Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-30

the ultimate jumping-off place on the
North Carolina coast. kflldevil hill is a
sand cone about seventy feet high. mile
from the life-saving station of the same
name. At the foot of the hill the brothers
built a shanty and for three successive
years they experimental in solitude. so
far as the outside world was concerned.
though the members of the life-Savng
crew lent them all the aid possible, and
help of that sort was needed in the shift
ing sand
Plans of the Brothers.
The idea of the brothers was to use
their big flying machine as kite and ride
1t at the end of rope whenever the
winds were strong enough. They had de-
veloped the idea of flexing wings in a
practical way and were convinced they
could learn the art of balancing by the
time they had developed a satisfactory
gasoline motor.
They ran a little bicycle repair shop in
Dayton in business hours. and here they
built their engine. 1t was their own
work, a very simple, four-cylinder upright
engine. But much of their first success
abroad was attributed by the French to
the fact that they had one of the first de-
pendab bile gasoline engines of light weight
that had been produced.
The first engine that they tried at Kill
devil was a long step behind the one they
afterward built. 1t would develop six
teen horsepower when first started but
this was reduced to thirteen horsepower
after they had been flying a few minutes.
However. with a very efficient pair of
double propellers they had designed they
were able to make their first motor-driven
fight Of $40 yards. This distance next
year they increased up to 1000 yards.
and in October of 1905 they flew at Day
ton fraction short of thirty-five miles.
Public Is Skeptical.
The world hesitated to believe this flight
and for some time the Wrights were
regarded skepticany by the general pub
lic One remarkable feature of the case
at that time was the general ignorance
of the world on the subject of flying ma
chimes The first flights made at Dayton
were open to the public-in fact, the
newspa pers were invited to send represent
atives, and did. When the first flight of
five minutes was made in public one OF
the reporters present turned on his heels
and walked off, remarking that it wasn't
so much after all. as man In Germany
the previous week had remained in the
air half an hour. This was perfectly
true. but the fact was that the German
had been flying a dirigible balloon.
The first public exhibition of Importance
that was given in this country was when
Orville Wright came to Fort Myer in the
summer of 1908 to demonstrate the first
DlpldHe IOT the w al bCpdi AZ thS
same time Wilbur was abroad, making rec
ord flights at LIE Mans, France. The
same summer Orville met with an acct
dent that nearly cost his life and he did
not return to finish the government DEM
onstrations till the following summer.
Trains Signal Officers.
When he did come Wilbur was with
him and it was commentary on the rela-
tons of the two brothers that Wilbur re-
fused to get into the machine until Or
vile had finished the demonstrations he
had started for the War Department.
When Orville was through with his fly
ing tests he returned to Dayton and Will
bur remained TO train three of the Signal
Corps officers. This he did at College
Park He was then a world figure
and had been received and con-
suited by kings abroad. But when he
settled at College Park to train the young
signal officers, he settled in single room
in house overlooking the flying field and
reading magazines and occasional books
of reference. though all Washington. So
cial and scientific. would have been glad
to entertain him every night.
Always Unpretentious.
One small thing that gives line on his
character was that though he was the
iuOSt aviator OIL the WOFIQ
he never dressed for the part He wore
an old business suit, and never even had
a pair of puttees or bicycle clips to close
the legs of his trousers. 1t was late in
the season. and cold while flying, but
when Wilbur would have to go up he
would look around and get a piece of
string to tie up the legs of his trousers
On only one day did he ever 'cut loose"
and show what he could really do with a
IN, hof he Curad
off half kilometer course, and did what
was then known as 1.-The closed kilometer'
in f1fty-eight seconds. Henri Farman in
France had won prize of $4,000 for
doing the same flight in a. minute and
twelve seconds a year before. Wilbur
remarked casually after the flight that it
was a worlds record, but came near for
getting to mention it at all
Later in the same morning he got into
the machine alone and went up for q lit
tie amusement. He banked the machine
almost on end, made it turn apparently
almost in its own length. and, swooping
down from a height of 80 feet. would
"straighten OUT within a yard of the
ground and fly for quarter of a mile
with the skids of the machine brushing
the grass tops. 1t was a remarkable ex-
hibtion and the more SO that 1t was SO
unusual to see Wilbur perform at ALL
Was Severe Teacher.
He was severe teacher lie maze
nearly all his training flights between
twenty-five and thirty-five feet high, and
after he had relinquished the levers to
his pupil would take them back again If
the novice let the machine vary from this
few-foot limit. He said caustically that
man who could not keep within that limit
was not fit to be trusted to fly.
Little more was seen OF Wilbur Wright
in Washington after the training flights
at College Park. He called here a few
times on business at the War Depart
ment, and was out a good deal looking
after the exhibition business of the COM
pany but, aside from experimenting at
the factory in Dayton, he did practically
no flying himself.
Profound Sorrow Here.
In government circles, especially in the
Signal Corps of the army, profound sor-
row was expressed at the news of the
death of Wilbur Wright. His connection