The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-07-29
THE WRIGHT BEACON
TO BE NO SMALL THING
Federal Monument to Aviation at Kill Devil
Hills To Fittingly Commemorate One of
The Greatest Achievement in Human
History

This newspapers previous
opinion that The Wright Bea-
con to be erected at Kill Devil
Hills on the North Carolina
Coast in commemoration of the
first power-driven airplane
flight made at Kill Devil Hills
on Dec. II. 1908. will be a pre-
tentious and impressive monu-
ment fittingly commemorative
OF one of the most important
facts in human history. was con
firmed the other day in the Wis
it OF the Hon. Edw. P. Warner.
assistant secretary OF the US.
Navy in charge OF the division
OF aeronauticS.
Secretary Warner flew from
Washington to Kill Devil Hills in
behalf of Secretary Of the Navy
Wilbur who is one of the three
eminent commissioners having the
location and design of the mOnu-
ment under consideration.
The Assistant Secretary Of the
Navy visited the spot where the
Wright brothers camped ut Kill
Devil Hills and was impressed with
the desirability of locating the mon
ument on this spot on the level plain
near the ocean. rather than on one
of the hills. The sand dunes are
moving, in a southwe>tward direc-
tion-mOving slowly it is true. but
moving nevertheless. If the mOnu-
ment We're erected ON the hill, the
hill would move off and leave it in
the course of time. And the Feder-
al monument to aviation is TO be for
all time.
On the plains of Virginia Dare
shores where the WrightS worked
with their original flyer the sands
do not shift and the location Is
such that no sand dune will ever
move that way. In fact the settle
ment of Virginia Dare shores would
take care Of that contingency II
such Il contingency should ever ap-
pear.
While at Kill Devil Hills Secre-
tary Warner met and talked with
friends of the Wright brothers who
knew them intimately in the years
they labored at Kill Devil Hills
Will Tate. \. W. Drinkwater. Capt.
Adam Etheridge. W. :. Dough.
Johnny Moore. Secretary Warner
made studied inquiries as TO the
accessibility of the Kill Devil Hills
to millions Of Americans who would
want to visit the shrine of the
birthplace of aviation. And before
he flew back To Washington he
made Il detOur of the country con-
tiguouS To the coast getting Il bira-
eve view of the fine roads leading
from Elizabeth City and Norfolk
to Point HarbOr. from which point
bridge will he built across the
waters Of Currituck Sound 10 con-
meet the mainland directly with the
coast at IL point near where the
monument will I've built.
Quite n crowd had assembled at
tho Virginia Dare shores pavilion
70 greet the Assistant Secretary Oh
the Navy and his aide. 1t. Col. W.
X Horrill. Most of them had never
seen an official disnitary OF his
imuortance before and they gave
him pretty close scrutiny ana askeu
for speech. Secretary warner
bore the scrutiny like blue white
river diamond and made them Il de-
Iisbtful speech in which he empha-
sized the Importance OF the great
historical event which it proposed
to permanently commemorate anu
voiced the opinion that the monu-
ment 70 be erected would be a fit
ting marker of the birthplace OF
the truly epoch-making events III
human history. Secretary Warner
was introduced to his shore au-
dience by W. o. Saunders.
Secretary Warner flew from
Washington to Kill Devil Hills IN
n single engine two passenger navy
sea plane in two hours and ten min-
MES, his average speed having been
40 miles an hour. Before the in
vention of the airplane at Kill Devil
Hills the distance from the nation
capital to Kill Devil Hills was an
arduous journey of two days OF
more.
The monument commission VIII
meet early in the fall to determine
upon the location, cost and type Oh
monument to be erected. 1t Is 10
he an important memorial TO en-
dure for centuries and it can not