Evening star., 1928-09-09

tending back between the propellers
and another box-shaped arrangement
projecting forward, regulating eleva-
tion."
THIS news made sweet music for the
l. Nations wires. From coast to
coast Salley's words hummed and
clicked over the telegraph keys. But
the editors, sitting behind green shades
and typewriters, trained incredulous
eyes on this startling news.
Cut OUT the wild cat stuff. We
can't handle it." one editor wired the
Kill Devil correspondent.
Severely piqued that any one should
question his professional honor, Salley
replied: ,s.o ,,o,,o ,,o,
filing wild cat stuff? Am not IN the
habit of filing such matter. Good
story today. WrightS make new
records"
Optimism winds up the dispatch. And
May 6, 1903, Salley sent the following:
The Wrights refuse all requests for
information regarding their machine
and little can be learned about it ex-
cept through observation of its perform
ance. Located as they are at Kill
Devil Hill and surrounded by miles OF
sand hills, their experiments are wit
messed by few people.
They are one mile from the KIP
Devil Hill Life Saving Station, with its
six surfmen who assisted in building
and now handling their machine.
These and several others witnessed
the experiments today. A herd of long
haired cattle watching operations from
afar were frightened into Roanoke
sound when once the machine flew in
their direction"
May II, 1908, Salley wrote:
In flving machine flights at Kill
Devil Hill today Wright brothers made
long gains over distances heretofore
flown, the longest flight today, the dis
tance being computed by telegraph
poles of the United States Weather
Bureau seaCoast wire. being two and
seven-siXteenthS miles, almost a mile
in excess of their best record previous
to today.
AT no time was the machine more
that 20 feet above the ground, the
only rises i'll its course being taken to
avoid sand dunes. 1t was made to light
easily on the ground, the average time
being computed as 46.774 miles per
hour.
Imagine reaper flying through the
air with its customary noise while at
work and the rising and falling motion
similar to that of bird and a fair
picture of the Wright brothers flying
machine in action is obtained.
After the machine alights, it has to
be rolled back to the rail before it can
be started again. To do this. it is placed
on pair of Wheels and with its engine
in action it almost forces itself along
Wright brothers guard their machine
with utmost secrecy. They will not
operate IL in sight of a stranger.
especially a newspaper man-not if
they know 1t. Life savers are their
only conf1dantS.'
This last paragraph should dig the
grave of many disputes. It clinches for
all time the fact that the Wrights were
exceedingly shy of strangers. And
newspaper men-the brothers would
deny them even a glimpse of the
machine.
A BOUT this time one of the editors
wanted to know more about the
reporter who signed his name "Salley'
Salley replied:
Dear Editor: Stories you are getting
from Manteo. Roanoke Island. are ac-
curate. Should you wish to substantiate
correctness of my information, wire Mr.
Drinkwater. officer in charge Weather
Bureau here. or Capt. Jesse Ward,
keeper of Kill Devil Hills Life Saving
Station. Big fakes have been concocted
in Norfolk"
According to Essary. Salley was the
lone e-nanCie1 Journalist at Kill Devil
during the first few spectacular flights.
But New York editors didn't believe his
stories and, besides, it was too much for