Evening star., 1928-09-09

marshes. probably slept c1l the beacf
sands. Up at sunrise with the Wrights
dashing back and forth between hi:
marshy hotel and the telegraph station
at Roanoke Island. He saw the flight!
from a distance. 1t is doubtful if Sailel
ever came nearer than several hundred
yards to the Wright plane. There va
stern rule to keep off leased land, anr
the Wrights enforced it. Then how dir
Salley get material for his dispatches:
BY using a most uncanny logic and ar
observing pair of eyes.
1t was before the day of radio, bus
tling telephone exchanges in country
towns and powerful press associations
Newspapers relied upon individual cor
respondents for much of their news
and, as free lance, it was Salleys inten.
ton to sell his dispatches to whatever
newspaper would have them.
A w. DRINKWATER, telegraph
A' operator and Weather Bureau OBJ
server on Roanoke Island. handled the
news over a Government wrie running
along the North Carolina and Virginia
coast, ordinarily used for sending intelli-
gence about the weather. Pressed into
use, the wire was able to relay bulletins
and dispatches to Norfolk, where they
we're frequently enlarged, revised and
edited by Essary before being sent
out to newspapers.
Originals of bulletins have not vet
been found. During the early flights
Essary says. it was necessary to send
only short messages, because the Wealth
er Bureau wire could handle only a
few words per hour. 1t was tedious
work. Later, however, Salley typed and
wrote his dispatches full size. Hence
forth historians may look to these
stories as the most authentic pieces q;
intelligence on Wright aeronautics writ
ten in that day.
The following quotations from Salley's
dispatches have never been printed
since first publication by Scattered
newspapers, at the time of the flight
At any rate. they have never before an
peared together.
April 6, 1908 Salley broke the news.
Wright brothers, the aeronauts, now
at Kill Devil Hill, near here (Roanoke
1sland) made their first flight in their
new alrplane this afternoon. The ma.
chine, under perfect control of its two
makers travelled 1000 feet. Apparently
it could have been flown a Thousand
times as far as easily as not. It was
mace 10 allght with case and in perfect
safety.
THE fight was for the purpose nj
testing new idea in steering gear
the adaptability of which was unknown
The idea was found satisfactory. but il
was found that its adjustment was not
altogether right.
THE elevation of the machine did
not reach more than 20 feet above the
ground.
THE machine was started easily from
a railway about 300 feet long, As the
engine started 1t glided rapidly along
this runway and when it had reached
velocity of about IS miles an hour it
left the track, bearing both Wilbur and
Orville Wright
THE principle governing the machine
is the same as that which enables a bird
to fly, although in appearance it In no
way resembles bird. The Wrights
killed and studied the formation of
many birds before their machine was
constructed. What might be termed
the body OF the machine (modern
term, fuselage) is shaped like a long
box. the sides and ends being entirely
open with the exception of a few
light upright pieces and guy wires.
Forward side of this box is inclined
upward like the breast of a bird. The
bottom and top are of closely-woven
canvas or silk. 1t is these which,
forced by the engine, keep the machine
buoyed up. The engine. about 20
horsepower. is located in the middle of
the box. Attached to the engine are
two wooden propellers of two blades
each.
THE only other attachments are
those which perform the office of the
tail of bird. These are a rudder eX-