Orville Wright in America.

Progress, Volume IV, Issue 2, 1 December 1908, Page 54

Orville Wright in America.

It appears, from the reports coming to hand in ordinary course of mail, that Orvilie Wright made his long hour flights before his brother Wilbur had got to that stage in France. On the Bth of September he new for one hour and live minutes round the parade ground at Fort Meyer. On the 9th he stayed up longer, and got the cheers and waving of handkerchiefs of several thousand delighted spectators. "The 'aeronef/ " wrote an eye witness, "sped down the rail and mounted immediately into the air. . . . The crowd after giving one cheer as the big bird rose quiet and motionless, stood watching and waiting." After it had been flying steadily round and round the course for three quarters of an hour, the wind suddenly got up and blew ten miles an hour. At once the motion of the aeronef changed. Gone was the easy, steady motion hitherto so remarkable. No more stately curves; she began to "dip and dive" something like a ship in a seaway, "rising up suddenly and then rushing headlong down the steep slope of an aerial wave, until brought up sharply by the steady hand upon the levers, the figure guiding the machine sitting almost motionless. No difference did the breeze make to the man who has negociated winds twice as fast, and but little difference was noticed in the speed when the wind was on one side, in spite of the pitching and tossing. But against the wind the speed was perceptibly slower, and with it, as the machine swung round the curves, it seemed a veritable aerial express train, so meteoric was its flight." The travelling getting more uneven, the aeronaut decided to try what the air was like higher up, and sent his machine on a long series of spiral flights

upward round the parade ground, till he got it up to the 200 feet level. There the going was easier a great deal, either because the puffs were quieter there, or there was less disturbance of the air currents from the houses and trees near the parade ground. Before the machine came down there was a strange incident. A dove, attracted by the monster whirring along, started in pursuit, and made desperate efforts to come level, keeping it up for over 300 yards. But the "man-bird" easily held its own. Brains and machinery triumphed over instinct and perfect knowledge of flying. Mr. Wright shot ahead of his competitor, the bird being ' ' outflown, outclassed and outrun. ' ' Cheers and waving handkerchiefs proclaimed the victory, and there was a great deal of shouting. The machine eventually came down ' ' alighting softly in a cloud of dust and a haze of congratulations, with shouts louder than ever." The next day the triumphal progress was resumed, with great nights in figures of eight, and the speed registered by anemometer was 39 1 /* miles an hour. The next day the aeronaut went up with mi officer of Ihe American Army, and after he had brought him .safe-

ly back (after a stately flight at the rate of 38 miles) to earth, he started up again, and remained in the air, going fast, for over 74 minutes. But there was a sad end in prospect. It came on the 16th. The flight began us the others, with grace and speed bird-like in every way. "Wright had a passenger, Lieut. Selfridge, of the U.S. Army, and as they swung round the parade ground in stately fashion, the lieutenant waved his hand repeatedly to friends below. 3i verything seemed to be going quite shipshape and Bristol fashion. In the midst oC this pleasant scene came the end. "Suddenly, on rounding a corner, the machine appeared to lose its balance, iike a bird killed on the wing, and fell to earth with a sickening thud. ' ' The fall was estimated by the onlookers at from 75 to 100 feet. Many rushed up to help. They found the machine smashed to pieces and the unfortunate passengers lying among the wreckage. Another account — Daily Mad — gives the following details: — "The aeroplane was maiiing its fourth circle of tne parade ground, when the great crowd which had gathered to witness the nights saw a blade of the left hand propeller fly off. Instantly the machine fluttered uncertainly like a wounded bird. Then it turned completely over and plunged seventy -five feet to earth. A great cloud of dust rose, instantly shutting off the view of the wreckage. ' ' All accounts agree that the primary cause of the accident was the replacement of the original propellers by a pair somewhat longer, for the purpose of increasing the speed. There was not room enough for, the new blades to work free, hence the accident. There is some comfort in this, for it discloses that the cause was not any uncertainty or defect in the aeroplane itself. The flights of Orville Wright are thus recorded :: — • Sept. 9 — lhr. 2min. 13sec. Sept. 10 — lhr. smin, 42sec. Sept. 12— lhr. 14min. 20sec. The day after the accident Wilbur Wright was to compete for the Miehelin Cup, and many thousands met to see the sport, but on receiving the news of the accident, he burst into tears, and shut himself up alone in his aeroplane shed.