The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1928-03-16

,an-air flying machine. 80 ,''A
The famous plane is now in the
British Museum In England. domi-
ciled I'm a foreign home because Mr..
Wright insists that there has been a
conspiracy upon the part or the
Smithsonian Institution i'm his own
country to discredit the work OF
himself and his brother Wilbur and
give first place in the National
Museum to the invention Of Prof.
Samuel +. Langley.
The Kill Devil Hills Memorial
Association believes that the origf-
nal Wright plane should he dOmi-
ciled at Kill Devil Hills as a per-
ma nent exhibit in the Memorial to
the first Wright flight which Con-
gresS will erect Oh the spot where
the first flight was made.
The National Commission of Fine
Arts Is. of the same opinion anu
would call for a design for the
monument tO include Il fitting mu-
scum for the display Of the Wright
plane. W. o. Saunders, president OF
the XIII Devil Hills Memorial Asso-
cjation. made a trip to Dayton, o.
last week to discuss the proposition
with Mr.. Wright.
Orville Wright gave the Elizabeth
City man a cordial reception and ac-
corded him much lengthier inter-
view than he Is accustomed to give:
but If he WAS at all impressed he
didn't evidence the fact by any
word or act. The only encourage
ment he gave was in refraining from
saying that ,he ,w0lild not lbe open
to conviction. He did not say No.
.And until you have given us u
final Nj we shall not give up all
I hope Of interesting yOu," were
Saunders parting words to Mr.
Wright.
The fact of the whole matter Is
that Orville Wright II in a fighting
mood. He feels that he has been
J mistreated by his own people and
/ that history has been falsified to
give credit to another for the inyen-
! tion of the first true flying machine.
He deliberately and pufposefnly.
sent the original plane TO England
to arouse the American public and
excite a popular interest in his
claims. That plane will not be
brought back to American shores
until the early history Of aviation
as recorded in government archives
is corrected to suit Mr. Wright. -
: What It's All About "a
J After more than three years of ex-
. perimentation the brothers Wilbur
and Orville Wright nnde their
memorable flight at Kill Devil Hills
1 on Dec. II. 1893. Many witnesses
, saw that machine fly untler Its owa
power. first carrying Wilbur, then
Urville Wright.
Just nine days before the Wrightsl
success Il similar trial for hOnOrs II
power flight was being made neilil
Washington. off Arsnel Point on the
| Potomac River by Prof. Samuel II
Langley. secretary Of the S1nithsoni
ian Institution. and Prof. Charles
VI. Manly. his assistant.
Powered by the first radial air
pluDe motor in the history of thq
world. Iangley's craft was designed
to he launched by a catpult device
from the top of housaboat. Will
. PROF. Manly az pilot the. first un
successful attempt was made Octo
her Z. 1903: Later Manly took hi,
place at the controls Of Prof. Lang
ley's plane and. according to q Sta
rep. r:er who was all eyewitness
here's what happened:
Large crowds witnessed the col
lapse of the Langley airship Of
Arsenel Point yesterday. .,, s3.a I
"The G0-fOot machine. a perfec
bit of mechanism, was launched q 4
10 =. NJ. (Decenlier 8, 1W3f
! Within 10 seconds 1t had describe,
IL half solnersault, doubled up lik
an athlete taking hurdle and ha'
fallen into. the river. broken an
twisted into mass of wood, stee
and linen. with its nose on the mu
In the river bottom. n
Prof. Manly, who attempted
fly the machine, was buried uude
Continued on Page Nve) r.