The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1953-12-11


morning and sent a telegram to
their father Bishop Wright in
Dayton announcing that their
flight attempts had been success
full and that they would soon be
home. The telegram was given to
Joe Dosher in charge of the
Kitty Hawk weather bureau
Qong since discontinued) who
transmitted it to the Weather
Bureau in Norfolk to be sent by
Western hnion. In those days, the
only way kilograms could be
transmitted from the lonely and
isolated Outer Banks was via the
weather bureau lines.
DrinkWater recalls that the
telegraph lines were in such con-
dition those days that it was nee
essary frequently to relay mes
sages from one point to another.
Drinkwater declares that Dosher
asked him to relay this first mes
sage about the first flight from
Corolla on to Norfolk. The biog-
rapher of the Wrights does not
mention Drinkwater as having
any role in sending that first
message from the Wrights.
Naturally he would not" says
Drinkwater. my role was a
minor one, and 1 was halfway up
the beach from Kitty Hawk to
Virginia Beach and Norfolk,
when it was necessary for me to
relay the message"
There has never been any
suggestion about the important
role Drinkwater played in the
1908 flights by the Wrights at Kill
Devil Hills. At that time he was
in charge of the telegraph sta
ton at Manteo on Roanoke Island
and it was he who handled the
press messages of many neWsmen
sent to the scene to cover the
flights conducted in May of that
year. Such newsmen as D. Bruce
Salrey, a free lancer of Norfolk,
Byron Newton of the New York
Herald, Che later became Secre-
tary of War;, William Hoster,
New York American, and P. H.
MCGOWAN of the London Daily
Mail were on hand to cover the
story. They filed thousands of
words of press to their news
papers and Drinkwater was the
man who did the transmitting.
Thus Drinkwater, who still
owns the original press messages
transmitted by the newsmen here
in 1908, did have an important
part in early flight experiments
and demonstrations. He will be
on hand as one of the official
hosts during the December cele-
bration this year and with Kill
Devil Hills Memorial Society his
title is historian.
Moore Reported Story
Harry P. Moore was a young
Norfolk reporter in 1908. Some
say that he has never given the
exact details about how he
learned so much about the
Wright flight of December II, a
half century ago. The generally
accepted story, and one which the
late Orville Wright gave con-
siderable credence to, was that
Moore happened to be in the
Norfolk weather station when the
telegram from the Wrights en-
route to Dayton was received.
James J. Gray in charge of the
bureau at Norfolk unquestion-
ably gave the tip to Moore about
the flight.
Moore reported the story to a
re-write man on the staff of the
Pilot. The story was edited and
given big play by Keville Glen
nan, at that time city editor OF
the Norfolk newspaper.
1t was a fantastic type Of story
and told about flight for some
20 miles or more over the nearby
ocean. The late Orville Wright
ON one occasion is reported to
have made this comment about
the story which he gave Moore
credit for reporting: while
there were many inaccuracies in
the story, one thing about it was
true. We did make flights at
Kitty Hawk on the previous
day" (The quote may not be
exact but it is approximately
correct)
Thus, if plans work out, Harry
P. Moore who has already been
honored at one first flight cele-
bration at Kill Devil Hills will
be here again this year, and with
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