ar
the rate OF forty or more miles an hour.
The white machine was behaving in fine
shape OrviIle had absolute control OF II.
1t was flying higher, more confidently
even. that It had on Thursday. and the
heart Of the crowd was with f.
Trouble with Engine.
As the aeroplane raced down the north
end Of the field. directly in front Of 2O00
spectators, Orville sent it straight over
the starting derrick and swung a wide
curve for the stretch 20 the south end of
the grounds Suddenly in the almost
continuous roar of the explosions from
the engine a single gap was heard, then
another, then a longer gap. The motor
was missing" Some loosened connec-
zion somewhere. some sudden change in
the flow Of gasoline. was checking the
even drive on the propellers
Under the rush Of its momentum and
the impulse OF its faItering motor the
flyer swept on down the feld. Distance
mufled the sound Of the explosions. but
il could not hide the increasing gaps in
the rythm- Near the south end of the
parade ground the defect seemed sud-
denly 70 be augmented. Then with a sud
den silence the dim gray circle which
showed the path OF The p-OpeIiers dis
appeared. and in its place the blades
themselves could be seen. revolving
slowly, and rapidly coming to a stop.
Back behind the rope the crowd leaned
tensely forward. Here was the thing
the spectors had wondered about What
could Orville do if the engine stopped
working? Their questions were soon an
swered- With a graceful dip and scoop
ing recovery, the machine slanted down
fifteen feet Again IL scoOped out an arc
OF air. It was moving over the balloon
shed, not directly across the field as Il
had on the other laps. but partly to the
south. Ahead Of it as ii glided down was
an ugly gully. and beyond that a gentle
rise in the ground and a clear landing
place.
Nears the GrOund.
The gully was passed safely. and the
grass was only a few feet away. The
aeroplane was poised perfectly. The
sllids were hanging below. waiting 10
take the weight Suddenly something
happened. The glide was interrupted. An
invisible hand was laid on the right wing
tip. while the left dashed to the earth
and slowed around.
With a splash Of dust the machine took
the ground. and it was seen that for
some reason or other it had sunk so low
that the blades Of both propeIlers struck.
throwing up little spurts Of amber cloud.
Then all was quiet. while the crowd
strained its eyes to make out the form Of
Orville Wright Cavalrymen dashed off.
while others wheeled and cavorted 70
keep the spectators from streaming down
the field.
Almost Immediately Orville~ came ont
from behind the white planes. apparent
ly as satisfied with the world as q fish
IN London fog. Wilbur. followed by
TAYLOR. the mechanician. walked quietly
down the field 10 see what had happened
and how much. The crowd waited and
waited for many minutes to learn the
extent Of the damage.
The aeroplane lay fat on its lower
plane with no skids showing. The en-
gine. the watercooler, the skein Of wires
ard the upper plane were Just as thev
always had been. An area the size OF
the top Of an umbrella al the right rear
corner. or wing tip. Of the lower plane
was torn into shreds both LAYERS OF con-
vas. and the ibis were sticking out like
the claws Of a skeleton hand
After a conference between the bro
ther aviators, IN which Orville. with
gestures up at the air. explained what
had happened, the men of the Signal
Continued on Page ?, Column ..
se.ee to stountsln Lake Parl, and Return,