Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-09


less or living on promises that will never be
fulfilled.
AND so we come to the province of the
manufacturers place of high lights
and shadows, where some have succeeded
and others have failed. Here we shall find
that the business of manufacturing aero
planes is in Europe a big moneymaker.
Also we shall find that in the United States
it is failure. The contrast is sharp.
In 1908 and 1909, when the Wrights were
demonstrating the first really practical aero
plane, it was freely predicted that 1912 at
the latest would see us all travelling through
the air That year has come and gone, and
we are still on the ground. Prominent avla-
ton authorities made the statement that our
mails would be delivered through the air,
that war would become so terrible that uni
versal peace must be the swift outcome. The
telegraph, the telephone, the wireless, steam
ships, and railroads were made parallels.
Similar success with aeroplanes was taken
for granted. But the success has not come.
The mails are still carried by trains. Turkey
and Italy, Turkey and the Balkan States,
have warred, and the aeroplane has done
nothing terrible, raised no cry for universal
peace More, in this country it is as far from
being a sound commercial possibility as it
was in the beginning.
Armed with their patents, by which they
sought to monopolize the aviation OF the
world, the Wrights obtained the powerful
backing of Wall Street and organized their
million-dollar corporation. Then they be-
gan to manufacture biplanes. Out in the
factory at Dayton perfect workmanship was
put on the models of the late Wilbur. One
finished product followed another-into the
storerooms. All shining in nickel and bright
fhnxy tod 10 MIR
chasers. But where were the purchasers to
come from?
The Wrights began to seek them. Upon
inspection they decided that the market had
three possibilities, gentlemen sportsmen,
aviators, and governments. 1t wasn't long
before they sold half dozen machines to the
first class Well-to-do and venturesome
men caught the craze. Harry Hardness,
young millionaire, had paid twenty thou
sand dollars for two Antoinette models inn
ported from Paris. Clifford Harmon, the
The Wrights agreed that this was market
worth going after; so they instituted sell
ing campaign. The wealthy began to buy,
Just as they bought French racing cars be-
fore the automobile changed from novelty
to an industry.
THEN something happened. The @gen-
tlemen sportsmen's" market slowed up
and stood still-and, standing, died away.
Too many men had been killed in exhibitions.
T. their recklessness the showmen of the
air had made that province dangerous.
Alarmed at the terrible accidents that fol-
lowed one upon the other, the millionaire
element withdrew from the field. Disposing
of their machines and closing their ears to
offers for more, they sat back.
well wait until aviation becomes safer"
they explained.
Meanwhile the Wrights had been sending
their exhibition teams throughout the coun-
try. Daring and ambitious young men had
come to the factory at Dayton. Leaving
varied occupations behind them, they begged
to be taught aviation, to be put on the ex-
hibiting biplanes. Soon the Wrights had a
large staff of flyers working for them. I'm
doubtedly the largest sums ever paid for
hippodrome aviation were paid to this
Wright Exhibition Company. During the
golden days of 1909 and 1910 it was impos-
sible to secure good Wright aviator for less
than five thousand dollars week. Local
chambers of commerce, State and county
fair associations, real estate promoters, even
newspapers, employed them. But always
it was novelty to boom some particular
business scheme.
So while the Wrights were losing their
@pent1emen SDortsmen" market their offices