Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-13
REWARDS OF THE AVIATOR
Paulhan Is Said to Have Made
$500, 900 in Two Years.
RAPID RISE OF THE v01SINs
Wrirhts Stockholders in a Million
Dollar Company-Attendance on
Flights Here and Abroad.


last two years. since flying became a
popular form Of exhibition. to estimate
the amount of money that has been OBJ
| tanned by the few noted figures in the
world of aviation. The rewards have
been moderately large, even though they
have been won at the risk OF the avia-
tors life each time he went up. About
the only aviator Of note who has never
| taken any chances, and probably never
will get hurt, Is Wilbur Wright. He Will
not fly except when the weather con-
ditions are entirely to his liking. and he
is of the cast of character that Will not
be moved from his decided course, no
matter what kings, powers or potentates
are disappointed by not seeing him make
flight.
The chances are that the Wright broth
ers have made more money out OF avia-
ton than any other pair. They were the
first practical flyers and have never
entered an exhibition save once, when
Orville personally made flight at the
INDIANAPOLIS meet this summer in hopes
of arousing little enthusiasm
Interest in Flights.
1t Is a rather curious thing that there
is less apparent interest in human flight
in this country than anywhere else in
the world. Paris will turn out thou
sands daily to see the casual flights at
Issy les Mullinoux, and during the inter
city flights that are now going on in
France it is reported that there are lit
erally thousands Of automobiles daily
following the racers.
Templehof Field every time there was a
chance Of a fight. and there was al
ways a crowd in England. even at such
remote spot as Eastchurch, while the
regular aviation meets at Bournemouth
and Blackpool have gathered big crowds.
But in this country there has been a
remarkable lack of enthusiasm. When
flying was absolutely new thing and
Orvile Wright was demonstrating the
Wright aeroplane at Fort Myer it was a
rare thing to see more than 500 persons
there. The show was free, the newspa-
pers printed columns about it. but up to
the time of the accident that killed Lieut..
Selfridge and put stop to the expert
ments in September. 1908. there was
hardly anybody at the grounds. There
were more persons the following year.
when the acceptance trials were finally
held, but even then the crowd was not
so large a such an epoch making achieve
ment would seem to call for.
Money Made by the Wrights.
Stlll, Cne virgins nave mace some
money. They sold the patent rights OF
their machine to a French syndicate for
100000. They sold one machine to the
Italian government at a time when ma
chimes were costly. and it is not known
how much they realized or whether they
parted with anything except the single
machine.
The next summer, when OTville Wright
went abroad, they sold the German rights
to the machine for q sum that was cur
rently reported to have been S2O0.00O.
There is big aeroplane factory now out
side of Berlin, and the kaiser is one of
the patrons of the company.
When the Wrights returned to this
country they had offers of all sorts to go
into exhibition work, but refused. One of
the offers was for a series of flights at
81, 900 a flight. BY holding off they SEEM
ed only to whet the interest of moneyed
men, and the elimination was the forma-
ton of the American Wright Company,
capitalized at S1,OOO,OOO and in which
the Wrights are reported to hold a large
share, If not the majority, of the stock
besides whatever salaries they receive
from the company.
In the meantime the Wright machines
are being manufactured and sold in Eng
land by private company. There has
never been much printed about this ar
rangement, but it is reported to be on a
percentage basis.