The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1928-12-14


machine had been ready for trial
and a coin was tossed UP to deter
mine which of the brothers should
make the first flight. Wilbur won
but the machine got away to
bad start. Before it had left the
ground parts we're broken. BY
the morning of the seventeenth il
was again considered airworthy
and in a wind blowing 81 miles an
hour, Orville Wright piloted the
first airplane aloft.> The flight
lasted IL seconds, and covered 12O
feet from the end of the monorail.
Wilbur Wright flew IL seconds in
the second attempt. Orville flew
Is seconds, and in the last flight
of the day, Wilbur flew SO sec
onds, landing $50 feet from the
point of the take-off. A few min
utes later the wind overturned
Tic pldIt WllCh AdQ OO0h 'OIS
temporarily unguarded, and sever
al ribs were broken. The brothers
had proved that their machine
could fly and land under its own
power in a winter wind. They
packed up an went home.
The Norfolk Virginia Pilot, in
its issue of December IS, 1908, al
a story under a 7-column head
reading:
FLYING MACHINE SCARS 3
MILES IN TEETH OF HIGH
WIND OVER SANDHILLS AND
WAVES AT KITTY HAWK ON
CAROLINA COAST.
The story was an imaginative
description of the flights, based
partly on gossip and partly on re-
collection of the three years of
gliding trials. Local correspon-
dents sent items to metropolitan
newspapers, but if these were
published at all they we're given
very inconspicuous positions.
But man could fly!
The Wrights carried on their
experiments for the next two
years at Simms' Station, near Day
ton, in a field belonging to Tor
renee Huffman. Here a shed was
erected and a new machine, sim
liar to the first, but heavier and
stronger, was built. Maintenance
of equilibrium still gave trouble.
By the end of Spemteber, 1905,
repeated experiments, this
difficulty was very largely over
come. On October 5, 1905, ex-
perimentation was discontinued,
owing to the crowds that were
constantly at the field.
During 1904, los flights were
These included the first
turn, made by Orville Wright on
the 18th of September, and the
first circle, made by Wilbur
Wright on the goth. In 1905, nor
than so flights were made by the
Wrights. Among these were the
following:
September &c, II is miles in IS
minutes and 9 seconds by Wilbur
Wright.
September 20, IL miles in 10
minutes and So seconds by Orville
Wright.
Octber 3, 15A miles in 25 min
ltes and 5 seconds by Orville
October A, 2O% miles in 33 min
ties and II seconds by Orville
October 5, "a Is miles in 3S
minutes and 3 seconds by Wilbur
Wright.
The average speed in these
was about 38 miles an hour.
the three years of power
lying some $50 flights were
made, covering about $50 miles. 1t
8 interesting TO note that the
light of October 9Th, in which the
lying field was circled thirty
lines, was longer than all the 105
of 1904 put together! No
,ther men had yet flown.
Although the United States Gov
'rnment, to whom the brothers
lad offered their invention com
In 1904 for 500, 000, display
ID little practical enthusiasm for
he airplane, France and Germany
we're deeply interested, and In
eo6 official representatives OF
10th countries came to Dayton TO
make a first-hand investigation.
rhey met the Wrights personally