,,the ,,wright ,,brothers ,,the ,,wright ,,brothers ,by ,,fred ,c4 ,,kelly ,a ,biography ,authorized by ,orville ,wright ,illustration ,,harcourt1 ,,brace ,,and ,,company ,,new ,,york ,,copyright1 #aidc1 ,,by ,,harcourt1 ,,brace ,,and ,,company1 ,,inc4 ,all rights reserved1 including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form4 b-#f-dc ,,printed ,,in ,,the ,,united ,,states ,,of ,,america ,,to ,the ,brave ,flyers of the ,united ,nations ,fighting ,all over the ,world for ,humanity and ,decency ,against the ,forces of ,barbarism1 ,this ,book ,is ,dedicated ,,author',s ,,preface ,the aim in this book has been to satisfy the curiosity of the average1 non-technical reader regarding the work of the ,wright ,brothers1 and to do so as simply as possible4 ,no attempt has been made to go into minute technical details4 ,nor does the book cover the scientific researches and numerous inventions by ,orville ,wright since the death of his brother4 ,to give credit to everyone who has been gracious with help in the preparation of what ,i have written would require so long a list1 with risk of names being unintentionally omitted1 that ,i shall not attempt it4 ,but one name naturally and obviously comes first and foremost--that of ,orville ,wright himself4 ,he has read my manuscript and given generously of his time in verifying the accuracy of various statements and in correcting inaccuracies which otherwise would have appeared4 ,next in importance to that of ,orville ,wright has been the help received from his secretary1 ,miss ,mabel ,beck1 whose memory and knowledge of ,mr4 ,wright's voluminous files enabled her quickly to produce documentary evidence to make certain of accuracy4 ,,fred ,c4 ,,kelly ,peninsula1 ,ohio ,,contents ,author's ,preface vii ,prologue #c ,i4 ,,boyhood #e ,,ii4 ,,background #ai ,,iii4 ,,printing--,,and ,,bicycles #bi ,,iv4 ,,first ,,thoughts ,,of ,,flight #de ,v4 ,,gliding ,,at ,,kitty ,,hawk #eh ,,vi4 ,,first ,,power ,,flight #hd ,,vii4 ,,after ,,the ,,event #aab ,,viii4 ,,experiments ,,of #aijd-'je #abj ,,ix4 ,,it ,,still ,,wasn',t 8,,news0 #aci ,x4 ,u4 ,s4 ,,army ,,not ,,interested #adg ,,xi4 ,,europe ,,discovers ,,the ,,wrights #aff ,,xii4 ,,the ,,wrights ,,in ,,europe #aid ,,xiii4 ,a ,,deal ,,with ,,the ,u4 ,s4 #bjg ,,xiv4 ,,end ,,of ,,disbelief #bbf ,,xv4 ,,when ,,wilbur ,,wright ,,won ,,france #bcc ,,xvi4 ,,further ,,adventures ,,in #aiji #bed ,,xvii4 ,,in ,,aviation ,,business #bfh ,,xviii4 ,,patent ,,suits #bhg ,,xix4 ,,why ,,the ,,wright ,,plane ,,was ,,exiled #cjj ,index #cce ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,,the ,,first ,,camp ,,at ,,kitty ,,hawk #eb ,,the #aijb ,,glider #ec ,,inside ,,the #aijb ,,camp #hd ,,from ,,orville ,,wright',s ,,diary #he ,,first ,,flight #aaf ,,the ,,first ,,power ,,plane #aag ,,the ,,huffman ,,pasture #adh ,,the ,,wright ,,patent #adi ,,the ,u4 ,s4 ,,army ,,test #ahj ,,at ,,fort ,,myer #aha ,,the ,,wright ,,plane ,,in ,,france #bab ,,the ,,wrights ,,and ,,wilbur',s ,,french ,,pupils #bac ,,the ,,old ,,and ,,the ,,new ,,in ,,transportation #bdd ,,demonstration ,,at ,,pau #bde ,,two ,,aces ,,and ,,king #bgf ,,the ,,wright ,,home ,,and ,,shop #bgg ,,the ,,wright ,,brothers ,,prologue ,in a corner of the ,pullman smoking compartment1 by the window1 the man who had been explaining the whole economic system mentioned inventors as an example of the fortunate relationship between desire for money and scientific progress4 8,take the ,wright brothers10 he said4 8,would they have worked all those years trying to fly just for their health80 ,another passenger ventured to ask3 8,don't people sometimes become curious about a problem and work to see what they can find out80 ,the man by the window chuckled tolerantly as he replied3 8,do you think those ,wright brothers would have kept on pouring money into their experiments and risking their lives if they hadn't hoped to get rich at it8 ,no1 sir6 ,it was the chance to make a fortune that kept them going40 ,most of the other passengers in the compartment nodded in agreement4 ,not long afterward1 one of those who had overheard that conversation was in ,dayton1 ,ohio1 and inquired of his friend ,orville ,wright3 8,do you think the expectation of profit is the main incentive to inventors80 ,orville ,wright didn't think so4 ,he doubted if ,alexander ,graham ,bell expected to make much out of the telephone4 ,and it seemed to him unlikely that ,edison started out with the idea of making money4 ,certainly1 he said1 ,steinmetz had little interest in financial reward4 ,all ,steinmetz asked of life was the opportunity to spend as much time as possible in the laboratory working at problems that interested him4 8,and the ,wright brothers80 ,if they had been interested in invention with the idea of making money1 said ,orville ,wright1 looking amused1 they 8most assuredly would have tried something in which the chances for success were brighter40 ,i ,,boyhood ,from earliest years both ,wilbur and ,orville ,wright were motivated by what ,thorstein ,veblen called the 8instinct of workmanship40 ,their father1 the ,reverend ,milton ,wright1 used to encourage them in this and never chided them for spending on their hobbies what little money they might have4 ,but he did urge them to try to earn enough to meet the costs of whatever projects they were carrying on4 8,all the money anyone needs10 he used to say1 8is just enough to prevent one from being a burden on others40 ,both brothers were fascinated by mechanics almost from the time they were conscious of interest in anything4 ,the childhood events most vivid in the recollections of ,orville ,wright have had to do with mechanical devices of one kind or another4 ,one of the high spots was the day he attained the age of five1 because he received for a birthday gift a gyroscopic top that would maintain its balance and spin while resting on the edge of a knife-blade4 ,shortly after that fifth birthday1 and partly because of his inborn enthusiasm over mechanics1 ,orville began an association with another boy that had an important influence on his life4 ,his mother started him to kindergarten4 ,the school was within a short walking distance of the ,wright home and ,orville set out after breakfast each morning with just enough time to reach the classroom if he didn't loiter4 ,his mother bade him return home promptly after he was dismissed and he always arrived punctually at the time expected4 ,when asked how he was getting along1 he cheerfully said all was going well1 but did not go into details4 ,at the end of a month his mother went to visit the kindergarten to learn just how ,orvie was doing4 8,i hope the child has been behaving himself10 said the mother to the teacher4 ,the teacher stared at her in astonishment4 8,why10 said she1 8you know1 since the first few days ,i haven't seen him4 ,i supposed you had decided to keep him at home40 ,it turned out that ,orville had almost immediately lost interest in kindergarten and instead had regularly gone to a house two doors from his own1 on ,hawthorne ,street1 to join a playmate1 ,edwin ,henry ,sines4 ,with an eye on the clock to adjust himself to the kindergarten hours1 he had stayed there and played with young ,sines until about a minute before he was due at home4 ,orville's father and mother were not too severe when this little irregularity was discovered1 because the boys had not been engaged in any mischief4 ,on the contrary1 their play had been of a sort that might properly be called 8constructive40 ,the thing that had occupied them most was an old sewing-machine belonging to ,sines' mother4 ,they 8oiled0 it by dropping water from a feather into the oil-holes6 ,both ,orville and ,wilbur followed their father's advice and earned whatever money they spent4 ,one source of income was from wiping dishes in the evening1 for which their mother paid a flat rate of one cent4 ,sometimes she employed them to make minor household repairs4 ,orville seemed to find more outlets for money than did ,wilbur1 who was more saving1 and from time to time he borrowed from ,wilbur--but he kept his credit good by sticking to an arrangement they always made that the next money earned should be applied on the debt4 ,one of ,orville's early money-making ventures was the collecting of old bones in near-by alleys1 vacant lots1 or neighbors' yards1 and selling them to a fertilizer factory4 ,he and another boy first did this as a means for raising funds with which to buy candy for use while fishing4 ,they accumulated a weight of bones that it seemed to them must represent a small fortune--and were somewhat shocked when the buyer paid them only three cents4 ,at first1 ,orville's associates in his projects were boys of his own age rather than ,wilbur1 who was more than four years older and moved in a different group2 but a day came when the brothers began to share curiosity over a mechanical phenomenon4 ,in ,june1 #ahgh1 when ,orville was seven years old and ,wilbur eleven1 the ,wright family left ,dayton1 because the work of the father1 who had been made a ,bishop of the ,united ,brethren church1 was shifted to ,cedar ,rapids1 ,iowa4 ,and it was in a house on ,adams ,street1 in ,cedar ,rapids1 not long after their arrival there1 that an event occurred which was to have much influence on the lives of ,wilbur and ,orville--as well as to have its effect on the whole human race4 ,bishop ,wright had returned from a short trip on church business bringing with him a little present for his two younger sons4 8,look here1 boys10 he said to ,wilbur and ,orville1 holding out his hands with something hidden between them4 ,then he tossed the gift toward them4 ,but instead of falling at once to the floor or into their hands1 as they expected1 it went to the ceiling where it fluttered briefly before it fell4 ,it was a flying-machine1 a helicopter1 the invention of a ,frenchman1 ,alphonse ,pnaud4 ,made of cork1 bamboo1 and thin paper1 the device weighed so little that twisted rubber bands provided all the power needed to send it aloft for a few seconds4 ,as the brothers were to learn later1 ,pnaud1 an invalid during most of his short life1 had not only invented1 as early as #ahga1 various kinds of toy flying-machines--both the helicopter type and others that flew horizontally--but was the originator of the use of rubber bands for motive power4 ,simple as was this helicopter--they called it the 8bat0--,wilbur and ,orville felt great admiration for its ingenuity4 ,though it soon went the way of all fragile toys1 the impression it left on their minds never faded4 ,not long afterward ,wilbur tried to build an improvement on that toy helicopter4 ,if so small a device could fly1 why not make a bigger one that could fly longer and higher8 ,orville was still too young to contribute much to the actual building of larger models1 but he was keenly interested as ,wilbur made several1 each larger than the one preceding4 ,to the brothers' astonishment1 they discovered1 that the bigger the machine1 the less it would fly2 and if it was much bigger than the original toy1 it wouldn't fly at all4 ,they did not yet understand that a machine of only twice the linear dimensions of another would require eight times the power4 ,orville1 meanwhile1 had distinguished himself in another way1 by organizing an army4 ,his grade at school was dismissed one ,friday afternoon1 though the rest of the school was in session1 and it occurred to ,orville that it might be amusing to march by1 throw gravel on the windows1 and taunt those who were still at their lessons4 ,supported by his friend1 ,bert ,shaffer1 he proposed to a dozen other boys in the class that they form themselves into an army1 and act not as individuals but as an organization4 ,for having thought of the idea1 ,orville1 who had been doing some reading about ,napoleon1 would be the ,general1 but there would be ,colonels and ,captains as well4 ,in fact1 they used up all the military titles they knew4 ,lacking guns1 they would have to carry wooden clubs1 and these they got by removing some loose pickets from the school fence4 ,all went well until the school janitor began to chase them1 evidently intending to capture them4 ,one of the boys made him pause by throwing a rock in his direction as he was crawling through a hole in the fence4 ,after escaping into a distant alley1 all in the army assumed they would probably be in plenty of trouble when they returned to school ,monday morning4 8,we'll be all right10 said ,orville1 feeling bound1 as their commanding ,general1 to try to uphold the army's morale1 8if we stick together4 ,they can't fire us all40 ,he mounted a box lying in the alley and outlined what they should do4 ,the teacher would doubtless single out only two or three of them that had been recognized by the janitor and ask them to stay after school4 ,but if the teacher asked one of them to stand up1 they must all stand up2 or1 if she asked one to stay after school1 all must stay1 and show their solidarity4 8,all for one1 and one for all10 he quoted4 ,when they were back in school at the next session1 the teacher said nothing to indicate that retribution was in the making2 but when the class was dismissed at the end of the afternoon1 she asked ,orville to 8remain40 ,true to their pact1 all the rest of the army stayed in their seats--or1 rather1 all except one under-sized lad4 ,a few minutes later1 the teacher asked ,orville to come to her desk4 ,as he stepped forward1 all the others started to do likewise4 8,the rest of you sit down10 commanded the teacher1 and then added3 8,i don't know why you're here at all40 ,her tone was such that all meekly sat down4 ,when ,orville reached her desk1 she said3 8,you were speaking of a song you could bring for the exercises next ,friday0--and went on to talk1 pleasantly enough1 of ,orville's part in a forthcoming school entertainment4 ,she didn't even seem to know about the daring behavior of the army in the school yard4 ,probably the janitor1 embarrassed over his failure to capture the culprits1 had not reported them4 ,while in ,cedar ,rapids1 ,orville showed enterprise in another direction4 ,he had enough intellectual curiosity to study lessons that the teacher had not yet assigned4 ,when a little more than eight years old he told his father that he was tired of the ,second ,reader they were still studying at school and wished he had a ,third ,reader4 ,one morning1 not long after that1 at the middle of the school year1 the principal came to the room ,orville was in and announced that any pupils who showed enough proficiency in reading might be promoted at once1 without waiting until the end of the year1 and begin the ,third ,reader4 ,the more promising members of the class1 selected by the teacher1 then stood toeing a chalk mark1 up front1 as was commonly done1 and took turns at reading4 ,in his alarm lest he might not do himself full justice1 ,orville1 someone told him later1 held his book upside down4 ,that did not prevent him from reading accurately1 as he knew the book by heart1 and he was promoted4 8,i'm now in the ,third ,reader class10 he proudly announced when he reached home that noon4 8,well1 that's a strange thing10 said his father4 8,just this morning ,i bought the ,third ,reader you asked for4 ,but10 he added1 8you won't be able to use it today1 because you're going to miss school this afternoon4 ,i have arranged for you and ,wilbur to go to the photographer's and have your pictures taken40 ,orville's picture thus commemorated what had seemed to him an important event in his life4 ,after three years in ,cedar ,rapids1 the ,wright family1 in ,june #ahha1 moved to ,richmond1 ,indiana1 partly that ,mrs4 ,wright1 who was not in robust health1 might have the companionship of her sister who lived there4 ,it was in ,richmond that ,orville took up the building and flying of kites4 ,though it interested him1 ,wilbur did not then take much part in this kite-flying sport1 because he feared it might be considered too juvenile for a boy of his size4 ,orville came to be considered an expert at kite-making and sold kites to playmates as a convenient means of getting spending money4 ,he made the framework of his kites as thin as possible1 to reduce weight4 ,indeed1 they were so thin that they would often bend in the wind and the kite formed an arc4 ,but it did not then occur to ,orville that this curvature of the kite's surface had any relation to its good flying qualities4 ,though he had turned his kite-making to profit1 ,orville's best source of revenue in ,richmond was a job of folding papers1 a church publication4 ,for additional spending money he entered the junk business4 ,he would go after school or on ,saturdays to pick up scraps of metal thrown out by a chain factory1 and hauled this in his 8express0 wagon to a junk dealer's yard4 ,one of his projects was the building of a small wooden lathe4 ,it was too small to be quite satisfactory1 and ,wilbur offered to help him build a larger lathe1 seven or eight feet long4 ,this was the first 8big0 mechanical job he and ,wilbur worked on together4 ,the lathe was considered a great success1 especially by neighbor boys who thought it a privilege to work the foot-treadle that provided the motive power4 ,but ,wilbur felt that it should be improved4 ,he had noticed that bicycles were being equipped with ball-bearings to give easy running quality and he said the lathe ought to have ball-bearings4 ,he looked about the barn for material that could be adapted and took some metal rings from an old set of harness4 ,when two of these were held tightly side by side they formed the outer track for the ball-bearings2 but1 instead of steel balls1 marbles were used--the common kind1 made of clay1 that we used to call 8commies40 ,within this circle of marble bearings would rest the shaft of the lathe4 ,the idea seemed so sound that the brothers' friends were much impressed4 ,many were on hand in the upper floor of the barn awaiting eagerly the final tinkering before the ball-bearing 8patent0 could be demonstrated4 ,as soon as the lathe was put into operation1 there was a terrible noise and then it seemed as if the barn itself was beginning to sway and shake4 ,it was evident that the marbles in the bearing had not been strong enough to withstand the stress2 but why should the barn become so agitated8 ,orville went downstairs to find out if there could be any other cause4 ,when he reached the outside he saw his sister ,katharine held against the side of the house by an invisible force4 ,a small cyclone was taking place6 ,all the boys upstairs had been too absorbed to notice such minor phenomena as weather4 ,some of the enterprises ,orville got into at ,richmond were not of a mechanical nature2 and ,wilbur1 if sharing in them at all1 appeared only in the background1 or as a consultant1 for he was at an age when a boy gave thought to his dignity4 ,orville had noticed that many boys chewed small hunks of tar4 ,it seemed to him that if the tar could be flavored with sugar to make it more palatable1 and small pieces were wrapped in tissue paper1 a market for the product might be found4 ,he and his friend1 ,harry ,morrow1 began a series of experiments in the ,wright back yard1 and they seemed well on their way to having a saleable article4 ,but as they kept testing their samples1 both became ill--some kind of stomach disorder1 accompanied by nausea--and abandoned their plans4 ,wilbur1 though not a partner in all this1 was much interested and for years afterwards used to refer to 8that chawin' gum corporation40 ,if ,orville was 8into0 more different things at this time than his brother1 it was mainly because ,wilbur's great passion was for reading4 ,and what he read1 he absorbed4 ,it wasn't long until he himself began to show a gift for writing4 ,because of that1 ,wilbur played an important part in one of ,orville's early business ventures--though behind the scenes4 ,one of ,orville's friends was a boy living next door named ,gansey ,johnston1 whose father made a hobby of taxidermy4 ,they often played in the ,johnston barn where the father had a collection of stuffed birds and animals4 ,one day ,orville's imagination was much stirred4 ,he saw possibilities for putting those birds and animals to good use--especially when he noted that there was even a huge black bear and a grizzly4 ,it was obvious to him that he and the ,johnston boy should form a partnership and he asked ,gansey how he would feel about such an arrangement4 8,partnership to do what80 asked the boy4 ,why1 said ,orville1 to give a circus6 ,though he had never thought of giving a circus1 the ,johnston lad caught the idea and soon was enthusiastic4 ,they then decided to take in ,orville's friend1 ,harry ,morrow1 as a third partner4 ,their show would be known as ,the ,great ,w4 ,j4 ,m4 ,circus4 ,as the date for the big show approached1 sixteen-year-old ,wilbur ,wright1 who had been taking great interest in the preparations1 asked ,orville what he had done about advance notices in the newspapers4 ,orville had to admit that he had done nothing4 ,wilbur appeared to be shocked that no one had taken steps fully to prepare the public mind for the coming event1 and offered to write a suitable reading notice about the street parade4 ,this1 he said1 should be placed in the ,richmond ,evening ,item4 ,he had absorbed the method of expression used in circus bills and his forecast of the parade was a masterpiece4 ,there was nothing amateurish about the way he introduced such words as 8mammoth10 8colossal10 and 8stupendous10 nor about his use of impressively large figures--8thousands of strange birds from all parts of the world0 that would positively be in the menagerie4 ,it was announced that the proprietors of the big show would personally lead the parade on 8iron horses02 and that ,davy ,crockett would positively appear with a grizzly bear4 ,at the end of the notice1 in professional manner1 was the exact route of the parade1 that the populace might not miss the great free exhibition of wonders4 ,the notice also gave the prices of admission to the big show--three cents for children under three years2 others1 five cents4 ,wilbur gave the piece of publicity to ,orville to take to the ,item office4 ,there was a little box just inside a door to a stairway leading to the editorial rooms1 and the boys knew it was intended for news items4 ,but they walked up and down the street in front of the newspaper office for a long time before they had the courage to enter the stairway4 ,what if someone should see them6 ,finally1 when they thought no one was looking1 one of them ran up to the box and in desperate haste deposited their piece of publicity4 ,then both ran up the street at a speed that could have attracted attention4 ,the editor of the ,item evidently had a good news sense and recognized the mysterious 8press release0 as a local item worth printing4 ,he had no way of knowing who 8,w4 ,j4 ,m40 were1 but felt sure the account of that forthcoming parade had plenty of reader interest4 ,it came about1 therefore1 that ,wilbur's advance notice had a prominent position in the ,item of ,september #aj1 #ahhc1 under a heading that asked3 8,what ,are the ,boys ,up ,to80 ,though some of ,wilbur's figures about the number of rare birds and wild animals may have been a bit overdrawn1 to conform to circus bill standards1 he had not exaggerated the amazing nature of the parade4 ,two of the proprietors1 ,wright and ,johnston1 actually appeared at the head of the parade on their 8iron horses40 ,these were high-wheel bicycles1 one of them having wooden spokes4 ,the third associate proprietor of the big show1 ,harry ,morrow1 was unavoidably absent1 because his parents had gone on a vacation trip to ,michigan1 and had insisted1 much against his wishes1 on taking him with them4 ,a principal 8parade wagon0 was the running gear of an old buggy1 with no body but only a few planks to make a platform on which were some of the 8thousands of rare birds10 and also the great1 frightful grizzly bear held in leash by ,davy ,crockett4 ,though no horses were hitched to this 8wagon10 plenty of boys had volunteered their services as 8slaves0 to pull it through the streets4 ,at the last minute1 8,corky0 ,johnston1 nine-year-old brother of one of the proprietors1 got into a fight with the circus bosses1 and they felt compelled to deny him the privilege of participating in the parade4 ,this created a problem1 for he had been cast for the role of ,davy ,crockett1 wearing his father's hunting togs1 including high boots4 ,the circus chiefs got around that1 the best they could1 by assigning the ,davy ,crockett part to ,corky's younger brother1 ,griswold1 not yet five years old4 ,he was almost overwhelmed by the hunting suit2 but in the rush of getting the parade started he was the best ,davy ,crockett available4 ,wilbur's advance notice was more successful than he had hoped for4 ,it had aroused so much curiosity that when the parade reached that part of the announced line of march in the business section1 the streets were lined with people--almost as many1 in fact1 as if the circus had been ,barnum's4 ,messrs4 ,w4 ,j41 astounded by the unexpected attention the parade was attracting1 began to feel much too conspicuous4 ,they hastily decided that their route must be changed1 and the parade turned up an alley6 ,so many customers came that not all who clamored for admission to the ,johnston barn could be accommodated1 and it was decided to repeat the show4 ,but while those who got into the barn were viewing the 8menagerie10 the boy who had been denied the privilege of appearing as ,davy ,crockett saw an opportunity to get his revenge4 ,he got up on the barn roof and addressed the multitude1 telling them they might as well disperse and seek their homes1 because1 he said1 there would be no other performance4 ,the crowd took him at his word4 ,orville ,wright had previously organized another circus1 in partnership with a neighbor boy named ,miller1 who had a ,shetland pony4 ,for this show the admission was only one cent4 ,though the gross receipts were not vast1 the show was a great success1 partly in consequence of the profound impression it had made on the ,miller boy's father4 ,at the close of the performance1 he announced that the show people would be guests of honor at a reception1 to which the spectators also were cordially invited4 ,lemonade1 ice cream1 and cake were served in lavish quantities1 and every boy felt that1 taking the afternoon as a whole1 he had had his money's worth4 ,but of all the enterprises in which the ,wright brothers showed their initiative in ,richmond1 the ,great ,w4 ,j4 ,m4 ,circus probably caused the most talk4 ,people thought the boy who had organized that show would doubtless amount to something4 ,many ventured the opinion1 too1 that the youngster1 whoever he was1 who had prepared that notice for the newspaper about the parade1 would surely be 8heard from40 ,,ii ,,background ,certain traits that were to show in ,wilbur and ,orville ,wright--the pioneering urge1 the gift for original thinking1 and mechanical aptitude--were all in their ancestry4 ,take1 for example1 their grandfather1 ,john ,g4 ,koerner4 ,native of a ,german village1 near ,schleiz1 he became so bitterly opposed to ,german militarism and autocracy that he determined to migrate to the ,united ,states4 ,he sailed from ,bremen to ,baltimore early in #ahah and went to live in ,virginia4 ,besides gaining recognition in the ,united ,states for his mechanical ability and for the superior quality of farm wagons and carriages he manufactured1 he became known1 too1 as a person who did his own thinking4 ,he did not accept all that he heard or read4 ,indeed1 he seems to have been a 8character40 ,it was his habit to read newspapers aloud to his family1 and when1 as invariably happened1 he came to something that interested him because of approval1 disapproval1 or for any other reason1 he would interpolate comment without changing his tone or rate of utterance4 ,it was impossible for a listener to tell just how much that he seemed to be reading was actually in the paper and which ideas were his own4 ,one by one1 members of his family would study the paper afterward to see if various surprising statements were really there4 ,no matter how commonplace a newspaper article may have been1 it was never colorless as he read it4 ,his wife1 the former ,catherine ,fry1 ,american born1 also came of pioneer ancestry1 from the ,german language section of ,switzerland4 ,their daughter1 ,susan ,catherine ,koerner1 was born ,april #cj1 #ahca1 when they lived at ,hillsboro1 ,loudoun ,county1 ,virginia1 but the family moved to ,union ,county1 ,indiana1 shortly after that--at a time when there was still pioneering life in the ,hoosier country4 ,the ,koerner farm became a rather impressive one for those times4 ,there were finally a dozen or fourteen buildings1 including the carriage shop1 all conspicuous for their workmanlike construction and orderliness4 ,john ,koerner lived to the age of eighty-six4 ,perhaps the most interesting pioneer of all in the ,wright brothers' ancestry was ,catharine#a 7,benham7 ,van ,cleve1 the first white woman to set foot in ,dayton4 ,her husband1 ,john ,van ,cleve1 whom she had married in ,new ,jersey1 was a descendant of a ,van ,cleve who had come from ,holland to ,long ,island before #afej4 ,when he proposed1 a few years after their marriage1 that they should settle in the almost unexplored virgin forest region of ,ohio1 she liked the adventurous idea4 ,they migrated to ,cincinnati--then called ,losantiville--in #agij4 ,within two years after their arrival1 ,john ,van ,cleve was killed by ,indians4 ,his widow married ,samuel ,thompson and1 in ,april1 #agif1 they decided to try their luck at a settlement about to be established1 fifty miles to the north4 ,the place had just been named in honor of ,jonathan ,dayton1 a ,revolutionary soldier4 ,three groups of people arranged to make the trip at about the same time4 ,so unsettled was the country1 and so nearly non-existent were the wagon trails1 that the party which included ,catharine ,van ,cleve ,thompson preferred to travel in a flat-bottomed boat on the ,miami ,river4 ,the others went by land4 ,though the boat trip took about ten days1 that group was the first to arrive4 ,among those in the boat were some of the ,van ,cleve children2 another of them was in one of the overland parties4 ,a ,van ,cleve son1 ,benjamin1 became the first postmaster at ,dayton1 the first school teacher1 and also the first county clerk4 ,his marriage at ,dayton in ,august1 #ahjj1 to ,mary ,whitten1 was the first recorded in ,montgomery ,county4 ,margaret ,van ,cleve1 a sister of ,benjamin1 had stayed in ,cincinnati1 because she was about to be married--to ,george ,reeder1 later an innkeeper4 ,they had a daughter1 ,catharine1 who became the wife of ,dan ,wright 7not named ,daniel1 but plain ,dan1 as was also his father71 who had come to ,centerville1 ,ohio1 near ,dayton1 in #ahaa4 ,it was of this union that ,milton ,wright1 father of ,wilbur and ,orville1 was born--in a log cabin in ,rush ,county1 ,indiana1 ,november #ag1 #ahbh4 ,dan ,wright's ancestry could be traced back to one ,john ,wright1 known to have bought ,kelvedon ,hall1 in ,essex ,county1 ,england1 in #aech4 ,a less remote ancestor1 ,samuel ,wright1 had migrated to ,america in #afcf1 and settled at ,springfield1 ,mass4 ,at the time of his marriage1 ,dan ,wright was employed in a distillery4 ,but he evidently did not feel comfortable over his occupation and quit the distillery job to devote his whole attention to farming4 ,moreover1 he 8got religion0 and would no longer even sell his corn to distillers4 ,perhaps it was because of the strong religious feeling of ,dan ,wright that his son1 ,milton1 at the age of eighteen1 had joined the ,united ,brethren church4 ,milton ,wright attended a small college in near-by ,hartsville1 ,indiana1 and at the age of twenty-two he received from the ,united ,brethren church his certificate entitling him to preach4 ,but he did not at once actively enter the ministry4 ,the pioneer urge was in him and he went to the ,willamette ,valley1 in ,oregon1 where for two years he was a teacher in a small college conducted under the auspices of the church4 ,it was three or four years after finishing his course at ,hartsville that he met the young woman1 a student there1 who was to become his wife4 ,mutual friends had spoken to him of ,susan ,catherine ,koerner1 of how charming1 how 8smart0 she was1 and when he found an opportunity to be introduced to her1 he was by no means disinclined to make her acquaintance4 ,they were married on ,november #bd1 #ahei1 a week after his thirty-first birthday4 ,during the first few years after their marriage1 the ,milton ,wrights lived at several different places in ,indiana4 ,their first child1 ,reuchlin1 was born in ,march1 #ahfa1 on a farm#b near ,fairmount2 and ,lorin1 the second son1 a year and a half later1 in ,fayette ,county1 at the home of his grandparents4 ,when ,wilbur was born1 ,april #af1 #ahfg1 the family was living on a small farm the father had bought near the village of ,millville1 eight miles east of ,new ,castle4 ,wilbur was named for ,wilbur ,fiske1 a churchman whom the father admired2 but his name did not include the ,fiske4 ,none of the ,wright children ever had a middle name4 ,for a year1 the ,rev4 ,milton ,wright was minister of a church at ,hartsville1 and also taught in the college he had attended there4 ,then1 in ,june1 #ahfi1 he became editor of the ,religious ,telescope1 a ,united ,brethren weekly1 at ,dayton1 the home of those pioneer ancestors4 ,a year or more after their arrival for their first stay in ,dayton1 the ,wright family bought1 while it was still under construction1 a modest seven-room house at #g ,hawthorne ,street4 ,this was on the ,west ,side1 across the ,miami river1 and about a mile from the main business section4 ,here ,orville ,wright--named for ,orville ,dewey1 a ,unitarian minister--was born on ,august #ai1 #ahga2 and his sister1 ,katharine1 three years later to the day4 ,during the family's absence in ,cedar ,rapids and ,richmond1 the ,hawthorne ,street house was rented1 but the ,wright family was once again to live there1 for in ,june1 #ahhd1 the ,rev4 ,milton ,wright's work brought him from ,richmond back to ,dayton4 ,when1 sixteen months later1 the tenant's lease expired and they were settled again at #g ,hawthorne ,street1 all the family felt that they were where they 8belonged40 ,the family's return to ,dayton was a few days before ,wilbur would have been graduated from high school at ,richmond4 ,with the final year of the course so nearly completed1 he would have received his diploma if he had been present with his class on commencement day4 ,but ,wilbur did not consider the mere diploma itself important enough to justify a trip back to ,richmond1 even though the distance was less than fifty miles4 ,his decision was a subject for family talks and all agreed that ,wilbur should do as he thought best4 ,the father felt1 as did the others1 that receiving a diploma was ceremonial and less important than the actual education gained4 ,wilbur decided to take a special course at the high school in ,dayton the next year4 ,he wished especially to continue the study of ,greek1 and to learn trigonometry4 ,orville had been in the sixth grade at ,richmond1 but a week or two before the end of the year he got into a bit of mischief that caused his teacher1 ,miss ,bond1 to dismiss him4 ,she said he could not return to school until either his father or mother came with him to guarantee that his deportment would improve4 ,but his father was away from home at the time1 and his mother was too busy packing for the move to ,dayton to take time for consultation with that teacher4 ,orville simply stayed out of school for the rest of the year4 ,when he entered school in ,dayton the next ,september1 with no certificate to show that he had completed the sixth grade1 it looked as if he might have to be in that grade for another year4 ,but ,orville was so violent and uncompromising in his protests that the school authorities said he might try the seventh grade until they could see how well he got along4 ,at the end of the year he passed into the eighth grade with the highest mark in arithmetic in the city4 ,when ,orville entered the eighth grade1 ,miss ,jennings1 who taught grammar1 evidently thought she detected something mischievous about him and assigned him to a front seat in her class4 ,the next year1 the same teacher had been promoted to the high school1 as a teacher of algebra1 and again she put ,orville up in front where she could keep an eye on him4 ,orville's front seats became a subject for family jests4 ,later on in his high school course1 ,orville was demonstrating a problem in geometry on the blackboard1 when his teacher1 ,miss ,wilson1 pointed out that though he had the correct answer1 he evidently had not followed the textbook4 8,i got it out of another book--,wentworth's geometry10 ,orville explained4 ,and he added3 8,i get a lot of good stuff from ,wentworth40 ,instead of complimenting him on having enough interest in the subject to consult another source1 the teacher chided him for referring to what she called 8a beautiful science0 as 8stuff40 ,orville had no compunction about telling at meal time of such episodes4 ,he knew he wouldn't be scolded4 ,it was simply good conversational material and would provoke sympathetic laughter4 ,the family was interested1 too1 in the inventiveness of the boys4 ,lorin had once invented an improvement on a hay-baling machine4 ,wilbur had designed and built a practical device for folding paper4 ,this was while he had the contract for folding the entire weekly issue of an eight-page church paper4 ,he had found the hand work tedious and got up a machine that could be worked by a foot-treadle4 ,for a long time the mechanical ability that had aroused the most family admiration1 though1 was in the mother4 ,susan ,koerner ,wright was more than ordinarily resourceful in adapting household tools or utensils to unexpected uses4 ,she was clever at designing clothes1 too2 and once she had built a sled for the two older boys4 ,as her family used to say1 she 8could mend anything40 ,the mother1 however1 was not long to be spared to her family4 ,on ,july #d1 #ahhi1 or less than four years after the return to ,hawthorne ,street1 she died4 ,during the latter years of her life1 ,wilbur was much with his mother1 and devoted himself almost constantly to her care1 for he too at that time was an invalid1 unable to engage in much outdoor activity4 ,wilbur's illness was in consequence of an accident4 ,while playing a game of shinny1 on skates1 he was hit in the face with a shinny club4 ,the blow knocked out all his upper front teeth4 ,he began to suffer from a heart disorder from which he did not completely recover for several years4 ,after the death of the mother1 and the departure of the two older brothers to establish homes of their own1 the other members of the ,wright family were all the more drawn together4 ,whatever one of them was doing interested all4 ,and all--especially ,wilbur--did much reading4 ,two groups of books were in the home1 one in ,bishop ,wright's study upstairs1 and another1 used by the family1 downstairs in the living room4 ,nearly all the books in the father's library were 8very serious10 but ,wilbur often dipped into them1 though the father made no effort to direct or control anyone's reading4 ,downstairs1 however1 were the books that both ,wilbur and ,orville liked best4 ,these included a set of ,washington ,irving's works1 both ,grimm's and ,andersen's fairy tales1 ,plutarch's ,lives1 a set of the ,spectator1 a set of ,addison's essays1 ,boswell's ,life of ,johnson1 a set of ,sir ,walter ,scott1 ,gibbon's ,decline and ,fall of the ,roman ,empire1 ,green's history of ,england1 ,guizot's ,france1 an incomplete set of ,nathaniel ,hawthorne1 and a set in which was ,marey's ,animal ,mechanism4 ,here also were a set of the ,encyclopaedia ,britannica and ,chambers' ,encyclopedia4 ,the ,britannica was an edition of the late #gj's and the ,chambers' ,encyclopedia was an earlier edition4 ,though ,wilbur was the great reader1 ,orville was not far behind him4 ,he was fascinated by scientific articles in the encyclopedia almost from the time he learned to read4 ,wilbur and ,orville from time to time contributed to the family comfort in a substantial way4 ,they built a spacious front porch1 and all the lathe work for the posts they did themselves4 ,then they remodeled the interior of the house1 changing the arrangement of the rooms4 ,other members of the family felt as much pride in such handiwork as if they had done it themselves4 ,more than their sturdy1 intelligent1 pioneer ancestry1 it was probably the kind of home they lived in that had most to do with what the younger brothers were later to achieve4 ,orville expressed that with deep conviction many years afterward4 ,a friend of his had remarked to him3 8,even though what you accomplished was without the idea of making money1 the fact remains that the ,wright brothers will always be favorite examples of how ,american lads with no special advantages can get ahead40 8,but10 said ,orville seriously1 8that isn't true4 ,because1 you see1 we did have special advantages40 8,what special advantages do you mean80 8,simply that we were lucky enough to grow up in a home environment where there was always much encouragement to children to pursue intellectual interests2 to investigate whatever aroused curiosity4 ,in a different kind of environment our curiosity might have been nipped long before it could have borne fruit40 ,,iii ,,printing--,,and ,,bicycles ,at the age of twelve1 while living in ,richmond1 ,indiana1 ,orville ,wright became interested in wood engravings4 ,his curiosity had been stirred by seeing some woodcuts by ,timothy ,cole and ,t4 ,johnson in the ,century magazine4 ,wondering how the cuts were made he began to search the encyclopedia and one or two other books that told a little about the technique used4 ,he then decided that he might be able to make some woodcuts himself if he had a suitable tool--and he went ahead to fashion such a tool from the spring of an old pocket-knife4 7,the next ,christmas1 ,wilbur gave him a set of engraving tools47 ,after trying his hand at his first few woodcuts1 ,orville naturally wished to make prints from them1 and for this purpose he used a press his father had for copying letters4 ,today seldom seen1 the old-fashioned letter-press consisted of two horizontal metal plates that could be forced close together by turning a little circular handle at the top of a threaded rod attached to the upper plate4 ,one's letter was moistened and placed next to a thin tissue sheet in a record book which went between the plates of the press4 ,under pressure1 a copy of the letter was transferred to the tissue4 ,such a press was a fascinating device for a boy to play with4 ,indeed1 ,orville had used it for other purposes than that for which it was intended4 ,it had also served him as a vise4 ,and now it worked fairly well for making proofs from his woodcuts4 ,it was at about this time that the ,wright family returned to ,dayton from ,richmond1 and ,orville renewed close relations with his old chum1 ,ed ,sines4 ,to his delight he found that young ,sines was already interested in printing4 ,he had a small press1 obtained by trading a file1 covering more than a year1 of a boys' magazine called ,golden ,days4 ,this press was little more than a toy1 capable of printing only one narrow line at a time1 and the boys were never able to make much use of it4 ,but1 nevertheless1 they immediately formed the printing firm of ,sines ,wright4 ,at the beginning of the partnership of ,sines ,wright1 their printing establishment was in a corner of the ,sines kitchen4 ,ed's mother summed up the situation there when one day she noticed an envelope addressed to 8,messrs4 ,sines ,wright10 from a type foundry4 8,it must be for you10 she said to the partners1 8for you certainly are a pair of messers40 ,interested as they were in printing1 ,ed ,sines and ,orville had time for other hobbies4 ,one of these was a telegraph line they rigged up between their homes4 ,for years ,wilbur ,wright referred to it as 8the first wireless telegraph10 because the boys used to shout the messages back and forth to verify whatever they clicked out on the keys4 ,it soon became evident that ,orville had printers' ink in his blood4 ,this printing hobby was more than a passing fancy4 ,his father was impressed by the boy's persistence in trying to use inadequate equipment4 ,the father knew that two of his older sons1 ,wilbur and ,lorin1 had recently had a chance to trade a boat they had made1 now seldom used1 for a small printing press4 ,if they would make that trade1 he suggested1 and donate the press to ,orville1 then he would buy for the youngster twenty-five pounds of brevier type4 ,this deal was made4 ,the new press would print anything up to #c by #d inches4 ,as the ,sines kitchen was not quite the ideal location for their printing plant1 ,orville arranged for quarters in a 8summer kitchen10 not often used1 at the ,wright home4 ,it now occurred to ,messrs4 ,sines ,wright that it might be a good idea to print a newspaper for the benefit of their eighth grade classmates4 ,they called it ,the ,midget4 ,because of the limited capacity of their press1 the paper was necessarily small1 two narrow columns wide and four and one-half inches long4 ,most of the items in it were put directly into type1 as they thought of them1 and not from previously prepared copy4 ,they found that the four pages they had planned entailed a surprising amount of work and to reduce this they put nothing on page three except 8,sines ,wright10 twice1 diagonally across the page1 in script type4 ,after they had printed about one hundred copies for distribution1 ,orville's father saw one of these and immediately placed a ban on the whole issue4 ,he insisted that the boys had not done themselves justice in slighting that third page4 ,readers of the paper1 he said1 might get the impression that the publishers were lazy or shiftless4 ,in a way1 this suppression of the issue came almost as a relief1 for the publishers had begun to feel misgivings about one somewhat daring item they had taken the liberty of printing4 ,it was about their teacher1 ,miss ,jennings1 who was a strict disciplinarian4 ,the item read3 8,next week we propose to publish one of ,miss ,jennings' famous lectures before the pupils of the ,intermediate ,school on the ,inherent ,wickedness of ,school ,children40 ,maybe1 they reflected1 it was just as well that ,the ,midget was not to be distributed4 ,miss ,jennings might take the item as good clean fun1 but1 on the other hand1 she might raise a rumpus4 ,before long the partners had an opportunity to buy a quantity of display type for #b1 and then they began trying to establish themselves in the job-printing business4 ,they set up their headquarters in the ,wright barn1 though on cold days they were likely to do their typesetting on a table in the ,wright dining-room4 ,neighborhood storekeepers gave them a few orders for printing1 and the firm began to take on airs4 ,they employed ,forrest ,whitfield1 a neighbor boy1 as printer's devil4 ,he commanded a weekly wage of fifteen cents4 ,all was going well until one day they received an order from a man who wished to pay for his printing not in money but in popcorn4 ,he assured them that this popcorn1 on the cob1 was worth more than the #b the printing would have cost4 ,but before deciding if they should accept the popcorn in payment1 the partners prudently went to a grocer to get an estimate of its value4 ,sure enough1 it was worth #b1 and the grocer offered to buy it from them at that price4 ,now ,orville saw greater opportunities opening before them4 ,with a liquid capital of #b1 they could buy more type1 do a greater variety of printing1 and thus have more fun4 ,but ,ed ,sines thought there was such a thing as over-extension of plant and equipment4 ,why not just divide their popcorn and eat it8 ,each was so uncompromising in his convictions that there was only one thing to do3 one must buy out the other and they would dissolve the partnership4 ,inasmuch as ,orville already owned the press they were using and most of the type1 it seemed logical that he should be the buyer4 ,by paying his share of the popcorn he was able to take over his partner's interest without much cash outlay4 ,thenceforth1 when they worked together1 as from time to time they continued to do1 ,ed ,sines was no longer co-proprietor but an employee4 ,at about this time1 something set ,orville to thinking of how interesting it would be to print circus bills4 ,he wished some of his friends would organize a circus4 ,then he could do their printing4 ,the idea seemed worth promoting4 ,he went to the ,truxell boys1 and ,fred ,la,rue1 neighbors up the street1 and convinced them that they had just the kind of abilities to organize and present a wonderful circus--one that would make a great hit with all the kids4 ,the result of this talk was ,the ,great ,truxell ,bros4 ,la,rue ,show4 ,orville refused to accept any payment for printing the handbills and tickets of admission to the big show4 ,the fun of doing it was all the reward he wanted4 ,mrs4 ,wright had cleared out an upstairs room for ,orville's printing activities and that was his base for some time4 ,he began to feel the need for a larger printing press and he determined to build one4 ,the bed for the new press was an old gravestone he got from a marble dealer4 ,this press would print a sheet eleven by sixteen inches4 ,orville could now undertake larger printing projects4 ,one order required more type than he had on hand4 ,but that didn't stop him4 ,after he had used up all his type1 with the job only half done1 he recalled having heard of stereotype plates4 ,he looked up in an encyclopedia a description of how such plates were cast from the impression of the original type in wet cardboard4 ,and he contrived to make such a plate from the type already set4 ,then he redistributed that type for use in setting the rest of the job4 ,ambitious to be a really good printer1 ,orville took employment during two summer vacations with a printing establishment in ,dayton1 and worked there sixty hours a week4 ,but he felt that the most fun and satisfaction in connection with printing had been from building his own press4 ,along in the spring of #ahhh1 when he was nearly seventeen years old1 he started to build another press1 bigger than any he had used before4 ,he didn't know exactly what he would do with it1 but that question did not yet give him much concern4 ,he would have the fun of building it4 ,in the family woodshed was a pile of fire-wood cut in four-foot lengths4 ,from these he made much of the framework1 though he had to buy at a lumber yard a few longer pieces4 ,from near-by junk yards he collected odds and ends of iron or steel that could be used4 ,a difficult problem was to find a means of forcing the type against the printing surface1 always with the same pressure1 just enough and not too much4 ,orville searched the ,wright barn and tool-shed for something that could be adapted1 but without success until his eye happened to alight on the old family buggy4 ,the buggy had a folding top1 held firmly in place1 when raised1 by steel bars hinged in the middle4 ,they were designed to force the top just so far and no farther4 ,exactly what he needed6 ,the job turned out to be much more difficult than ,orville had expected1 and ,wilbur ,wright1 observing his kid brother at a tough job1 offered to help him build the press4 ,some of the suggestions ,wilbur made for moving parts of that press were peculiar in that they seemed to violate all mechanical rules and could not possibly be expected to work4 ,yet they did4 ,some time later1 a well-dressed stranger entered the shop where ,orville1 merrily whistling1 was feeding paper into his press1 and asked if he might look at that 8home-made printing outfit40 ,he had heard about it while visiting in ,dayton4 ,what at once astonished ,orville and two or three boys in the shop was that the visitor1 with complete disregard for his good clothes1 lay right down flat on his back on the floor to study the press in operation4 ,after he had observed it for several minutes1 he got up1 brushed himself off1 and remarked3 8,it works all right1 but ,i still don't understand why it works40 ,before leaving he laid his card on a table4 ,he was the foreman of the pressroom of a newspaper in ,denver4 ,now that he had his new press1 ,orville wished he could put it to some purpose to make full use of the greatly increased printing capacity4 ,the press was big enough and fast enough to print a newspaper4 ,why not start a neighborhood weekly8 ,he had hardly more than thought of this before he decided to do so4 ,it was probably the first time a paper was ever started just to use a press4 ,orville now rented a room on ,west ,third ,street1 near ,broadway4 ,the first issue of the paper--four three-column pages--appeared on ,march #a1 #ahhi4 ,in his salutatory1 ,orville said3 8,this week we issue the first number of the ,west ,side ,news1 a paper to be published in the interests of the people and business institutions of the ,west ,side4 ,whatever tends to their advancement1 moral1 mental1 and financial1 will receive our closest attention40 ,there were seventeen advertisements4 ,a leading feature was a story about ,abraham ,lincoln and ,general ,sherman1 from the ,youth's ,companion2 and there was an article about ,benjamin ,franklin4 ,the range of the publisher's reading was indicated by a number of short paragraphs on foreign affairs1 and about the approaching inauguration of ,president-elect ,benjamin ,harrison4 ,altogether it was a creditable job4 ,no boyish 8boners0 or typographical errors were to be found4 ,all copies of the first issue were distributed free1 as samples1 but the paper was soon a fairly profitable enterprise4 ,after the first few numbers1 it was enlarged from three columns wide to four columns4 ,ed ,sines devoted himself to rounding up advertisements and news items4 ,from time to time ,wilbur ,wright helped to fill space by writing humorous essays1 and after a few weeks his name was added to the paper's masthead as 8editor10 along with ,orville's as publisher4 ,another contributor to the ,west ,side ,news was a young ,negro lad1 a friend of ,orville since grammar grades1 ,paul ,laurence ,dunbar1 whose poetry afterward made him famous4 ,dunbar1 in #ahij1 started a paper1 ,the ,tattler1 for ,negro readers1 and ,orville did the printing4 ,by the time the ,west ,side ,news had been running a year1 ,orville had completed his course in high school4 ,he thought the final year1 devoted in the regular course largely to review1 would hardly justify the time4 ,instead1 having it in mind that he might decide to go to college and would need additional credits for college entrance requirements1 he was a special student in ,latin during that fourth year1 attending high school an hour or two a day4 ,the two elder ,wright brothers had attended college in ,iowa and ,indiana1 and later their sister ,katharine took a degree at ,oberlin1 but both ,wilbur and ,orville gave up the idea of going to college1 and neither ever received a diploma from high school4 ,it may be added1 however1 that ,orville in later years never agreed with those who suggested that 8college might have ruined the ,wright brothers40 ,more than once he said they doubtless could have done their scientific work more easily if they had had the advantage of college education4 ,having decided1 partly because of interest in the job at hand1 not to go to college1 ,orville1 in ,april1 #ahij1 with ,wilbur as partner1 converted the ,west ,side ,news from a weekly to a four-page1 five-column daily1 called ,the ,evening ,item4 ,this venture1 though it showed no loss1 was never profitable4 ,at that time the perfecting-press was coming into use and ,dayton newspapers were issuing big1 thick editions that proved to be increasingly keen competition for a small neighborhood sheet4 ,after about four months the paper was suspended4 ,but1 as late as #ahid1 ,orville and ,wilbur published for a time a little two-column weekly called ,snapshots1 devoted to vigorous comments on current local events4 ,after the first issue or two these were usually written by ,wilbur4 ,both ,orville and ,wilbur now became absorbed in one more new interest4 ,orville had owned in ,richmond an old high wheel bicycle for which he had paid #c--;borrowed from ,wilbur4 ,now1 a new ,european type of bicycle with wheels about the same size1 and called a 8safety10 had begun to be popular4 ,in #ahib1 ,orville bought one of these1 a ,columbia4 ,it had pneumatic tires and cost #afj4 ,six months later1 ,wilbur got a bicycle4 ,his was an ,eagle and he was able to get it at an auction for #hj4 ,orville promptly became interested in track-racing and began to enter his name in various local racing events4 ,wilbur1 though he had been a great athlete--a wonderful fancy skater and the best performer in ,dayton on a horizontal bar--never went in for racing1 because not yet completely recovered from the effects of his skating accident4 ,within a few weeks or months from the time they bought their bicycles1 these ,wright brothers decided to go into the bicycle business--to sell certain well-known makes4 ,then they soon found that they would have to add a repair shop4 ,their first sales room was at #ajje ,west ,third ,street4 ,they rented it in ,december1 #ahib1 to be ready for business when the bicycle season began in the early spring of #ahic4 ,for a while ,orville divided his time between the bicycle shop and the job printing business across the street in which ,ed ,sines was still employed4 7,sines continued to work there until #ahih when an accident to a lame knee forced him to seek another kind of work1 and a few months later the shop was sold47 ,the brothers soon had to move their bicycle business to larger quarters1 at #ajcd ,west ,third ,street4 ,they were successful both in selling new machines and general repairing4 ,among the bicycles they sold at one time or another were the ,coventry ,cross1 ,halladay-,temple1 ,warwick1 ,reading1 ,smalley1 ,envoy and ,fleetwing4 ,by #ahie increased business had caused them to move once more1 to #bb ,south ,williams ,street1 and soon they began to manufacture bicycles4 ,the first 8custom made0 model was called the ,van ,cleve--after their pioneer ancestors4 ,a later and lower-priced model was the ,st4 ,clair2 and finally they made a still lower-priced machine called the ,wright ,special4 ,it sold for as low as #ah4 ,before they were through with the business they had put out under their own brand several hundred bicycles4 ,many of these were built in the last building the brothers occupied1 a remodeled dwelling house at #aabg ,west ,third ,street--the building afterward preserved as a museum at ,henry ,ford's ,greenfield ,village in ,dearborn1 ,michigan4 ,much of their work when building new bicycles was done in winter1 when selling was slack1 in rooms upstairs over the shop1 and from time to time the brothers were interrupted by the necessity of going down to attend to wants of customers4 ,sometimes they went down to meet a caller who wished only to borrow their air-pump to inflate a tire4 ,they had no pressure-tank but kept a large hand-pump on the wall near the front door4 ,to avoid needless trips downstairs1 the ,wrights contrived mechanical means by which they could tell if a caller's wants required their attention4 ,they took an old two-tone bell1 intended to be fastened to a bicycle handlebar1 and attached it to the wall in their upstairs work-rooms4 ,by means of wires and other mechanism1 the opening of the downstairs door yanked the thumb-lever on the bell in one direction1 producing one tone2 and shutting the door pulled the little lever in an opposite direction to cause the other tone4 ,the hook on which the air-pump hung was also connected by a wire and a spring to a pointer upstairs4 ,thus it was possible to have secret knowledge upstairs if the caller might be a real customer or if he 8only wanted air40 ,if he promptly helped himself to the pump1 there probably was no need for anyone to go down4 ,then when the pointer showed that the pump was back on the hook and the bell signaled the closing of the door1 on the caller's departure1 the brothers could feel sure they had not missed a sale of any kind by sticking to their work4 ,throughout the time they were repairing1 selling1 and building bicycles1 the ,wrights continued to make various experiments1 just for the fun of it4 ,they made in #ahic what was doubtless the first pair of 8balloon0 tires ever installed on a vehicle4 ,it was necessary to build a special 8front fork0 and widen the frame at the rear to make room for the over-sized pneumatics4 ,orville even found time during this period for experiments having nothing to do with bicycles4 ,along about #ahie1 he made a new kind of calculating machine for multiplying as well as for adding4 ,he worked also on a typewriter more simplified than any in existence4 ,occasionally the brothers took in trade an old high wheel4 ,they had two of these1 about the same size1 that they couldn't sell for much1 and the only way to get any benefit from them was to use them in a new way for sport4 ,why not1 they asked themselves1 convert them into a tandem8 ,no one had ever heard of two high wheels operated as a unit1 and though riding such an outfit might be dangerous1 it also would be exciting4 ,they put a swivel in the steel tube connecting the two wheels to prevent it from twisting and breaking4 ,then they began to practice1 to learn the special technique the man on the rear seat had to know4 ,it was a little different from any a bicyclist had needed before--a little like that of a man steering the rear end of a long fire truck4 ,though it looked fairly easy1 only one person besides the ,wrights ever succeeded in staying mounted4 ,indeed1 riding even on the front seat was perilous enough4 ,one afternoon ,orville took the rear seat with a boy named ,tom ,thorne in front4 ,as they tried to steer around a hole in the muddy street1 the handlebar caught the leg of the lad in front1 which prevented his turning far enough4 ,of course there was a spill4 ,orville from the rear seat managed to land on his feet1 but ,tom ,thorne1 with one leg pinioned1 was hurled headfirst to the street4 ,when he came up for air none of his features was to be seen1 so thoroughly was he plastered with mud4 ,he looked so frightful that none of the boys who saw the mishap showed any amusement4 ,they were afraid he had ruined his face4 ,but ,orville at once realized that the soft mud had prevented any injury and his young friend's appearance struck him as the funniest thing he had ever seen4 ,for some moments he was doubled up with mirth1 unable to control himself1 while the other rider1 not exactly indignant but unable to enter into the hilarity1 stood trying to gouge the mud out of his eyes with his thumbs4 ,it happened that ,tom ,thorne had an intimate acquaintance with a family living near by and he went there1 accompanied by ,orville1 to ask permission to wash up2 but the girl who opened the door1 though a lifelong friend1 was unwilling to believe the strange-looking creature was anyone she knew4 ,tom asked her to call her mother4 ,the mother had known him almost from the day of his birth1 but she showed no sign of recognition now4 ,she did finally identify him by his voice1 however1 and told him he might wash at the pump4 ,he was able to remove some of the larger chunks of mud4 ,then he and ,orville took the machine back to the shop4 ,the episode was not one of the ,wright triumphs4 ,but neighbors who heard about it smiled and wondered3 ,what will those ,wright boys be doing next8 ,as boys and girls of high school age were potential customers for bicycles1 ,wilbur ,wright thought there should be an effective way to stir their interest in the makes of bicycles sold by the ,wright ,cycle ,co4 and he hit on a plan that showed him to have latent genius as an advertising man4 ,he got a copy of a high school examination paper and had printed what appeared to be a set of examination questions--using the same kind of paper and the same typography4 ,then he arranged with one or two students to distribute these sheets at the high schools4 ,at first glance a student would think he had got hold of an advance copy of an examination paper4 ,but all the questions related to bicycles on sale by the ,wrights6 ,a chum of the ,wrights1 ,cordy ,ruse1 in #ahif had built the first horseless buggy ever run over the streets of ,dayton4 ,the ,wrights and others used to sit and talk with him about some of his problems4 ,they had many jokes about the difficulties of hitting upon a suitable ignition system1 a workable differential1 and other seeming insurmountables4 ,another problem1 caused by the vibration of a horseless carriage1 had impressed ,wilbur most of all4 ,one day when the ,wrights and several others were chatting with ,cordy ,ruse1 ,wilbur suddenly slapped his thigh and said3 8,i've just thought of a wonderful invention6 ,i'll have it patented4 ,it's simple enough4 ,all there is to it is a bed sheet to be fastened beneath an automobile to catch all the bolts1 nuts1 and other parts that'll keep dropping off40 ,orville thought that1 crude as horseless carriages were1 they were probably the coming thing1 and that eventually they might even hurt the bicycle trade4 ,in #ahig he suggested to ,wilbur that perhaps they might well give thought to the idea of going into the business of building automobiles4 ,no1 insisted ,wilbur1 shaking his head1 they would never be practical4 8,to try to build one that would be any account10 declared ,wilbur1 8you'd be tackling the impossible4 ,why1 it would be easier to build a flying-machine60 ,,iv ,,first ,,thoughts ,,of ,,flight ,ever since the ,wright brothers had played with their ,pnaud toy helicopter in ,cedar ,rapids1 ,iowa1 their interest in whatever they chanced to read about flying-machines was probably greater than if the seed had not been planted in childhood4 ,along in the early #ahij's1 both ,wilbur and ,orville were likely to read any article they saw on a scientific subject1 and to talk about it4 ,occasionally an article in a magazine that came to the ,wright home dealt with attempts of man to fly4 ,as time went on1 such articles interested the brothers more and more4 ,in #ahie1 both were impressed--perhaps more than they then realized--by a brief item they had come upon about the glider experiments1 in ,germany1 by ,otto ,lilienthal4 ,he had been gliding through the air1 down the side of a hill1 on a machine he had built4 ,that1 the brothers thought1 must be the king of sports1 to go soaring through the air on a gliding machine4 ,they wished they knew more about ,lilienthal and his work4 ,all the reports they could find about him were meager enough2 but what little they did learn increased their enthusiasm4 ,lilienthal1 8the father of gliding flights10 was to have a tremendous influence on them4 ,their interest in anything relating to ,lilienthal was still strong in the summer of the next year1 #ahif1 when ,orville was taken ill--typhoid fever4 ,then1 at a time when ,orville was still delirious from the fever1 ,wilbur read that ,lilienthal had been killed in a crash of his glider4 ,after ,orville was well enough to hear about ,lilienthal's fatal accident1 both he and ,wilbur felt a greater eagerness than ever to learn more about what ,lilienthal had accomplished1 as well as of what had been tried by others1 toward human flight4 ,books dealing with attempts of man to fly appeared to be scarce1 but the brothers got whatever was available in the ,dayton library1 besides looking up articles on the subject in the encyclopedia4 ,all they read1 however1 during the next two or three years did not satisfy their craving for a better understanding of the whole problem of flight4 ,knowing that the ,smithsonian ,institution1 at ,washington1 was interested in the subject of human flight1 they decided to send a letter to the ,smithsonian asking for suggestions as to reading material4 ,the reply1 received early in ,june1 #ahii1 suggested3 ,octave ,chanute's ,progress in ,flying ,machines2 ,professor ,langley's ,experiments in ,aerodynamics2 and the ,aeronautical ,annuals of #ahie1 #ahif1 and #ahig1 edited by ,james ,means1 which contained reprints of accounts of various experiments1 clear back to the time of ,leonardo da ,vinci4 ,besides this list of suggested reading1 the ,smithsonian sent also some pamphlets1 reprints of material extracted from their own annual reports1 among which were ,mouillard's ,empire of the ,air1 ,langley's ,story of ,experiments in ,mechanical ,flight1 and a paper by ,lilienthal on ,the ,problem of ,flying and ,practical ,experiments in ,soaring4 ,this reading material arrived from ,washington at a time when ,katharine ,wright had just returned from ,oberlin ,college1 accompanied by a young woman classmate4 ,she had assumed that her brothers would help to entertain this guest1 but1 to her vexation1 ,wilbur and ,orville had become too absorbed in their reading to have much time for girls4 ,it was now evident to the brothers that though the previous ten years had been a period of unusual activity1 the results had not been encouraging4 ,maxim1 after spending one hundred thousand dollars1 had abandoned his work2 the ,ader machine1 built at the expense of the ,french government1 had been a failure2 ,lilienthal in ,germany1 and ,pilcher1 a marine engineer1 in ,england1 had been killed while trying to glide2 ,octave ,chanute1 too1 after making some experiments in gliding1 had quit4 ,since ,lilienthal had already aroused the brothers' admiration1 they were especially interested in what he had done4 ,with hundreds of short flights1 he had had more flying practice than anyone else1 even though he had been in the air a total of only five hours in five years4 ,lilienthal became the ,wrights' hero4 ,they decided that he1 by his experiments1 had made more advance in the flying art than had anyone else up to that time--an opinion1 it may be added1 that they never changed4 ,their reading now gave the ,wrights a good idea of how earlier experimenters had attempted to solve the problem of equilibrium4 ,some experimenters had placed the center of gravity far below the wings1 on the theory that the weight would seek to remain at the lowest point4 ,but it had been proved that the wings would then oscillate about the center of gravity in a manner destructive to stability4 ,others had arranged the wings in the shape of a broad ,v1 to form a dihedral angle1 with the center low and the wing tips elevated4 ,this1 too1 tended to make the machine oscillate from side to side except in calm air4 ,pnaud1 in his models propelled by rubber bands1 had used wings that formed a dihedral angle1 and a rear stabilizer set with its forward edge lower than the rear edge4 ,this produced inherent stability in both lateral and longitudinal directions4 ,lilienthal1 ,chanute1 and some of the others had used the ,pnaud system in their gliders1 but in addition to that system they counted on shifting the weight of their bodies to help maintain equilibrium4 ,all this reading1 while adding to their store of knowledge1 also gave the ,wrights much misinformation4 ,one wrong idea they got was that men already knew how to design wings and propellers of such efficiency that motors then available could easily sustain the machine in the air2 another1 that the greatest problem was to maintain equilibrium4 ,they also were misled into thinking that fore and aft control of a flying machine would be much more difficult than lateral control4 ,that neither ,lilienthal nor any other experimenter had ever tried any more adequate method to insure lateral balance struck ,orville as surprising4 ,why1 he asked himself1 wouldn't it be possible for the operator to vary the inclination of sections of the wings at the tips and thus obtain force for restoring balance from the difference in the lifts of the two opposite wing tips8 ,that seems today an obvious enough idea1 but no one had ever done anything about it before4 ,orville had hit on a fundamental principle4 7,indeed1 this principle later became the basic claim of the original ,wright patent1 and the claim was sustained1 as covering the idea of the aileron control1 in all countries where the ,wright patents were adjudicated47 ,orville made a rough sketch of a wing1 showing a stationary section at the center1 consisting of approximately one-third of the wing1 measured from tip to tip1 with two adjustable sections1 one at either side4 ,these sections were carried on shafts interconnected by cogs mounted on the center section and extending toward the wing tips4 ,the movement of a lever attached to one of the shafts would cause one wing section to rotate in one direction while the other wing would turn in the opposite direction4 ,thus a greater lift could be obtained on whichever side it was needed4 ,the ,wrights soon saw1 however1 that for two reasons this particular design did not provide a good structure for a gliding machine4 ,first1 with two-thirds of the entire weight of the machine and operator carried by the two shafts1 the structure would be weak2 and1 second1 with the ends of the wings free to turn about the shafts1 there would not be enough rigidity for a machine that would have to be toted about4 ,then one night1 some five or six weeks later1 ,wilbur came home from the bicycle shop1 to tell ,orville enthusiastically of an idea he had hit upon4 ,a customer had dropped in to buy an inner tube for a tire4 ,wilbur had taken the tube from the pasteboard box it came in and was toying with the box while talking to the customer4 ,as he twisted the box he observed that though the vertical sides were rigid endwise1 the top and bottom sides could be twisted to have different angles at the opposite ends4 ,why1 he thought1 couldn't the wings of a gliding machine be warped from one end to the other in this same way8 ,thus the wings could be put at a greater angle at one side than at the other1 without structural weakness4 ,that plan seemed so satisfactory that the ,wrights did not look for or consider any other method4 ,a few weeks later1 in ,august1 #ahii1 the brothers built a biplane kite1 and ,wilbur1 with a group of small boys as spectators1 flew it on a common at the edge of town4 ,this kite had wing surfaces five feet from tip to tip by thirteen inches wide4 ,the warping of these surfaces could be accomplished by the use of four cords reaching from the kite to the ground4 ,two of the cords were attached to the forward corners of the right wing tips1 one to the upper and one to the lower2 the other ends of the cords1 at the ground1 were tied to opposite ends of a short stick to be held in the operator's hand4 ,the cords tied to the left wing were arranged in the same way4 ,with a stick in each hand1 the operator could move the wings as he desired4 ,the upper wing could be moved farther forward or farther backward than the lower wing1 according to the direction in which the two sticks were simultaneously inclined1 by movement of the wrists4 ,by inclining the two sticks in opposite directions it was possible to draw one upper wing tip farther forward than the lower at that end1 while at the other end of the kite the lower wing tip would be the one farther forward4 ,this moving of the wing tips in opposite directions caused a twisting or warping of the wings4 ,then the wing at one end would be presented to the wind at a different angle from that at the other end4 ,if one end of the kite started to sink1 sidewise balance could be restored by exposing the wing at that end at a greater angle1 thus getting more lift4 ,balance from front to rear was to be maintained by inclining the two sticks in the operator's hands in the same direction--to move the upper wing either forward or backward over the lower wing1 to change the center of lift4 ,but in addition to this moving of the wings forward and backward1 the ,wrights added an 8elevator0 at the rear4 ,it was held by a pair of wooden rods attached at right angles to the uprights that connected the wings4 ,when the upper wing was pulled forward1 to turn the kite upward in front1 the elevator met the air at its top side and was pressed downward1 which helped to turn the wings upward--as the rear elevator does on planes today4 ,though their interest did not lag1 the ,wrights did nothing more for some time about kite experiments1 except to seek information in regard to wind velocity in different parts of the country4 ,they wrote to the ,weather ,bureau at ,washington1 in ,december1 #ahii1 and ,willis ,moore1 chief of that ,bureau1 sent them a number of government bulletins that included statistics on wind velocities at various places4 ,they looked these over1 but at that time made no further investigation of any of the places mentioned4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,first ,,camp ,,at ,,kitty ,,hawk4 ,top3 ,the #aijj camp4 ,bottom3 ,kitty ,hawk ,bay as seen from the #aijj camp4 ,in ,may1 #aijj1 ,wilbur ,wright wrote a letter to ,octave ,chanute1 living in ,chicago1 who had written ,progress in ,flying ,machines4 ,though ,chanute was better known in engineering circles by his work for certain western railroads1 as well as for having built the ,kansas ,city bridge and the ,chicago stockyards1 his book1 a reprint of his articles published from #ahia to #ahic1 had made him probably the best authority on the history of aeronautics4 ,thinking ,chanute would be interested1 ,wilbur told him in his letter of a plan he had for experimenting with a man-carrying kite by means of which1 ,wilbur thought1 one would be able to get hours of practice in operating a machine in the air4 ,he proposed the use of a high tower from the top of which a cable would lead to the man-carrying kite4 ,he described to ,chanute1 in his letter1 the system of control to be used in the kite--the warping of wings for lateral control1 and the shifting of the upper surface backward and forward for longitudinal control--the same system used in the five-foot kite tested the previous ,august4 ,then he asked ,chanute if he had any information as to locations where winds suitable for carrying on such experiments might be found4 7,this letter from ,wilbur marked the beginning of an acquaintance and correspondence with ,chanute that lasted for a number of years47 ,chanute suggested ,san ,diego1 ,california1 and ,st4 ,james ,city 7,pine ,island71 ,florida1 to be considered because of the steady sea breezes4 ,but1 on the other hand1 he pointed out that1 since those places were deficient in sand hills1 perhaps even better locations could be found on the ,atlantic coast of ,south ,carolina or ,georgia4 ,illustration3 ,,the #aijb ,,glider4 ,the ,wrights are testing the efficiency of the #aijb glider by flying it as a kite--,september #ai1 #aijb4 ,when the rush of the spring trade in bicycles began to subside1 giving them more time for other interests1 the ,wrights again took up with enthusiasm the study of equilibrium4 ,each day they proposed and discussed new devices4 ,orville thought the shifting of the upper surface backward and forward over the lower one1 for longitudinal equilibrium1 though successful in their kite1 would not be practical for a man-carrying glider1 which would start and land on the ground4 ,he suggested that the wing surfaces be fixed one above the other1 and that an elevator be placed some distance in front of the wings1 instead of at the rear4 ,in this position there would be less danger of the elevator touching the ground in starting2 and if from any cause the elevator were disabled it would be discovered before the machine got into the air4 ,wilbur then proposed that1 since curved surfaces were more efficient than flat planes1 the front rudder1 or elevator1 should be made flexible4 ,then it could be bent to present a concave surface on whichever side a pressure was desired1 but would be flat when moving edgewise through the air4 ,the ,wrights did not at first think an elevator in front would provide inherent stability--that is1 it would not give the machine the desired tendency to restore its own balance just from the arrangement of its fixed parts4 ,but ,wilbur shortly afterward developed a theory that led him to believe the machine would have that quality4 ,having read that the center of pressure moves toward the front edge of the wings whenever the wings are turned more nearly horizontal in flight1 he thought inherent longitudinal stability could be obtained if the front elevator were set at a negative angle--that is1 with its front edge lower than its rear edge4 ,with such an arrangement of wings and elevator1 every time the wings became more nearly horizontal in flight and met the air at a smaller angle on their under sides1 the elevator would meet the air at a greater angle on its upper side4 ,so1 he reasoned1 whenever1 by becoming more nearly horizontal1 the wings caused the center of pressure to move forward1 tending to turn the machine upward in front1 the front elevator would receive a greater downward pressure on its upper side and so counteract the disturbing pressure on the wings4 ,actual tests later proved that the negative angle of the front elevator did not provide the inherent stability expected4 ,the explanation was that the center of pressure on cambered wings traveled in the opposite direction from that which ,wilbur's reading had led him to expect4 ,the ,wrights later were to discover that ,wilbur's reasoning was correct2 but because the travel of the center of pressure was rearward instead of forward the elevator had to be set at a positive instead of at a negative angle4 ,the ,wrights' elevator possessed three features not found in the gliders of any of the earlier experimenters4 ,it was in front of the wings1 where it was less liable to damage by striking the ground in take-off and landing2 it was operable1 instead of fixed as in other machines2 and it flexed to present a convex surface to the air1 instead of a flat surface4 ,at this early stage of their work the ,wrights considered this front elevator their most important invention1 because1 from their reading1 they thought it was solving a problem more difficult than that of lateral control4 ,though the ,wrights' reasons for placing the elevator in front of the wings were at first those just mentioned1 they afterward found that this arrangement had much greater importance for two reasons not at first discovered4 ,one of these was that it eliminated all danger of a nose dive when the plane got into what is known as a 8stall0--when the speed became too slow4 ,the other reason was that the elevator in front1 set at a positive angle with the pressure on its under side1 not only produced inherent stability1 but also carried part of the load1 and so relieved the wings to that extent4 7,an elevator in the rear1 set at a negative angle to provide inherent stability1 carries a pressure on its upper side1 which adds just that much to the load the wings must carry47 ,around the first of ,august1 #aijj1 the brothers decided to build a man-carrying glider on which to try out their inventions4 ,to get practice in operating it they would first fly it as a kite4 ,for such kite flying1 flat open country would be needed2 and for the gliding1 sand hills free from trees or shrubs4 ,once again they examined the reports they had received from the ,weather ,bureau at ,washington4 ,several of the places where winds might be suitable were in the ,far ,west1 but one in the ,east1 much nearer to ,dayton1 was a place with an odd name1 ,kitty ,hawk1 ,north ,carolina4 ,they decided to write at once to ,kitty ,hawk for further information4 ,wilbur ,wright addressed a letter to the chief of the ,kitty ,hawk weather bureau station1 asking for various details about the locality1 explaining that he might wish to go there shortly to conduct experiments with a man-carrying kite4 ,he inquired1 too1 if it would be possible for him and his brother to obtain board and lodging in the vicinity until they could get themselves established in a camp4 ,joseph ,j4 ,dosher1 in charge of the ,kitty ,hawk station1 who received the letter1 replied briefly1 on ,august #af1 giving the direction of the prevailing winds2 and he described the nature of the land for many miles4 ,after writing his reply1 ,dosher handed ,wilbur ,wright's letter to a neighbor1 ,william ,j4 ,tate1 with the request that he also make a reply4 8,bill0 ,tate 7later known as ,captain ,tate7 was probably the best-educated man in that locality4 ,he lived about a mile inland from the weather station1 in the hamlet or settlement of ,kitty ,hawk1 where he had formerly been the postmaster4 ,for all practical purposes he still was the postmaster1 though the office was in his wife's name4 ,endowed with a gift for expressing himself readily in either speech or writing1 ,tate did a creditable job when he wrote to ,wilbur ,wright on ,august #ah4 ,not only did he tell about the suitability of the ,kitty ,hawk region1 because of the prevailing high winds1 for the kind of experiments ,wilbur had mentioned1 but he went into details about the treeless sand hills and the general terrain4 ,and he said arrangements could undoubtedly be made for the ,wrights to obtain board for as long as desired4 ,the letters from ,dosher and ,tate--particularly the one from ,tate--convinced the ,wrights that ,kitty ,hawk was the place for their experiments4 ,almost immediately they decided they would go to ,kitty ,hawk as soon as they could build their glider4 ,the work at ,dayton1 getting parts and material ready for the glider1 required only a few weeks4 ,only the cutting and sewing of the cloth covering for the wings1 the bending of the ash ribs into shape1 and making the metal connections1 took much time4 ,the cost of the whole machine in actual money outlay was trifling1 probably not more than #ae4 ,it was arranged that ,orville should stay in ,dayton1 to look after the bicycle shop until ,wilbur got settled at ,kitty ,hawk1 and then join him there4 ,wilbur set out on a ,september day1 taking with him parts of the glider and all material needed to assemble it except some spruce lumber he expected to obtain nearer his destination4 ,the journey proved to be more of an undertaking than ,wilbur expected4 ,v ,,gliding ,,at ,,kitty ,,hawk ,one must look at a map of ,north ,carolina to get an idea of the isolation of the long strip of sandy beach that separates the ,atlantic ,ocean from ,albemarle1 ,pamlico1 and ,roanoke ,sounds4 ,at the time the ,wrights went there1 no bridges connected this beach with any part of the ,north ,carolina mainland or even with near-by ,roanoke ,island1 seat of ,sir ,walter ,raleigh's 8,lost ,colony40 ,at one point on the beach was the ,kitty ,hawk life-saving station1 and alongside of it a government weather bureau4 ,about a mile back from the ocean was the hamlet of ,kitty ,hawk which1 though it had a post office1 was little more than a settlement1 with only about a score of dwelling houses1 most of them as widely scattered as in an ordinary farming community4 ,four miles south was the ,kill ,devil life-saving station4 ,it was not surprising that when ,wilbur ,wright1 on ,september #i1 #aijj1 reached ,elizabeth ,city1 ,north ,carolina1 the nearest railroad point to his destination1 the first persons he chanced to ask about ,kitty ,hawk had never heard of the place4 ,then he learned that a boat made weekly trips to ,roanoke ,island2 but it had gone the day before4 ,not liking delay1 he went to the water front to inquire if another boat might be available4 ,there he met one ,israel ,perry1 formerly a resident of ,kitty ,hawk1 who lived the year round on his little flat-bottomed schooner4 ,as no other boatman showed any interest in making the trip1 ,wilbur booked passage with 8,captain0 ,perry1 despite the boat's dirty1 forbidding appearance4 ,after loading parts of the glider and other goods that had been shipped from ,dayton1 he set out with ,perry on the morning of ,september #aj for the forty-mile voyage to ,kitty ,hawk4 ,wilbur noticed that the small boat they used to go from the wharf out to where the schooner was anchored was leaking badly and he asked if it was safe4 8,oh10 ,perry assured him1 8it's safer than the big boat40 ,that didn't inspire too much confidence in what was in store1 and ,wilbur soon learned that any misgivings he felt were amply justified4 ,toward the middle of the afternoon they met a strong head wind that forced them to seek a smooth water haven in ,north ,river where they anchored to await better weather4 ,by that time ,wilbur had worked up a good appetite2 but he discovered that neither the food nor the kitchen met even minimum standards of cleanliness and he made excuses1 as politely as he could1 for not eating4 ,all he had with him against hunger was a small jar of jelly his sister ,katharine had slipped into his suitcase4 ,the weather was not favorable for continuing the voyage until the afternoon of the second day1 and the boat reached a wharf1 where there was a small store1 on ,kitty ,hawk bay1 at about nine o'clock that night4 ,not knowing where else to go1 ,wilbur stayed aboard until the next morning4 ,a small boy named ,baum agreed to guide him to the home of ,william ,j4 ,tate1 about a quarter of a mile away4 ,by the time ,wilbur arrived there1 on that morning of ,september #ab1 it was just forty-eight hours since he had tasted food other than his little supply of jelly4 ,after introducing himself1 and in response to 8,bill0 ,tate's inquiries about how he enjoyed his trip1 ,wilbur spoke of his back being sore from lying on deck and of how his arm ached from holding on when the boat rolled4 ,then it came out that he had been unable to bring himself to eat the food provided on the ,perry schooner4 8,you mean to tell me10 asked 8,bill0 ,tate1 greatly concerned1 8that you've eaten no victuals for two days80 ,here was a situation that called for quick action in a hospitable home4 ,it was after the ,tates' breakfast hour1 but ,mrs4 ,tate soon had a fire in the kitchen stove and prepared a great platter of ham and eggs that the guest seemed to relish4 ,then ,wilbur inquired if it would be possible for him to obtain board and lodging there for the week or more until his brother 8,orv0 arrived4 ,tate went into an adjoining room to ask his wife4 ,as the door was ajar1 ,wilbur could hear what was said4 ,mrs4 ,tate was a bit alarmed4 ,here was a man able to devote time and money for weeks at a time to sport4 ,doubtless he must be a person of great wealth1 accustomed to every luxury4 ,would he be satisfied with the best they could offer8 ,wilbur stepped to the door1 explaining that he could not help overhearing their conversation1 and said it must be understood that if he were accepted as a paying guest he would not expect any extra frills1 but would greatly appreciate the courtesy4 8,this fellow's a real gentleman10 thought ,tate1 and by way of settling the question1 without waiting to hear any more from his wife1 he said to ,wilbur3 8,you must be tired4 ,why don't you come into our spare bedroom and take a nap80 ,by the next day ,wilbur was at work4 ,the cloth covering for the glider--white ,french sateen of extra good quality--had already been shaped and sewed at ,dayton1 except at the ends1 to permit fitting it over the framework4 ,but now he had to make changes in the covering1 because the glider was going to be smaller than originally planned4 ,the longest timbers1 for the wing spars1 that he had been able to find in either ,norfolk or ,elizabeth ,city were only sixteen feet long instead of the eighteen-foot length he desired4 ,thus it was necessary to cut out strips from the middle of the lengths of cloth for both upper and lower wings4 ,for resewing the cloth where necessary1 ,wilbur borrowed ,mrs4 ,tate's machine4 ,but all the rest of the work of assembling the glider was done at a tent ,wilbur set up1 about half a mile from the ,tate home1 at a spot where there were a few trees and a view of the bay4 ,he dragged the crates1 containing various parts and tools1 to the tent and hoped to have everything in readiness when ,orville arrived4 ,but the heat was intense1 the job of carrying water to the camp used up much energy1 and when ,orville got there1 on ,september #bh1 ,wilbur told him regretfully that much work on the glider was still to be done4 ,orville's trip had been uneventful4 ,indeed1 though he came on a better boat than ,israel ,perry's1 he had struck such a calm sea that his voyage from ,elizabeth ,city took two days1 the same as ,wilbur's4 ,for the first five days after ,orville's arrival1 both brothers stayed at the ,tate home4 ,then they established themselves in camp4 ,one end of their tent1 twelve by twenty-two feet1 was tied to a tree for anchorage4 ,the tree was headquarters for a mocking bird that sometimes joined in the harmony when ,orville twanged at a mandolin he had brought from home4 ,not many visitors came to the camp from near-by ,kitty ,hawk4 ,one reason for this was that the camp was considered dangerous after news got about that the ,wrights used a gasoline stove4 8,bill0 ,tate was favorably impressed1 though1 with an acetylene lamp1 intended for a bicycle1 that the ,wrights used for lighting4 ,he said he had a notion to install such a system of gas lighting in his house4 ,it was necessary to carry water about one thousand feet over the sand4 ,orville volunteered to do the cooking--and he continued to do so during all their experiments at ,kitty ,hawk4 ,but he always felt that he had the better of the bargain1 for the dish-washing job was ,wilbur's4 ,as it was impossible to obtain fresh bread1 ,orville learned to make biscuits1 and without use of milk4 ,they were good biscuits1 too--better1 his father afterward insisted1 than anyone else could make4 ,to simplify operations1 ,orville always mixed at one time enough flour and other dry ingredients to last for several days1 as biscuits had to be baked three times daily4 ,working together1 the brothers soon had the glider assembled4 ,when completed it weighed about fifty-two pounds4 ,though the main spars were only sixteen feet long1 the 8bows0 at the ends of each wing surface brought the total span to nearly seventeen and one-half feet4 ,the total lifting area was #afe square feet instead of #bjj as intended4 ,a space eighteen inches wide at the center of the lower surface where the operator would lie1 with feet over the rear spar1 was left free of covering4 ,the apparatus had no rear vanes or tail of any kind2 but it had two important features never used by previous experimenters4 ,one was the front rudder1 or 8elevator10 the rear edge of which was about thirty inches from the nearest edge of the wings2 the other was the wing warping4 ,by an ingenious arrangement of the trussing1 the wings could be twisted into a helicoidal warp from one end to the other1 thus exposing one wing to the air at a greater angle than the other4 ,this was to be used for bringing the machine back to the level after it was tipped up sidewise by a gust of wind4 ,the ,wrights' first surprise at ,kitty ,hawk was that the winds there were not what they had counted on4 ,united ,states ,weather ,bureau reports had led them to think they would have winds of about fifteen miles an hour almost every day4 ,but now it dawned on them that fifteen miles an hour was simply the daily average for a month4 ,sometimes the wind was sixty miles an hour1 and the next day it would be entirely calm4 ,it now began to look as if they might frequently have to wait a few days for suitable conditions1 which meant that their experiments would require more time than they had expected4 ,almost as soon as they began their trials of the glider1 the brothers got another surprise4 ,according to the ,lilienthal tables of air pressures1 their machine of #afe square feet needed a wind of only from seventeen to twenty-one miles an hour to support it as a kite with a pilot aboard4 ,but they found that much stronger winds were needed to lift it4 ,since suitable winds would not be plentiful1 their plan of practicing by the hour aboard the glider while flying it as a kite would have to be postponed4 ,instead1 they flew it as a kite1 loaded with about fifty pounds of chain1 but with no man aboard4 ,they held it with two ropes1 and operated the balancing system by cords from the ground4 ,though the results were promising1 inspiring confidence in the system of maintaining equilibrium1 the brothers knew that only by actual gliding experience could they confirm what the kite experiments had indicated as being true4 ,one thing that puzzled them was that the machine appeared to be greatly deficient in lifting power as compared with calculated lift of curved surfaces of its size4 ,in wondering what might be the cause of this wide discrepancy between expected and actual lifts1 the ,wrights considered the possibility that it might be because the curvature of the wings was less than that used by ,lilienthal4 ,or could it be that the cloth covering was too porous and permitted some of the lifting power of the wind to be lost8 ,they wondered1 too1 if the ,lilienthal tables they had followed1 relating to air pressure on wing surfaces1 could be in error4 ,they next determined to try gliding on the side of a hill4 ,that meant toting their machine four miles south of their camp to a great sand dune about one hundred feet high1 called ,kill ,devil ,hill4 ,on their first day at the hill1 the wind was about twenty-five miles an hour4 ,as they lacked previous experience at gliding they decided to wait for less of a blow for their first attempt4 ,the next day the wind had subsided to fourteen miles an hour1 and they made about a dozen glides4 8,bill0 ,tate was there and assisted them4 ,in making these glides1 the machine was usually only two or three feet from the soft1 sandy ground1 and though the brothers repeatedly made landings while moving at a speed of twenty miles an hour1 neither operator nor machine was harmed4 ,the slope of the hill toward the northeast was about #i degrees1 or a drop of approximately one foot in six4 ,after moving at a rate of about twenty-five to thirty miles an hour with reference to the wind1 or ten to fifteen miles over the ground1 the machine1 while keeping its course parallel to the slope1 increased its speed1 thus indicating that it could glide on a slope less steep4 ,their control of the machine was even better than they had dared to expect4 ,they got quick response to the slightest movement of the front elevator1 which promised to be satisfactory in maintaining fore and aft balance4 ,at first1 they fastened the warping mechanism1 to make it inoperable1 and had only the elevator to manipulate1 for they feared that1 inexperienced as they were1 if they tried to use both1 then they might be unsuccessful with either4 ,but even without the use of the warping mechanism it was possible to make glides of from five to ten seconds before the sidewise tilt of the machine forced a landing4 ,before making the last three or four flights the ,wrights loosened the warping wires to permit the sidewise control to be used4 ,when these experiments of #aijj ended1 instead of the hours of practice in the air the ,wrights had hoped to have1 they had flown the machine as a kite with a man aboard barely ten minutes1 and had had only two minutes of actual gliding4 ,now that the experiments for that year were ended and they had no further use for the glider1 the brothers weighted the machine with sand and left it on the hill4 ,when 8,bill0 ,tate saw that they were through with the glider he asked if he might have it1 and they gladly gave it to him4 ,mrs4 ,tate used the sateen that covered the wings to make dresses for her two small daughters4 ,she noted that it appeared to be unusually good fabric1 more closely woven and better than she had seen in the stores4 ,some of her neighbors1 when they saw the dresses she made of it1 remarked that it seemed too bad to use such excellent material on a kite4 ,though the amount of practice was less than they had expected1 all the ,wrights had learned in that season of #aijj seemed to confirm the correctness of certain opinions held at the beginning4 ,their method of warping or twisting the wings to maintain lateral balance was better than dependence on either the dihedral angle or shifting the weight of the operator2 better than any method yet tried4 ,and their front elevator had been highly satisfactory as a means for directing the machine up and down4 ,before leaving ,kitty ,hawk they decided that their next experiments would be with a glider large enough to be flown as a kite1 with an operator aboard1 in winds ordinarily to be counted on4 ,when the brothers set to work on their glider for the experiments of #aija1 they decided to make it of the same general design as the first one1 and with the same system of control4 ,but they carried out their plan to give it considerably more area1 to provide greater lifting power4 ,another change they made was to increase the curvature of the wings to conform to the shape on which ,lilienthal had based his tables of air pressures4 ,it had wings of about seven-foot chord 7the straight line distance between the front and rear edges7 with a total span of twenty-two feet1 and weighed ninety-eight pounds4 ,after a section twenty inches wide had been removed from the middle of the lower wing1 and the rear corners of the wings rounded off1 the total lifting area was #bij square feet1 as compared with #afe in the previous glider4 ,the front elevator1 with its rear edge about two and one half feet away from the front edge of the wings1 had a four-and-one-half foot chord and an area of eighteen square feet4 ,this was a much larger machine than anyone had ever tried to fly4 ,the ,wrights knew it could not be controlled simply by shifting the pilot's weight1 as others had done1 but they had faith in their own operable front elevator and believed they could manage it4 ,if their calculations were correct1 it would be supported in a wind of seventeen miles an hour1 with the wing surfaces at an 8angle of incidence0 of only three degrees4 78,angle of incidence10 now more often called 8angle of attack10 has been defined as the angle at which the plane presents itself to the air in advancing against it47 ,as it would be impractical to keep so large a machine with them in the tent1 as they had done with the smaller glider1 the brothers built near ,kill ,devil ,hill a rough frame shed1 twenty-five feet long1 sixteen feet wide1 and seven feet high at the eaves4 ,both ends of the building except the gable parts were made into doors1 hinged above4 ,when open1 the doors provided an awning at each end of the building4 ,for living quarters they still used a tent4 ,by driving a pipe ten or twelve feet into the sand they got a water supply4 ,though the great stretch of sandy waste seemed too desolate for anyone to bother about owning1 yet it was all under the ownership of one person or another and the ,wrights took the precaution to obtain permission to erect their buildings4 ,this year they were to have company in camp4 ,octave ,chanute1 with whom they had been in correspondence for about a year1 stopped in ,dayton in ,june1 #aija1 at their invitation1 to get better acquainted4 ,when he learned that the ,wrights had carried on their experiments in #aijj without the presence of a doctor in camp1 and were intending to do so again1 he told them he thought that was too risky1 considering the kind of work and the isolation of the experiment ground4 ,he said he knew a young man in ,coatesville1 ,pennsylvania1 ,george ,a4 ,spratt1 8an amateur0 in aeronautics1 who had had some medical training4 ,spratt had never seen any gliding experiments1 and ,chanute thought he would be eager for the opportunity4 ,if the ,wrights would board him at camp1 ,chanute said1 he would be glad to pay ,spratt's traveling expenses to ,kitty ,hawk and would consider himself 8compensated by the pleasure given to him40 ,chanute also proposed that they have in camp with them ,e4 ,c4 ,huffaker1 of ,chuckey ,city1 ,tennessee1 who was building a glider that ,chanute was financing1 and the ,wrights consented4 ,thus there were four regularly in camp that season1 and for a time ,chanute himself was with them as a guest4 ,the new machine was completed and ready for trial on the afternoon of ,july #bg4 ,since it was designed to be flown in a wind of seventeen miles1 and there was but thirteen miles of wind on that day1 the brothers took the machine to the big ,kill ,devil ,hill for its first trial4 ,after five or six short tuning-up flights they made a glide of #cae feet in nineteen seconds4 ,although several flights on this first day of experiments in #aija exceeded the best made the year before1 yet it was soon evident that in several respects the machine was not as good as the first one4 ,it was found that the wings1 with a camber of one to twelve--the camber recommended by ,lilienthal1 and used by ,chanute and others--was not so good as the camber of one to twenty-two1 used by the ,wrights in #aijj4 7,camber of one to twenty-two means that the length of the chord1 the straight-line distance between the front and rear edges of the wings1 is twenty-two times the distance from the chord to the deepest part of the wing curve47 ,this was demonstrated by the fact that the #aija machine could not glide on a slope as nearly level as had the earlier machine4 ,the ,wrights found1 too1 that a machine with wings of one to twelve camber was not so easily controlled fore and aft as when the wings were of one to twenty-two camber4 ,they decided therefore to reduce the camber of the wings to make them more like those of the earlier machine4 ,when they resumed their gliding1 after the camber had been reduced 7one to eighteen71 the control of the machine appeared to be as good as it was the year before1 and they then made flights in winds of twenty-two to twenty-seven miles an hour1 without accident4 ,though in most of these flights the lateral control was highly effective1 in a few others--under conditions seemingly the same--the wing warping appeared to have no effect at all4 ,the ,wrights now made the discovery that in free flight1 when the wing on one side of the machine was presented to the wind at a greater angle than that on the other side1 the wing with the greater angle1 instead of rising as it was expected to do1 sometimes descended4 ,the explanation was that the greater angle of the wing at one side gave more resistance to forward motion and thus reduced the speed on that side4 ,this decrease in speed more than counter-balanced the effect of the larger angle of the wing in producing lift4 7,the ,wrights had not discovered this when flying the glider as a kite1 because1 when held by ropes1 the wings always maintained equal air speeds1 even when their resistances were unbalanced47 ,it was evident to the brothers that their present method of controlling equilibrium was not yet complete4 ,something was needed to maintain equal speeds at the two wing tips4 ,the idea occurred to them that the addition of a vertical fin attached to the machine at some distance in the rear of the wings might be the solution of the problem4 ,but the test of such a fin had to be left until another season4 ,the behavior of the glider in these various flights forced the ,wrights to give thought to another scientific problem1 that regarding the center of air pressure on curved surfaces4 ,contrary to the teachings of scientific books on the subject1 it was becoming more and more evident that the travel of the center of pressure on a cambered surface is not always in the same direction as the travel on a plane surface4 ,when the angle of attack on a plane surface is decreased1 the center of pressure moves toward the front edge2 but on a cambered surface this is true only when larger angles are being decreased4 ,when the angle of attack on a cambered surface is decreased from1 say1 thirty degrees to twenty-five degrees1 the center of pressure moves forward1 as it does on a plane surface2 but when a certain angle 7between twelve and fifteen degrees7 is reached1 then the movement of the center of pressure is reversed4 ,from there on1 the center of pressure moves toward the rear so long as any further decrease is made in the angle of attack4 ,the ,wrights proved this by a series of experiments with a single surface from their plane4 ,knowledge of the phenomenon of this reversal of center of pressure was of great importance to them in their later work of designing aeroplanes4 ,scientific problems were not the only ones to perplex the ,wrights4 ,a sore trial were the mosquitoes and sandfleas1 particularly numerous and aggressive in that summer of #aija4 ,as ,orville ,wright recalled in later years1 there were times when he thought1 while fighting mosquitoes through the night1 that if he could just survive until morning he would pack up and return home4 ,those mosquitoes might have caused a long postponement of the conquest of the air4 ,by the time they left ,kitty ,hawk on ,august #bj1 the brothers had satisfied themselves that a glider of large surfaces could be controlled almost as easily as a smaller one1 provided the control is by manipulation of the surfaces themselves instead of by movements of the operator's body4 ,so far as they knew1 judging from figures previously published1 they had broken all records for distance in gliding4 ,chanute1 who had witnessed part of the #aija experiments1 insisted that the results were better than had ever been attained before4 ,all that was encouraging4 ,but1 on the other hand1 if most of the supposedly scientific information available was worthless1 then their task was even more formidable than they had expected4 ,with no dependable previous knowledge to guide them1 who were they to determine how man should fly8 ,wilbur seemed much discouraged4 ,possibly he had entertained hopes of actually flying1 though he had always disclaimed having such an idea4 ,he was ready to drop the experiments altogether4 ,on the way home1 ,wilbur declared his belief3 ,not within a thousand years would man ever fly6 ,chanute urged the brothers not to drop their experiments1 arguing that if they did it would be a long time before anyone else would come as near to understanding the problem or how to work toward its solution4 ,without knowing it1 ,chanute made a great contribution to aviation history1 for the ,wrights heeded his repeated admonitions against ceasing their efforts4 ,without the proddings of ,chanute they might not have gone on4 ,chanute performed another great service for aeronautics when he1 as president of the ,western ,society of ,engineers1 invited ,wilbur ,wright to address that body at a meeting in ,chicago1 ,september #ah1 #aija1 on the subject3 ,some ,aeronautical ,experiments4 ,wilbur shrank from the idea of making such a talk and would hardly have done so except to oblige his friend4 ,he cautioned ,chanute1 though1 not to make the speech a prominent feature of the program1 because1 he said1 he made no pretense of being a public speaker4 ,chanute did nevertheless plan to use the announcement of the talk as a means to help make the meeting a big success4 ,he wanted to know if it would be all right to make the occasion 8,ladies' ,night40 ,wilbur decided that he would already be as badly scared as a man could be and the presence of women would not make the situation much worse4 ,but he insisted on one thing1 that he must not be expected to appear in formal evening dress4 ,in this speech ,wilbur boldly declared that the best sets of figures obtainable regarding air pressure against airplane surfaces appeared to contain many serious errors4 ,orville1 at the shop in ,dayton1 was a little alarmed about that part of the speech4 ,what if something about their own work had been wrong and the figures compiled by various scientists should finally be proved correct8 ,certainly it was no small responsibility for anyone so little known as ,wilbur or he to denounce publicly the work of eminent scientists1 dignified by preservation in books long regarded as authoritative4 ,it would be both presumptuous and risky to brand supposedly established facts as untrue unless the person doing so could be unassailably sure of his ground4 ,in this cautious state of mind ,orville rigged up a little wind-tunnel for the purpose of making a series of tests4 ,this tunnel consisted simply of what appeared to be an old starch box1 not more than eighteen inches long1 that was lying in the shop4 ,in it he placed a hastily constructed apparatus1 a main part of which was simply a metal rod pivoted in the manner of a weather vane4 ,without attempting to give technical details of the method used1 it may be said that a curved surface was balanced against a plane surface in an air current passing through the box4 ,as ,orville had provided the box with a glass top he could measure the angles to the wind at which the curved surface and the plane surface of equal area produced equal pressures4 ,the experiments with this crude apparatus lasted only one day4 ,they were conclusive enough so far as they went1 indicating errors in published figures relating to air pressure on curved surfaces4 ,but as ,orville was later to learn1 the published errors were greatest in regard to wing surfaces set at small angles1 such as would be used in flying1 and he had tested thus far only larger angles4 ,with the tests thus incomplete1 ,orville and ,wilbur decided1 on the latter's return from ,chicago1 that it might be prudent to stay on the safe side and omit from the published record of ,wilbur's speech the more severe part of his criticism of available figures4 ,they would wait until further wind-tunnel experiments could give more detailed knowledge4 ,consequently1 when ,wilbur's speech appeared in the ,december1 #aija1 issue of the ,journal of the ,western ,society of ,engineers1 it was a bit less startling than the one he had actually delivered--though1 even after the deletions1 there still remained strong hints that accepted tables of figures might be wrong4 ,and the record of the speech was treated as of great importance4 ,it has probably been reprinted and quoted as often as any other article ever written on the subject of flying4 ,the ,wrights were not sure they would ever build another glider4 ,but their curiosity1 their passion for getting at truth1 had now been too much aroused for them to quit studying the problem of air pressures4 ,they decided to build another wind-tunnel1 less crude than the one ,orville had hastily used1 and continue their experiments4 ,the new tunnel consisted of an open-ended wooden box about sixteen inches square on the inside by six feet long4 ,into one end would come a current of air and the draft thus created would be 8straightened10 as well as made uniform1 by having to pass through a set of small pigeon-holes4 ,it would have been a great convenience to use an electric fan for sending the air into the tunnel4 ,but the ,wrights had no electric current in their shop--still lighted by gas--and the fan was driven by a one-cylinder gas engine they had previously made4 ,they attached the fan to a spindle that had held an emery wheel4 ,a new measuring device1 or balance1 was built of wire intended for bicycle spokes1 and pieces of hacksaw blades4 ,these experiments were now done with much more refinement than at first1 and the measurements were for both 8lift0 and 8drift40 ,but as each curved surface measured was balanced against the pressure on a square plane1 exposed at ninety degrees to the same air current1 it was not necessary to know the precise speed of the air current4 ,during that autumn and early winter of #aija1 the brothers tested in the wind-tunnel more than two hundred types of wing surfaces4 ,they set these at different angles1 starting with the angle at which the surface begins to lift1 and then at #b degree intervals1 up to twenty2 and at five degree intervals up to forty-five degrees4 ,they measured monoplane1 biplane1 and triplane models2 also models in which one wing followed the other1 as used by ,langley in his experiments4 ,they measured the lift produced by different 8aspect ratios0--that is1 the ratio of the span of the wing to its chord4 ,they found that the greater the span in proportion to the chord the more easily the wing may be supported4 ,they measured thick and thin surfaces4 ,one surface had a thickness of nearly one-sixth of its chord4 ,among other things1 these experiments proved the fallacy of the sharp edge at the front of an airplane wing and the inefficiency of deeply cambered wings as then generally advocated by others4 ,sometimes they got a result so unexpected that they could hardly believe their own measurements--as1 for example1 when they discovered that1 contrary to all previously published figures by students of the subject1 a square plane gave a greater pressure when set at thirty degrees than at forty-five degrees4 ,these wind-tunnel experiments in the bicycle shop were carried on for only a little more than two months1 and were ended before ,christmas1 #aija4 ,the ,wrights discontinued them with great reluctance2 but1 after all1 they were still in the bicycle business1 still obliged to give thought to their means for earning a living1 and with no idea that this scientific research could ever be financially profitable4 ,in those few weeks1 however1 they had accomplished something of almost incalculable importance4 ,they had not only made the first wind-tunnel in which miniature wings were accurately tested1 but were the first men in all the world to compile tables of figures from which one might design an airplane that could fly4 ,even today1 in wind-tunnels used in various aeronautical laboratories1 equipped with the most elaborate and delicate instruments modern science can provide1 the refinements obtained over the ,wrights' figures for the same shapes of surfaces are surprisingly small4 ,but it is doubtful if the difficulties and full value of the ,wrights' scientific researches within their bicycle shop are yet appreciated4 ,the world knows they were the first to build a machine capable of sustained flight and the first actually to fly2 but it is not fully aware of all the tedious1 grueling scientific laboratory work they had to do before flight was possible4 ,important as was the system of control with which the ,wrights' name has been connected1 it would not have given them success without their wind-tunnel work which enabled them to design a machine that would lift itself4 ,the ,wrights had a double reason for making sure of their figures4 ,with little money to spend on a hobby1 it was much cheaper to rectify mistakes on paper than after the idea was put into material form4 ,they knew that if they should decide to go on to further gliding attempts1 they could not afford to spend much more money on apparatus built according to unreliable data4 ,after compiling their own tables of figures1 the ,wrights gave copies of them to their friend ,chanute and others interested in the problem of aerodynamics4 ,chanute well knew that the ,wrights now had knowledge of aeronautics far beyond that of anyone else in the world1 and he felt that for them to go on with their experiments was almost a duty4 ,he much regretted1 in the interest of science1 he said1 that they had reached a stopping-place1 for he was sure further experiments on their part promised 8important results40 ,chanute might well have felt pride in the effectiveness of his insistence that the ,wrights should go on experimenting1 as well as in the results of his invitation to ,wilbur to make that ,chicago speech4 ,except for that speech and its daring statements that ,orville thought needed more confirmation1 there probably would have been no wind-tunnel tests2 and without the kind of knowledge then obtained1 neither the ,wrights nor anyone else could have built a practical flying-machine4 ,those wind-tunnel experiments marked one of the great turning points in the long history of attempts at human flight4 ,it still remained for the ,wrights to put their new knowledge to actual test in gliding1 and they set out on ,august #be1 #aijb1 for their third stay at ,kitty ,hawk4 ,but not until ,september #h were they able to begin the work of assembling their new glider1 for the camp1 battered by winter gales1 needed much repairing2 and they decided to build an addition to it for living quarters4 ,they did not have their machine ready for its first trial until ,september #ai4 ,this new glider was of not much greater lifting area than that of the previous year1 though the wing span had been increased from twenty-two to thirty-two feet4 ,but since the wind-tunnel experiments had demonstrated the importance of the 8aspect ratio10 the total span was now about six times the chord instead of three4 ,one minor change also may be noted4 ,in the earlier gliders1 the wing-warping mechanism had been worked by movement of the operator's feet2 but now in this #aijb glider it was done by sidewise movement of one's hips resting on a 8cradle40 ,the most noticeable change was the addition of a tail1 consisting of fixed twin vertical vanes1 with a total area of a trifle less than twelve square feet4 ,its purpose was to correct certain difficulties encountered in some of the flights with the #aija machine4 ,when the wing surfaces at the right and left sides were warped to present different angles toward the wind1 the wing that had the greater angle1 and therefore the more resistance1 tended to lag behind1 and then the slower speed offset what otherwise would have been the greater lifting power of that wing4 ,the tail was expected to counter-balance that difference in resistance of the wing tips4 ,if the wing on one side tended to swerve forward1 on a vertical axis1 then the tail1 more exposed to the wind on that same side1 should1 it was thought1 stop the machine from further turning4 ,entirely apart from any advantages to be gained from the use of the tail1 the first trials of the new machine were highly encouraging for another reason4 ,it was soon evident that by disregarding all tables of air pressures used by their predecessors and building according to the figures obtained from their wind-tunnel experiments1 the ,wrights had made a big advance toward flight4 ,because of the knowledge they now had1 not possessed by any previous experimenter1 of how the wings should be shaped1 this #aijb machine was of just about twice the 8dynamic efficiency0 of any other glider ever built2 it could have been flown with probably less than half the power required for any other glider4 ,altogether the ,wrights made more than one thousand gliding flights in ,september and ,october1 #aijb4 ,several glides were of more than six hundred feet1 and a number of them were against a thirty-six-mile-an-hour wind4 ,no previous experimenter had ever dared to try gliding in so stiff a wind4 ,that the ,wrights were successful at such feats gave proof of the effectiveness of their devices for control4 ,some of their flights lasted more than a minute and at times it was possible to soar in one spot without any descent4 ,so impressive were such exhibitions that ,bill ,tate's brother ,dan solemnly offered the opinion3 8,all she needs is a coat of feathers to make her light and she will stay in the air indefinitely40 ,about one time in fifty1 however1 the machine behaved in a manner quite mysterious4 ,it would turn up sidewise and come sliding to the ground in spite of all the warp the operator could give to the wing tips4 ,at one trial the lateral control would work perfectly and then the next time1 under conditions that seemed to be about the same1 it was impossible to prevent one wing end from striking the sand with a kind of spinning movement that the brothers called 8well-digging40 ,this new problem1 that had not occurred in their previous gliders1 came from the fact that the machine had a tail4 ,those 8well-digging0 accidents were tail-spins--though that term did not come into use until several years afterward4 ,but even after it was evident that the tail had something to do with the machine's peculiar behavior1 neither brother was prepared to explain why4 ,then one night ,orville drank more than his customary amount of coffee4 ,instead of going to sleep as usual the moment he got into bed1 he lay awake for several hours4 ,those extra cups of coffee may have been important for the future of practical flight for1 as he tossed about1 he figured out the explanation of the phenomenon caused by the tail4 ,here it is1 as he eagerly gave it to ,wilbur1 and to their brother ,lorin1 who was visiting them1 at breakfast the next morning3 ,when the machine became tilted laterally it began to slide sidewise while advancing1 just as a sled slides downhill or a ball rolls down an inclined plane1 the speed increasing in an accelerated ratio4 ,if the tilt happened to be a little worse than usual1 or if the operator were a little slow in getting the balance corrected1 the machine slid sidewise so fast that this movement caused the vertical vanes to strike the wind on the side toward the low wing instead of on the side toward the high wing1 as it was expected to do4 ,in this state of affairs the vertical vanes did not counteract the turning of the machine about a vertical axis1 caused by the difference of resistance of the warped wings on the right and left sides2 on the contrary1 the vanes assisted in the turning movement1 and the result was worse than if there were no fixed vertical tail4 ,if his explanation was sound1 as ,orville felt sure it was1 then1 he said1 it would be necessary to make the vertical tail movable1 to permit the operator to bring pressure to bear on the side toward the higher wing4 7,this is the form of the ,wright system of control generally used today--the independent control of aileron and rudder47 ,wilbur promptly saw that the explanation was probably correct and nodded approvingly4 ,and he immediately made a suggestion4 ,a particular relation existed1 he said1 in the desired pressures on the tail1 no matter whether the trouble was due to difference of resistance of the wing tips or on account of sliding4 ,whatever the reason1 it was desirable to get rid of the pressure on the side toward the low wing1 to which a greater angle of incidence must be imparted in restoring lateral balance1 and bring pressure on the side of the tail toward the high wing where there must be a reduced angle4 ,so why not have the mechanism that controlled the wing warping and that which moved the tail operated in conjunction8 ,then the pilot1 instead of having to control three things at once1 would need to attend only to the front elevator and the wing-warping device4 ,the brothers at once attached the wires controlling the tail to those that warped the wings--and they also changed the tail from two vertical fins to a single vertical rudder4 ,after the changes in the #aijb glider1 the ,wrights had their machine in about the form pictured and described in the drawings and specifications of their patent1 applied for on the #bcrd of the next ,march4 ,with their accurate data for making calculations1 and a system of balance effective in winds as well as in calms1 the brothers believed that they now could build a successful power-flyer4 ,,vi ,,first ,,power ,,flight ,immediately on their return to ,dayton after the #aijb glider flights1 the ,wrights set to work to carry out plans1 already begun at ,kitty ,hawk1 for a power machine4 ,the satisfactory performance of the glider had demonstrated the accuracy of the laboratory work on which its design was based1 and they now felt sure they could calculate in advance the performance of any machine they built with a degree of accuracy not possible with the data available to their predecessors4 ,early in their preparations1 they took steps to obtain a suitable engine4 ,they knew that a steam engine might do well enough for their purpose1 but a gasoline engine would be simpler and better4 ,some time previously they had built an air-cooled1 one-cylinder gas engine for operating the machinery of their small workshop2 but they did not feel experienced enough to build the kind they now needed and preferred to buy one4 ,illustration3 ,,inside ,,the #aijb ,,camp4 ,the kitchen corner of the #aijb camp at ,kitty ,hawk4 ,they wanted a motor to produce at least eight horsepower and to weigh1 without accessories1 not more than twenty pounds per horsepower4 ,it seemed doubtful if such a motor as they required was then being manufactured2 but perhaps one of the automobile companies could build one light enough by reducing the weight of the flywheel and using more aluminum than in the regular output4 ,on ,december #c1 #aijb1 they sent letters to a number of automobile companies1 and to gasoline motor manufacturers1 altogether to nearly a dozen1 asking if they could furnish a motor that would develop eight brake horsepower and weigh not more than #bjj pounds4 ,orville ,wright was not sure in after years whether he and ,wilbur revealed in their letters the use they planned for the motor they were seeking2 but most of the companies replied that they were too busy with their regular business to undertake such a special order4 ,there is reason to suspect the companies may have got wind of the purpose to which the motor would be put and were afraid to become implicated in the project4 ,if a company provided a motor for a so-called flying-machine1 and this fact should leak out1 it could hurt their business prestige1 because it might look as if they considered human flight a possibility4 ,illustration3 ,,from ,,orville ,,wright',s ,,diary4 ,part of the entry for ,december #ag1 #aijc--the day of the first power flight4 ,thursday1 ,dec4 #agth ,when we got up a wind of between #bj and #be miles was blowing from the north4 ,we got the machine out early and put out the signal for the men at the station4 ,before we were quite ready1 ,john ,t4 ,daniels1 ,w4 ,s4 ,dough1 ,a4 ,d4 ,etheridge1 ,w4 ,c4 ,brinkley of ,manteo1 and ,johnny ,moore of ,nags ,head arrived4 ,after running the engine and propellers a few minutes to get them in working order1 ,i got on the machine at #aj3ce for the first trial4 ,the wind1 according to our anemometers at this time1 was blowing a little over #bj miles 7corrected7 #bg miles according to the ,government anemometer at ,kitty ,hawk4 ,on slipping the rope the machine started off increasing in speed to probably #g or #h miles4 ,the machine lifted from the truck just as it was entering on the fourth rail4 ,mr4 ,daniels took a picture just as it left the tracks4 ,i found the control of the front rudder quite difficult on account of its being balanced too near the center and thus had a tendency to turn itself when started so that the rudder was turned too far on one side and then too ,one company replied1 however1 that they had motors1 rated at eight horsepower1 according to the ,french system of ratings1 which weighed only #ace pounds1 and if the ,wrights thought this would develop enough power for their purpose1 they could buy one4 ,after an examination of the particulars of this motor1 from which they learned that it had but a single cylinder1 of four-inch bore and five-inch stroke1 the ,wrights decided that its power was probably much overrated4 ,finally the brothers decided that they would have to build their motor themselves4 ,they estimated that they could make one of four cylinders1 of four-inch bore and four-inch stroke1 weighing not more than two hundred pounds1 with accessories included4 ,their mechanic1 ,charlie ,taylor1 gave them enthusiastic help4 ,in its final form1 the bare engine1 without magneto1 weighed #aeb pounds2 with accessories1 #agj pounds4 ,at #a1bjj revolutions per minute1 it developed sixteen horsepower--but only for the first fifteen seconds after starting2 after a minute or two it did not give more than about twelve horsepower4 ,since1 however1 they had not counted on more than eight horsepower1 for a machine of a total weight of #fjj pounds1 now they could add #aej pounds for strengthening wings and other parts4 ,not yet knowing how much power an engine of that size ought to have developed1 the ,wrights were much pleased with its performance4 ,long afterward they found out that the engine should have provided about twice as much power as it did4 ,the trouble1 as they later said1 was their 8lack of experience in building gasoline motors40 ,the wings of this new power machine had a total span of a few inches more than forty feet1 and the upper and lower wing surfaces were six feet apart4 ,to reduce the danger of the engine ever falling on the pilot1 it was placed on the lower wing a little to right of center4 ,the pilot would ride lying flat1 as on the glider1 but to the left of center1 to balance the weight4 ,to guard against the machine rolling over in landing1 the sled-like runners were extended farther out in front of the main surfaces than on the glider4 ,these two runners were four feet1 eight inches apart4 ,the tail of the machine had twin movable vanes instead of a single vane as in the #aijb glider4 ,the ,wrights left the designing of the propellers until the last1 because they felt sure that part of the job would be easy enough4 ,their tables of air pressures1 derived from wind-tunnel experiments1 would enable them1 they thought1 to calculate exactly the thrust necessary to sustain the machine in flight4 ,but to design a propeller that would give the needed amount of thrust1 with the power at their command1 was a problem they had not yet considered4 ,no data on air propellers were available1 but the ,wrights had always understood that it was not difficult to obtain an efficiency of fifty per cent with marine propellers4 ,all that should be necessary would be to learn the theory of the operation of propellers from books on marine engineering and then substitute air pressures for water pressures4 ,what could be simpler or easier8 ,accordingly1 the brothers got several such books from the ,dayton ,public ,library4 ,but when they began to read those books1 they discovered to their surprise that much less was known about propellers than they had supposed4 ,all the formulae on propellers in the books were found to be based on experiment and observation rather than on theory4 ,the marine engineers1 when they saw that a propeller would not move a boat fast enough1 had then tried one larger1 or of a different pitch1 until they got one that would serve their purpose4 ,but they could not design a propeller on paper and foresee exactly what its performance on a certain type of motor-boat would be4 ,exact knowledge of the action of the screw propeller1 though it had been in use for a century1 was still lacking4 ,the ,wrights knew that rough estimates1 which might be near enough for a motor-boat1 would not do for an airplane4 ,on a boat a propeller having only a fraction of one per cent of the desired efficiency could move the boat a little2 but on an airplane1 unless the propeller had the full amount of thrust needed1 it would be worthless1 for it couldn't lift the plane into the air at all6 ,in short1 the ,wrights had to have a propeller that would do exactly what was expected of it4 ,and they had neither the time nor money to carry on a long series of experiments with different kinds of propellers until they could hit on one suitable4 ,they couldn't afford to make mistakes except on paper4 ,they must somehow learn enough about how propellers acted1 and why1 to enable them to make accurate calculations4 ,it was apparent to the ,wrights that a propeller was simply an airfoil traveling in a spiral course4 ,as they could calculate the effect of an airfoil traveling in a straight course1 why should they not be able to calculate the effect in a spiral course8 ,at first thought that did not seem too difficult1 but they soon found that they had let themselves into a tough job4 ,since nothing about a propeller1 or the medium in which it acts1 would be standing still1 it was not easy to find even a point from which to make a start4 ,the more they studied it1 the more complex the problem became4 8,the thrust depends upon the speed and the angle at which the blade strikes the air2 the angle at which the blade strikes the air depends upon the speed at which the propeller is turning1 the speed the machine is traveling forward1 and the speed at which the air is slipping backward2 the slip of the air backward depends upon the thrust exerted by the propeller1 and the amount of air acted upon40 ,it was not exactly as simple as some of the problems in the school arithmetic--to determine how many sheep a man had or how many leaps a hound must make to overtake a hare4 ,in trying to work out a theory about the action of screw propellers1 ,wilbur and ,orville got into many arguments4 ,right here it may be noted that this habit the brothers had of arguing technical points was one of the reasons why they were able to accomplish all they finally did in a relatively short time4 ,neither was a 8yes0 man to the other4 ,but in their arguments about propellers a peculiar thing happened4 8,often10 ,orville later reported1 8after an hour or so of heated argument1 we would discover that we were as far from agreement as when we started1 but that each had changed to the other's original position40 ,many months passed before the intricacies of the problem began to untangle themselves4 ,the ,wrights finally got a better understanding of the action of screw propellers than anyone had ever had before4 ,the time came when they felt sure of their ability to design propellers of exactly the right diameter1 pitch1 and area for their needs4 ,a calculation indicated that #cje revolutions of the propeller would be required to produce #ajj pounds thrust4 ,later1 actual measurement showed that only #cjb instead of #cje propeller turns were required1 or just under one per cent of the calculated amount4 ,the propellers delivered in useful work #ff per cent of the power expended4 ,that was about one-third more than either ,hiram ,maxim or ,professor ,langley in their attempts at flying had ever been able to attain4 ,for two reasons the ,wrights decided to use two propellers4 ,first1 they could in that way obtain a reaction against a greater quantity of air1 and at the same time use a larger pitch angle2 and1 by having the propellers run in opposite directions1 the gyroscopic action of one would neutralize that of the other4 ,the propellers were on tubular shafts about ten feet apart1 both driven by chains running over sprockets1 somewhat as on a bicycle4 ,l4 ,m4 ,wainwright1 president of the ,diamond ,chain ,company1 of ,indianapolis1 became interested in the ,wrights' transmission problem1 and gave them valuable advice4 ,the ,wrights found that the chains would have to be run through guides to prevent slapping and to overcome undue stresses on the machine4 ,they adopted tubular guides and found that they could cross one of the chains in a figure eight and thus have the propellers running in opposite directions4 ,not until ,september #bc was all in readiness for the ,wrights to set out for ,kitty ,hawk4 ,they were able to make good connections with a boat and arrived at camp two days later1 on a ,friday4 ,discussing en route what they hoped to accomplish1 neither had the slightest doubt about the fulfillment of their dreams4 ,besides being full of confidence they also felt the exuberance of excellent physical condition4 ,orville was now thirty-two years old and ,wilbur thirty-six4 ,five foot ten and a quarter inches in height1 ,wilbur was the taller of the two by a little more than an inch and a half4 ,orville weighed #ade pounds1 about five more than ,wilbur4 ,each of them had grayish-blue eyes and they might have been recognized as brothers1 though in their own family ,wilbur at that time was considered 8more of a ,wright0 in his facial conformation4 ,orville looked a little more like his mother4 ,both were suitably built for bird men4 ,plenty of annoyances1 difficulties1 and delays were still to be faced4 ,when they reached their camp near ,kill ,devil ,hill1 the ,wrights found that a storm had blown it from its foundation posts4 ,they repaired the shed and also built a new one4 ,with two sheds they had enough space for housing both the #aijb glider and the power machine1 and also for a better workshop4 ,just as the new building was nearing completion1 the ,kitty ,hawk region had one of the worst storms in years4 ,it came without warning1 soon blowing forty miles an hour1 and increased during the night until the next day the wind was more than seventy-five miles an hour4 ,orville risked climbing to the roof to nail down some of the more exposed parts4 ,but by the time he got to the roof edge1 the wind had blown his coat about him in a manner to pinion his arms and leave him helpless4 ,wilbur rushed to his assistance and held down his coat1 but the wind was so strong that it was almost impossible to swing a hammer accurately enough to hit a nail4 ,three weeks were needed for assembling the new machine4 ,from time to time1 also1 they took out the #aijb glider1 still in fairly good condition in the shed where they had left it1 and got practice4 ,after the first few trials each brother was able to make a new world's record by gliding for more than a minute4 ,it was hoped to have the power machine ready for its first trial early in ,november4 ,but at the first run of the motor on the completed machine1 an unexpected strain from back-firing twisted one of the propeller shafts and tore loose the cross-arm to which the propeller was fastened4 ,both shafts were then sent back to the bicycle shop at ,dayton to be made stronger4 ,dr4 ,spratt had arrived on ,october #bc to witness tests of the new machine1 but the weather had become so wintry that he started home on ,november #e1 taking with him as far as ,norfolk the shafts for shipment to ,dayton4 ,octave ,chanute came1 on invitation1 the next day1 but he too found it difficult to be comfortable with the weather increasingly wintry and he stayed less than a week4 ,before leaving camp1 ,chanute had unintentionally given them something else to worry about4 ,he had remarked that at least twenty per cent usually must be allowed in chain transmission for loss in power4 ,as the ,wrights had allowed only five per cent1 they felt considerable alarm4 ,since ,chanute was a capable and famous engineer1 it seemed prudent to find out whose estimates were more nearly correct4 ,after ,chanute had gone1 the brothers suspended one of the drive chains over a sprocket and hung a bag of sand at each end of the chain4 ,by measuring the amount of weight on one side needed to lift that on the other1 they calculated the loss in transmission4 ,as nearly as they could tell1 this loss was even less than the five per cent they had estimated4 ,the shafts1 made of larger and heavier tubing1 arrived from ,dayton on ,november #bj4 ,when they were tested again1 a new difficulty appeared4 ,the sprockets1 which were screwed to the shafts and locked with nuts of opposite thread1 kept coming loose4 ,this was a small problem1 and yet the brothers did not at once see any way to solve it4 ,they went to bed discouraged4 ,the next day1 however1 they tried1 as they often did1 something they had learned in the bicycle business4 ,they had found a great variety of uses for the kind of cement intended for fastening tires to rims4 ,once they had used it successfully in fastening the hands of a stop-watch that several watchsmiths had said was beyond repair4 ,why not try tire cement on those sprockets8 ,they heated the propeller shafts and sprockets1 poured melted cement into the threads and screwed them together4 ,there were no more loose sprockets4 ,just as the machine was ready for test1 bad weather set in4 ,there was rain or snow for several days and a wind of twenty-five to thirty miles an hour from the north4 ,but while being delayed by the weather the ,wrights were not idle4 ,they busied themselves contriving a mechanism to measure automatically the duration of a flight from the time the machine started to move forward to the time it stopped1 the distance traveled through the air in that time1 and the number of revolutions made by the motor and propeller4 ,a stop-watch took the time2 an anemometer measured the air traveled through2 and a counter took the number of revolutions made by the motor4 ,the watch1 anemometer1 and revolution counter were all automatically started and stopped simultaneously4 ,during this time1 the ,wrights occupied themselves also in making tests of the strength of the wings1 as well as many satisfactory tests of the engine4 ,during a test of the engine1 on ,november #bh1 they discovered that one of the recently strengthened tubular shafts had developed a flaw and cracked6 ,with winter almost upon them1 there was no time to trust to express service in getting the shafts to ,dayton4 ,orville decided he would go there at once4 ,instead of tubular shafts1 they would use solid tool steel1 necessary1 it seemed1 to take up the shock of premature or missed explosions of the engine4 ,not until ,friday1 ,december #aa1 did ,orville get back to camp4 7,en route1 he had read in a newspaper of the last unsuccessful attempt to fly the ,langley machine over the ,potomac at ,washington47 ,it didn't take long to install the new propeller shafts and the next afternoon1 ,saturday1 the machine was again ready for trial4 ,but the wind was so light that a start could not have been made from the level ground with a run of only sixty feet permitted by the monorail track to be used4 ,nor was there enough time before dark to take the machine to one of the near-by hills1 where1 by placing the track on the steep incline1 enough speed could be promptly attained for starting in calm air4 ,all day ,sunday the ,wrights just sat at the camp and read1 hoping for suitable weather the next day4 ,they were now particularly eager to avoid delay because of their boyish craving to be at home by ,christmas4 ,if there should be a spell of bad wintry weather they might have to stay at ,kitty ,hawk for another two or three weeks4 ,monday1 ,december #ad1 dawned beautifully clear1 but cold1 and there was not enough wind to permit a start from level ground near the camp4 ,the ,wrights therefore decided to attempt a flight from the side of ,kill ,devil ,hill4 ,with a relatively light wind it should be all the easier to handle the machine4 ,the pilot1 whichever one of them it should be1 ought to be able not only to fly successfully but to go on down far beyond the ,kitty ,hawk life-saving station1 nearly five miles away1 before landing4 ,contrary to reports of secretiveness1 the ,wrights1 naturally desiring witnesses1 had extended a general invitation to people living within five or six miles to come and see their first attempt at flight4 ,but it was impossible for them to send word or give a signal as to the exact time the attempt would be made4 ,they had arranged1 however1 to put a signal on one of the sheds that could be seen from the ,kill ,devil ,life-,saving ,station only a little more than a mile away4 ,members of the life-saving crew were on the lookout for the signal4 ,soon after the signal was hung against the wall of the shed1 the ,wrights were joined by ,john ,t4 ,daniels1 ,robert ,westcott1 ,thomas ,beacham1 ,w4 ,s4 ,dough1 and 8,uncle ,benny0 ,o',neal4 ,all helped to get the machine to the place selected1 a quarter of a mile away1 on the hillside4 ,it would not have been easy to drag the #gej-pound machine that distance and the ,wrights used a characteristic bit of ingenuity4 ,they set the machine on the monorail track they were going to use for the take-off1 slid it along to the end of the sixty-foot wooden rail1 then took up a rear section of the track and added it to the front end4 ,by thus re-laying the track over and over1 they were able to have the machine run on wheels all the way4 ,the sled-like skids that were the landing gear of the machine rested on a truck--a plank about six feet long1 laid across a much smaller piece of wood to which were attached two small wheels1 one in front of the other4 ,each was kept on the track by two vertical guides4 ,these little wheels had ball-bearings4 ,they were modified hubs from wheels of a bicycle4 ,the rail itself was two by four inches1 set on edge1 with the upper surface covered by a thin strip of metal4 ,as soon as they reached the hill1 the ,wrights prepared for the test4 ,each was eager for the chance to make the first trial1 and they tossed a coin to determine which of them it should be4 ,wilbur won the toss4 ,after the machine had been fastened to the track by wire to prevent its moving until released by the operator1 one of the ,wrights started the motor and let it run for a few minutes to make sure it was working properly4 ,then ,wilbur took his place on the machine4 ,two small boys1 with a dog1 who had come to see what was going on1 were scared away by the noise of the motor4 ,here is ,orville ,wright's own account#c of what then happened3 ,i took a position at one of the wings1 intending to help balance the machine as it ran down the track4 ,but when the restraining wire was slipped1 the machine started off so quickly ,i could stay with it only a few feet4 ,after a #ce- to #dj-;foot run1 it lifted from the rail4 ,but it was allowed to turn up too much4 ,it climbed a few feet1 stalled1 and then settled to the ground near the foot of the hill1 #aje feet below4 ,my stop-watch showed that it had been in the air just #c seconds4 ,in landing1 the left wing touched first4 ,the machine swung around1 dug the skids into the sand and broke one of them4 ,several other parts were also broken1 but the damage to the machine was not serious4 ,while the tests had shown nothing as to whether the power of the motor was sufficient to keep the machine up1 since the landing was made many feet below the starting point1 the experiment had demonstrated that the method adopted for launching the machine was a safe and practical one4 ,on the whole1 we were much pleased4 ,two days were consumed in making repairs1 and the machine was not ready again till late in the afternoon of the #afth4 ,while we had it out on the track in front of the building1 making the final adjustments1 a stranger came along4 ,after looking at the machine a few seconds he inquired what it was4 ,when we told him it was a flying-machine he asked whether we intended to fly it4 ,we said we did1 as soon as we had a suitable wind4 ,he looked at it several minutes longer and then1 wishing to be courteous1 remarked that it looked as if it would fly1 if it had a 8suitable wind40 ,we were much amused1 for1 no doubt1 he had in mind the recent #ge-mile gale when he repeated our words1 8a suitable wind06 ,during the night of ,december #afth a strong cold wind blew from the north4 ,when we arose on the morning of the #agth1 the puddles of water1 which had been standing about the camp since the recent rains1 were covered with ice4 ,the wind had a velocity of #aj to #ab meters per second 7#bb to #bg miles an hour74 ,we thought it would die down before long1 and so remained indoors the early part of the morning4 ,but when ten o'clock arrived1 and the wind was as brisk as ever1 we decided that we had better get the machine out and attempt a flight4 ,we hung out the signal for the men of the ,life ,saving ,station4 ,we thought that by facing the flyer into a strong wind1 there ought to be no trouble in launching it from the level ground about camp4 ,we realized the difficulties of flying in so high a wind1 but estimated that the added dangers in flight would be partly compensated for by the slower speed in landing4 ,we laid the track on a smooth stretch of ground about one hundred feet west of the new building4 ,the biting cold wind made work difficult1 and we had to warm up frequently in our living room1 where we had a good fire in an improvised stove made of a large carbide can4 ,by the time all was ready1 ,j4 ,t4 ,daniels1 ,w4 ,s4 ,dough and ,a4 ,d4 ,etheridge1 members of the ,kill ,devil ,life-,saving ,station2 ,w4 ,c4 ,brinkley of ,manteo2 and ,johnny ,moore1 a boy from ,nag's ,head1 had arrived4 ,we had a 8,richard0 hand anemometer with which we measured the velocity of the wind4 ,measurements made just before starting the first flight showed velocities of #aa to #ab meters per second1 or #bd to #bg miles per hour4 ,measurements made just before the last flight gave between #i and #aj meters per second4 ,one made just afterward showed a little over #h meters4 ,the records of the ,government ,weather ,bureau at ,kitty ,hawk gave the velocity of the wind between the hours of #aj3cj and #ab o'clock1 the time during which the four flights were made1 as averaging #bg miles at the time of the first flight and #bd miles at the time of the last4 ,with all the knowledge and skill acquired in thousands of flights in the last ten years1 ,i would hardly think today of making my first flight on a strange machine in a twenty-seven-mile wind1 even if ,i knew that the machine had already been flown and was safe4 ,after these years of experience1 ,i look with amazement upon our audacity in attempting flights with a new and untried machine under such circumstances4 ,yet faith in our calculations and the design of the first machine1 based upon our tables of air pressures1 obtained by months of careful laboratory work1 and confidence in our system of control developed by three years of actual experiences in balancing gliders in the air1 had convinced us that the machine was capable of lifting and maintaining itself in the air1 and that1 with a little practice1 it could be safely flown4 ,wilbur having used his turn in the unsuccessful attempt on the #adth1 the right to the first trial now belonged to me4 ,after running the motor a few minutes to heat it up1 ,i released the wire that held the machine to the track1 and the machine started forward into the wind4 ,wilbur ran at the side of the machine1 holding the wing to balance it on the track4 ,unlike the start on the #adth1 made in a calm1 the machine1 facing a #bg-mile wind1 started very slowly4 ,wilbur was able to stay with it till it lifted from the track after a forty-foot run4 ,one of the ,life ,saving men snapped the camera for us1 taking a picture just as the machine had reached the end of the track and had risen to a height of about two feet4#d ,the slow forward speed of the machine over the ground is clearly shown in the picture by ,wilbur's attitude4 ,he stayed along beside the machine without any effort4 ,the course of the flight up and down was exceedingly erratic1 partly due to the irregularity of the air and partly to lack of experience in handling this machine4 ,the control of the front rudder was difficult on account of its being balanced too near the center4 ,this gave it a tendency to turn itself when started1 so that it turned too far on one side and then too far on the other4 ,as a result1 the machine would rise suddenly to about ten feet1 and then as suddenly dart for the ground4 ,a sudden dart when a little over a hundred feet from the end of the track1 or a little over #abj feet from the point at which it rose into the air1 ended the flight4 ,as the velocity of the wind was over #ce feet per second and the speed of the machine over the ground against this wind ten feet per second1 the speed of the machine relative to the air was over #de feet per second1 and the length of the flight was equivalent to a flight of #edj feet made in calm air4 ,this flight lasted only #ab seconds1 but it was nevertheless the first in the history of the world in which a machine carrying a man had raised itself by its own power into the air in full flight1 had sailed forward without reduction of speed1 and had finally landed at a point as high as that from which it started4 ,with the assistance of our visitors we carried the machine back to the track and prepared for another flight4 ,the wind1 however1 had chilled us all through1 so that before attempting a second flight1 we all went to the building again to warm up4 ,johnny ,moore1 seeing under the table a box filled with eggs1 asked one of the ,station men where we got so many of them4 ,the people of the neighborhood eke out a bare existence by catching fish during the short fishing season1 and their supplies of other articles of food are limited4 ,he probably never had seen so many eggs at one time in his whole life4 ,the one addressed jokingly asked him whether he hadn't noticed the small hen running about the outside of the building4 8,that chicken lays eight to ten eggs a day60 ,moore1 having just seen a piece of machinery lift itself from the ground and fly1 a thing at that time considered as impossible as perpetual motion1 was ready to believe nearly anything4 ,but after going out and having a good look at the wonderful fowl1 he returned with the remark1 8,it's only a common-looking chicken60 ,at twenty minutes after eleven ,wilbur started on the second flight4 ,the course of this flight was much like that of the first1 very much up and down4 ,the speed over the ground was somewhat faster than that of the first flight1 due to the lesser wind4 ,the duration of the flight was less than a second longer than the first1 but the distance covered was about seventy-five feet greater4 ,twenty minutes later1 the third flight started4 ,this one was steadier than the first one an hour before4 ,i was proceeding along pretty well when a sudden gust from the right lifted the machine up twelve to fifteen feet and turned it up sidewise in an alarming manner4 ,it began a lively sidling off to the left4 ,i warped the wings to try to recover the lateral balance and at the same time pointed the machine down to reach the ground as quickly as possible4 ,the lateral control was more effective than ,i had imagined and before ,i reached the ground the right wing was lower than the left and struck first4 ,the time of this flight was fifteen seconds and the distance over the ground a little over #bjj feet4 ,wilbur started the fourth and last flight at just #ab o'clock4 ,the first few hundred feet were up and down1 as before1 but by the time three hundred feet had been covered1 the machine was under much better control4 ,the course for the next four or five hundred feet had but little undulation4 ,however1 when out about eight hundred feet the machine began pitching again1 and1 in one of its darts downward1 struck the ground4 ,the distance over the ground was measured and found to be #heb feet2 the time of the flight #ei seconds4 ,the frame supporting the front rudder was badly broken1 but the main part of the machine was not injured at all4 ,we estimated that the machine could be put in condition for flight again in a day or two4 ,while we were standing about discussing this last flight1 a sudden strong gust of wind struck the machine and began to turn it over4 ,everybody made a rush for it4 ,wilbur1 who was at one end1 seized it in front4 ,mr4 ,daniels and ,i1 who were behind1 tried to stop it by holding to the rear uprights4 ,all our efforts were in vain4 ,the machine rolled over and over4 ,daniels1 who had retained his grip1 was carried along with it1 and was thrown about1 head over heels1 inside of the machine4 ,fortunately he was not seriously injured1 though badly bruised in falling about against the motor1 chain guides1 etc4 ,the ribs in the surfaces of the machine were broken1 the motor injured and the chain guides badly bent1 so that all possibility of further flights with it for that year were at an end4 ,it is unlikely that any of the five spectators who had seen these flights sensed their scientific importance4 ,but some of them felt interested1 from one point of view1 because they would have the laugh on a number of natives thereabouts who had insisted that these ,wright brothers must be a pair of harmless cranks4 ,a common argument had been3 8,god didn't intend man to fly4 ,if he did1 he would have given him a set of wings40 ,it was the regret of his life to the ,wrights' friend1 8,bill0 ,tate1 that he missed witnessing that first flight4 ,he had decided that 8no one but a crazy man would attempt to fly in such a wind10 and made no effort to be there4 ,after preparing and eating their lunch1 and then washing their dishes1 ,wilbur and ,orville set out1 about two o'clock that afternoon1 to walk over to the ,kitty ,hawk weather station1 four or five miles away1 to send a telegram to their father4 ,it must have been about three o'clock when they reached the station4 ,so few telegrams were sent from this locality that no regular commercial office existed and it was permitted to send them over this government wire as far as ,norfolk where they would be relayed by phone from the weather bureau to the office of one of the telegraph companies4 ,orville wrote out the following message to their father3 8,success four flights ,thursday morning all against twenty-one-mile wind started from level with engine power alone average speed through air thirty-one miles longest #ei seconds inform press home ,christmas4 ,orville ,wright40 ,what ,orville meant when he wrote 8against twenty-one-mile wind0 was that the wind was at least twenty-one miles an hour during each of the flights4 ,at the time of the first flight it was1 as already noted1 between twenty-four and twenty-seven miles an hour--probably about twenty-six miles4 ,after handing the message to ,joseph ,j4 ,dosher1 the weather bureau operator1 ,orville joined ,wilbur over in a corner of the room to examine the record on an instrument that recorded the wind velocity4 ,dosher got an almost instantaneous connection with ,norfolk1 and while the ,wrights were still looking at the wind record1 he said3 8,the operator in ,norfolk wants to know if it is all right to give the news to a reporter friend40 ,but the ,wrights replied3 ,absolutely no6 ,they preferred to have the first news of the event come from ,dayton4 ,dosher clicked out the refusal4 ,the operator at ,norfolk1 however1 did not heed the warning4 ,when they left the weather bureau after sending their message1 the ,wrights went over to the ,kitty ,hawk life-saving station1 a few steps away1 and chatted with members of the crew there4 ,captain ,s4 ,j4 ,payne1 in charge of the station1 declared that he had seen one of the flights with the aid of a pair of binoculars4 ,then the ,wrights walked to the post office at ,kitty ,hawk2 and before returning to camp they stopped for a farewell visit at the home of ,captain ,hobbs1 who had often done hauling and other work for them4 ,meanwhile1 the telegraph operator at ,norfolk1 disregarding the ,wrights' adverse response to his request1 had promptly gone ahead and given a tip about the flights to a young friend1 ,h4 ,p4 ,moore1 of the ,norfolk ,virginian-,pilot4 ,moore was connected with the circulation department of the paper but was breaking in as a reporter and was in the habit of calling at the weather bureau4 ,he made a desperate effort to reach by telephone over the government line someone at ,kitty ,hawk or elsewhere along the coast who could furnish details about what the flying-machine looked like1 and about this ,mr4 ,wright who was supposed to have operated it4 ,whatever information he got did not come from eyewitnesses of the flights1 or from anyone who had ever seen the machine1 and the account published the next morning was about ninety-nine per cent inaccurate4 ,it described a flight of three miles by ,wilbur and told of ,orville then running about yelling 8,eureka40 ,the machine had one six-blade propeller beneath it1 to elevate it1 so the story ran1 and another propeller at the rear to shove it forward4 8,very little can be learned here about the ,wrights10 the story said4 8,they are supposed by the natives of ,kitty ,hawk to be people of means and are always well dressed40 7,when ,moore met ,orville1 years later1 and asked him what he thought of the account1 ,orville good-naturedly replied3 8,it was an amazing piece of work4 ,though ninety-nine per cent wrong1 it did contain one fact that was correct4 ,there had been a flight40 ,then ,moore wrote that ,orville had corroborated his story47 ,one must give the ,virginian-,pilot editors credit for treating the news as important4 ,the headline over the flight story the next morning extended clear across the top of the first page4 ,moore sent brief 8queries10 outlining the story1 to twenty-one other newspapers over the country1 including several in ,ohio1 one of them the ,dayton ,journal4 ,but nearly all the telegraph editors resented having a correspondent suggest that a human being could fly by machinery4 ,of the twenty-one newspapers to whom it was offered1 only five ordered the story4 ,they were the ,new ,york ,american1 the ,washington 7,d4,c47 ,post1 the ,chicago ,record-,herald1 the ,philadelphia ,record1 and the ,cincinnati ,enquirer4 ,but not all five papers that received the story published it the next morning4 ,the ,chicago ,record-,herald and the ,washington ,post delayed using it1 and the ,philadelphia ,record did not print it at all4 ,thus only three newspapers in the ,united ,states had a report of the great event at ,kitty ,hawk the next morning4 ,the ,cincinnati ,enquirer was the only one besides the ,virginian-,pilot that gave space to the account on the front page4 ,as the ,associated ,press is a co-operative news-gathering agency and the ,virginian-,pilot was a member1 the story was available to the ,,ap at ,norfolk1 but the ,,ap was not yet interested in it4 ,one might have thought the news would especially interest the ,dayton ,journal2 but ,frank ,tunison1 the telegraph editor there 7who also handled outgoing news for the ,associated ,press7 was a man who took pride in not being easily fooled1 and he paid no attention to the query from ,norfolk4 ,orville's telegram to his father did not reach ,dayton until #e3be that evening4 ,in transmission1 errors had got into the message2 fifty-nine seconds had become fifty-seven1 and the sender's name was spelled 8,orevelle40 ,katharine ,wright immediately sent a message to ,octave ,chanute that the 8boys0 had reported four successful flights4 ,bishop ,wright asked his son ,lorin to prepare a brief statement with a copy of the message and give it to the ,associated ,press4 ,after he had finished his dinner1 ,lorin went to the office of the ,journal and inquired if the ,associated ,press representative was there4 ,he was referred to ,frank ,tunison4 ,whether ,tunison had already received the query from ,moore at ,norfolk is not certain4 ,but he seemed annoyed over being expected to accept such a tale4 ,without looking up from his work1 he yawned and said to ,lorin3 8,fifty-seven seconds1 hey8 ,if it had been fifty-seven minutes then it might have been a news item40 ,nothing about the ,wrights' feat appeared in the ,dayton ,journal the next morning4 ,but news considered important enough to be displayed on the first page of that same issue included items about a routine weekly meeting of the local united trades and labor council2 a colored man named ,charles ,brown1 who admitted pocketbook thefts2 the pardoning of a robber from ,joliet prison1 in ,illinois4 ,on the page opposite the editorial page1 the biggest1 blackest headline was3 8,stores ,are ,filled with ,christmas ,shoppers40 ,dayton afternoon papers on that ,december #ah did print accounts of the receipt of the telegram by ,bishop ,wright1 as well as other 8facts0 about the flight4 ,the ,dayton ,herald article appeared to be a rehash of the dispatch from ,norfolk in the ,cincinnati ,enquirer4 ,over the article in the ,dayton ,daily ,news1 on an inside page1 alongside of so-called 8country correspondence0 from near-by towns1 the heading was3 8,dayton ,boys ,emulate ,great ,santos-,dumont40 ,santos-,dumont had flown in an airship1 and now the ,wrights had flown in something or other4 ,therefore the ,wrights must be imitators of ,alberto ,santos-,dumont6 ,lacking scientific knowledge1 the editors failed to distinguish between a flying-machine1 heavier-than-air1 and an airship consisting of a gas-bag equipped with a propeller4 ,indeed1 from then on1 nearly all who had heard of the reported flights1 editors included1 were in one or the other of two groups of disbelievers3 7#a7 those who refused to believe the flights had taken place at all2 and 7#b7 those who thought that even if they had been made they were not of great importance4 ,the ,associated ,press1 that had declined to accept news of the flights at either ,norfolk or ,dayton the day before1 now sent out for afternoon papers on ,december #ah1 a brief report1 less than #cej words1 from ,norfolk4 ,this appeared to be simply a condensation of the article in the ,virginian-,pilot that morning and contained most of the same inaccuracies4 ,not more than two or three sentences in the ,,ap dispatch were correct4 8,the machine flew for three miles10 the report said1 8444 and gracefully descended to the earth at the spot selected by the man in the navigator's car as a suitable landing place4444 ,preparatory to its flight the machine was placed upon a platform 444 on a high sandhill and when all was in readiness the fastenings to the machine were released and it started down an incline4 ,the navigator1 ,wilbur ,wright1 then started a small gasoline engine which worked the propellers4 ,when the end of the incline was reached the machine gradually arose until it obtained sic an altitude of #fj feet4444 ,in the center is the navigator's car and suspended just below the bottom plan sic is a small gasoline engine1 which furnishes the motive power for the propelling and elevating wheels4 8,there are two #f-;blade propellers10 the dispatch said1 8one arranged just below the frame so as to exert an upward force when in motion and the other extends horizontally from the rear to the center of the car furnishing forward impetus4 ,protruding from the center of the car is a huge fan-shaped rudder of canvas1 stretched upon a frame of wood4 ,this rudder is controlled by the navigator and may be moved to each side1 raised or lowered40 ,not all the ,associated ,press papers printed the brief dispatch in full2 in fact1 many did not use it at all4 ,with the first reports 8confirmed0 by the ,associated ,press1 two papers1 the ,washington ,post and ,chicago ,record-,herald1 that had withheld the story bought from ,mr4 ,moore at ,norfolk1 finally printed the ,moore dispatch on the morning of ,december #ai4 ,the ,washington ,post even used it on the front page1 but cautiously inserted qualifying phrases1 saying 8it is reported0 that a flight was made4 ,and the ,chicago ,record-,herald on ,december #bj had an editorial about the flights1 or about 8the0 flight4 ,but as the editorial restated many of the inaccuracies contained in the news report1 it only added to the general misinformation4 7,a few newspaper editors are still touchy about the inadequate reporting of the ,wrights' first flights4 ,as recently as ,january #bi1 #aida1 the ,chicago ,daily ,news had an editorial of nearly half a column defending the merit of the hopelessly inaccurate ,associated ,press dispatch from ,norfolk on ,december #ah1 #aijc4 ,and shortly afterward1 on ,february #ab1 #aida1 in connection with a letter from a reader who sought to give the historic facts1 the ,daily ,news editor1 still unwilling to accept the truth1 added a note insisting once again that there was 8nothing fantastic0 about that ,,ap report from ,norfolk67 ,at a meeting of the ,american ,association for the ,advancement of ,science1 in ,st4 ,louis1 ,december #bh to ,january #b1 ,octave ,chanute made an address on the subject of ,aerial ,navigation in which he referred to the ,wrights' flights4 ,but little was said about the ,chanute speech in the newspapers4 7,chanute used that address as the basis for an article in the ,march1 #aijd1 issue of ,popular ,science ,monthly in which he said3 8,now that an initial success has been achieved with a flying-machine1 we can discern some of the uses of such apparatus and also some of its limitations4 ,its first application will probably be military40 ,he said1 too1 that 8it may even carry mails in special cases1 but the useful loads carried will be very small4 ,the machines will eventually be fast1 they will be used in sport1 but they are not to be thought of as commercial carriers40 ,he did not think it would ever be practical to carry loads 8such as a store of explosives1 or big guns to shoot them407 ,almost as surprising as the lack of effort by the usually painstaking ,associated ,press to get the facts about the ,kitty ,hawk event1 was the failure of the ,,ap1 or any other press association1 or any newspaper1 to rush a staff man to ,dayton in an effort to obtain the whole amazing story of what the ,wrights had done4 ,desiring to correct the misinformation that had been printed1 the ,wrights prepared a statement about their recent flights1 and gave this to the ,associated ,press with the request that it be published4 ,this appeared1 at least in part1 in probably a majority of the ,associated ,press newspapers1 on ,january #f2 but the initiative1 it should be noted1 did not come from the press association1 but from the ,wrights themselves4 ,a few editorial paragraphers made derisive comments on one sentence of the statement which suggested that 8the day of flying had arrived40 ,exactly one month after the ,kitty ,hawk flights1 on ,sunday1 ,january #ag1 the ,new ,york ,herald1 in its magazine section1 had an article headed3 ,the ,machine ,that ,flies4 ,despite the time that had elapsed1 affording opportunity to get the facts1 this article not only contained a mass of preposterous misstatements but even quoted ,wilbur ,wright for many of them4 ,the article was accompanied by a drawing1 an artist's conception of the machine in flight1 and a diagram1 showing the two 8six-bladed propellers10 one behind the machine and the other beneath it1 to give it elevation6 ,,vii ,,after ,,the ,,event ,the ,wrights felt a glow of pride and satisfaction in having both invented and demonstrated the device that had baffled the ablest scientists through the centuries4 ,but still they did not expect to make their fortunes4 ,true1 they had applied1 on ,march #bc1 #aijc1 or nearly nine months before they flew1 for basic patents 7not issued until ,may #bb1 #aijf71 but that was by way of establishing an authentic record4 ,thus far they hadn't even employed a patent lawyer4 ,long afterward1 ,orville ,wright was asked what he and ,wilbur would have taken for all their secrets of aviation1 for all patent rights for the entire world1 if someone had come along to talk terms just after those first flights4 ,he wasn't sure1 but he had an idea that if they had received an offer of ten thousand dollars they might have accepted it4 ,since the airplane was not yet developed into a type for practical use1 ten thousand dollars might have been considered a fair return for their time1 effort1 and outlay4 ,they had had all the fun and satisfaction and their expenses had been surprisingly small4 ,their cash outlay for building and flying their power plane was less than #a1jjj1 and that included their railroad fares to and from ,kitty ,hawk4 ,of course1 the greater part of their expenses would have been for mechanical labor1 much of which they did themselves4 ,but skilled labor was low-priced at that time2 one could hire a better than average mechanic for as little as #af a week4 ,even if the ,wrights had charged themselves with the cost of their own work1 their total expenses on the power plane would still have been less than #b1jjj4 ,many fanciful stories have been told about the sacrifices the ,wright family made to enable the brothers to fly1 and of how they were financed by this person or that4 ,more than one man of wealth in ,dayton has encouraged the belief that he financed them4 ,one persistent story is that they raised money for their experiments by the sale of an ,iowa farm in which they had an interest4 ,the truth is that this farm1 which had been deeded by their father to the four ,wright brothers1 was sold early in #aijb before ,wilbur and ,orville had even begun work on their power plane or spent much on their experiments4 ,the sale was made at the request of their brother ,reuchlin1 and had no relation whatsoever to aviation4 ,nor is it true that the ,wright home was mortgaged during the time of the brothers' experiments4 ,another story was that their sister ,katharine had furnished the money they needed out of her salary as school teacher4 ,katharine ,wright was always amused over that tale1 for she was never a hoarder of money nor a financier1 and could hardly have provided funds even if this had been necessary4 ,any rumor that her brothers could have borrowed money from her1 rather than lending money to her1 as they sometimes did1 was almost as funny to ,katharine as another report--that her brothers had relied on her for mathematical assistance in their calculations4 ,the simple fact is that no one ever financed the ,wrights' work except ,wilbur and ,orville themselves4 ,their bicycle business had been giving them a decent income and at the end of the year #aijc they still had a few thousand dollars' savings in a local building and loan association4 ,whatever financial scrimping was necessary came after they had flown2 after they knew they had made a great discovery4 ,but the ,wrights' belief that they had achieved something of great importance was not bolstered by the attitude of the general public4 ,not only were there no receptions1 brass bands1 or parades in their honor1 but most people paid less attention to the history-making feat than if the 8boys0 had simply been on vacation and caught a big fish1 or shot a bear4 ,before the flights1 some of the neighbors had been puzzled by reports that the ,wrights were working on a flying-machine4 ,one man in business near the ,wright shop had become acquainted with an inventor who thought he was about to perfect a perpetual motion machine2 and this businessman promptly sent the inventor to the ,wrights1 assuming that he would find them kindred spirits4 ,john ,g4 ,feight1 living next door to the ,wright home1 had remarked1 just before the brothers went to ,kitty ,hawk3 8,flying and perpetual motion will come at the same time40 ,now that flights had been made1 neighbors didn't doubt the truth of the reports--though one of them had his own explanation4 ,mr4 ,webbert1 father of the man from whom the ,wrights rented their shop1 said3 8,i have known those boys ever since they were small children1 and if they say they flew ,i know they did2 but ,i think there must be special conditions down in ,north ,carolina that would enable them to fly by the power of a motor4 ,there is only one thing that could lift a machine like that in this part of the country--spirit power40 ,webbert was a spiritualist4 ,he had seen tables and pianos lifted at sances6 ,but even if the boys had flown1 what of it8 ,men were flying in ,europe1 weren't they8 ,hadn't ,santos-,dumont flown some kind of self-propelled balloon8 ,the one person who had almost unbounded enthusiasm for what the brothers had accomplished was their father4 ,they found it difficult to keep a complete file of the photographs they had made showing different phases of their experiments1 because the moment their father's eye fell on one of these pictures he would pick it up and mail it to some relative along with a letter telling with pride what the boys had done4 ,two brothers in ,boston sensed1 however1 that1 if the scant reports about the ,kitty ,hawk event were based on truth1 then something of great significance had happened4 ,these men were ,samuel and ,godfrey ,lowell ,cabot1 wealthy and influential members of a famous family4 ,both of them1 particularly ,samuel1 had long been interested in whatever progress was being made in aeronautics4 ,on ,december #ai1 the day after the first news of the flights was published1 ,samuel ,cabot sent to the ,wrights a telegram of congratulations4 ,two days later1 his brother ,godfrey wrote them a letter4 ,in that letter ,godfrey ,cabot wanted to know if they thought their machine could be used for carrying freight4 ,he was financially interested in an industrial operation in ,west ,virginia1 he said1 where conditions would justify a rate of #aj a ton for transporting goods by air only sixteen miles4 ,illustration3 ,,first ,,flight4 ,the only picture made of man's first flight in a power-driven1 heavier-than-air machine1 ,kitty ,hawk1 ,december #ag1 #aijc4 ,the plane1 piloted by ,orville ,wright1 has just taken off from the monorail4 ,wilbur ,wright1 running at the side1 had held the wing to balance the machine until it left the rail4 ,one reason why nearly everyone in the ,united ,states was disinclined to swallow the reports about flying with a machine heavier than air was that important scientists had already explained in the public prints why the thing was impossible4 ,when a man of the profound scientific wisdom of ,simon ,newcomb1 for example1 had demonstrated with unassailable logic why man couldn't fly1 why should the public be fooled by silly stories about two obscure bicycle repair-men who hadn't even been to college8 ,professor ,newcomb was so distinguished an astronomer that he was the only ,american since ,benjamin ,franklin to be made an associate of the ,institute of ,france4 ,it was widely assumed that what he didn't know about laws of physics simply wasn't in books2 and that when he said flying couldn't be done1 there was no need to inquire any further4 ,more than once ,professor ,newcomb had written that flight without gas-bags would require the discovery of some new metal or a new unsuspected force in ,nature4 ,then1 in an article in ,the ,independent--,october #bb1 #aijc1 while the ,wrights were at ,kitty ,hawk assembling their power machine--he not only proved that trying to fly was nonsense1 but went further and showed that even if a man did fly1 he wouldn't dare to stop4 8,once he slackens his speed1 down he begins to fall4--,once he stops1 he falls a dead mass4 ,how shall he reach the ground without destroying his delicate machinery8 ,i do not think that even the most imaginative inventor has yet put on paper a demonstrative1 successful way of meeting this difficulty40 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,first ,,power ,,plane4 ,a side view of the #aijc plane at ,kitty ,hawk4 ,in all his statements1 ,professor ,newcomb had the support of other eminent authorities1 including ,rear ,admiral ,george ,w4 ,melville1 then chief engineer for the ,united ,states ,navy1 who1 a year or two previously1 in the ,north ,american ,review1 had set forth convincingly the absurdity of attempts to fly4 ,the most recent ,newcomb article was all the more impressive as a forecast from the fact that it appeared only fifteen days after one of ,professor ,langley's unsuccessful attempts at flight4 ,that is1 ,langley's attempt seemed to show that flight was beyond human possibility1 and then ,newcomb's article explained why it was impossible4 ,though these pooh-poohing statements by ,newcomb and other scientists were probably read by relatively few people1 they were seen by editors1 editorial writers1 and others who could have much influence on public opinion4 ,naturally1 no editor who 8knew0 a thing couldn't be done would permit his paper to record the fact that it had been done4 ,oddly enough1 one of the first public announcements by word of mouth about the ,wrights' ,kitty ,hawk flights was in a ,sunday-school4 ,a4 ,i4 ,root1 founder of a still prosperous business for the sale of honey and beekeepers' supplies at ,medina1 ,ohio1 taught a ,sunday-school class4 ,one morning shortly before the dismissal bell1 observing that the boys in the class were restless1 he sought to restore order by catching their interest4 ,perhaps he wished to show1 too1 that miracles as wonderful as any in the ,bible were still possible4 8,do you know1 friends10 he said1 8that two ,ohio boys1 or young men rather1 have outstripped the world in demonstrating that a flying-machine can be constructed without the aid of a balloon80 ,he had read a brief item about the ,wrights in an ,akron paper4 ,the class became attentive and ,root went on3 8,during the past two months these two boys have made a machine that actually flew through the air for more than half a mile1 carrying one of the boys with it4 ,this young man is not only a credit to our state but to the whole country and to the world40 ,though this was several weeks after the ,wrights had first flown1 no one in the class had ever heard about it1 and incredulously they fired questions at the teacher4 8,where do the boys live8 ,what are their names8 ,when and where did their machine fly80 ,root described1 not too accurately1 the ,kitty ,hawk flights1 and added3 8,when they make their next trial ,i am going to try to be on hand to see the experiment40 ,an important part of ,root's business was publication of the still widely circulated magazine1 ,gleanings in ,bee ,culture1 and in his issue of ,march #a1 #aijd1 he told of the episode in the ,sunday-school4 ,by printing that story1 the ,medina bee man may possibly have been the first editor of a scientific publication in the ,united ,states to report that man could fly4 7,the ,popular ,science ,monthly in its issue of ,march1 #aijd1 had an article by ,octave ,chanute in which the flights were mentioned47 ,root a little later even predicted3 8,possibly we may be able to fly over the ,north ,pole40 ,the ,wrights were more amused than disturbed by the lack of general recognition that flying was now possible4 ,they inwardly chuckled when they heard people still using the old expression3 8,why1 a person could no more do that than he could fly60 ,but they knew they had only begun to learn about handling a flying-machine4 ,,viii ,,experiments ,,of #aijd-'je ,in all their work on their power plane the ,wrights' main incentive had been to gain the distinction of being the first of mankind to fly4 ,they had not designed the machine for practical use4 ,now1 however1 even though they did not yet foresee many of the uses for which the airplane was destined1 they began to think it could be developed into a machine useful for scouting in warfare1 for carrying mail to isolated places1 for exploration2 and that it would appeal to those who could afford it for sport4 ,if their machine was capable1 as they had demonstrated1 of flying by its own power for #heb feet against a #bj-mile wind1 there was no reason why it shouldn't go many times that far4 ,but if the machine was to be practical1 many improvements would be necessary1 and they would need more experience in flying4 ,much practice would be required1 and that would mean more expense in proportion to income1 for they would have less time for building and repairing bicycles4 ,but they decided to devote to aviation whatever amount of time seemed necessary4 ,a number of bicycles at their shop were in various stages of completion4 ,but no new ones were started after the ,wrights' return from ,kitty ,hawk1 though some of those on hand were completed and sold4 ,the brothers now began to turn over to ,charlie ,taylor1 their chief mechanic1 most of the routine work of the shop4 ,in ,january1 #aijd1 the brothers began building a new plane4 ,it was similar to the one flown at ,kitty ,hawk1 but there were a number of changes1 including more sturdy construction throughout4 ,the weight exceeded that of the original plane by about eighty pounds4 7,in flight1 the weight1 including the pilot1 and #gj pounds of iron bars carried on the framework under the front elevator1 was #ijj pounds4#e7 ,the wing camber was changed from #a-bj to #a-be--that is1 the curvature was decreased2 and the ribs were tapered from front to rear spar instead of being of uniform depth1 as in the earlier model4 ,an entirely new engine went into the #aijd machine4 ,in fact1 the ,wrights started to build three new engines4 ,one of these had four cylinders of #d-;inch bore2 another1 four cylinders of only #d-;inch bore1 as the one used at ,kitty ,hawk2 and the third was a ,v-type1 of eight cylinders4 ,the #d-;inch bore was the one installed in the #aijd plane and gave a satisfactory amount of power--but not so much as the ,wrights later developed in the other four-cylinder motor of only four-inch bore4 ,that motor they kept in their shop and used for a kind of guinea pig1 trying various improvements and refinements until it produced as much power as they had expected from the ,v-type motor of eight cylinders and twice as much as the original motor used at ,kitty ,hawk4 ,they then gave up the idea of completing the ,v-type motor4 ,another change in the #aijd machine was using white pine instead of spruce for the front and rear spars in the wings4 ,spruce was not available in ,dayton at that time1 and tests the ,wrights made at their shop1 in the manner usually employed for ascertaining the strength of woods1 indicated that the two woods were about equally strong4 7,but in actual use1 when stresses came suddenly1 as in landing1 the white pine spars snapped 8like taffy under a hammer blow10 though spruce had always withstood such shocks4 ,the brothers rebuilt the wings1 with all spars of spruce47 ,to obtain practice1 their first need was a suitable field1 not too far from home4 ,they found a cow pasture1 fairly level1 handy to an interurban railway1 at ,simms ,station1 eight miles from ,dayton1 toward ,springfield4 ,this field1 often called the ,huffman prairie1 was part of a farm belonging to a ,dayton bank president1 ,torrence ,huffman4 ,compared with a modern flying-field the area of sixty-eight acres they wanted to use was not quite ideal4 ,it contained a number of trees1 besides being near power wires and poles4 ,but it was as good as they could find and without delay the ,wrights introduced themselves to ,mr4 ,huffman to ask if they might rent his pasture for their experiments4 ,he granted the request and told them they were welcome to use the field free of charge4 ,but he said he hoped they would drive his cows to a safe place and not run over them4 ,by ,april #ae1 #aijd1 the ,wrights had built a rough wooden shed at the ,huffman pasture1 in preparation for their experiments4 ,even if they had tried1 the ,wrights could hardly have kept secret what they were doing here at the ,huffman prairie1 with an interurban car line and two highways passing the field they were using4 ,but they took special precautions against being thought secretive1 for they knew that the best way to avoid being bothered by newspaper people or others was to make no mystery of what they were doing4 ,before they had attempted even one trial flight at the ,huffman pasture they wrote letters to each of the ,dayton papers1 as well as to each of the ,cincinnati papers1 that on ,may #bc they would attempt to fly and would be glad to have any newspaper representative who felt interested come and watch them4 ,their only request was that no pictures be taken1 and that the reports should not be sensational4 ,this latter stipulation was to avoid attracting crowds1 but as it turned out there was no need to be concerned about curiosity-seekers4 ,about a dozen newspapermen showed up4 ,also on hand were a number of friends and neighbors of the ,wright family4 ,altogether perhaps thirty-five persons were present--all by invitation4 ,the ,wrights dragged their machine out of the shed to wait for a suitable wind before launching the machine from the short stretch of wooden track4 ,as it happened1 the wind was unusually high that day1 about twenty-five miles an hour1 and the ,wrights said they would wait for it to die down a little4 ,when the high wind did cease1 it went suddenly to an almost complete calm1 and a wind of at least eleven miles an hour was needed to take off from so short a track4 ,the ,wrights said they would try a flight if the wind picked up4 ,but the wind failed to do so4 ,the crowd waited and two or three of the reporters--too experienced to be easily fooled--began to make comments to one another4 ,they hadn't wanted to come in the first place4 ,why had they been asked to waste time on such an assignment8 ,most of the guests1 though1 had only sympathy for the brothers4 ,they actually seemed sincere in thinking they could fly4 ,though sorry to disappoint the spectators1 the ,wrights showed no signs of embarrassment4 ,they had learned to take events as they came4 ,finally1 after the day had dragged on with no sign of a more favorable wind1 one of the brothers announced3 8,we can't fly today2 but since you've taken the trouble to come and wait so long1 we'll let the machine skim along the track and you'll get an idea of what it's supposed to do4 ,with so short a track1 we may not get off the ground1 but you'll see how it operates40 ,then the engine misbehaved4 ,it worked all right in the warming-up period1 but began to skip explosions as soon as the machine started down the track4 ,this was caused1 the ,wrights soon learned1 by the flow of air over the mouth of the intake pipe--a trouble never experienced with the engine used at ,kitty ,hawk4 ,after running the length of the track1 the machine slid off the end without rising into the air at all4 ,that wasn't much of a story for the reporters4 ,their assumption that they had been sent on a wild goose chase seemed to be confirmed4 ,would there be a flight the next day8 ,the ,wrights couldn't be sure4 ,first of all they must find out what ailed that engine4 ,they might be able to do that overnight1 or it might take longer4 ,however1 all who wished to return the next day would be welcome4 ,indeed1 the ,wrights said1 any newspaper representative would be welcome at any time4 ,two or three of the newspapermen did return the next day4 ,the engine still sulked1 but the wind was a bit more favorable and the ,wrights decided to show the reporters what they could4 ,this time the machine rose five or six feet from the ground and went through the air for nearly sixty feet before it came down4 ,an electric contact point in one of the engine cylinders had worked loose1 and only three cylinders were hitting4 ,the few reporters present1 though now convinced that the age of flying had not yet come1 wrote friendly articles and made the most of what they had seen4 ,the versions differed widely4 ,one report had the machine rising to a height of seventy-five feet4 ,in the ,cincinnati ,enquirer account was a comment that the machine 8is more substantially constructed than other machines of its kind40 ,none of those newspapermen ever returned4 ,during all their experiments that year and the next1 the ,wrights had about all the privacy they needed4 ,they used to smile over a comment by ,octave ,chanute3 8,it is a marvel to me that the newspapers haven't spotted you40 ,having disposed of the reporters1 the inventors resumed their work4 ,almost as soon as the new trials began1 the brothers encountered a new difficulty4 ,a track #fj feet long had been adequate for launching the machine in the wind at ,kitty ,hawk2 but a track of #afj feet1 or even one of #bdj feet1 was not long enough for use at ,huffman field where the winds were usually light4 ,the ,huffman field was covered with hummocks from six inches to a foot high4 ,only a few spots free from hummocks were suitable for a #bdj-;foot track4 ,and landing wheels1 such as were used later1 would have been impractical on that uneven ground4 ,laying #bdj feet of track1 after finding enough ground space free from hummocks1 was a considerable job4 ,but frequently1 after the track was laid1 the wind would change its direction1 and then all the work had to be done over4 ,after a few times1 the brothers gave up trying to use so long a track1 and ordinarily used one of only #afj feet4 ,as steady winds of eleven miles an hour1 the least that would do for starting from a #afj-;foot track1 were not frequent1 the ,wrights had to be in readiness to take advantage of occasional gusts of strong wind4 ,with their machine on the track1 they waited until they could 8see0 a flurry of wind coming--that is1 until they could see weeds being agitated by the wind in the distance4 ,then they would start the motor and run the machine down the track to meet the wind gust when it reached the end of the rail4 ,in that way they sometimes succeeded in making a start on a day generally calm4 ,but one such start ended disastrously1 and ,orville1 who was piloting the machine1 had one of his narrowest escapes4 ,when the machine first met the flurry of wind1 it rose rapidly1 but a second later it was on the ground with the wings pointing vertically into the air4 ,it had dived at a steep angle1 throwing ,orville forward to the ground4 ,the upper wing spar came down across the middle of his back4 ,but luckily1 a section about two feet wide1 just wide enough to miss hitting him1 was broken out4 ,no other damage was done to the spar1 and the ,wrights could never account for the seemingly miraculous breakage that provided a space for safety over the very place where ,orville lay on the ground4 ,after that accident1 ,charlie ,taylor1 who had seen other narrow escapes1 gloomily told the neighbors across the road that every time he saw one of the brothers start on a flight he felt that he was seeing him alive for the last time4 ,early in ,july the ,wrights made alterations in the machine which located the center of gravity farther toward the rear than it had been before4 ,in the first trial after those alterations1 the machine1 after leaving the track1 kept turning up more and more and looked as if it were going to loop the loop4 ,the center of gravity was so far back that the front elevator1 even when turned to its limit1 could not check the upward turn4 ,while pointing vertically upward1 the machine came to a stop and then began to slide backward4 ,by the time it reached the ground it was once more so nearly level that if the skids had had a slight upward bend at their rear ends1 the landing might have been made without damage4 ,as it was1 the rear ends of the skids dug into the ground2 but the damage was slight4 ,before their experiments had progressed far in #aijd the ,wrights saw that a better method of launching the machine was needed4 ,they decided that a derrick with a falling weight would be the simplest and cheapest device4 ,a #a1fjj-pound weight1 falling a distance of #af feet1 was so geared with ropes and pulleys that it produced a #cej-pound pull on the machine through a distance of #di feet4 ,by this arrangement the machine could be put into the air after a run of only #ej feet1 even in a dead calm4 ,shifting the track was now seldom necessary4 ,up to the time the derrick catapult was ready for its first trial on ,september #g1 less than forty starts had been made and many of them failed for lack of speed4 ,but now the length of the flights increased rapidly4 ,the shorter flights had been in almost a straight line1 but as the lengths of the flights increased it was necessary to make turns to stay within the field4 ,then a new trouble--or rather an old one that supposedly had been overcome at ,kitty ,hawk--began to bother the ,wrights4 ,often in making a short turn they suddenly found themselves in a tail-spin which ended in a crash requiring days1 or even weeks1 for repairs4 ,they soon learned what it was in making the turn that caused the tail-spin2 but they found it difficult to avoid1 because they had no way of knowing at what angle the air was striking the machine4 ,this led to the 8invention0 of the first instrument for guidance of a pilot in flying4 ,they simply attached a short piece of string to the crossbar beneath the front elevator4 ,when the machine traveled directly forward the string trailed straight backward2 but when the machine slipped to either side the string blew to one side or the other and indicated approximately the amount of the side slip4 ,by close observance of this string it was possible to avoid entirely the danger of tail-spins1 but the pilot learning to fly had so many things to attend to1 so it seemed to him1 that he sometimes neglected to watch the string closely enough4 ,after it was found that the derrick permitted the plane to be launched at any time1 the ,wrights often let the machine stand on the track during the day with the weights raised1 ready to start at a moment's notice4 ,one day in early ,november1 while idly strolling in front of the track1 ,orville thought he saw a slight movement of the plane on the track4 ,a more careful look did not confirm his first impression2 nevertheless he turned and leisurely walked towards the plane4 ,when within a few steps of it he saw that it actually was in motion4 ,the wire that held it against the pull of the #a1fjj-pound weight was attached to a stake driven into the soft ground several feet4 ,that stake was slowly coming out of the ground6 ,by leaping upon one of the skids1 ,orville reached the elevator control lever in time to prevent the machine from rising as it rushed down the track4 ,a strained shoulder was the principal damage1 though the machine suffered a few slight breakages4 ,not until the #east flight in #aijd1 when the machine stayed in the air one minute and one second1 did the ,wrights beat their best ,kitty ,hawk record of #ei seconds4 ,the first complete circle was not made until ,september #bj4 ,but toward the end of the #aijd experiments1 there were two five-minute flights4 ,in each of these the machine circled the field four or five times without stopping4 ,the total flying time during #aijd was only #de minutes4 ,but the knowledge and experience gained from that three quarters of an hour were of almost inestimable importance4 ,toward the end of ,may1 #aije1 the ,wrights began assembling a machine all new with the exception of the motor and the propeller-driving mechanism4 ,strengthening of the structure at places where the previous machine had been too weak in making landings added about #be pounds more weight4 ,the principal changes1 however1 were in wing design1 addition of some new features not in the earlier machines1 and in making the wing-warping and operation of the tail rudder independent of each other4 ,the camber of the wings was changed from #a-be1 used in #aijd1 back to #a-bj as used in #aijc at ,kitty ,hawk4 ,this change was to enable the machine to get off at a slower speed4 ,the most radical change was the addition of two semi-circular vanes1 called 8blinkers10 between the two surfaces of the front elevator4 ,this device was later patented by the ,wrights4 ,the purpose of the 8blinkers0 was to assist the rear rudder in overcoming the unequal resistances of the two wings when they were warped while making a turn4 ,gliding experiments in #aijb had shown that the pressure on a fixed vane in the rear of the wings tended to speed the higher wing when the machine slipped in the direction of the lower wing1 and caused a tail-spin4 ,the vane had to be made movable to relieve this pressure4 ,it now occurred to the ,wrights that if a fixed vane were placed in front of the wings1 instead of behind them1 its effect would be the reverse of that when the vane was in the rear1 and that there would be less need of operating the rear rudder to overcome the unbalanced resistance of the two wings4 ,moreover1 when the machine slipped inward while 8banking0 a turn1 the speed of the low wing would be increased and a tail-spin avoided4 ,the operation of the rear rudder could now be made independent of the wing-warp without danger4 ,it was found that the 8blinkers0 entirely removed the danger of tail spinning but that they added to the difficulty of steering1 both when flying straight and when making turns4 ,consequently they were not used in all the flights4 7,in modern planes the effect of the 8blinkers0 is gained by extending the fuselage far out in front of the wings47 ,though tail-spins could be avoided without use of 8blinkers10 by carefully observing the little piece of string that indicated side slip1 yet they sometimes occurred4 ,in one flight1 in ,september1 #aije1 when the 8blinkers0 were not on the machine1 ,orville suddenly discovered he was in a tail-spin and that he was about to come down in the top of a forty-foot thorn tree4 ,the thorns were several inches long1 and the idea of falling through them to the ground was not alluring4 ,orville quickly turned the machine into an almost vertical dive while turning in a circle #ej to #ajj feet in diameter4 ,the inner wing of the machine hit a branch of the tree1 imbedding a thorn in an upright1 and tore off the branch4 ,in the dive1 the higher wing1 because of much greater speed1 soon passed the lower wing in the downward plunge and itself became the low wing4 ,the machine thus was in a steep bank with the high side toward the tree1 just the opposite from what it had been before4 ,when ,orville turned the elevator to avoid striking the ground1 the machine turned suddenly and unexpectedly away from the tree1 because1 in this steeply banked condition1 the elevator exerted more pressure laterally than it did vertically4 7,when an aeroplane is banked to #de degrees the elevator serves just as much for a rudder as for an elevator1 and the rudder just as much for an elevator as for a rudder47 ,though the machine lightly touched the ground1 ,orville flew it on back to the hangar1 where the branch of the tree was found still clinging to the upright4 ,it had been the practice of the ,wrights to dive the machine to recover speed in a stall2 but this quick recovery was from an entirely different cause--the great difference in the speeds of the two wings4 ,an amusing flight by ,orville in #aije was made after some weeks of inactivity in flying and after the machine had undergone a number of changes since his last flight4 ,when the machine left the starting rail it began pitching like a bucking broncho4 ,orville wanted to stop1 but at every plunge the plane came down so steeply he did not dare attempt a landing4 ,as soon as he got control of the machine1 after going three or four hundred feet1 he did land safely4 ,wilbur rushed up to inquire why he had stopped just when he had really got going4 ,orville explained that he would have landed even sooner1 but had taken the first opportunity to stop without smashing the machine to pieces4 ,though the rudder and wing-warp were entirely independent of each other in all the flights of #aije1 the ,wrights several years later resumed having the two controls interconnected1 to operate together1 but with an arrangement needed for modifying their relationship when making turns4 ,another change that improved control of the #aije machine was in giving the wings considerably less angle at the tips than in the central part4 ,by this arrangement1 the tips stalled later than other parts of the wings and some lateral control remained even after the central part of the wings were in a stalled condition4 ,after the ,wrights had made the blades of their propellers much wider and thinner than the original ones1 they discovered that the performance of the propellers in flight did not agree closely with their calculations1 as in the earlier propellers4 ,they could see only one reason for this1 and that was that the propeller blades twisted from their normal shape under pressure in flight4 ,to find out quickly if this was the real reason1 they fastened to each blade a small surface1 like an elevator1 out behind the blades1 set at an angle to balance the pressures that were distorting the blades4 ,they called the surfaces 8little jokers40 ,when they found that the 8little jokers0 cured the trouble1 they dispensed with them and began to give the blades a backward sweep1 which served the same purpose4 ,in the flying season of #aije1 the control of the machine was much improved by increasing the area of the front rudder from #ej to #he square feet1 and by moving it to nearly twice the distance from the wings4 ,this added distance made response to the movement of the rudder slower1 and control of the machine much easier4 ,the lateral control also was improved by enlarging the rear rudder from #bj to #cd square feet1 and by moving it to a position three feet farther back of the wings4 ,on account of frequent rains1 the soggy condition of the field1 and other weather conditions1 only nine attempts to fly were made in the first two months of experiments in #aije1 and only three of these lasted for as much as ten seconds4 ,but after the first of ,september progress was rapid4 ,during all this time1 the newspapers had continued to let the ,wrights alone4 ,indeed1 the failure of the newspapers in ,dayton and elsewhere to say much about the history-making experiments at ,huffman field was often used as an argument to prove that there couldn't be any truth in the rumors that men had actually contrived a successful flying-machine4 8,you couldn't have kept a thing like that secret4 ,some reporter surely would have heard about it60 ,dan ,kumler1 who was city editor of ,james ,m4 ,cox's ,daily ,news1 in ,dayton1 during those early years of flying1 recalled in #aidj1 not long before his death1 that many people who had been on interurban cars passing the ,huffman field and seen the ,wrights in the air used to come to the ,daily ,news office to inquire why there was nothing in the paper about the flights4 8,such callers10 said ,kumler1 8got to be a nuisance40 8,and why wasn't there anything in the paper80 ,kumler was asked4 8,we just didn't believe it10 he said4 8,of course you remember that the ,wrights at that time were terribly secretive40 8,you mean they were secretive about the fact that they were flying over an open field80 8,i guess10 said ,kumler1 grinning1 after a moment's reflection1 8the truth is that we were just plain dumb40 ,james ,m4 ,cox1 owner of the ,daily ,news1 has likewise confessed that 8none of us believed the reports0 of flights4 ,one fact that kept the earlier flights relatively inconspicuous was that much of the time the plane was within #aj or #ae feet of the ground4 ,only occasionally was it up as high as #ej feet4 ,there were no flights beyond the field itself1 because if necessary to make a forced landing elsewhere1 dragging the machine back to its shed might not have been easy4 ,the ,wrights had aimed at first to avoid being in the air when an interurban car was passing4 ,but that precaution soon proved to be unnecessary4 ,few people ever paid any attention to the flights4 ,one day1 though1 the general manager of the interurban line was on a passing car when the plane was in the air and he ordered the car stopped4 ,he and the chief engineer of the line1 who was with him1 got off and stayed a while to look at the incredible sight4 ,across the ,springfield pike from the field lived the ,beard family1 tenants on the ,torrence ,huffman farm4 ,whenever the plane landed abruptly ,mrs4 ,beard was likely to dash across the road with a bottle of arnica1 feeling sure it would be needed1 as sometimes it was4 ,but there were few other visitors4 ,two somewhat mysterious visitors did come1 however4 ,the ,wrights saw two men wandering about near-by fields during most of one day and thought they must be hunters1 though there was not much game thereabouts4 ,again the next day the two strangers were seen1 and finally they came across the field to where the ,wrights were adjusting their machine4 ,one of them carried a camera4 ,they asked if visitors were permitted4 8,yes1 only we'd rather you didn't take any pictures10 one of the brothers courteously replied4 ,the man with the camera set it down off to one side1 twenty feet away1 as if to make it plain that he was not trying to sneak any shots4 ,then he inquired if it was all right to look into the shed4 ,the brothers told him to make himself right at home4 ,was he a newspaperman8 ,no1 he said1 he was not a newspaperman1 though he sometimes did writing for publication4 ,that was as near as he came to introducing himself4 ,after the callers had gone1 ,charlie ,taylor1 the ,wrights' mechanic1 said3 8,that fellow's no writer4 ,at least he's no ordinary writer4 ,when he looked at the different parts of the machine he called them all by their right names40 ,later the ,wrights learned the identity of the visitor4 ,orville chanced to see a picture of him in a ,new ,york newspaper4 ,his identity was confirmed some time afterward when he and ,orville were formally introduced to each other--though neither referred to their previous meeting4 ,the man had been chief engineer for ,professor ,langley of the ,smithsonian ,institution4 ,toward the end of ,september1 the ,wrights were able greatly to increase their distances4 ,on ,september #bf1 there was an uninterrupted flight of #aa miles in #ah minutes and #i seconds2 and on ,september #bi1 one of #ab miles in #ai minutes #ee seconds4 ,then1 on ,october #c1 there was a new record of #ae miles in #be minutes #e seconds2 another1 on ,october #d1 of #bj miles in #cc minutes #ag seconds2 and finally1 on ,october #e1 #bd miles in #ch minutes #c seconds4 ,the flights of ,october #c and #d would have been longer except that certain bearings had become overheated4 ,by ,october #e the inventors had added more grease cups where needed and also installed a larger gas tank4 ,but the tank was not full when that final test began and the flight ended because the fuel was exhausted4 ,it was the intention of the ,wrights to make one more test and put the record at more than an hour2 but now for the first time the miracle of flight actually began to attract more spectators and the brothers decided it might be prudent to quit for the season before details of the machine's construction became public knowledge4 ,however1 there was one more short flight--just one circle of the field--on ,october #af4 ,after the close of the #aije experiments1 a test of the engine showed that it produced more power than when first put into use4 ,this gain was attributed to the increased smoothness of the cylinders and pistons produced by wear4 ,looking back over their experiments1 the ,wrights noted that 8in #aijc1 #fb pounds per horsepower were carried at a speed of #cj miles an hour2 in #aijd1 #ec pounds at #cd miles an hour2 and in #aije1 #df pounds at #ch miles an hour40 ,thus the weight carried per horsepower was in inverse ratio to the speed--the smaller the weight carried per horsepower1 the higher the speed4 ,that seems obvious enough now1 but at the time the ,wrights were making these experiments many scientists still accepted the 8,langley ,law10 that the greater the speed1 the less horsepower necessary4 ,the ,wrights now knew that the airplane would have practical use--though they did not foresee how safely trans-,atlantic flights would be made--and not even in their wildest dreams did they think of anyone ever flying at night4 ,,ix ,,it ,,still ,,wasn',t 8,,news0 ,though ,dayton newspapermen had not besieged the ,huffman pasture for details of the great news story lurking there during #aijd-'je1 one of their number had occasionally been in contact with the ,wrights4 ,that was ,luther ,beard--no kin to the other ,beards mentioned--managing editor of the ,dayton ,journal4 ,besides being a newspaper editor1 ,beard also taught school at ,fairfield1 about two miles from the ,huffman farm1 and went back and forth by the interurban car line that passed the field where the ,wrights were making history4 ,it sometimes happened that on the trip to ,dayton he was on the same car with one or both of the ,wright brothers1 returning from their flights4 8,i used to chat with them in a friendly way and was always polite to them10 ,beard recalled1 years afterward1 chuckling over the joke on himself1 8because ,i sort of felt sorry for them4 ,they seemed like well-meaning1 decent enough young men4 ,yet there they were1 neglecting their business to waste their time day after day on that ridiculous flying-machine4 ,i had an idea that it must worry their father40 ,in these conversations1 neither the ,wrights nor ,beard was likely to bring up the subject of aviation4 ,the ,wrights showed no eagerness to talk about what they were doing1 and ,beard kept to subjects he considered more sensible4 ,but one day1 in the autumn of #aijd1 several of the school children told him they had seen the ,wrights flying all around the field4 ,maybe1 thought ,beard1 that might make a little local item for the paper4 ,when he next saw ,orville ,wright on the car1 a day or two afterward1 ,beard asked him if it was true that they had been flying all the way around the field4 ,oh1 yes1 ,orville admitted1 they often did that4 ,then ,orville began to talk about something else4 ,evidently1 ,beard decided1 the fact that an airplane could be flown under perfect control in circles didn't amount to anything after all4 ,orville ,wright himself didn't seem to think it was unusual or important4 ,there was no use putting it in the paper4 ,one more reason perhaps for not printing much in the ,journal about what the poor1 misguided ,wrights were doing was that such items were annoying to ,frank ,tunison1 another of the editors--the same ,tunison who had turned down the story of the first flight at ,kitty ,hawk4 ,having decided that the ,wrights were not news1 he was naturally irritated to see any reference to them1 even on an inside page4 8,why do we print such stuff80 he would ask4 ,however1 ,beard said to ,orville1 as they rode along on the car3 8,if you ever do something unusual be sure and let us know40 ,from time to time he went or telephoned to the ,wright home to find out if by remote chance the brothers had done anything worth mentioning4 8,done anything of special interest lately80 he asked ,orville ,wright one evening4 8,oh1 nothing much10 replied ,orville4 8,today one of us flew for nearly five minutes40 8,where did you go80 asked ,beard4 8,around the field40 8,oh6 ,just around the field4 ,i see4 ,well1 we'll keep in touch with you40 ,doubtless1 reflected the newspaperman1 the ,wrights' circling of ,mr4 ,huffman's pasture for five minutes was pretty good for two local boys4 ,but it was hardly a thing to take up space in the paper4 ,hadn't ,santos-,dumont circled the ,eiffel ,tower1 and flown all around ,paris8 ,one more newspaper writer1 like hundreds of others1 had failed to distinguish between an airship with a gas bag and a flying-machine heavier than air4 7,at the time of the thirty-eight-minute flight in #aije1 however1 ,luther ,beard was among the spectators at the field47 ,another bright young newspaperman in that vicinity didn't grasp quite the full significance of what the ,wrights were doing4 ,the ,dayton ,journal had a branch office at ,xenia1 about eleven miles from where the ,wrights did their flying4 ,the reporter in charge of that branch office was an enterprising lad1 just out of college1 who answered to the name of ,fred ,c4 ,kelly4 ,his eagle eye spotted an item about the ,wrights and their flying-machine in a country weekly1 the ,osborn ,local1 published in a village a mile or two from the ,huffman field4 ,did he investigate the story8 ,no1 he didn't need to investigate it to feel sure it must be nonsense4 ,the fact of human flight was still unacceptable and ridiculous even to professional humorists4 ,the humorous weekly1 ,puck1 in its issue of ,october #ai1 #aijd--nearly a month after that first circular flight--published a joke1 inspired presumably by absurd reports about two young men at ,dayton3 8,when10 inquired the friend1 8will you wing your first flight80 8,just as soon10 replied the flying-machine inventor1 8as ,i can get the laws of gravitation repealed40 ,the significance of the first complete circular flight1 on ,september #bj1 #aijd1 was not overlooked1 however1 by one man who witnessed it4 ,that was ,a4 ,i4 ,root1 the ,medina bee man4 ,he had traveled by automobile the day before to ,xenia1 where he had a relative1 and then went to the ,huffman field1 only a few miles away1 to become better acquainted with the ,wrights4 ,his trip of #age miles from ,medina without serious difficulty with his machine was then almost a feat in itself4 ,he had not needed any repairs until he reached ,xenia4 7,incidentally1 he had remonstrated with the repair man he dealt with there1 ,mr4 ,baldner1 for his frequent use of profanity2 and he was impressed by the fact that no matter how puzzling or discouraging the problem1 the ,wrights never uttered a profane word47 ,after going to ,huffman field1 ,root became more than ever interested in the ,wrights and as he wished to see all he could of their work for a few days1 he arranged for board and lodging at the ,beard home across the road4 7,a little later he even offered to pay the ,wrights #ajj for material he had obtained from them for articles about their work--but they refused to accept any payment47 ,root knew that the circular flight he had just witnessed was of prime importance1 for it demonstrated that the airplane would have practical use4 ,he wrote an eye-witness account of what the ,wrights had done for the ,january #a 7#aije7 issue of his magazine1 ,gleanings in ,bee ,culture1 and sent a marked copy to the editor of the ,scientific ,american1 with a letter telling the editor he was free to reprint the article4 ,the editor wrote back that he had not received the marked copy4 ,so ,root sent another4 ,but when the editor of the ,scientific ,american saw what ,root had printed he paid no attention to it4 ,root continued to print articles about the ,wrights in his magazine4 ,in ,december1 #aije1 he published the fact that a great number of long flights had been made during the previous season1 8one of #bd miles in #ch minutes10 probably the first publication of that event in the ,united ,states4 ,at about the same time1 in its issue of ,december #af1 #aije1 the ,scientific ,american said1 in an editorial headed 8,retrospect for the ,year03 8,the most promising results 7with the airplane7 to date were those obtained last year by the ,wright brothers1 one of whom made a flight of over half a mile in a power-propelled machine40 ,previously in the same editorial1 though1 was the assertion3 8444 the only successful #8flying' that has been done this year--must be credited to the balloon type40 ,by that time1 the ,wrights' total flying distance was about #afj miles4 ,in its issue of ,january #ac1 #aijf1 in an article headed 8,the ,wright ,aeroplane and ,its ,fabled ,performances10 the ,scientific ,american commented skeptically on a letter written by the ,wright brothers which had been published in a ,paris automobile journal4 ,in that letter the ,wrights had given details of the long flights of late ,september and early ,october1 #aije4 ,in expressing its disbelief in the 8alleged0 flights described in the ,wright letter1 the ,scientific ,american said3 8,if such sensational and tremendously important experiments are being conducted in a not very remote part of the country1 on a subject in which almost everybody feels the most profound interest1 is it possible to believe that the enterprising ,american reporter1 who1 it is well known1 comes down the chimney when the door is locked in his face--even if he has to scale a fifteen-story skyscraper to do so--would not have ascertained all about them and published them broadcast long ago80 ,a few weeks later1 in ,february1 #aijf1 the editor of the ,scientific ,american wrote to the ,wrights to inquire if there was any truth in reports that they were negotiating with the ,french ,government4 ,he enclosed in his letter a clipping of 8,the ,wright ,aeroplane and ,its ,fabled ,performances40 ,the ,wrights wrote in reply that since the ,scientific ,american obtained the data of what it termed 8alleged experiments0 directly from a published letter signed by the ,wright brothers1 and since it did not discredit the authenticity of the letter1 but only the truthfulness of the statements1 they were at a loss to understand why the editor should desire further statements from such a source4 ,they did not answer the inquiry about the negotiations with the ,french ,government4 ,most of the long flights in late ,september and early ,october1 #aije1 had been seen by ,amos ,stauffer1 a farmer working in an adjoining field4 ,but he went right ahead husking corn4 ,another witness1 however1 was more of a gossip4 ,at one of the ,october flights1 ,william ,fouts1 a ,dayton druggist1 was present1 and the ,wrights cautioned him not to say anything about what he had seen4 ,but ,fouts must have taken a few people into his confidence4 ,in the afternoon of ,october #e1 the ,dayton ,daily ,news had an article saying the ,wrights were making sensational flights every day4 ,the ,dayton correspondent for the ,cincinnati ,post reported this to his paper which printed it the next day4 ,a fairly good-sized crowd then went to the ,huffman pasture4 ,but when they found nothing going on there most of them decided that the reports must have been much exaggerated4 ,nothing more was said about the ,wrights in ,ohio papers for some time4 ,john ,tomlinson1 a reporter on the ,dayton ,journal1 and correspondent for out-of-town papers1 offered #ej to ,henry ,webbert1 friend of the ,wrights1 to let him know the date of their next flight4 ,there was one more short flight on ,october #af1 but no newspapermen or other onlookers were at the field4 ,on ,march #ab1 #aijf1 the ,wrights had sent to the ,aero ,club of ,america the following list of names of reputable men who had seen one or more of their flights3 ,e4 ,w4 ,ellis1 assistant city auditor2 ,torrence ,huffman1 bank president2 ,c4 ,s4 ,billman1 secretary1 and ,w4 ,h4 ,shank1 treasurer of the ,west ,side ,building ,loan ,association2 ,william1 ,henry and ,charles ,webbert1 in the plumbing business2 ,frank ,hamburger1 hardware dealer2 ,howard ,m4 ,myers1 post-office employee2 ,william ,fouts and ,reuben ,schindler1 druggists2 ,william ,weber1 plumber2 ,bernard ,h4 ,lambers1 of ,dayton ,malleable ,iron ,works4 ,besides those living in ,dayton1 were3 ,o4 ,f4 ,jamieson1 traveling salesman1 of ,east ,germantown1 ,ohio2 ,david ,beard and ,amos ,stauffer1 of ,osborn2 and ,theodore ,waddell1 of the ,census ,bureau at ,washington4 ,the ,wrights had a list of about sixty persons who had witnessed flights4 ,those witnesses named in the published list got requests for confirmatory letters from the ,scientific ,american whose editor finally had decided that reports of what the ,wrights had done might be worth looking into4 ,then1 in the issue of ,april #g1 #aijf1 the magazine reported the long flights of the previous autumn and quoted in full a letter from one of the witnesses4 ,more than six months later1 on ,november #ba1 #aijf1 the ,aero ,club itself wrote to the various persons named in the list received from the ,wrights1 asking for letters about the flights they had seen4 ,as late as ,october1 #aijf1 the ,scientific ,american had devoted more than a column to a letter from ,j4 ,c4 ,press1 of ,south ,norwalk1 ,connecticut1 who presented arguments to justify his belief that 8man may fly within a few years40 ,but1 on the other hand1 the letter-writer quoted the editor of ,collier's ,weekly as expressing 8disbelief in even the ultimate possibility of flight40 ,at last1 however1 in the issue of ,december #ae1 #aijf1 or nearly three years after the ,wrights' first flights1 the ,scientific ,american printed an editorial which indicated that the editor was now becoming aware of the facts4 ,the editorial said3 8,in all the history of invention1 there is probably no parallel to the unostentatious manner in which the ,wright brothers of ,dayton1 ,ohio1 ushered into the world their epoch-making invention of the first successful aeroplane flying-machine40 ,x ,u4 ,s4 ,,army ,,not ,,interested ,from the time that they knew their invention was practical1 the ,wrights wished to offer to their own government a world monopoly on all their patents and1 still more important1 all their secrets relating to the airplane4 ,they thought it might be useful to the ,army for scouting purposes4 ,but as they had greater interest at first in learning more about flying and improving their machine than in making money out of it1 they did not at once attempt negotiations with government officials at ,washington4 ,when they did make such an effort they received a rude shock4 ,the ,united ,states ,army not only didn't believe there was any such device in existence as a practical flying-machine1 but was not disposed to investigate4 ,at least one foreign government showed more awareness and more curiosity4 ,in the autumn of #aijd1 the ,wrights got a letter from ,lieutenant ,colonel ,j4 ,e4 ,capper1 of the ,royal ,aircraft ,factory 7a government experimental laboratory dealing with aeronautics7 at ,aldershot4 ,he wrote on shipboard en route to the ,united ,states1 and enclosed a note of introduction from another ,englishman whom the ,wrights knew1 ,patrick ,y4 ,alexander1 member of the ,aeronautical ,society of ,great ,britain4 7,alexander had called upon the ,wrights at ,dayton in #aijb1 with a letter of introduction from ,octave ,chanute47 ,colonel ,capper wanted to know if he might see the ,wrights in ,dayton when he returned eastward from a visit to the ,st4 ,louis ,exposition4 ,they told him they would be glad to see him and he came to ,dayton1 accompanied by his wife1 in ,november4 ,soon after his arrival1 ,colonel ,capper frankly said that he was there at the request of his government4 ,the ,wrights told him of what they had accomplished during that previous season of #aijd at the ,huffman field4 ,before leaving1 ,colonel ,capper asked them to make his government some kind of proposal4 ,the ,wrights made no haste about submitting a proposal to the ,british1 but1 on ,january #aj1 #aije1 about two months after the ,capper visit1 they wrote to him asking if he was sure his government was receptive to an offer4 ,in this letter they suggested that a government in possession of such a machine as they now could furnish1 and the knowledge and instruction they could impart might have a lead of several years over governments which waited to buy a perfected machine before making a start in this line4 ,the letter was signed3 ,wright ,cycle ,company4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,huffman ,,pasture4 ,this rough field1 eight miles from ,dayton1 where the ,wrights made their important experiments of #aijd and #aije1 is now a part of ,patterson ,field4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,wright ,,patent4 ,facsimile of the ,letters ,patent awarded ,wilbur and ,orville ,wright on ,may #bb1 #aijf1 for their invention1 the 8,flying ,machine40 ,whatever the ,british ,government might desire1 the ,wrights did not intend to take any steps that could prevent the ,united ,states ,government from having opportunity to control all rights in their invention for the entire world2 and before having any further word from the ,british it seemed wise to learn from ,washington just what our own government might want4 ,they wrote1 on ,january #ah1 #aije1 to their member of ,congress from the ,dayton district1 ,r4 ,m4 ,nevin1 as follows3 ,the series of aeronautical experiments upon which we have been engaged for the past five years has ended in the production of a flying-machine of a type fitted for practical use4 ,it not only flies through the air at high speed1 but it also lands without being wrecked4 ,during the year #aijd one hundred and five flights were made at our experimenting station1 on the ,huffman prairie1 east of the city2 and though our experience in handling the machine has been too short to give any high degree of skill1 we nevertheless succeeded1 toward the end of the season1 in making two flights of five minutes each1 in which we sailed round and round the field until a distance of about three miles had been covered1 at a speed of thirty-five miles an hour4 ,the first of these record flights was made on ,november #ith1 in celebration of the phenomenal political victory of the preceding day1 and the second1 on ,december #ast1 in honor of the one hundredth flight of the season4 ,the numerous flights in straight lines1 in circles1 and over 8,s0-shaped courses1 in calms and in winds1 have made it quite certain that flying has been brought to a point where it can be made of great practical use in various ways1 one of which is that of scouting and carrying messages in time of war4 ,if the latter features are of interest to our own government1 we shall be pleased to take up the matter either on a basis of providing machines of agreed specification1 at a contract price1 or of furnishing all the scientific and practical information we have accumulated in these years of experimenting1 together with a license to use our patents2 thus putting the government in a position to operate on its own account4 ,if you can find it convenient to ascertain whether this is a subject of interest to our own government1 it would oblige us greatly1 as early information on this point will aid us in making our plans for the future4 ,respectfully yours1 ,,wilbur ,,and ,,orville ,,wright ,mr4 ,nevin forwarded the letter to the ,secretary of ,war who turned it over to the ,board of ,ordnance and ,fortification4 ,that ,board evidently regarded the letter simply as something for their 8crank file40 ,they had received many proposals in the past from inventors of perpetual motion machines and flying-machines and had stock paragraphs to use in reply4 ,their response to ,nevin1 signed by ,major ,general ,g4 ,l4 ,gillespie1 of the ,general ,staff1 the ,president of the ,board of ,ordnance and ,fortification1 said3 ,i have the honor to inform you that1 as many requests have been made for financial assistance in the development of designs for flying-machines1 the ,board has found it necessary to decline to make allotments for the experimental development of devices for mechanical flight1 and has determined that1 before suggestions with that object in view will be considered1 the device must have been brought to the stage of practical operation without expense to the ,united ,states4 ,it appears from the letter of ,messrs4 ,wilbur and ,orville ,wright that their machine has not yet been brought to the stage of practical operation1 but as soon as it shall have been perfected1 this ,board would be pleased to receive further representations from them in regard to it4#f ,it will be noted1 of course1 that what the letter said bore almost no relation to anything the ,wrights had written4 ,having thus been brushed aside by their own government1 the ,wrights now might have been conscience clear to do as they saw fit with a foreign government4 ,but nevertheless they determined that1 no matter how public officials at ,washington behaved1 they would take no steps which could shut off their own government from use of the airplane if ,army people ever got around to understanding the machine's potential importance4 ,on ,february #aa1 #aije1 the ,wrights received a letter from the ,british ,war ,office1 asking them to submit terms1 and ,march #a1 without giving formal terms1 they outlined in a general way what they were willing to do4 8,although we consider it advisable10 they wrote to the ,british ,war ,office1 8that any agreement which may be made at present be based upon a single machine and necessary instruction in its use1 we would be willing1 if desired1 to insert in the contract an option on the purchase of all that we know concerning the subject of aviation 444 8,we are ready to enter into a contract with the ,british ,government to construct and deliver to it an aerial scouting machine of the aeroplane type 4440 ,specifications included these3 ,the machine to be capable of carrying two men of average weight1 and supplies of fuel for a flight of not less than fifty miles2 its speed1 when flying in still air1 to be not less than thirty miles an hour2 the machine to be of substantial enough construction to make landings without being broken1 when operated with a reasonable degree of skill4 ,another provision was that the purchase price should be determined by the maximum distance covered in one of the trial flights2 #ejj1 or about #b1ejj for each mile4 ,if none of the trial flights was of at least ten miles1 then the ,british ,government would not be obligated to accept the machine4 ,there were further exchanges of letters between the ,wrights and the ,british 7altogether twenty-four letters in the years #aije-f71 but the brothers began to suspect that the ,british were mainly interested in prolonging the negotiations as a means of keeping in touch and knowing what progress was being made in aviation4 ,probably1 thought the ,wrights1 the ,british shrewdly foresaw that the flying-machine would not add to the isolation of the ,british ,isles1 and did not wish to hasten its development4 ,but they doubtless wished to be well informed about whatever was happening in the conquest of the air4 ,the ,british ,war ,office wrote on ,may #ac1 #aije1 that they were asking ,colonel ,h4 ,foster1 their military attach1 in ,washington1 to call upon the ,wrights at their 8works0--meaning1 presumably1 at their shop--and to see their machine in flight4 ,the brothers were urged by their friend ,octave ,chanute on one of his visits to ,dayton1 to make another offer of their machine to the ,united ,states ,army4 ,because of the treatment they had received from the ,war ,department1 the ,wrights were naturally reluctant to expose themselves to further rebuffs1 but ,chanute was insistent that such behavior by ,army people surely would not occur again4 ,thus prodded by ,chanute1 the ,wrights1 on ,october #i1 #aije1 wrote to the ,secretary of ,war3 ,some months ago we made an informal offer to furnish to the ,war ,department practical flying-machines suitable for scouting purposes4 ,the matter was referred to the ,board of ,ordnance and ,fortification1 which seems to have given it scant consideration4 ,we do not wish to take this invention abroad1 unless we find it necessary to do so1 and therefore write again1 renewing the offer4 ,we are prepared to furnish a machine on contract1 to be accepted only after trial trips in which the conditions of the contract have been fulfilled2 the machine to carry an operator and supplies of fuel1 etc41 sufficient for a flight of one hundred miles2 the price of the machine to be regulated according to a sliding scale based on the performance of the machine in the trial trips2 the minimum performance to be a flight of at least twenty-five miles at a speed of not less than thirty miles an hour4 ,we are also willing to take contracts to build machines carrying more than one man4 ,respectfully yours1 ,,wilbur ,,and ,,orville ,,wright4 ,once again the ,secretary of ,war referred their letter to the ,board of ,ordnance and ,fortification4 ,major ,general ,j4 ,c4 ,bates1 member of the ,general ,staff1 had become president of the ,board since the previous correspondence1 and he signed the reply4 ,the ,wrights blinked at the familiar phrases in the opening paragraph3 8,i have the honor to inform you10 said the ,major ,general1 8that1 as many requests have been made for financial assistance in the development of designs for flying-machines1 the ,board has found it necessary to decline to make allotments for the experimental development of devices for mechanical flight1 and has determined that1 before suggestions with that object in view will be considered1 the device must have been brought to the stage of practical operation without expense to the ,united ,states40 ,the letter went on3 8,before the question of making a contract with you for the furnishing of a flying-machine is considered it will be necessary for you to furnish this ,board with the approximate cost of the completed machine1 the date upon which it would be delivered1 and with such drawings and descriptions thereof as are necessary to enable its construction to be understood and a definite conclusion as to its practicability to be arrived at4 ,upon receipt of this information1 the matter will receive the careful consideration of the ,board40 ,in other words1 the ,board would have to see drawings and descriptions to determine if the machine the ,wrights had been flying could fly6 ,regardless of whatever irritation they felt1 the ,wrights wrote to the ,ordnance ,board on ,october #ai4 ,in that letter they said3 ,we have no thought of asking financial assistance from the government4 ,we propose to sell the results of experiments finished at our own expense4 ,in order that we may submit a proposition conforming as nearly as possible to the ideas of your board1 it is desirable that we be informed what conditions you would wish to lay down as to the performance of the machine in the official trials1 prior to the acceptance of the machine4 ,we cannot well fix a price1 nor a time for delivery1 till we have your idea of the qualifications necessary to such a machine4 ,we ought also to know whether you would wish to reserve a monopoly on the use of the invention1 or whether you would permit us to accept orders for similar machines from other governments1 and give public exhibitions1 etc4 ,proof of our ability to execute an undertaking of the nature proposed will be furnished whenever desired4 ,here is what ,captain ,t4 ,c4 ,dickson1 ,recorder of the ,board1 wrote in reply3 ,the ,board of ,ordnance and ,fortification at its meeting ,october #bd1 #aije1 took the following action3 ,the ,board then considered a letter1 dated ,october #ai1 #aije1 from ,wilbur and ,orville ,wright requesting the requirements prescribed by the ,board that a flying-machine would have to fulfill before it would be accepted4 ,it is recommended the ,messrs4 ,wright be informed that the ,board does not care to formulate any requirements for the performance of a flying-machine or take any further action on the subject until a machine is produced which by actual operation is shown to be able to produce horizontal flight and to carry an operator4 ,such letters did not encourage the ,wrights to press their offer further4 ,as ,wilbur expressed it1 they had taken pains to see that 8opportunity gave a good clear knock on the ,war ,department door40 ,it had always been their business practice1 he said1 to sell to those who wished to buy instead of trying to force goods upon people who did not want them4 ,and now if the ,american ,government had decided to spend no more money on flying-machines until their practical use should be demonstrated abroad1 the ,wrights felt that there wasn't much they could do about it4 ,chanute1 too1 was now convinced that the seeming stupidity of ,war ,department officials was not accidental4 ,his comment was3 8,those fellows are a bunch of asses40 ,on that same day1 ,october #ai1 when they wrote to the ,ordnance ,board1 the ,wrights had sent a letter also to the ,british ,war ,office amending their earlier proposal4 ,they said that recent events justified them in making the acceptance of their machine dependent upon a trial flight of at least fifty miles1 instead of only ten miles as in the original offer4 ,shortly afterward1 on ,november #bb1 #aije1 the ,wrights received a letter from ,colonel ,foster1 the ,british military attach in ,washington1 asking if it would be possible for him to see the ,wright machine in flight4 ,experiments for that year had been completed2 but1 the ,wrights replied1 if ,colonel ,foster came to ,dayton he could meet and talk with many persons who had witnessed flights4 ,that didn't satisfy ,colonel ,foster4 ,he wrote again on ,november #bi that the ,war ,office had had many descriptions of airplane flights by persons supposed to have witnessed them4 ,what the ,war ,office wanted1 he said1 was for him to see a flight4 ,the ,wrights made it plain to the ,colonel that they saw no point to making a demonstration of their machine unless negotiations had reached a point where a deal could be closed if the machine's performance was as represented4 ,they reminded him that it wasn't necessary for the ,british ,war ,office to put up any money in advance--only to sign an agreement that a deal would be closed after the ,wrights had shown what their machine could do4 ,communications continued to pass between the ,wrights and the ,british4 ,colonel ,foster was succeeded as ,british military attach at ,washington by ,colonel ,gleichen and the latter made a trip to ,dayton4 ,but nothing came of the negotiations4 ,in ,december1 #aijf1 the ,british finally wrote to the ,wrights that they had decided not to buy an airplane4 ,meanwhile1 in the spring of #aijf1 the ,war ,department at ,washington heard once more about the ,wrights in consequence of an exchange of letters between the ,wrights and ,godfrey ,lowell ,cabot1 of ,boston1 who1 it will be remembered1 had written to them just after the ,kitty ,hawk flights in #aijc4 ,cabot had seen a bulletin published by the ,aero ,club of ,america1 on ,march #ab1 #aijf1 that told about the progress the ,wrights had made during the season of #aije at ,huffman field4 ,he had learned also1 from his brother ,samuel1 a little about the ,wrights' offer to the ,u4 ,s4 ,war ,department4 ,samuel ,cabot got the news1 presumably1 from ,chanute1 with whom he from time to time exchanged letters4 7,he had written to ,chanute asking if the ,wrights needed any financial assistance for carrying on their experiments1 and ,chanute told him they did not47 ,godfrey ,cabot wrote to the brothers 7in ,april1 #aijf7 saying that he supposed they had offered their machine to the ,u4 ,s4 ,army 8with negative results10 but that if they ever decided to form a company to exploit the machine's commercial possibilities1 he wished they would send him a prospectus4 ,in their reply to ,cabot 7,may #ai71 the ,wrights confirmed the reports about their correspondence with the ,ordnance ,board4 ,cabot was so astounded over the treatment they had received that he promptly sent the facts to his relative1 ,henry ,cabot ,lodge1 ,united ,states ,senator from ,massachusetts4 ,lodge forwarded ,cabot's letter1 along with one of his own1 to the ,secretary of ,war--who sent it to the ,board of ,ordnance and ,fortification4 ,brigadier ,general ,william ,crozier1 president of the ,ordnance ,board1 wrote to ,senator ,lodge1 on ,may #bf1 acknowledging his letter to the ,secretary of ,war1 and stating that 8if those in control of the flying-machine invented by the ,wright brothers will place themselves in communication with the ,board of ,ordnance and ,fortification1 ,war ,department1 ,washington1 ,d4 ,c41 any proposition they may have to make will be given consideration by the ,board40 ,shortly afterward1 ,godfrey ,cabot called upon ,general ,crozier in ,washington and showed him copies of the ,aero ,club ,bulletin which told about the ,wrights flying twenty-four miles in #aije4 ,since this was convincing evidence that the ,wrights' machine was capable of horizontal flight1 ,general ,crozier may have been somewhat embarrassed4 ,he said the ,ordnance ,board would be glad to receive a proposition from the ,wrights6 ,he said1 too1 that he might send a representative to see the ,wrights in ,dayton4 ,in reply to a letter from ,cabot reporting his talk with ,crozier1 the ,wrights 7on ,june #ba7 wrote3 ,if ,general ,crozier should decide to send a representative to ,dayton we would be glad to furnish him convincing proof that a machine has been produced which by actual operation has been shown to be able to produce horizontal flight and to carry an operator4 ,this letter also said3 ,we are ready to negotiate whenever the ,board is ready1 but as the former correspondence closed with a strong intimation that the ,board did not wish to be bothered with our offers1 we naturally have no intention of taking the initiative again4 ,general ,crozier did not send any representative to ,dayton4 ,several months later1 in ,november1 #aijf1 newspapers got wind of the fact that there had been some kind of correspondence between the ,wrights and the ,war ,department4 ,on ,november #bi1 many newspapers carried a dispatch from ,washington which said3 8,while ,general ,crozier will not discuss negotiations with the ,wrights1 he said today3 #8,you may simply say it is now up to the ,wright brothers to say whether the government shall take their invention4 ,they know the government's attitude and have its offer4'0 ,there had been no ,government offer4 ,the last communication the ,wrights had received from the ,war ,department was the one1 more than a year before1 in which the ,ordnance ,board said it did not wish to take any further action4 ,the ,wrights felt sure that the ,war ,department no longer doubted the existence of a successful flying-machine4 ,it appeared1 though1 that certain ,army officers still were unwilling frankly to admit their blundering behavior and come down from their high horse4 ,there was reason to believe that the ,ordnance ,board would welcome a face-saving opportunity and hoped the ,wrights would once again take the initiative by making a new proposal4 ,but the ,wrights were not ready to do so4 ,their advances had too often been spurned4 ,the next move1 they thought1 should come from the ,war ,department4 ,in that frame of mind1 early in the spring of #aijg1 the inventors evolved a plan for bringing their machine to the attention of the ,war ,department in a manner quite dramatic4 ,an exposition was going to be held on the ,virginia coast that year to celebrate the three hundredth anniversary of the founding of the first ,english colony1 at ,jamestown4 ,in connection with this ,jamestown ,exposition there would be a great naval review1 ,april #bf1 at ,hampton ,roads4 ,president ,theodore ,roosevelt and other important government people1 including ,army and ,navy officers1 would be present4 ,what would be the matter1 the ,wrights asked themselves1 with appearing there unexpectedly in their flying-machine8 ,they could equip their machine with hydroplanes and pontoons for starting and landing on water1 take it to ,kitty ,hawk1 and then fly it1 over ,currituck ,sound and beyond1 to the scene of the naval review4 ,after circling a few hundred feet above the battleships1 the machine would disappear as suddenly and as mysteriously as it had come4 ,no newspaper people or anyone else would know where it came from or how to get in touch with those who knew about it1 and the mystery would grow4 ,officers of the ,army and ,navy would be asked embarrassing questions4 ,had they arranged for the flying-machine to appear1 and had it been adopted for use in time of war8 ,those who still 8knew0 there was no practical flying-machine would be set to wondering4 ,the ,wrights had many a quiet chuckle at the thought of the effect of their practical joke if it could be carried out4 ,it was not too dangerous a project4 ,much of the flight could be made over shallow water in ,currituck ,sound4 ,it would easily be possible to fly as far as the scene of the naval review and out of sight on the return trip before coming down4 ,they put an engine1 with propellers attached to it1 on pontoons1 and placed this experimental outfit on the river at ,dayton for preliminary trials4 ,after a day or so of these tests it was evident that the plan of mounting their machine on hydroplanes and pontoons and taking off from the water was practical4 ,but the inventors took aboard a passenger who tried to be helpful4 ,in his efforts to throw his weight where he thought it would help the balance1 he succeeded only in tilting the machine so steeply that it dived below the surface4 ,the propellers were damaged4 ,before repairs could be made1 something broke the dam in the river4 ,the ,wrights had to abandon their plans for a prank that might have been a national sensation4 ,only a short time after the ,wrights were planning their surprise flight1 in that spring of #aijg1 ,herbert ,parsons1 a member of ,congress from ,new ,york1 sent to ,president ,roosevelt a clipping from the ,scientific ,american--whose editor now knew about the ,wrights4 ,roosevelt sent the clipping1 with a note signed by his secretary1 to ,secretary of ,war ,taft4 ,the note suggested a talk with ,representative ,parsons to discuss the idea of experimenting with the ,wright flying-machine4 ,taft sent the clipping and ,white ,house note to the ,ordnance ,board1 with a note signed by his own secretary and headed 8,endorsement40 ,the personnel of the ,ordnance ,board had changed1 at least partly1 since the earlier correspondence with the ,wrights4 ,but the same attitude of aloofness regarding flying-machines still existed4 ,the ,board could not1 however1 ignore a letter from the office of the ,president of the ,united ,states1 ,commander-in-,chief of the ,army and ,navy1 with an endorsement from the ,secretary of ,war4 ,it might have been expected that the ,board members would feel bound to investigate the reported flying-machine4 ,but they couldn't bring themselves to go that far4 ,all they did was to send1 on ,may #aa1 a brief letter to the ,wrights1 signed by ,major ,samson ,m4 ,fuller1 ,recorder of the ,board4 ,the letter said3 ,i am directed by the ,president of the ,board to enclose copies of two letters referring to your aeroplane1 for your information1 and to say that the ,board has before it several propositions for the construction and test of aeroplanes1 and if you desire to take any action in the matter1 will be glad to hear from you on the subject4 ,accompanying the letter were copies of the notes from the ,white ,house and the office of the ,secretary of ,war4 ,the ,wrights believed they knew why those copies were sent4 ,it was to let them know that the ,ordnance ,board was writing only because of orders from higher up4 ,though the letter from the ,board was standoffish enough1 yet it did not imply1 as some of the earlier letters did1 that the ,wrights were a pair of beggars1 or cranks1 seeking funds4 ,the ,wrights thought the letter had been forced and that it really was a mere gesture1 but nevertheless they treated it as if the ,ordnance ,board might now be seriously interested4 ,in their reply1 ,may #ag1 the ,wrights said they had some flying machines under construction and would be glad to make a formal proposal to sell one or more of them to the ,government if the ,war ,department was interested4 ,they said the machine would carry two men and a supply of fuel for a flight of #bjj kilometers2 that a trial flight of at least #ej kilometers1 at a speed not less than #ej kilometers an hour1 would be made before representatives of the ,government before any part of the purchase price was paid4 ,they suggested a conference for the purpose of discussing the matter in detail4 ,and they said they were willing to submit a formal proposition1 if that was preferred4 ,in the next letter from the ,ordnance ,board1 dated ,may #bb1 #aijg1 nothing was said about the ,wrights' suggestion for a conference2 but the ,wrights were requested to make a formal proposal incorporating the specifications and conditions contained in their letter to the ,board1 dated ,may #ag4 ,the ,wrights sent a formal proposal on ,may #ca4 ,in this proposal they repeated all the specifications and conditions mentioned in their letter of the #agth1 and in addition agreed to the following3 to teach an operator to fly the machine2 to return to the starting point in the #ej kilometer test flight2 and to land without any damage that would prevent the machine being started immediately upon another flight4 ,the price stated was #ajj1jjj for the first machine2 others to be furnished at a reasonable margin above the cost of manufacture4 ,they added that they were willing to make the contract speed #dj miles an hour1 provided an additional sum would be allowed for each mile in excess of that speed in the trial flight1 with a forfeit of an equal amount for every mile below4 ,again the ,wrights made it plain that nothing was to be paid to them until after a trial flight had met all contract requirements4 ,the next letter from the ,ordnance ,board dated ,june #h said that #ajj1jjj was more than the ,board had available1 and that such an amount could not be obtained without a special appropriation by ,congress at its next session4 ,then the letter went on to ask what the price would include2 whether the ,united ,states would be granted exclusive use1 or whether the ,wrights contemplated commercial exploitation of their machine1 or negotiations with foreign governments4 ,the ,wrights wrote in reply explaining just what was included in the price4 ,they said it did not include any period during which the use of the invention would belong exclusively to the ,united ,states1 since a recent contract precluded such an offer1 and that it was their intention to furnish machines for military use before entering the commercial field4 ,the letter repeated what the ,wrights had said before1 that when a contract had been signed they would produce a machine at their own expense and make flights as specified in the contract in the presence of representatives of the ,war ,department before any money whatever was paid to them4 ,that was the last letter to pass between the ,ordnance ,board and the ,wrights for some time4 ,but while the ,wrights were in ,europe1 the ,board undoubtedly began to hear from military attachs and others about the brothers' negotiations abroad4 ,at any rate1 the ,board began to show signs of uneasiness and they wrote a letter1 signed by ,major ,fuller1 ,october #e--received by the ,wrights in ,europe--to say that the ,wright proposal of ,june #ae had again been given consideration by the ,board at its meeting of ,october #c1 #aijg1 but that nothing definite could be done before a meeting of ,congress1 as ,congressional action would be necessary to accept the proposition1 since the funds at the ,board's disposal were insufficient4 ,the ,wrights' reply1 from ,london1 on ,october #cj1 made it clear that if the price was the only thing in the way1 that could probably be satisfactorily adjusted4 ,wilbur ,wright started home from ,europe ahead of ,orville1 but before he left1 it was agreed between the brothers that their price for an airplane to the ,united ,states ,government would be #be1jjj4 ,,xi ,,europe ,,discovers ,,the ,,wrights ,though the importance of the ,wrights' achievements was unrecognized in the ,united ,states until long after their first power flights1 reports about their gliding prior to those flights had aroused much interest abroad4 ,in the spring of #aijc1 the ,wrights' ,chicago friend1 ,octave ,chanute1 had gone to his native ,france in the interest of the ,st4 ,louis ,exposition to be held the next year4 ,one purpose of his visit was to arrange with ,alberto ,santos-,dumont1 the ,brazilian aeronaut1 who lived in ,paris1 to make flights at ,st4 ,louis with his dirigible balloon4 ,while in ,paris1 ,chanute was invited by the ,aro ,club to give a talk regarding aviation in the ,united ,states4 ,in this talk1 on ,april #b1 he told of his own gliding experiments in #ahif and of those of the ,wright ,brothers in #aija and #aijb1 illustrated by photographs4 ,then in the ,august1 #aijc1 issue of ,l',arophile ,chanute published an article on the same subject1 with photographic illustrations1 scale drawings1 and structural details of the ,wright #aijb glider4 ,in the ,revue des ,sciences of ,november1 #aijc1 he again published photographs and description of that machine4 ,this #aijb glider far surpassed any that had ever been built before1 and in it the problem of equilibrium had practically been solved4 ,that glider was the basis of the specifications in the ,wright patent4 ,chanute's revelations therefore were sensational4 ,and they did not fall on deaf ears4 ,until this time1 about the only man in ,france who was showing any interest in aviation was ,captain ,louis ,ferdinand ,ferber of the ,french army1 who himself had made gliding experiments as a hobby while serving in an ,alpine artillery corps4 ,as early as #aija he had begun an exchange of letters with ,chanute1 after having read in the ,illustrierte ,aeronautische ,mitteilungen1 a ,german magazine devoted mainly to ballooning1 a brief article1 supplied by ,wilbur ,wright1 about the #aijj experiments at ,kitty ,hawk4 ,a little later he wrote for information to the ,wrights themselves4 ,but now after the ,chanute speech1 ,ferber was no longer alone among ,frenchmen in thinking the ,wrights' experiments might be significant4 ,though belief in the possibility of a successful flying machine had been at lowest ebb in ,france1 the information now made available by ,chanute caused a greatly revived interest4 ,heretofore the ,aro ,club had devoted its attention almost entirely to balloons and dirigibles1 but it considered the ,french as leaders in every line pertaining to aeronautics4 ,immediately following the ,chanute address telling of the ,wrights' gliding experiments in ,america1 several members of the ,aro ,club1 led by ,ernest ,archdeacon1 decided to organize a special committee on aviation4 ,archdeacon also made a warm appeal in favor of organizing contests for gliders to show that the ,french did not intend to allow anyone to surpass them in any branch of aeronautics4 ,he subscribed three thousand francs for the organization of such contests and for prizes4 ,l',arophile1 official organ of the ,club1 which up to this time had published little about aviation1 now suddenly began to carry many articles and items of news concerning projected experiments in gliding4 ,but it was some months before the ,french actually passed from the 8talking0 to the 8doing0 stage in gliding4 ,in the meantime a brief dispatch about the ,wrights' power flights on ,december #ag1 #aijc1 had appeared in ,french and other ,european daily papers4 ,though the reports of these power flights were received with considerable skepticism1 nevertheless they created such a furore in ,french aeronautical circles that before the end of ,january1 #aijd1 no less than six gliders of the ,wright #aijb type were being built in ,france from data furnished by ,chanute4 ,ernest ,archdeacon1 of the ,aro ,club1 placed an order with ,m4 ,dargent1 a model maker of ,chalais-,meudon1 to build a copy of the ,wright #aijb glider4 ,early in #aijd 7,january #bh71 ,captain ,ferber delivered a lecture at ,lyon on the subject of gliding experiments1 and a young man named ,gabriel ,voisin1 just finishing his course in a technical school1 came to him to ask advice about how to get into the field of aviation4 ,he said he wished to 8consecrate his life0 to aviation4 ,ferber suggested that he should go to see ,archdeacon4 ,voisin did so1 and ,archdeacon employed him to test the glider built by ,dargent4 ,ferber gave ,voisin his instructions in gliding4 ,then ,archdeacon employed ,voisin to build still another glider like the ,wright machine4 ,that contact with ,archdeacon gave ,voisin his start toward becoming a famous airplane manufacturer4 ,and it was from that glider 8du type de ,wright10 as the ,french papers called it1 tested by ,voisin1 that grew the first ,voisin machines1 soon to be followed by those of other copyists4 ,here was the real beginning of ,french--indeed of ,european--aviation4 ,articles about the ,wright power flights were appearing in the ,french1 ,english and ,german aeronautical magazines4 ,a longer article about the ,kitty ,hawk event was printed in the ,march1 #aijd1 issue of ,illustrierte ,aeronautische ,mitteilungen from ,carl ,dienstbach1#g a musician in ,new ,york1 who as a side line was the magazine's correspondent4 ,one copyist after another began to use devices and technical knowledge invented or discovered by the ,wrights4 ,when ,ferber received a letter from the ,american publication1 the ,scientific ,american1 asking for an account of his own gliding experiments1 he wrote to them that he was simply a 8disciple of the ,wright ,brothers40 ,but these copyists were not content to follow the ,chanute revelations and build gliders just like that of the ,wrights4 ,instead1 they tried to improve upon the ,wrights' work4 ,the 8improvements0 were not successful1 because the builders did not have the ,wrights' knowledge and wind-tunnel data1 except that used in the #aijb glider1 to guide them4 ,so great were their difficulties that some of the experimenters began to place blame on ,chanute4 ,they thought ,chanute must have misrepresented what the ,wrights had done--maybe purposely4 ,that was the only way they could account for their failure to get the good results obtained by the ,wrights4 ,robert ,esnault-,pelterie1 a member of the ,aro ,club1 pointed out that they had not put to a fair test the information on the ,wright glider that ,chanute had given them1 because1 he said1 in building their gliders they had not strictly adhered to ,chanute's description and specifications4 ,since they had all the data needed to reproduce the glider that ,chanute had reported as having been so successful1 ,esnault-,pelterie said1 the way to determine the value of the information was to build a ,wright glider exactly like ,chanute had described and then test it to see how it performed4 ,he himself then built such a machine1 in #aijd1 and reported that he got the same performance as had the ,wrights4 ,while the ,french were carrying on these experiments with copies of the #aijb ,wright glider1 the ,wrights themselves were busy with their power machine with which they made more than #ajj starts in #aijd4 ,it was not until late ,october1 #aijf1 or nearly three years after the ,wrights' first power flights1 that a ,french power machine was flown4 7,this machine1 piloted by ,santos-,dumont1 was reported to have made a hop of #bjj feet1 about ten feet above the ground47 ,before long1 ,archdeacon and another member of the ,aro ,club1 ,henri ,deutsch de la ,meurthe1 were offering aviation prizes1 and doing all they could to encourage someone to try to build a successful power plane4 ,but as ,captain ,ferber later made clear to ,georges ,besanon1 editor of ,l',arophile1 in a letter ,besanon published in his issue of ,june1 #aijg1 this revival of interest in aviation in ,france1 and whatever was accomplished1 was all a direct outgrowth of information about what the ,wrights had done in ,america4 ,in ,october1 #aije1 reports about the long flights accomplished that year by the ,wrights with their power machine were received in ,france4 ,they created an even greater stir in ,french aeronautical circles than had the earlier reports4 ,just at the time these reports reached ,france an organization was formed there to be known as the ,fdration ,aronautique ,internationale1 the purpose of which was to verify and record the truth about reported aeronautical flights4 ,the ,aero ,club of ,america1 formed at about the same time1 was made the official representative of the ,f4,a4,i4 in ,america4 ,no flight had as yet been made in ,france with a motor plane4 ,long afterward1 many uninformed persons1 even in the ,united ,states1 declared that the flights by the ,wrights prior to #aijh really should not count1 as they had not been officially witnessed by any representative of the ,f4,a4,i4--the organization that came into being after the flights had been made6 ,as the tempo of interest increased1 the ,wrights were kept fairly busy writing letters to ,france in reply to requests for information4 ,at the time of the first reports of the #aijc flights at ,kitty ,hawk1 probably the only person in ,france inclined to believe them was ,captain ,ferber4 ,knowing what he did1 from correspondence with ,chanute1 and with the ,wrights themselves1 he was not too incredulous4 ,if he had said at first that he believed human flight might have occurred1 he doubtless would have been laughed at--especially by those who had been most busily experimenting4 ,but as early as ,may1 #aije1 ,captain ,ferber had written to the ,wrights1 asking if they would sell a power plane and at what price4 ,they were not ready to discuss such a project at that time and1 though ,ferber wrote a second letter prodding them1 they did not reply until ,october #i1 four days after they had completed their most important flying experiments for that year4 ,in that letter1 after telling of their recent long flights1 the ,wrights said they were prepared to furnish machines on contract1 to be accepted only after trial trips of at least forty kilometers1 the machine to carry an operator and enough supplies of fuel for a flight of #afj kilometers4 ,they said they would be willing to make contracts in which the minimum distance of the trial trip would be more than forty kilometers1 but that the price of the machine would then be greater4 ,they were also ready1 the letter added1 to build machines carrying more than one man4 ,no figures as to price were given4 ,hoping to have the ,french ,war ,department buy a plane1 ,ferber went to his chief1 ,colonel ,bertrand1 director of the laboratory of research pertaining to military aeronautics4 ,but ,colonel ,bertrand told him the ,french ,government could not commit itself to pay a sum 8probably enormous0 for an invention not yet authenticated4 ,all that it was possible to do1 said ,bertrand1 was to appoint and send a commission to see the ,wrights4 ,again ,ferber wrote to the ,wrights1 on ,october #ba1 asking what the price for a machine would be4 ,he said he didn't think his government would any longer be interested in paying so great a sum as it had been when he had first asked for a price4 ,the ,wrights replied1 on ,november #d1 saying they would consent to reduce their price to the ,french ,government to one million francs--#bjj1jjj--the money to be paid only after the genuine value of their discoveries had been demonstrated by a flight of one of their machines in the presence of ,french ,government representatives4 ,ferber had not told in his letter what the ,french ,government had been willing to pay and the ,wrights did not say what the price of one million francs was reduced from6 ,the price was to include a complete machine1 and instruction in the ,wright discoveries relating to the scientific principles of the art2 formulas for the designing of machines of other sizes and speeds2 and personal instruction of operators in the use of the machine4 ,at the time ,captain ,ferber was thus dickering for the possible purchase of a ,wright flying-machine1 others in ,france who were interested in aeronautics still doubted if such a machine existed4 ,about the middle of ,october1 ,frank ,s4 ,lahm1 a member of the ,aro ,club of ,france1 had a chance meeting with his friend ,patrick ,y4 ,alexander1 of the ,aeronautical ,society of ,great ,britain1 who had visited the ,wrights as recently as the previous ,april4 ,alexander expressed to ,lahm his strong belief that the ,wrights had actually been making power flights in ,america4 ,lahm was an ,american4 ,after going to ,france from ,mansfield1 ,ohio1 many years before1 he had introduced the ,remington typewriter to ,europe4 ,as a hobby he had taken up ballooning and held a pilot's license4 ,it was of more than casual interest to him that ,alexander believed successful flights had been made in ,america4 ,lahm then made an effort to learn the facts from a source right in ,dayton1 ,ohio4 ,he wrote to ,nelson ,bierce1 a manufacturer there whom he knew1 asking what sort of people the ,wrights were and what was known about their reported experiments4 ,bierce didn't make any investigation1 but wrote to ,lahm1 late in ,november1 that the ,wrights were considered men of good character1 and that they were said to be carrying on some kind of flying experiments near ,dayton2 but1 he said1 no one seemed to know much about the nature of these experiments4 ,before there was time for ,bierce's letter to reach him1 ,lahm got other news about the ,wrights4 ,a letter they had sent on ,november #ag1 to ,besanon1 editor of ,l',arophile1 giving a detailed account of their most recent experiments1 had been published on ,november #cj in ,l',auto1 a ,paris daily dealing with sports4 ,besanon had given the letter to ,l',auto because his own next monthly issue would not go to press for a week or more and he was afraid a rival ,german publication might print1 before he could1 similar information from the ,wrights4 ,that letter to ,besanon1 containing much specific information1 created a sensation4 ,there was much animated talk about its contents that night of ,november #cj at the ,aro ,club4 ,indeed1 that date is noteworthy in aeronautical history1 for publication of the letter to ,besanon led to several important investigations4 ,news about the ,wrights' recent flights that the letter revealed was taken up by one or two of the wire services and cabled back to the ,united ,states where it reached various newspapers1 including those in ,dayton4 ,but ,dayton editors couldn't understand why the ,wrights should have stirred up so much excitement in ,france4 ,one investigation was started by ,lahm1 now determined to get the facts4 ,he had a brother-in-law in ,mansfield1 ,ohio1 ,henry ,m4 ,weaver 7a manufacturer of cash carriers for department stores72 and ,weaver had a son1 ,henry1 ,jr41 perhaps not too busy to go to ,dayton and find out all about the ,wrights4 ,immediately after leaving his friends at the ,aro ,club1 ,lahm sent this cable to the younger ,weaver3 8,verify what ,wright brothers claim necessary go ,dayton today prompt answer cable40 ,the young man in ,mansfield1 never having heard of the ,wrights1 supposed the message must be for his father1 then away on a business trip1 and he forwarded it to him at the ,grand ,pacific ,hotel in ,chicago4 ,it was received by the father on ,december #a1 shortly after he had retired for the night4 ,weaver1 ,sr41 didn't at once recall ever having heard of the ,wrights1 but if they had a 8claim0 against his brother-in-law1 he would see what could be done about settling it4 ,as the question must be important he sent a wire to ,dayton that very night4 ,having no street address for them1 he addressed it simply to 8,wright ,brothers40 ,this message was not clear to the ,wrights and their reply the next morning was as puzzling to ,weaver as his had been to them4 ,to get down to dots and make sure he was addressing the people he sought1 ,weaver then sent another telegram asking the ,wrights if they knew ,f4 ,s4 ,lahm1 of ,paris4 ,the ,wrights didn't know ,lahm but they knew of him and replied3 8,yes ,lahm ,french aeronaut40 ,when he noted that word 8aeronaut10 ,weaver began to remember vaguely having heard some years previously about two brothers who had experimented with a glider somewhere in the ,carolinas4 ,the mystery seemed to be lifting4 ,doubtless the ,wrights had made a glider for ,lahm and now there was some misunderstanding about the price4 ,he immediately telegraphed again to the ,wrights1 saying he would arrive in ,dayton the next morning 7,sunday71 and asking the ,wrights to meet him at the ,algonquin ,hotel4 ,when he reached the hotel in ,dayton1 ,weaver discovered that there was no firm of ,wright ,brothers in the telephone book or city directory4 ,the hotel clerk had never heard of them4 ,others whom he asked if they knew of anyone in ,dayton having a flying-machine looked at him blankly and shook their heads4 ,well1 these ,wrights must be somewhere1 ,weaver reflected1 for they had replied to his two earlier telegrams4 ,he may have feared that their place of business was closed for the week end before they could have received his telegram asking them to meet him4 ,at any rate1 he went to the office of the telegraph company4 ,there he met the messenger boy who had delivered his message4 ,the boy explained that the brothers had their office at the ,wright ,cycle ,company but that1 since it was ,sunday1 they could not be reached except at their home4 ,weaver then returned to his hotel4 ,there he found ,orville ,wright waiting for him4 ,as soon as they began to talk1 ,weaver said3 8,you made a glider1 ,i believe1 for ,mr4 ,lahm1 in ,paris40 ,orville1 of course1 shook his head4 ,no1 he said1 they had never made a glider for ,mr4 ,lahm4 8,then10 asked ,weaver1 even more puzzled1 8what in the world can be the meaning of this cable80 ,and he handed to ,orville the message from ,paris4 ,orville then understood4 ,evidently1 he said1 ,lahm1 a member of the ,aro ,club of ,france1 wished to find out if the report of their flights sent to the ,aro ,club by the ,wright brothers was true4 ,as ,weaver later reported in a letter to ,lahm1 he was already impressed by this younger ,wright brother4 8,his very appearance would disarm any suspicion--with a face more of a poet than an inventor or promoter4 ,in contour1 head and face resemble ,edgar ,allan ,poe 444 very modest in alluding to the marvels they have accomplished 4440 ,orville1 somewhat amused1 said if an investigation was desired1 they might as well get right at it4 ,it was too late in the season for flying1 and the machine had been taken apart1 but he could introduce the visitor to many responsible people who had seen them fly4 ,orville took him to the home of ,c4 ,s4 ,billman1 of the ,west ,side ,savings and ,loan ,company4 ,the ,billmans were a fairly large family and nearly all had seen the ,wrights fly4 ,when the callers were taken into the sitting-room the first member of the family to appear was a four-year-old boy4 8,son10 asked ,weaver jokingly1 8have you ever seen a flying-machine80 ,he wasn't expecting to get evidence just yet2 but the boy began to run around the room1 trying to imitate with his hands the motion of a propeller and to make a noise like the machine4 ,turning to ,orville1 ,weaver laughingly observed3 8,i'm about convinced already4 ,that boy couldn't be a bribed witness40 ,they also went1 by interurban car1 to talk with the ,beard family1 across from the flying field1 and with ,amos ,stauffer1 the nearest farmer up the road4 ,as ,weaver reported3 8,on ,october #e1 he ,stauffer was cutting corn in the next field east1 which is higher ground4 ,when he noticed the aeroplane had started on its flight he remarked to his helper3 #8,well1 the boys are at it again1' and kept on cutting corn1 at the same time keeping an eye on the great white form rushing about its course4 #8,i just kept on shocking corn1' he continued1 #8until ,i got down to the fence1 and the durned thing was still going round4 ,i thought it would never stop4' ,i asked him how long he thought the flight continued1 and he replied it seemed to him it was in the air for half an hour40 ,then ,orville and ,weaver returned to ,dayton and called on ,william ,fouts1 ,west ,side druggist1 who had witnessed the long flight on ,october #e4 ,later they went to the ,wright home4 ,of that visit ,weaver wrote3 8,the elder brother1 ,wilbur1 ,i found even quieter and less demonstrative than the younger4 ,he looked the scholar and recluse4 ,neither is married4 ,as ,mr4 ,wright expressed it1 they had not the means to support #8a wife and a flying-machine too4'0 ,weaver was completely convinced before he left ,dayton1 and on ,december #c1 cabled to ,lahm3 8,claims completely verified40 ,a few days later1 on ,december #f1 back at his home in ,mansfield1 he rushed a letter to ,lahm giving his evidence of what the ,wrights had done4 ,in a little more than a week after ,weaver's visit to ,dayton1 another investigator appeared there1 ,robert ,coquelle1 representing ,l',auto1 of ,paris4 ,he had been in ,new ,york attending the six-day bicycle races and arrived in ,dayton on ,december #ab4 ,since his paper and ,les ,sports had taken opposite sides regarding the possibility that the ,wrights had flown1 and ,l',auto had been pro-,wright1 ,coquelle wished to report on these 8deux marchands de cycles0 in a way to make a sensation4 ,the imaginative tale he wrote about how 8mysterious0 were the ,wrights was almost worthy of his compatriot1 ,dumas4 ,the ,wrights gave him names of people who had witnessed flights but it is believed he didn't bother to consult many of them1 evidently feeling sure he could invent a better story than they could tell him4 ,however1 ,coquelle was convinced that the reports about the ,wrights' flights were not exaggerated and he cabled a preliminary dispatch to his paper3 ,wright brothers refuse to show their machine but ,i have seen some witnesses it is impossible to doubt4 ,on ,december #ac1 the day after ,coquelle's visit to ,dayton1 the ,wrights sent another letter to ,m4 ,besanon1 editor of ,l',arophile1 in reply to questions of his1 and gave him details of their recent flights1 distances1 height at which they flew1 size of field1 and so on4 ,incidentally the closing paragraph of that letter contained a statement in contradiction of a myth1 still widely accepted3 ,the claim often made in the #aith century that the lack of sufficiently light motors alone prohibited man from the empire of the air was quite unfounded4 ,at the speeds which birds usually employ1 a well-designed flyer can in actual practice sustain a gross weight of #cj kilograms for each horsepower of the motor1 which gives ample margin for such motors as might easily have been built #ej years ago4 ,before ,besanon could have received this letter1 with its details of recent flights1 ,robert ,coquelle arrived in ,paris1 having taken a boat from ,new ,york only a day or two after his stay in ,dayton1 and his sensational story was published4 ,much of this report seemed so incredible that one member of the ,aro ,club said it almost made him wonder if the ,wright brothers existed at all4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,u4 ,s4 ,,army ,,test4 ,preparing the ,wright plane for a test at ,fort ,myer4 ,what ,weaver had written in his letter seemed convincing enough to ,lahm and he prepared a ,french translation of it to read to the aviation committee of the ,aro ,club of ,france at a meeting on the night of ,december #bi1 #aije4 ,that meeting1 as ,lahm later told about it to friends1 and in an article he gave to the ,mansfield 7,ohio7 ,news1 published ,october #bd1 #aijh1 was a memorable one4 ,the skeptical members of the committee1 greatly in the majority1 having heard of ,weaver's telegram1 assumed the more elaborate report would be favorable to the ,wrights1 and were prepared to combat it4 ,characteristic of the ,french1 there was almost ceremonious politeness at the beginning of the meeting because everyone supposed there might be less politeness as the discussions went on4 ,illustration3 ,,at ,,fort ,,myer4 ,lieutenant ,frank ,p4 ,lahm and ,orville ,wright with the ,wright plane during the test at ,fort ,myer4 ,lieutenant ,lahm was the first army officer to fly as a passenger in a plane4 ,by the time ,lahm had finished reading the letter1 everyone began to talk at once4 ,archdeacon1 who presided1 was famous for a high-pitched staccato voice and it could be heard calling for order as he also rapped on the table before him with a flat metal ruler4 ,one member observed that they had seen nothing about the ,wrights' flights in ,american newspapers1 recognized as enterprising4 ,he found himself incapable of believing1 he said1 that all the journalists in ,america would permit so important a piece of news to escape them4 ,another remarked that they had heard the ,wright brothers were of modest enough wealth4 ,who1 he asked1 is their financier8 ,it would be interesting to talk with him4 ,lahm was hard put to it to explain the lack of news about the flights in the ,american papers4 ,he himself didn't understand that4 ,but he tried to explain that since the brothers did most of the mechanical work on their machine themselves they did not require financial assistance4 ,his voice1 however1 was drowned in the hubbub4 ,as the discussion continued1 so vehement were the contradictions of the ,weaver letter that ,lahm1 ,ferber1 ,besanon1 and ,coquelle1 the only ones present who seemed to believe it1 hardly dared express themselves at all4 ,someone turned to ,coquelle and asked him if he really accepted the stories of the ,wrights' flights4 8,i do10 he said--but in a low voice4 ,all conceded that ,lahm's friend ,weaver had doubtless been sincere in what he wrote but they insisted that he had somehow been fooled4 ,they 8knew0 flight was impossible with a motor of only twelve horsepower4 ,indeed1 many had decided that power flight would always be an impossibility4 ,this belief was all the stronger because a number present had personally done enough in attempts to fly to know the difficulties4 ,one member after another strolled into an adjoining room where they could argue without being called to order4 ,finally ,archdeacon found himself nearly alone4 ,when1 long after midnight1 the meeting finally broke up the one thing all were agreed upon was that human flight1 if true1 was of vast consequence4 ,when the ,wrights learned how great was the incredulity at the ,aro ,club in ,france they were only amused that the stories seemed to the ,french too wonderful to be true4 ,on ,december #ca the ,weaver letter to ,lahm was published in full in ,l',auto4 ,the next day it appeared in the ,paris edition of the ,new ,york ,herald and also in ,les ,sports1 competitor of ,l',auto4 ,though the ,aro ,club did not yet know it1 ,captain ,ferber in ,november had started still another investigation4 ,he had written to the ,wrights on ,november #ae1 asking permission to send an 8official0 commission to see them4 ,the ,wrights answered on ,december #e that they thought it highly advisable that the ,french ,government send a commission to make a thorough investigation of their claims1 and that it should be done at once4 ,eight days later the ,wrights received a cable from ,ferber saying3 8,friend with full powers for stating terms of contract will sail next ,saturday40 ,ferber also sent a letter1 a copy of which1 he said1 would be carried by ,arnold ,fordyce as his means of identification1 but this letter did not reach the ,wrights until after the visitor had arrived4 ,as ,ferber only a few weeks before had asked permission to send a military commission1 the brothers supposed the man en route to ,dayton represented the ,war ,ministry4 ,arnold ,fordyce1 the ,french emissary1 arrived in ,new ,york on the ,lorraine1 and reached ,dayton shortly after ,christmas1 #aije4 ,he was about thirty-five years old1 formerly an actor1 of characteristic ,french politeness1 and he spoke ,english4 ,his first meeting with the ,wrights was in their office over the old bicycle shop4 ,to the ,wrights' surprise he told them1 in reply to a question1 that he had no connection with the ,french ,war ,ministry4 ,he had come1 he said1 on behalf of a syndicate of wealthy men who wished to buy a flying-machine and to present it to the ,french ,government for the national defense4 ,he said he was secretary to ,m4 ,letellier1 member of the syndicate and owner and editor of the ,paris newspaper1 ,le ,journal4 ,he went on to explain that ,letellier and his associates in the syndicate were presenting the plane to the ,government with the hope they might receive decorations of the ,legion of ,honor4 ,his story seemed to the ,wrights a bit fishy4 ,they thought it more probable that he was really representing the ,french ,war ,ministry1 but that the ,war ,ministry did not wish to appear directly in negotiations for a flying-machine4 ,the ,wrights went ahead1 though1 to give him the information he sought4 ,first of all1 he wished to make sure that they really had a machine that would fly4 ,they arranged for him to meet a number of trustworthy persons who had witnessed flights1 among them bankers1 other prominent businessmen1 and county officials4 ,fordyce was soon convinced that the machine would do all that had been claimed for it1 and he wanted a contract to take back with him to his principals4 ,though ,ferber's cable had stated that ,fordyce was coming with 8full powers0 he did not have a power-of-attorney to represent his principals4 ,still believing that ,fordyce's true mission was in the interest of the ,french ,war ,ministry1 the ,wrights had no objection to entering into a contract with him granting an option for a short period4 ,they made it clear1 however1 that they reserved the right to deal with their own ,government at any time1 even though the ,united ,states ,war ,department had not seemed appreciative of their former offers of exclusive rights to the aeroplane4 ,they also made it clear that ,letellier and his associates in the 8syndicate0 would have no rights whatever in the machine except the right to pay for it4 ,the machine would be delivered only to the ,french ,government4 ,the ,fordyce option was for the purchase of one flying-machine at a price of #a1jjj1jjj francs1 or #bjj1jjj1 the price the ,wrights already had set in a letter to ,captain ,ferber4 ,the option was to become void if the holder failed by ,february #e1 #aijf1 to deposit in escrow with ,j4 ,p4 ,morgan ,co41 ,new ,york1 #be1jjj francs 7#e1jjj7 to the joint credit of the ,wright brothers and ,arnold ,fordyce4 ,it was provided that the contract would become null and void if the holder failed to make a further deposit in escrow with ,j4 ,p4 ,morgan ,co4 by ,april #e1 #aijf1 to bring the total to #a1jjj1jjj francs4 ,but if the holder failed to deposit altogether #a1jjj1jjj francs1 as stipulated1 then the first deposit of #be1jjj francs would belong to the ,wright brothers4 ,if on the other hand the ,wrights failed to carry out any part of their own obligations under the contract they would receive nothing4 ,on ,february #e1 #aijf1 the date stated in the option for the first deposit1 the ,wrights received a telegram from ,morgan1 ,harjes ,co41 ,paris1 stating that #be1jjj francs had been deposited with them in escrow to the joint credit of the ,wright ,brothers and ,arnold ,fordyce4 ,this seemed to confirm the suspicion held by the ,wrights that ,fordyce represented the ,french ,ministry of ,war and not a syndicate4 ,but this suspicion later proved to be false4 ,some time after the ,wrights had given this option they heard an entirely different story about the nature of ,fordyce's mission4 ,according to this story1 ,captain ,ferber1 unable to persuade his superior officers in the ,war ,ministry to send an official investigator to ,dayton1 had hit on the idea of having an investigation made by a ,paris newspaper4 ,he then went to see ,letellier1 owner of ,le ,journal4 ,letellier saw the possibilities of prestige for his paper by being able to print the facts about the ,wrights4 ,if they really had flown1 that would be of great interest1 and if they were only 8bluffers10 as many in ,france thought they were1 the truth about them would still be worth publishing4 ,letellier could well have afforded the gamble of sending an investigator to ,dayton4 ,aside from his ownership of ,le ,journal1 he was a man of considerable wealth1 having made his money as a contractor4 ,he had built the main fortresses at ,lige4 ,whatever the truth may have been1 if ,letellier had intended to publish what ,fordyce learned about the ,wrights1 he did not at once do so4 ,he took the ,fordyce option and presented it to the ,war ,ministry and he received in return a letter from the ,minister of ,war stating that if a ,wright plane were acquired by the ,ministry the purchase would be made through ,le ,journal4 ,thus ,le ,journal not only would have a big 8scoop0 on news of the purchase1 but would receive credit and acclaim for a big patriotic act4 ,perhaps the owner of the paper would be decorated6 ,for some time war clouds had been gathering over ,morocco and it looked as if there might be trouble between ,france and ,germany4 ,if war should come1 a flying-machine for scouting purposes would be of great value4 ,but in spite of the fact that a ,frenchman1 ,fordyce1 had been to see the ,wrights and reported favorably about them1 the ,french war chiefs couldn't bring themselves to accept as a certainty the existence of a practical flying-machine4 ,the story seemed too incredible4 ,there must be a 8catch0 somewhere4 ,still1 the ,war ,ministry was willing to risk making the down payment of #be1jjj francs4 ,but when ,m4 ,etienne sent the down payment of #be1jjj francs to ,morgan1 ,harjes ,co41 the ,paris branch of the banking firm of ,j4 ,p4 ,morgan ,co41 on the last day of the allotted time1 he nearly lost the option1 for an unexpected reason4 ,morgan1 ,harjes ,co4 did not wish to accept the money4 ,though the bank was under ,american control1 ,french procedure prevailed1 and its officers were reluctant to hold money in escrow4 ,they feared there might be a dispute as to whether it finally would belong to the ,war ,ministry that deposited it1 or to the ,wrights4 ,it required eight hours of perspiring persuasion on the part of a ,war ,ministry representative before the bankers agreed to accept the money and the option became binding4 ,after the option was in force1 but before the date set in the contract for the final payment1 the ,french ,war ,ministry sent a commission to ,dayton for the purpose of obtaining some amendments to the contract1 pertaining to the test flights4 ,this commission1 which sailed from ,cherbourg on the ,saint ,paul1 was headed by ,commandant ,bonel1 of the ,army ,engineer ,corps4 ,another member was ,arnold ,fordyce4 ,they reached ,new ,york on ,march #ah1 #aijf4 ,the other two members were ,captain ,fournier1 military attach of the ,french ,embassy at ,washington1 and ,walter ,v4 ,r4 ,berry1 an ,american subject1 who was legal counselor to that embassy4 ,though ,fordyce was by now zealously pro-,wright1 the men at the ,war ,ministry had no fear of his exerting too much influence on the others1 because of the presence of ,commandant ,bonel1 who was outspokenly skeptical4 ,he had witnessed tests by the ,french ,government of the unsuccessful machine designed by ,clement ,ader1 a few years previously1 and was convinced that no heavier-than-air machine had ever flown or ever could4 ,bonel would hardly let the commission make a fool of itself4 ,since he was the only one of the four who spoke no ,english1 he would need to have everything explained to him--all the more reason why he would not be easily imposed upon4 ,before the ,french quartet had been in ,dayton long1 however1 ,bonel was the most enthusiastic convert of all4 ,the visitors met dependable witnesses of flights who had previously talked to ,fordyce2 and photographs of the machine in flight could hardly be fakes4 ,most of all1 they were impressed by the obviously high character of the ,wrights themselves4 ,in cables to ,france they strongly recommended that the deal be closed4 ,but while the commission was still in ,dayton1 the ,european war crisis had subsided4 ,even before the formal settlement of the dispute1 at the close of the conference at ,algeciras1 ,spain1 on ,april #g1 it was known that ,france would still have a favored position in ,morocco1 and the need for a scouting plane by the ,french ,army became less pressing4 ,the ,war ,ministry now began to demand more and more in airplane performance4 ,they would cable asking if the plane could fly at an altitude of at least #a1jjj feet2 if the speed could be greater than hitherto mentioned4 ,then the next day there would be a request for greater weight-carrying capacity4 ,the ,wrights1 slow as always to make rash promises1 said frankly that they had never flown much higher than #ajj feet1 but that the plane could fly at much more than #a1jjj feet1 though they would probably need additional practice before making a demonstration4 ,they could increase either the speed or the weight-carrying capacity1 too2 but it would not be easy to do both in the same machine--no more than one could produce a draft horse and a race horse in the same animal4 ,the demonstrations of the machine the ,wrights agreed to make were already stiff enough1 and if they failed on any one of them1 within the allotted time1 even if only on account of delay caused by accident1 their contract would be broken2 but they felt sure of what they could do and were willing to take the chance4 ,when the time limit for the deposit of the rest of the #a1jjj1jjj francs with ,j4 ,p4 ,morgan expired1 on ,april #e1 the commission was recalled4 ,before leaving ,dayton the visitors expressed their own vexation over the rejection by the ,paris officials of their recommendations4 ,the members of the commission still believed1 though1 that when ,bonel and ,fordyce were back in ,paris and presented all the facts to the ,war ,ministry1 there would be an extension of time and the deal carried out4 ,but it never was4 ,the ,french ,minister of ,war agreed1 however1 that the ,wrights were entitled to receive the forfeit money of #be1jjj francs held in escrow by ,j4 ,p4 ,morgan ,co4 ,before leaving ,dayton1 the ,frenchmen said they believed they knew what was back of the failure to close the deal4 ,they said frankly that it was probably the present attitude of ,captain ,ferber1 the man who had been instrumental in starting the negotiations4 ,ferber1 they thought1 with the ,moroccan question no longer pressing1 had now decided that with his knowledge of the ,wright plane he could build one himself1 and so become the ,french pioneer in aviation--a greater honor than being merely the instrument of introducing the aeroplane into ,france4 ,during the time the ,frenchmen were at their hotel in ,dayton1 it might have been expected that their presence would become known to local newspapermen and that the world would have learned of what was going on4 ,to avoid attracting attention they had taken the precaution to avoid the ,hotel ,algonquin where ,fordyce had stayed on his earlier visit1 and were at the ,beckel ,house4 ,they were unmolested there until an employee of one of the telegraph offices 8tipped off0 a reporter friend4 ,the telegrapher had noticed various cables in code going to ,france and felt sure the ,frenchmen must be carrying on an important deal4 ,a reporter nabbed ,fordyce and ,bonel one evening in the hotel lobby on their return from a theater4 ,as ,bonel spoke no ,english1 ,fordyce parried the reporter's questions4 ,he thought a plausible explanation of their presence would be that they were studying the water system of a typical ,american city4 ,but what he said was that they were studying ,dayton's 8water pipes40 ,that satisfied as well as amused the reporter and nothing about the ,french commission got into the papers4 ,the local newspapermen had failed to note that1 after ,fordyce's previous visit1 the ,new ,york ,herald of ,january #d had printed a brief item about his having seen the ,wrights to discuss a contract4 ,it never occurred to anyone in ,dayton that the ,wright brothers could have attracted visitors from across the ,atlantic1 for the ,wrights still were not 8news40 ,if the ,frenchmen had made a statement that they were there dickering with the ,wrights for a #bjj1jjj contract1 it is possible that the local papers would not have printed it4 ,they might not have believed such a tale4 ,only a few days after the ,french commission had left ,dayton1 another foreign visitor dropped in on the ,wrights--the ,englishman1 ,patrick ,y4 ,alexander4 ,after some casual talk1 he inquired with seeming innocence1 as if just to make conversation3 8,is the ,french commission still here80 ,the ,wrights were startled4 ,so great had been the secrecy about the visit of the ,frenchmen that not many even in the ,french ,government were permitted to know about their trip to ,dayton4 ,how did this mysterious ,britisher know about it8 ,the ,wrights assumed that he must have been a volunteer worker in the ,british secret service4 ,it was now obvious that he had crossed the ,atlantic for no other purpose than to call on the ,wrights and had hoped to burst in upon them while the ,frenchmen were still there4 ,after a stay of only one day in ,dayton he hastened back to ,new ,york to sail on the next boat4 ,his call made it all the more clear that the ,british were then more interested in what other ,european governments were doing about planes than in acquiring an air fleet of their own4 ,incredulity about the ,wrights' power flights continued at the ,aro ,club and in newspaper circles in ,france4 ,in ,november1 #aijf1 the ,wrights received a visitor in ,dayton1 ,sherman ,morse1 representing the ,new ,york ,herald4 ,his introduction was a cabled message to his managing editor from the owner of the paper1 ,james ,gordon ,bennett1 in ,paris4 ,the message said3 ,send one of your best reporters to ,dayton to get truth about ,wright brothers' reported flights4 ,the reporter got the truth and wrote intelligent articles that appeared in the ,new ,york ,herald4 ,these included reports of men who had witnessed flights4 ,parts of the ,morse articles appeared in the ,herald's ,paris edition on ,november #bb and #bc4 ,but evidently those in charge of the ,paris ,herald still were not convinced by the reports from ,dayton by their own man4 ,on ,november #bh1 the ,paris ,herald had an editorial about the ,wrights which included the statement that in ,europe curiosity about their machine was 8clouded with skepticism owing to the fact that information regarding the invention is so small while the results which its inventors claim to have achieved are so colossal40 ,and the next day1 the ,paris ,herald gave space to a news item in which ,santos-,dumont was reported as saying that he 8did not find any evidence of their the ,wrights having done anything at all40 ,late in #aijf1 ,frank ,s4 ,lahm1 who had cabled his brother-in-law1 ,weaver1 to make an investigation1 was in the ,united ,states1 and he1 accompanied by ,weaver1 went on ,november #bb to see the ,wrights in ,dayton4 ,he was convinced1 of course1 that their statements could be relied upon1 but he made further investigation of his own1 interviewing witnesses not previously seen by ,weaver4 ,after his return to ,paris1 he prepared a long letter to the ,paris ,herald1 in which he expressed his belief in the reported flights4 ,the newspaper devoted a column to the ,lahm letter on ,february #aj1 #aijg4 ,but having distrusted what their own representative had written1 it was not to be expected that the editors would give full belief to what ,lahm now told them4 ,in the same issue as his letter1 was an editorial headed 8,flyers or ,liars40 8,the ,wrights have flown or they have not flown10 the paper profoundly stated4 8,they possess a machine or they do not possess one4 ,they are in fact either flyers or liars4444 ,it is difficult to fly2 it is easy to say #8we have flown4'0 ,,xii ,,the ,,wrights ,,in ,,europe ,the ,wrights were at work in #aijf developing a new engine having vertical instead of horizontal cylinders4 ,though they were doing no flying1 brief references to them occasionally appeared in newspapers4 ,these caught the attention of a ,new ,york businessman1 ,u4 ,s4 ,eddy1 who thought the ,wrights and their patents might be of interest to ,charles ,r4 ,flint ,company1 ,new ,york bankers and promoters4 ,eddy was a former partner of ,flint in a shipping line and knew that they were constantly on the lookout for new inventions worthy of their consideration4 ,partly to do a favor for an old friend and associate1 he decided to go to ,dayton for a talk with the ,wrights4 ,eddy arrived in ,dayton on ,thanksgiving ,day and saw the ,wrights the next day4 ,they did not discuss business at this meeting4 ,eddy simply got acquainted with them1 and satisfied himself that any statements they made about their invention could be depended upon2 but he did tell them he felt sure the ,flint firm would be much interested in helping them to develop the machine's financial possibilities4 ,the ,wrights left ,dayton on ,december #e for ,new ,york1 to attend an exhibit to be given by the newly formed ,aero ,club of ,america4 ,before leaving ,new ,york they went with ,eddy to meet ,f4 ,r4 ,cordley1 a member of the ,flint firm4 ,at this time ,flint was in ,europe1 but the ,wrights met him in ,new ,york not long afterward4 ,flint was often over-enthusiastic about new projects1 and ,cordley was the more cautious member of the firm4 ,his job was to hold ,flint in check4 ,but he1 as well as ,flint and other associates1 was favorably impressed by the ,wrights1 and they began to talk business4 ,on ,december #bf1 #aijf1 ,george ,h4 ,nolte1 an employee of the firm1 went to ,dayton to work out preliminary details4 ,at first the ,flints spoke of the possibility of buying all ,european rights to the airplane2 but the deal finally made was that the ,flints should be the ,wrights' business representatives1 on a twenty per cent commission basis1 in all countries except the ,united ,states4 ,a year or two later it was agreed that the ,wrights should manage their own affairs also in ,great ,britain and its colonies4 ,the ,flints proposed that they would have the ,czar of ,russia1 and certain other crowned heads1 request private demonstrations of the flying-machine4 ,but the ,wrights were not impressed by such suggestions and in a letter to the ,flints said they thought it would be better for them to 8look the ground over first before making arrangements with the ,czar40 ,the ,flints had an associate in ,europe1 ,hart ,o4 ,berg1 who1 in #ahii1 had helped to introduce ,american electric automobiles on the continent4 ,he had acted1 too1 for ,simon ,lake1 inventor of the submarine1 in dealing with ,russia and other foreign governments4 ,they thought ,berg might be able to start negotiations for forming a ,european ,wright company4 ,but ,berg1 not knowing the ,wrights1 and feeling scant confidence in what they were reported to have done1 was less than lukewarm over the idea4 ,flint suggested that it would be well for at least one of the ,wrights to go to ,europe1 with expenses paid1 to discuss their invention with ,berg and give him more faith in it4 ,the ,wrights themselves1 said ,flint1 could do more than anyone else to implant in ,berg the wholehearted enthusiasm he would need to convince possible buyers4 ,on ,may #ae1 #aijg1 a telegram came from the ,flint office urging that one of the ,wrights should start to ,europe at once4 ,wilbur 8grabbed a few things0 and prepared to go to ,new ,york the next day1 to sail on the ,campania4 ,as he planned to tarry abroad only a short time--only long enough to convince ,berg--his baggage consisted of one suit case4 ,he would stop first in ,england for a brief stay before going to ,paris4 ,wilbur was to land in ,liverpool on a ,saturday4 ,berg1 eager to see one of the ,wrights face to face and settle in his own mind if these inventors were really dependable1 went to ,london to meet him4 8,i knew him the minute he stepped from the train10 said ,berg long afterward4 8,to begin with1 it is always easy to spot an ,american among ,englishmen1 and ,i saw no other ,american coming down the platform4 ,but even if there had been other ,americans ,i'm sure ,i would have known which one was ,wilbur ,wright4 ,there was a modest self-assurance about him that tallied with his character as ,i had heard about it40 ,after the first greetings1 ,berg said3 8,now let's see about picking up the rest of your luggage40 ,but ,wilbur smilingly explained that the one suit case was all he had brought4 ,on the way to the hotel1 ,wilbur decided that it might be advisable for him to buy a suit of evening clothes and they went at once to a tailor shop on the ,strand4 ,it didn't take ,berg long to convince himself that ,wilbur ,wright was no slicker1 but decidedly on the level1 and that if he said his machine would fly1 then it must be true4 ,a day after their first meeting1 ,berg and ,wilbur were joined by ,f4 ,r4 ,cordley1 of the ,flint firm1 in ,europe on a vacation trip1 and the three went to ,paris together4 ,they 8descended10 as the ,french say1 at the ,hotel ,meurice1 on the rue de ,rivoli4 ,it was still broad daylight when they arrived and ,berg almost immediately led ,wilbur across the street into the ,tuileries gardens4 ,they strolled to the ,place de la ,concorde and looked up the length of the magnificent ,avenue des ,champs ,elyses to the ,arc de ,triomphe4 ,the horse chestnut trees were still in blossom1 and ,berg1 a resident of ,paris during most of his life1 was feeling happy over the opportunity to show this stranger his first glimpse of the most beautiful city on earth at its loveliest season4 ,before he had been long in ,paris1 ,wilbur attended a balloon meet at ,st4 ,cloud1 and a few days later made his first trip in a balloon4 ,a ,paris ,herald reporter1 who talked with ,wilbur at ,st4 ,cloud1 was impressed by his reticence and made this statement3 8,mr4 ,wright talked carefully1 as if all was mapped out in advance4 ,it was obvious that he feared to be caught in a trap concerning his remarkable machine and what he wants to do with it4 ,at the end of each question his clean-shaven face relapsed into a broad1 sphinx-like smile40 ,it now seemed wise to try to form a company to buy ,european rights to the airplane1 or to sell the rights to a private financier1 rather than to deal with the ,government1 through politicians2 and a wealthy man had become interested3 ,m4 ,henri ,deutsch de la ,meurthe1 an oil magnate1 who had also been a patron of ballooning4 ,when ,wilbur ,wright met ,deutsch de la ,meurthe1 the latter1 a cautious trader1 said that before investing any money he wanted to make sure the ,french ,government would be interested in buying airplanes4 ,wilbur then decided that it would be both discourteous and imprudent not to have a talk with ,letellier or ,fordyce1 with whom there had been previous negotiations1 and let them know what was going on--particularly since ,deutsch de la ,meurthe was known to have close relations with ,le ,matin1 a rival of ,letellier's newspaper1 ,le ,journal4 ,he got in touch with ,fordyce1 and told him a little of the current situation4 ,shortly afterward1 ,letellier invited ,wilbur to lunch4 ,letellier seemed indignant that the ,wrights had not resumed negotiations with him4 ,wilbur told him he could doubtless be included if a company should be formed4 ,but that didn't suit ,letellier4 ,he didn't care to join a company organized by ,deutsch de la ,meurthe2 if a company was formed he wanted to be the prime mover in it himself4 ,he said nothing1 however1 about interfering with efforts being made to form a company--possibly because he thought they would not be successful4 ,deutsch de la ,meurthe now went to call upon the ,minister of ,marine1 with whom he was well acquainted1 and was escorted by him to meet the ,minister of ,war1 ,general ,picquart1 a hero of the ,dreyfus case4 ,general ,picquart was not familiar with what had previously been done regarding the possible purchase of a ,wright machine1 as the negotiations had been carried on during the regime of his predecessor4 ,but he had ,commandant ,bonel bring the records to him and when he looked them over was impressed by the fact that the ,wrights' invention had been considered seriously4 ,no less impressed was ,deutsch de la ,meurthe4 ,general ,picquart said he realized the importance of the ,wright invention and was disposed to take favorable action toward buying planes1 provided the ,wrights would guarantee that their machine could fly at a height of #cjj meters4 ,that was enough encouragement for ,deutsch de la ,meurthe4 ,in fact1 he became highly enthusiastic over the outlook4 ,he had not before appreciated the seriousness of the previous negotiations4 ,now he began to talk about details of the articles of incorporation of a proposed company4 ,commandant ,bonel was elated over the news that his government might at last be buying ,wright airplanes4 ,his pride and prestige had been hurt by the failure of his recommendations to be accepted4 ,moreover1 for patriotic reasons1 he wanted the ,french ,army to be the first to adopt what he regarded as an epoch-making new invention4 ,now that the outlook was once again more favorable1 he was in a communicative mood when he chanced to meet ,fordyce1 with whom he had traveled to ,dayton4 ,fordyce showed his surprise at what ,bonel told him4 ,he went at once to tell this news to his employer1 ,m4 ,letellier4 ,now ,letellier expressed great indignation4 ,he had an agreement in writing1 he said1 that if the ,war ,ministry bought any ,wright airplanes the purchase should be made through ,le ,journal1 and any departure from that plan he must construe as an unfriendly and illegal act4 ,immediately he went to the office of the ,minister of ,war where with great politeness he showed to ,general ,picquart a letter obtained from his predecessor4 ,since the option the ,wrights had given to ,fordyce had expired1 the agreement between the ,war ,ministry and ,letellier was no longer in force4 ,but ,general ,picquart1 if he understood that1 after a hasty examination of the records1 did not argue the point4 ,possibly he was too practical a politician to enter a controversy with an influential publisher4 ,at any rate1 he asked ,deutsch de la ,meurthe to withdraw from the negotiations4 ,it was ,deutsch de la ,meurthe's turn to be indignant4 ,he believed at first that the ,wrights had simply used him for a tool4 ,but later1 when he understood the facts and saw that the ,wrights were not to blame for what had happened1 he once more was friendly with them4 ,the ,wrights saw that their most promising opportunity for an immediate contract was through ,letellier and ,le ,journal4 ,consequently1 ,fordyce1 representing that newspaper1 came back into the picture4 ,within a day or two after negotiations were thus resumed1 ,fordyce came to ,berg in an apologetic mood1 showing deep embarrassment4 ,he said he had been asked to submit a proposal that it hardly seemed worth while to discuss at all2 and yet he had no choice but to convey a message1 as had been requested of him1 by a man high in government circles4 ,the deal might go through at once1 said ,fordyce1 but there would have to be a little re-wording of the contract4 ,the ,wrights must not ask #a1jjj1jjj francs but #a1bej1jjj francs4 ,then they would receive their million francs4 ,berg knew well enough what would happen when he told this to ,wilbur4 ,there would be no objection to having the contract call for more money than the ,wrights were to receive1 said ,wilbur calmly1 but the contract must give the name of the man who would receive that additional sum4 ,berg went to the office of the man who had communicated1 by way of ,fordyce1 the astounding suggestion4 ,he hoped there had been some misunderstanding4 ,but to ,berg's astonishment and disgust1 the man said with shocking candor that he would indeed expect #bej1jjj francs 7#ej1jjj7 as his reward for putting through the deal4 ,before indignantly walking out of the man's office1 ,berg told him the ,wrights would never be a party to such financial irregularity and that the negotiations with the ,minister of ,war would have to be carried on without the co-operation of anyone in the ,government who expected to be paid for his efforts4 7,after the first ,world ,war that same man was tried for treason47 ,meanwhile1 ,wilbur had cabled to ,orville to join him in ,paris4 ,and with the prospect that it might be necessary to make a demonstration of what the ,wright machine could do1 a plane was crated and shipped from ,dayton to ,france4 ,orville arrived in ,paris around the first of ,august1 and the ,wright's chief mechanic1 ,charlie ,taylor1 came about a week later4 ,while crossing the ,atlantic1 ,orville had a talk with another passenger that illustrates his possession of a freakish kind of memory4 ,an ,englishman had been introduced to him and1 after a few moments of conversation1 ,orville asked if they had not met before4 ,no1 the ,englishman said1 they had not4 ,he had no recollection of any previous meeting1 and he was sure if there had been one he would remember it4 ,the man's face was not familiar1 but there was something about his voice and gestures that somehow stirred in ,orville old memories4 ,finally1 ,orville inquired3 8,were you by any chance at the ,world's ,fair in ,chicago back in #ahic80 ,the ,englishman nodded4 8,and10 asked ,orville1 8did you ever have occasion to explain to a bystander some kind of device at one of the exhibits80 ,yes1 that also might have happened4 8,there10 said ,orville1 much relieved that his memory had not played him tricks1 8must have been where ,i saw you4 ,i felt sure ,i couldn't be mistaken about your voice40 ,after ,orville had joined ,wilbur at the ,hotel ,meurice1 the brothers did not find their business affairs too pressing to do a lot of sight-seeing4 ,neither one spoke ,french1 but ,orville had acquired a fair reading knowledge of it4 ,oddly enough1 ,wilbur1 who had learned ,greek and ,latin easily1 made no effort to learn ,french4 ,he jokingly said it was a convenience not to know it1 as it saved him from a lot of talking4 ,as they went about their sight-seeing1 ,wilbur1 always a reader of history1 was especially fascinated by all places of historic interest4 ,orville found himself spending much time each day in the ,louvre4 ,those days gave him an appreciation of good paintings that he never lost4 ,negotiations with the ,french ,government dragged on4 ,for weeks the ,wrights were kept in uncertainty4 ,they never saw any of the people they were dealing with4 ,their only contact with anyone at the ,war ,ministry was through ,fordyce1 and they had no way of knowing1 except from what he told them1 whether any progress was being made4 ,nothing came of the long negotiations4 ,the ,wrights were not alone in being disappointed4 ,commandant ,bonel1 not long afterward1 perhaps as a consequence of the failure of his recommendations to be accepted1 resigned from the ,army4 ,late in the summer of #aijg1 the ,wrights left ,paris4 ,orville went first to ,london1 at the suggestion of ,flint ,co4 to have a talk with the receiver of the ,barnum ,bailey circus and the ,buffalo ,bill ,wild ,west ,show1 then in bankruptcy4 ,the receiver wondered if the ,wright plane could be flown within an enclosure where an admission fee could be charged4 ,wilbur ,wright had set out with ,berg for ,st4 ,petersburg4 ,they changed their minds about going to ,russia1 however1 and1 instead1 stopped at ,berlin where ,orville shortly afterward joined them4 ,as the train on which ,wilbur and ,berg traveled was passing through ,belgium1 ,wilbur noticed a sign indicating that they were in the little town of ,jemappes4 ,then he recalled that a great battle took place there back in #agib4 ,he began to discuss the battle with an exact knowledge of details that astounded ,berg4 ,wilbur had read about it in his youth4 ,over and over again1 ,berg and others who dealt with ,wilbur ,wright1 were similarly impressed not only by the range of his reading but by the fact that no knowledge he had once acquired ever seemed to grow dim4 ,in ,berlin1 the brothers were able to gain direct contact with top flight men--with the minister of the ,kaiser's war department1#h and also with the minister of the department of transportation4 ,these ,german officials were highly intelligent and not slow about recognizing the tremendous importance of the ,wright machine if it would perform as the brothers said it could4 ,the ,wrights had proposed a contract in which they would agree to furnish a machine capable of carrying1 at a speed of forty miles an hour1 two men and a supply of fuel for a flight of #abe miles1 and to make a demonstration flight of one hour fulfilling every requirement of the contract before one pfennig should be paid to them4 ,the ,german officials could not deny the fairness of this offer1 and could see no reason why the ,wrights should have made it unless they could carry it out4 ,besides1 they were not altogether unacquainted with the earlier work of the ,wright brothers1 accounts of whose glider and power flights had been appearing for five or six years in ,german technical publications4 ,but in spite of all this the officials were in a quandary4 ,they could not bring themselves to believe that what the ,wrights now offered could be possible4 ,they were afraid to sign their names to a contract that generally would be considered as foolish as a contract for a perpetual motion machine4 ,they might become the laughingstock of the world4 ,on the other hand1 these officials did not want to let an invention of such potentialities1 if it really existed1 slip through their fingers4 ,they therefore gave1 instead of a signed contract1 their solemn verbal promise that if the ,wrights would make a flight before them1 such as had been offered in the proposed written contract1 they would buy planes on the terms the ,wrights had offered4#i ,the ,wrights felt that these officials1 being at the head of important departments1 could be relied upon1 and they were willing to take their verbal guarantee to buy planes upon the successful demonstration of the machine4 ,when they left ,germany1 they fully expected to return the next ,march to make such a demonstration4 7,they could not foresee that they would have too many other engagements in definite contracts elsewhere before another four months had passed47 ,wilbur ,wright returned from ,europe in ,november of #aijg4 ,but ,orville remained a little longer to attend to having a number of engines built in ,paris by the firm of ,barriquand ,marre4 ,the ,wrights wanted to have in reserve duplicates of their ,american engine1 at that time in customs1 at ,le ,havre1 for use the next year4 ,barriquand ,marre were manufacturers of precision instruments and had built light motors4 ,they doubted if the ,wright motor gave as much power as was claimed for it1 but they felt sure that if it did1 the copies they made of it--on account of more careful workmanship--would give considerably more power than the original4 ,but as later events showed1 they gave less4 ,at that time it was not known that when one motor is made as an exact copy1 to the thousandth of an inch1 of another motor1 of supposedly the same steels and other metals1 but from different foundries and mills1 months of experiment are required before the new motor can be made to work properly4 ,,xiii ,a ,,deal ,,with ,,the ,u4 ,s4 ,while in ,paris1 in #aijg1 the ,wrights naturally had visits with ,frank ,s4 ,lahm1 who had arranged with his brother-in-law1 ,henry ,weaver1 of ,mansfield1 to investigate the reports from ,america of human flight4 ,lahm invited the inventors to his home and there they met his son1 ,lieutenant ,frank ,p4 ,lahm1#aj who was recuperating from an attack of typhoid fever4 ,the younger ,lahm1 a former instructor at ,west ,point1 had recently spent a year at the ,french ,cavalry ,school at ,saumur4 ,he1 as well as his father1 was much interested in aeronautics4 ,the previous ,october he had won the ,james ,gordon ,bennett balloon race by starting at ,paris and landing in ,england4 ,probably the only ,american ,army officer who recognized that the airplane should now be taken seriously1 he was delighted to meet the ,wright brothers1 with whom he now began a lasting friendship4 ,after he had learned a little about their negotiations in ,france1 he began to urge the ,united ,states ,war ,department to take more interest in the airplane4 ,it so happened that1 in ,september1 #aijg1 only a few weeks after this meeting1 ,lieutenant ,lahm was transferred by the ,war ,department from the ,cavalry to the ,signal ,corps1 to be stationed at ,washington4 ,his first assignment was to make a tour of ,europe1 before returning to ,washington1 and report on the situation regarding dirigible aircraft in several countries4 ,soon afterward he returned to ,washington4 ,the presence of a man in the ,war ,department there who felt enthusiasm for the airplane's possibilities1 and who had strong faith in the ,wrights1 may have had its effect on his associates4 ,at any rate1 there was now in the ,war ,department a man who believed in the ,wrights4 ,when ,wilbur stopped in ,washington shortly before ,thanksgiving1 #aijg1 en route to ,dayton1 on his return from ,france1 he had a talk with ,general ,crozier and ,major ,fuller of the ,ordnance ,department1 and with ,general ,allen1 head of the ,signal ,corps--the organization that would conduct tests of the airplane and use it if the ,ordnance ,board sanctioned and provided funds for its purchase4 ,at this meeting ,wilbur stated the price the ,wrights would accept 7#be1jjj7 and the performance of the machine that they were willing to guarantee4 ,these terms1 agreed upon between the brothers before ,wilbur left ,france1 were stiff enough1 it was thought1 to bar any competition4 ,the ,ordnance ,board was to have a meeting on ,december #e1 and ,wilbur was invited to appear before it4 ,he did so2 but the meeting did not inspire him with confidence that an early contract could be obtained at the price of #be1jjj4 ,the ,wrights were not willing to accept less1 because they thought they had better prospects abroad4 ,however1 the ,signal ,corps soon began drawing up specifications1 and1 on ,december #bc1 advertised for bids4 ,inasmuch as the ,wright machine was the only one in existence that could meet these requirements1 and the price was understood in advance1 advertising for bids may have been superfluous2 but it was considered necessary to meet demands of red tape4 ,among specifications set forth in the advertisement for bids were these3 the plane must be tested in the presence of ,army officers2 it must be able to carry for one hour a passenger besides the pilot1 the two weighing not less than #cej lbs42 it must show an average speed of forty miles an hour1 in a ten-mile test1 and carry enough fuel for #abe miles4 ,also1 the machine must have 8demountability02 that is1 it should be built in such a way that it could be taken apart1 and later reassembled1 without too much difficulty1 when necessary to transport it on an army truck from one place to another4 ,almost from the day the advertisements for bids appeared1 the ,war ,department was subject to editorial attacks--not because it had been so slow about interesting itself in the airplane1 but because it had done so at all6 ,the ,new ,york ,globe said3 ,one might be inclined to assume from the following announcement1 8the ,united ,states ,army is asking bids for a military airship10 that the era of practical human flight had arrived1 or at least that the government had seriously taken up the problem of developing this means of travel4 ,a very brief examination of the conditions imposed and the reward offered for successful bidders suffices1 however1 to prove this assumption a delusion4 ,a machine such as is described in the ,signal ,corps' specifications would record the solution of all the difficulties in the way of the heavier-than-air airship1 and1 in fact1 finally give mankind almost as complete control of the air as it now has of the land and the water4 ,it would be worth to the world almost any number of millions of dollars1 would certainly revolutionize warfare and possibly the transportation of passengers2 would open to easy access regions hitherto inaccessible except to the most daring pioneers and would1 in short1 be probably the most epoch-making invention in the history of civilization4 ,nothing in any way approaching such a machine has ever been constructed 7the ,wright brothers' claims still await public confirmation71 and the man who has achieved such a success would have1 or at least should have1 no need of competing in a contest where the successful bidder might be given his trial because his offer was a few hundred or thousand dollars lower than that of someone else4 ,if there is any possibility that such an airship is within measurable distance of perfection any government could well afford to provide its inventor with unlimited resources and promise him a prize1 in case of success1 running into the millions4 ,the ,american ,magazine of ,aeronautics 7later called ,aeronautics7 devoted its opening article in the issue of ,january1 #aijh1 to pointing out the absurdity of what the ,war ,department was trying to do4 ,there is not a known flying-machine in the world which could fulfill these specifications at the present moment1 declared the editorial4444 ,had an inventor such a machine as required would he not be in a position to ask almost any reasonable sum from the government for its use8 ,would not the government1 instead of the inventor1 be a bidder8444 ,perhaps the ,signal ,corps has been too much influenced by the 8hot air0 of theorizers1 in which aeronautics unfortunately abounds1 who have fathomed the entire problem without ever accomplishing anything2 talk is their stock in trade and models or machines are beneath them because beyond their impractical nature4444 ,why is not the experience with ,professor ,langley a good guide8444 ,we doubt very much if the government receives any bids at all possible to be accepted4 ,to the surprise of nearly everyone1 forty-one proposals were received4 ,most of the bidders were the same kind of cranks the ,ordnance ,board had at first supposed the ,wrights to be2 and their bids were rejected when they failed to put up a required ten per cent of the proposed price of the plane1 as a sign of good faith4 ,two other bidders besides the ,wrights did make a ten per cent deposit4 ,one of these1 ,j4 ,f4 ,scott1 of ,chicago1 had made a bid of #a1jjj1 and promised delivery of a plane in #ahe days4 ,another was ,a4 ,m4 ,herring4 ,his price was #bj1jjj2 delivery to be in #ahj days4 ,the ,wrights' bid was #be1jjj1 with delivery promised in #bjj days4 ,receipt of these unexpected bids created a problem4 ,everyone assumed that none of the bidders except the ,wrights had anything practical to offer2 and yet the government would be expected to accept the lowest bid and let the winner show what he could do4 ,no matter how dismally he failed to meet requirements1 dealing with him would take up time and cause delays4 ,general ,allen1 of the ,signal ,corps1 went to ,secretary of ,war ,taft to inquire how the ,war ,department might get around the difficulty4 ,taft said they could accept all legal bids and as only the ,wrights could meet the requirements1 the others would be eliminated4 ,the only difficulty was that even if no money would ever be paid to the other bidders1 yet it would be illegal to accept the bids unless enough money to pay for whatever was ordered was known to be available4 ,however1 ,taft suggested a way around that4 ,he knew that the ,president had at his disposal an emergency fund to do with as he saw fit4 ,if the ,president wished to he could guarantee that all bidders would be paid if they met the tests4 ,general ,allen1 accompanied by ,captain ,charles ,de ,forest ,chandler and ,lieutenant ,f4 ,p4 ,lahm1 ,signal ,corps officers1 called upon ,president ,roosevelt who promptly agreed with ,taft's suggestion4 ,he told them to accept all bids and that he would place funds at their disposal to meet legal technicalities4 ,the ,signal ,corps then agreed to buy planes from all three bidders if they met the necessary requirements4 ,one of those bidders soon eliminated himself by asking the ,government to return his ten per cent deposit4 ,though the government was not obliged to return the deposit1 it nevertheless did so4 ,herring1 the only remaining legal bidder besides the ,wrights1 hung on a while longer4 ,what ,a4 ,m4 ,herring had in mind was simply to obtain the contract in consequence of his lower price and then try to sublet it to the ,wrights4 ,he even had the effrontery to go to ,dayton to see the ,wrights and make such a proposal4 ,naturally1 they were not interested4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,wright ,,plane ,,in ,,france4 ,the plane is being hauled from one field to another1 near ,le ,mans1 ,france1 in ,august1 #aijh4 ,the ,wrights' bid was accepted on ,february #h1 #aijh4 ,as it happened1 this was not the only important contract the ,wrights entered into at about that time4 ,on ,march #c1 three weeks after the ,signal ,corps had accepted their bid1 they closed a contract with ,lazare ,weiller1 a wealthy ,frenchman1 to form a syndicate to buy the rights to manufacture1 sell1 or license the use of the ,wright plane in ,france4 ,upon completion of certain tests of the machine1 the ,wrights were to receive a substantial amount in cash1 a block of stock1 and provision for royalties4 ,the ,french company would be known as ,la ,compagnie ,gnrale de ,navigation ,arienne4 ,a member of the syndicate was ,m4 ,deutsch de la ,meurthe who had taken steps toward forming a ,french company some time previously4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,wrights ,,and ,,wilbur',s ,,french ,,pupils4 ,left to right1 ,captain ,lucas-,girardville1 ,comte ,charles de ,lambert1 ,orville ,wright1 ,wilbur ,wright1 and ,paul ,tissandier1 at ,pau1 ,france1 early in #aiji4 ,one provision of the ,u4 ,s4 ,war ,department contract was that the ,government could deduct ten per cent of the purchase price for each mile per hour that the machine fell short of the forty-mile goal4 ,that is1 if it went only thirty-nine miles an hour1 the ,wrights would be docked ten per cent2 if only thirty-eight miles1 another ten per cent1 and so on4 ,if the machine did not do at least thirty-six miles an hour1 then the ,government didn't have to accept it at all4 ,on the other hand1 the ,wrights would receive a ten per cent bonus for each mile per hour they attained above forty4 ,it was the intention of the ,signal ,corps1 and the ,wrights so understood it1 that these reduced or additional payments would be for either a mile or a fraction of a mile4 ,but a ,government legal department made a surprising interpretation of that part of the contract4 ,if at the time of the tests the plane went #dj-ii_/ajj miles1 the ,wrights would not be paid for more than #dj2 but if the plane fell short of #dj miles an hour by only #a_/ajj of a mile1 or even less1 then they would be docked for a full mile4 7,orville did not learn of that astounding example of the legal mind at work until after he arrived at ,washington to prepare for the tests and it was then too late to build a faster plane4 ,but in the final tests the next year1 he had a plane that he knew would give the buyer no opportunity to take advantage of what he regarded as a one-sided interpretation of the contract47 ,though the ,wrights had done no flying since ,october1 #aije1 they had done much work on improving both plane and engine4 ,their newest engine1 capable of producing about thirty-five horsepower continuously1 was also so much better as to reliability that now long flights could be made without danger of failure of the motive power4 ,during all their experiments at the ,huffman pasture they had continued to ride 8belly-buster10 as a boy usually does when coasting on a sled4 ,lying flat in that way and controlling the mechanism partly by swinging the hips from one side to the other was good enough for the experimental stages of aviation2 but the ,wrights knew that if a plane was to have practical use the pilot must be able to take an ordinary sitting position and do the controlling and guiding with his hands and feet as in an automobile4 ,it was not all fun lying flat for an hour at a time with head raised to be on the lookout for possible obstacles4 8,i used to think10 said ,orville in later years1 8the back of my neck would break if ,i endured one more turn around the field40 ,the brothers therefore had adopted a different arrangement of the control levers1 for use in a sitting position1 and a seat for a passenger4 ,moreover1 the machine could be steered from either seat and thus was suitable for training other pilots if occasion should arise4 ,the plane sent to ,france for possible trials in #aijg was thus equipped4 ,they revamped the machine they had used at the ,huffman pasture in #aije1 and installed their later improvements4 ,it now had an engine with vertical instead of horizontal cylinders4 ,with this machine they would go to ,kitty ,hawk and gain needed practice in handling their new arrangement of the control levers4 ,the ,united ,states ,government tests would be made at ,fort ,myer1 ,virginia1 near ,washington4 ,delivery of the machine had to be made by ,august #bh1 and the tests themselves were to begin shortly afterward1 in ,september4 ,but at about that same time1 one of the brothers would make a demonstration in ,france4 ,they had not yet decided which of them would fly at ,fort ,myer and which should go to ,france4 ,but both had to be well prepared and there was no time to lose4 ,they must be established at ,kitty ,hawk as soon as possible4 ,wilbur ,wright set out for ,kitty ,hawk ahead of ,orville and arrived there ,april #i1 #aijh4 ,he was joined within a week by a mechanic from ,dayton1 ,charles ,w4 ,furnas4 ,first of all1 it was necessary to do much rebuilding of the camp4 ,the buildings had not only suffered from storms1 but had been stripped of much timber by persons who supposed the ,wrights had permanently abandoned them4 ,the plane was shipped in crates from ,dayton ,april #aa1 but had to be left for some time in a freight depot at ,elizabeth ,city until the new shed was completed at ,kitty ,hawk4 ,both ,orville and the plane reached there on ,april #be4 ,it might have been expected that with at least two governments now showing interest in the ,wright plane1 each of the brothers would have been besieged en route by reporters and others4 ,but the general public1 including reporters1 still seemed disinclined to believe in human flight4 ,at about the same time that the ,wrights were preparing to go to ,kitty ,hawk1 a publisher brought out a new novel by ,h4 ,g4 ,wells1 ,tono-,bungay1 in which the leading character built a gliding machine 8along the lines of the ,wright brothers' airplane10 and finally a flying-machine4 ,that stirred one or two ,american book reviewers to chide the author for putting such fantastic material into a tale otherwise plausible4 ,because of the persistence of that kind of incredulity1 the ,wrights did not expect many sightseers1 least of all newspapermen1 at ,kitty ,hawk during their preparations for government tests4 ,therefore they did not think it necessary to keep their plans secret4 ,though they weren't seeking reporters1 neither were they trying to avoid them4 ,they simply went ahead without giving any thought to newspapermen one way or another4 ,but the ,wrights were about to be discovered4 ,not until ,may #f did either of the brothers make a flight4 ,but the newspapers1 instead of ignoring what the ,wrights had done1 now began to report what they had not done4 ,on ,may #a1 the ,virginian-,pilot1 of ,norfolk 7the same paper that had reported1 not too accurately1 the first flight of an airplane71 carried a wild tale that one of the ,wright brothers had flown1 the day before1 ten miles out over the ocean6 ,practically the same story was widely published the next day4 ,katharine ,wright on ,may #b telegraphed her brothers that 8the newspapers0 had reported a flight4 ,as the ,wrights later learned1 the ,b4 ,z4 ,mittag1 in ,berlin1 carried a dispatch from ,paris3 8,from ,america comes the news that the ,wright brothers for the first time have made in public a controlled flight4 ,the flight was made on ,april #cj1 at ,norfolk1 ,va41 before a ,u4 ,s4 ,government ,commission40 ,that same story must have reached ,london1 for the ,wrights received a cablegram from ,patrick ,alexander3 8,very hearty congratulations40 ,joseph ,dosher1 who had been the ,weather ,bureau man at ,kitty ,hawk in #aijc1 but was now stationed #cj miles north of ,kitty ,hawk1 telephoned to the ,kill ,devil life-saving crew1 on ,may #b1 seeking information about the ,wrights1 presumably at the request of some newspaper4 ,that same day1 the ,greensboro 7,n4 ,c47 ,news published a telegram from ,elizabeth ,city1 dated ,may #a1 saying that the ,wright brothers 8of airship fame0 were at ,nag's ,head with their 8famous flying-machine40 ,on ,may #a1 the ,new ,york ,herald had wired to the ,weather ,bureau operator at ,manteo1 on ,roanoke ,island1 for information4 ,and on ,may #b1 the ,herald published an item with a ,norfolk date line1 that the ,wrights were reported to have flown 8over the ocean40 ,this dispatch appeared also in the ,herald's ,paris edition4 ,just below the report in the ,paris edition was an editorial comment that if the ,wrights had actually flown two miles1 then they had broken the records of ,delagrange and ,farman in ,france4 ,the ,herald editor evidently was still unaware that long before ,delagrange1 ,farman1 or other ,wright copyists abroad had even left the ground in flight1 the ,wright brothers had flown twenty-four miles4 ,inasmuch as the ,wrights had not yet begun their flights of #aijh1 it was not easy for the ,new ,york ,herald to obtain confirmation or more details about the imaginary flight out over the ocean4 ,no regularly employed newspaperman at ,norfolk wanted to go to ,kitty ,hawk on what might be a wild goose chase4 ,but ,d4 ,bruce ,salley1 a free lance reporter at ,norfolk1 was willing to make the trip4 ,salley reached ,manteo on ,may #d1 and the ,wright brothers' records show that he came to their camp the next day4 ,he told the brothers he had been asked by a ,new ,york paper to investigate the story of their flight over the ocean4 ,the day after ,salley's visit1 the ,wrights did make their first flight of the season1 and though ,salley did not see it1 he learned about it by phone from one of the men at the ,kill ,devil life-saving station4 ,his informant told him that one of the ,wrights had flown at least #a1jjj feet1 at about sixty feet above the ground4 ,salley immediately sent a query from ,manteo1 giving briefly the gist of the story1 to a list of papers he hoped would be interested4 ,most of the papers ignored the message2 but the telegraph editor of the ,cleveland 7,ohio7 ,leader not only wasn't interested but was indignant that his intelligence should be insulted by the offer of so improbable a tale4 ,he declined to pay the telegraph toll for the short message1 even though at the night press rate of only one-third of a cent a word the cost could hardly have been more than a dime4 ,his only reply to ,salley was an admonition to 8cut out the wild-cat stuff40 ,salley1 now equally indignant1 wired back offering to give names of well-known persons who could testify to his reliability2 but the ,cleveland editor paid no further attention4 ,when ,salley's query reached the office of the ,new ,york ,herald1 it put the editors in a quandary4 ,though they had printed the brief report about a flight that hadn't occurred1 now they were beginning to wonder if all the reports about the ,wrights weren't fakes4 ,yet they knew that the owner of the paper1 ,james ,gordon ,bennett1 living in ,paris1 would almost certainly discharge any editor responsible for omitting the story if it were true4 ,they decided1 with misgivings1 to print the story and it appeared the next morning on the first page of the ,herald1 though not in the most prominent position4 ,then the editors determined to send a staff man to ,kitty ,hawk for the facts4 ,they picked for this job their star reporter1 brilliant1 lovable ,byron ,r4 ,newton--later to become ,assistant ,secretary of the ,treasury1 and afterward ,collector of ,customs in ,new ,york--one of the ablest newspapermen of his time4 ,if the ,wrights proved to be fakers no one could do a better job than 8,by0 ,newton at exposing them4 ,other editors1 too1 decided that the time had come to get the 8lowdown0 on the ,wright brothers4 ,by the time ,newton reached the little boarding place1 the ,tranquil ,house1 in ,manteo1 he had been joined by two other correspondents3 ,william ,hosier1 of the ,new ,york ,american1 and ,p4 ,h4 ,mc,gowan1 of the ,london ,daily ,mail4 ,the next day two others arrived3 ,arthur ,ruhl1 writer1 and ,james ,h4 ,hare1 photographer1 for ,collier's ,weekly4 ,the newly arrived correspondents1 noting the desolate isolation of ,kitty ,hawk1 thought it probable enough that the ,wrights must prefer to be let alone4 ,perhaps1 they thought1 if intruders came1 the ,wrights wouldn't fly at all4 ,they decided that if the ,wrights were secretive1 they themselves would be no less so4 ,they would hide in the pine woods1 as near as possible to the ,wright camp1 and observe with field glasses what happened4 ,that meant a short walk to a wharf on ,roanoke ,island1 five miles by sailing boat to ,haman's ,bay1 across the sound1 and then a walk of a mile or so over the sand to the place where they should secrete themselves4 ,they made a dicker with a boatman to take them all back and forth each day and act as their guide4 ,provided with food and water1 field glasses1 and cameras1 they set out about #d o'clock each morning from ,may #aa to ,may #ad to keep their vigil4 ,hour after hour they fought mosquitoes and woodticks and sometimes were drenched by rain4 ,but to their astonishment they several times witnessed human flight4 ,the first flight any of them witnessed was early in the morning of ,may #aa4 8,for some minutes10 wrote ,newton1 8the propeller blades continued to flash in the sun1 and then the machine rose obliquely into the air4 ,at first it came directly toward us1 so that we could not tell how fast it was going except that it appeared to increase rapidly in size as it approached4 ,in the excitement of this first flight1 men trained to observe details under all sorts of distractions forgot their cameras1 forgot their watches1 forgot everything but this aerial monster chattering over our heads40 ,however1 8,jimmy0 ,hare got a good photograph of that flight4 ,on ,may #ad1 the correspondents saw what no person on earth had ever seen before--a flying-machine under complete control carrying two men4 ,first ,wilbur made a short flight with ,charles ,w4 ,furnas as passenger1 and then ,orville flew with ,furnas for nearly three minutes4 ,newton predicted in his diary just after that3 8,some day ,congress will erect a monument here to these ,wrights40#aa ,the last flight on ,may #ad1 made by ,wilbur ,wright1 ended in an accident4 ,wilbur had pulled a wrong lever4 ,repairs would have taken a week1 and as the time the brothers could spare had elapsed1 the experiments stopped4 ,but after removing the engine and other machinery for shipment to ,dayton1 the ,wrights left the plane in the shed at ,kitty ,hawk1 thinking they might return4 ,the ending of these trials brought no grief to the correspondents who had been getting up before daylight each morning1 and returning to ,manteo late each afternoon1 footsore and tired1 with their dispatches still to be written4 ,one night's dispatches had brought unexpected trouble for 8,by0 ,newton4 ,though his report had been filed ahead of ,mc,gowan's1 in plenty of time to be relayed from his paper's ,new ,york office to ,paris and appear in the next morning's issue of the ,paris edition1 a needless delay occurred in ,new ,york4 ,in consequence1 ,newton1 through no fault of his own1 was 8scooped0 by ,mc,gowan the next day in the continental edition of the ,london ,daily ,mail4 ,when ,james ,gordon ,bennett1 proprietor of the ,new ,york ,herald1 observed that his ,paris ,herald failed to have any account of the sensational flights at ,kitty ,hawk the day before1 as reported in the rival ,daily ,mail1 he was furious4 ,during the two seasons when the ,wrights had flown a total of #afj miles at ,huffman prairie1 ,bennett1 with scores of reporters at his disposal1 had failed to learn the truth of what the ,wrights had done4 ,but now when he thought a reporter had missed a story about them1 he did not wait to make inquiries but promptly sent a cable to ,new ,york ordering ,newton suspended from the staff4 ,under ,bennett's way of conducting his papers1 suspension usually was a preliminary to permanent discharge4 ,though he was reinstated after he had sent to ,bennett a review of the facts1 along with some affidavits1 ,newton1 all the rest of his life1 felt a grievance against ,bennett and the ,herald4 ,incidentally1 ,mc,gowan's 8scoop0 in the continental edition of the ,daily ,mail which had so disturbed ,bennett1 was not accepted as truth by everyone who read it4 ,charles ,a4 ,bertrand1 in one of the ,paris papers1 ,may #ae1 published this comment3 8,he ,mc,gowan depicts the flight in a manner that does honor to his imagination4 ,if the ,wrights hadn't been seen in ,europe1 one would be justified in believing their very existence as uncertain as their apparatus40 ,during the several days the correspondents were at ,kitty ,hawk1 the ,wrights knew they were being observed4 ,from time to time they caught glimpses of men's heads over the hilltop in the distance4 ,moreover1 they heard each day1 from members of a life-saving crew1 just how many visitors had come4 ,but they simply thought it was a good joke on the mysterious observers1 whoever they were4 ,arthur ,ruhl1 of ,collier's1 had met the ,wrights in ,dayton about a year before4 ,on ,may #ad1 before the final flight1 he came over to the camp4 ,but he said nothing about being a member of the group that had been observing the flights4 ,the ,wrights invited ,ruhl to stay for lunch4 ,but he declined4 ,he seemed to the ,wrights ill at ease and anxious to get away4 ,at a meeting with him some time afterward they learned why4 ,he had come against the wishes of the other correspondents and was afraid he might give away the fact that they were in the near-by woods4 ,on ,may #ae1 the day after the crash1 when it was evident that there would be no more flights1 ,mc,gowan1 of the ,daily ,mail1 went to the camp1 accompanied by still another correspondent who had just arrived1 ,gilson ,gardner1 of the ,washington office of the ,newspaper ,enterprise ,association4 ,mc,gowan remarked that he had once visited ,octave ,chanute's camp at ,dune ,park1 near ,chicago1 in #ahig for the ,chicago ,tribune4 ,another visitor at the camp1 a day or two before that1 was a young man named ,j4 ,c4 ,burkhardt1 dressed in a brand-new outfit of hunting togs4 ,he was a college boy who had come all the way from ,ithaca just to satisfy his curiosity4 8,what would you have done10 ,orville ,wright was asked1 afterward1 8if all those correspondents had come right to your camp each day and sat there to watch you80 8,we'd have had to go ahead just as if they weren't there10 he replied4 8,we couldn't have delayed our work4 ,there was too much to do and our time was short40 ,that the ,wrights would have treated the correspondents politely enough was indicated in a letter from ,orville ,wright to ,byron ,newton1 dated ,june #g1 #aijh4 ,immediately after his return to ,new ,york1 ,newton had written graciously to the ,wrights1 enclosing clippings of his dispatches to the ,herald1 and expressing his admiration for them and their achievements4 8,we were aware of the presence of newspapermen in the woods10 wrote ,orville in reply2 8at least we had often been told that they were there4 ,their presence1 however1 did not bother us in the least1 and ,i am only sorry that you did not come over to see us at our camp4 ,the display of a white flag would have disposed of the rifles and shotguns with which the machine is reported to have been guarded40 ,after publication of many dispatches from these eyewitnesses at ,kitty ,hawk and front page headlines1 it might have been expected that the fact of human flight would now be generally accepted4 ,as ,newton had written to his paper1 there was 8no longer any ground for questioning the performance of these men and their wonderful machine40 ,ruhl in ,collier's had told how the correspondents had informed the world that 8it was all right1 the rumors true--that man could fly40 ,yet even such reports by leading journalists still did not convince the general public4 ,people began to concede that perhaps there might be something in it1 but many newspapers still did not publish the news4 ,when ,newton sent an article1 some weeks later1 on what he had seen at ,kitty ,hawk1 to a leading magazine1 it came back to him with the editor's comment3 8,while your manuscript has been read with much interest1 it does not seem to qualify either as fact or fiction40 ,,xiv ,,end ,,of ,,disbelief ,the ,wrights decided that ,wilbur should go to ,france to make the demonstrations there4 ,orville would stay in ,america to build the machine for the ,united ,states ,government and test it at ,fort ,myer1 near ,washington4 ,wilbur did not return to ,dayton from ,kitty ,hawk but went to ,new ,york where he sailed for ,europe on ,may #ba4 ,orville arrived at ,fort ,myer in ,august4 ,two mechanics1 ,taylor and ,furnas1 who were to assist him1 had reached there a few days earlier4 ,army officers designated a shed on the ,fort ,myer grounds for use in assembling and housing the plane4 ,orville's first flight was on ,september #c1 #aijh4 ,he went from the ,cosmos ,club1 where he was staying1 to ,fort ,myer by street car4 ,it is doubtful if any of the others on that car suspected that this fellow passenger was on his way to perform a miracle4 ,when he reached ,fort ,myer1 ,orville got the impression that not all the ,army officers present thought he would succeed in meeting the tests required by the contract4 ,the area from which the flights would be made was only about #gjj by #a1jjj feet4 ,neither of the ,wrights had ever before made flights within so small a space4 ,considering that this was an opportunity to see the outstanding wonder of the century1 the crowd that strung about the parade ground was small4 ,theodore ,roosevelt1 ,jr41 estimated it for his father1 then ,president1 at less than one thousand4 ,indeed1 it was probably much less than that4 ,orville circled the field one and one-half times on that first test and was in the air only one minute1 eleven seconds2 but the crowd 8went crazy40 8,when the plane first rose10 said ,roosevelt1 ,jr41 in describing the event1 years afterward1 8the crowd's gasp of astonishment was not alone at the wonder of it1 but because it was so unexpected4 ,i'll never forget the impression the sound from the crowd made on me4 ,it was a sound of complete surprise40 ,when he landed after this flight it was ,orville's turn to be astonished4 ,three or four supposedly 8hard-boiled0 newspapermen who rushed up to interview him had been so stirred by witnessing the 8impossible0 that each of them had tears streaming down his cheeks4 7,those who witnessed this flight might have been prepared for what they saw and less surprised1 since ,wilbur ,wright for more than a month had been making flights in ,france--told about in a later chapter--and some of these were reported in the newspapers4 ,but the brief newspaper accounts of ,wilbur's flights seldom if ever had first page display and were not treated as important news4 ,on ,august #i1 the day after ,wilbur's first flight1 the ,new ,york ,times had no mention of the event1 though it gave first page space to a dispatch from ,canton1 ,ohio1 about a balloon trip1 and to a dispatch from ,berlin about the ,german ,kaiser contributing to a fund for building another ,zeppelin airship47 ,nor did newspapers show too much excitement about this great public demonstration of practical aviation4 ,it was not considered front page news even by ,washington papers4 ,the ,new ,york ,world account was on page five and most of the report was not about the wonder of the flying-machine1 but about the behavior of the crowd1 described as in fear of being hit by what the ,world called 8the vessel40 ,many thousands were present on the second day of the tests when ,orville flew about three miles in four minutes1 fifteen seconds4 ,after one of these flights1 a reporter1 it was said1 got in touch with ,professor ,simon ,newcomb who1 a few years before1 had so irrefutably explained why flying was impossible4 ,the reporter wanted to know if ,professor ,newcomb thought passenger planes would be the next step4 8,no10 ,newcomb was reported to have replied1 8because no plane could ever carry the weight of anyone besides the pilot40 ,it might have been expected that by this time ,professor ,newcomb would have become more cautious6 ,orville made a short flight on ,september #g1 and two flights the next day2 one of eleven minutes1 ten seconds2 the other of seven minutes1 thirty-four seconds4 ,on the morning of ,september #i1 he circled the field fifty-seven times in fifty-seven minutes1 twenty-five seconds4 ,later in the day1 he circled the field fifty-five times in one hour1 two and one-quarter minutes4 ,then he surprised and delighted his friend1 ,lieutenant ,frank ,p4 ,lahm1 by inviting him to go with him for a flight4 ,they were in the air six minutes1 twenty-four seconds1 and circled the field six and one-half times4 ,all three of these flights on the ninth established new world endurance records2 two of them for flights with pilot alone1 and the third for pilot with passenger4 ,orville made a flight of one hour1 five minutes1 fifty-two seconds on ,september #aj1 rising to a height of #bjj feet and exceeding the world endurance record made by himself the day before4 ,on the next day he again broke the one-man endurance record by flying for one hour1 ten minutes1 and twenty-four seconds1 while circling the field fifty-seven times and describing two figure eights4 ,on the twelfth1 he increased the two-man endurance record by taking with him ,major ,george ,o4 ,squier1 ,acting ,chief ,signal ,officer1 for a flight of nine minutes1 six seconds4 ,immediately after that1 ,orville made a flight alone4 ,he circled the field seventy-one times in one hour and fifteen minutes--again breaking the endurance record for one-man flight4 ,it was estimated that he reached a height of #cjj feet4 ,the next and final flight1 ,september #ag1 ended in tragedy4 ,lieutenant ,thomas ,selfridge1 a twenty-six-year-old ,west ,point graduate1 from ,san ,francisco1 had been assigned at his own request to go along as passenger4 ,before they had been in the air more than three or four minutes1 and while in the fourth round at a height of about #abe feet over the field1 ,orville heard1 or felt1 a light tapping in the rear part of the machine4 ,he thought it was in the chain drive4 ,a hurried glance revealed nothing wrong there2 but he decided to shut off the power and descend4 ,hardly had he reached this decision when two big thumps1 which shook the machine violently1 followed by the machine swerving to the right1 showed that something had gone wrong4 ,he immediately shut off the motor4 ,directly ahead was a gulley filled with small trees1 a dangerous landing spot4 ,he decided on a half-circle to the left1 to land on the parade grounds1 and it was then that he discovered that the tail was inoperative4 ,by twisting the wings to give the greatest possible resistance to the left one1 he did succeed in turning the machine until it faced directly into the field4 ,in this maneuver the machine had descended about one-third of the way toward the ground without any indication of serious trouble4 ,orville moved the lever to straighten the wing tips1 to proceed straight ahead4 ,then the machine suddenly turned down in front4 ,for fifty feet it was headed almost directly toward the ground1 although the front elevator was turned to its limit4 ,when about twenty-five feet from the ground the machine began to right itself1 and if there had been another twenty feet to go1 or possibly even ten feet1 it might have landed safely4 ,but the recovery of control came too late4 ,the machine hit the ground with such impact that ,lieutenant ,selfridge was fatally injured and died a few hours later4 ,his skull had been fractured by a blow against one of the wooden uprights of the framework4 ,orville1 though at first believed to be perhaps fatally hurt1 had miraculously escaped with what then appeared to be only a fractured left leg and four broken ribs4 ,he never lost consciousness and his first concern was about ,selfridge4 7,not until twelve years later1 after suffering severe pains1 did ,orville learn1 from a careful ,x-ray examination in a famous medical clinic1 that the ,fort ,myer accident had also caused three fractures in the hip bones1 besides a dislocation of one of them47 ,now that an airplane passenger had been killed1 the ,fort ,myer demonstrations at last reached the front pages of newspapers4 ,the day after the accident1 the mechanics1 ,taylor and ,fumas1 brought the broken propeller and some of the other broken parts to ,orville's bedside4 ,from these parts he was able to determine the cause of the accident4 ,a new pair of propellers1 several inches longer than any previously used1 had been installed just before the flight4 ,the trouble started when a longitudinal crack developed in one blade of the right propeller4 ,this crack permitted the blade to flatten and lose much of its thrust1 with the result that the pressures on the two blades became unequal1 causing a severe vibration of the propeller shaft housing4 ,the vibration loosened one of the stay wires that held in position the tube in which the propeller shaft turned4 ,then the propeller began to swing sidewise and forward until a blade hit and tore loose the stay wire to the vertical tail1 permitting the tail to take a nearly horizontal position4 ,a pressure on the tail's underside lifted the rear of the machine1 thus causing it to dart for the ground4 ,while ,orville was recovering from his injuries1 an acquaintance1 ,c4 ,h4 ,claudy1 visited him and asked3 8,has it got your nerve80 8,nerve80 repeated ,orville1 not quite understanding4 8,oh1 you mean will ,i be afraid to fly again8 ,the only thing ,i'm afraid of is that ,i can't get well soon enough to finish those tests next year40 ,the cost had been high1 but one result of those incomplete tests was that widespread incredulity in the ,united ,states about the ,wrights' achievements now finally ceased4 ,at last1 everyone1 including even the most skeptical scientists1 was convinced that a practical flying-machine was a reality4 ,,xv ,,when ,,wilbur ,,wright ,,won ,,france ,wilbur ,wright reached ,france in ,may1 #aijh1 to fly the ,wright machine that for a year had been in its crate at the customs warehouse in ,le ,havre4 ,if he accomplished what he expected1 final details of the ,wrights' business arrangement with the recently formed ,french syndicate would be carried out4 ,as during the previous stay1 when both the ,wright brothers were in ,europe1 ,wilbur kept in close touch with ,hart ,o4 ,berg1 ,european associate of ,charles ,r4 ,flint ,co41 the ,wrights' business representatives in all except the ,english-speaking countries4 ,one of the first questions to be settled was where the actual demonstration of the ,wright plane should take place4 ,naturally1 there were not yet any areas in ,europe designated as flying fields4 ,the locality for the flights was determined in consequence of the courtesies of ,lon ,bolle1 an automobile manufacturer1 who had a factory at ,le ,mans1 about #abe miles from ,paris4#ab ,when ,bolle learned that ,wilbur ,wright was in ,france and looking for a suitable field1 he sent a message to ,wilbur suggesting that a satisfactory place could doubtless be found near ,le ,mans where there was a great stretch of level country4 ,he added that ,wilbur would be welcome to use a wing of the ,bolle factory for assembling his plane4 ,wilbur ,wright and ,hart ,o4 ,berg took a train to ,le ,mans where they spent several hours 8looking for a good pasture40 ,the most nearly ideal field for their purpose was a large open area at ,auvours1 about five miles from ,le ,mans1 used by the ,french war department for testing artillery2 but it was not then available4 ,another place they noticed was the ,hunaudires race track4 ,the oval field within the track appeared to be large enough for their needs4 ,there were a few trees1 but ,wilbur said he could easily steer clear of them4 ,the next day1 in ,paris1 ,m4 ,nicolai1 president of the ,jockey ,club and principal owner of the ,hunaudires race track1 agreed to the use of the field1 at a monthly rental1 for as long as needed4 ,now the crated ,wright plane was shipped from ,le ,havre to the ,bolle factory and1 late in ,june1 ,wilbur set to work there4 ,he assembled the working parts and put the motor and cooling system to a series of rigid tests4 ,on ,july #d ,wilbur met with a painful accident4 ,a rubber connection in the cooling system burst and he was badly scalded on his left arm by hot water4 ,this was one of several unavoidable delays that made many skeptics think it would be a long time before ,wilbur would attempt a public demonstration4 ,one ,paris newspaper said3 8,le bluff continue40 ,wilbur had been quoted as saying that the tests would be 8child's play10 and 8jeu d'enfant0 was often repeated1 with sarcasm1 by the incredulous4 ,painful as his burns were1 ,wilbur saw a funny side to the accident and sent home a hilarious letter about the ,french doctor who came 8with a keg of oil0 to apply to the blisters4 ,shortly afterward1 ,wilbur wanted a coiled wire spring to insert in a hose used in the cooling system1 to prevent the hose from collapsing from suction4 ,a ,french mechanic who had been assisting him went with him to a near-by factory to have the coil made4 ,not knowing any ,french1 ,wilbur could not follow the long conversation he overheard1 but they came away without the coil4 ,it seemed strange to ,wilbur that the kind of wire needed should not have been easily obtainable and he spoke of this to the man who had been his interpreter4 ,but1 said the ,frenchman1 the wire was available4 8,then10 asked ,wilbur1 in surprise1 8why didn't we get it80 ,oh1 explained the ,frenchman1 because when he and the man at the factory talked it over it didn't seem to them that using a coiled wire spring in the way ,wilbur had in mind was a sound idea6 ,while working on his machine at the ,bolle factory1 ,wilbur did something1 probably just because it seemed the natural thing to do1 with no thought of the impression it would make1 that delighted the hearts of the factory employees4 ,he kept the same hours that the others did and his whole behavior was as if he were simply one more workman4 ,when the whistle blew for the noon hour1 he knocked off along with the others1 and went1 in overalls1 to lunch4 ,this lack of any sign of aloofness caused much favorable comment4 ,wilbur's greatest admirer1 however1 was ,lon ,bolle himself4 ,though they had no common language1 they managed to exchange ideas and formed a warm friendship4 ,bolle1 a jolly rotund man with a saucy little beard1 was ever ready to be of any service4 ,incidentally1 though ,bolle had no thought of personal gain when he generously offered the use of space in his factory1 the fact that ,wilbur worked on his plane there did not hurt the sale of ,bolle cars4 ,but the work was soon transferred from the ,bolle factory to the field at ,hunaudires where a hastily constructed hangar had been built4 ,another item of preparation was the setting up of a launching derrick1 similar to the one the ,wrights had first used in their experiments at the ,huffman pasture4 ,huge weights were attached at one end of a rope which ran over pulleys and had a metal ring at the other end to be caught on a hook at the front of the plane4 ,when the plane shot forward1 the rope automatically dropped away4 ,as at previous trials1 the plane when ready to take off rested on a small truck having two flanged wheels that ran on a single-rail1 iron-shod1 wooden track1 about sixty feet long4 ,not until ,august #h1 did ,wilbur attempt his first flight4 ,a good-sized crowd was present1 the majority from ,le ,mans and the near-by countryside1 but it included many members of the ,aro ,club of ,france and various newspaper representatives from ,paris4 ,in describing the scene1 years afterward1 ,hart ,o4 ,berg said3 8,wilbur ,wright's quiet self-confidence was reassuring4 ,one thing that1 to me at least1 made his appearance all the more dramatic1 was that he was not dressed as if about to do something daring or unusual4 ,he1 of course1 had no special pilot's helmet or jacket1 since no such garb yet existed1 but appeared in the ordinary gray suit he usually wore1 and a cap4 ,and he had on1 as he nearly always did when not in overalls1 a high1 starched collar40 ,at least one man among the spectators felt certain the flight would not be a success4 ,that was ,m4 ,archdeacon1 prominent in the ,aro ,club4 ,so sure was ,m4 ,archdeacon that ,wilbur ,wright would be deflated that1 as the time set for the flight approached1 he was explaining to those near him in the grandstand just what was 8wrong0 about the design of the ,wright machine1 and why it could not be expected to fly well4 ,wilbur's immediate preparations had been made with great care4 ,first of all1 the starting rail had been set precisely in the direction of and against the wind4 ,the engine was started by two men1 each pulling down a blade of the two propellers and the plane was held back by a wire attached to a hook and releasing trigger near the pilot's seat4 ,after the engine was warmed up1 ,fleury1 ,berg's chauffeur1 took hold of the right wing4 ,wilbur released the trigger and the plane was pulled forward by the falling weights4 ,fleury kept it in balance until the accelerating speed left him behind4 ,by the time it had reached the end of the rail1 the plane left the track with enough speed to sustain itself and climb4 ,at some distance1 directly in front of ,wilbur as he started to rise1 were tall trees1 but they gave him no concern4 ,he bore off easily to the left and went ahead in a curve that brought him back almost over the starting point4 ,then he swung to the right and made another great turn4 ,most of the time he was thirty or thirty-five feet above the ground4 ,he was in the air only one minute and forty-five seconds1 but he had made history4 ,the crowd knew well they had 8seen something0 and behaved accordingly4 ,in the excited babel of voices one or two phrases could be heard again and again4 8,cet homme a conquis l'air60 8,il n'est pas bluffeur60 ,yes1 truly ,wilbur had conquered the air1 and he was no bluffer4 ,that ,american word 8bluffer0 had been much used during the time that reports from the ,united ,states about the ,wrights had been stirring controversy in ,france4 ,now 8bluffeur0 became1 more than ever1 a part of the ,french language4 8,to think that one would call the ,wrights #8bluffeurs'60 lamented the ,french press over and over again4 ,for the next few minutes after ,wilbur landed1 ,berg was kept busy laughingly warding off agitated ,frenchmen who sought to bestow a formal accolade by kissing ,wilbur in the ,french manner on both cheeks4 ,he suspected that ,wilbur might consider that carrying enthusiasm too far4 ,one of the skeptical members of the ,aro ,club1 ,edouard ,surcouf1 a balloonist1 had arrived at the field late1 barely in time to see ,wilbur in the air4 ,now he was about the most enthusiastic of all4 ,he rushed up to ,berg1 exclaiming3 8,c'est le plus grand erreur du sicle60 ,disbelieving the claims of the ,wrights may not have been the biggest error of the century1 but obviously it had at least been a mistake4 ,the only person who offered criticism or minimized the brilliance of his feat was ,wilbur ,wright4 ,when asked by a reporter for the ,paris edition of the ,new ,york ,herald if he was satisfied with the exhibition1 he replied1 according to that paper3 8,not altogether4 ,when in the air ,i made no less than ten mistakes owing to the fact that ,i have been laying off from flying so long2 but ,i corrected them rapidly1 so ,i don't suppose anyone watching really knew ,i had made any mistake at all4 ,i was very pleased at the way my first flight in ,france was received40 ,a crowd of ,aro ,club members and other admirers were insistent that ,wilbur should go back to ,paris with them to celebrate the achievement at the best dinner to be obtained in that center of inspired cooking4 ,but ,wilbur just thanked them and said he wished to give his machine a little going over4 ,early that evening1 so the newspapers reported1 8he was asleep at the side of his creation40 ,the ,french press the next day not only treated the flight as the biggest news1 but was unsparing in its praise1 as were various rivals in the field of aviation who were quoted4 ,all admitted that there was a world of difference between the best ,french plane yet produced and the one ,wilbur ,wright had just demonstrated4 ,the ,figaro said3 8,it was not merely a success but a triumph2 a conclusive trial and a decisive victory for aviation1 the news of which will revolutionize scientific circles throughout the world40 ,le ,journal observed that3 8,it was the first trial of the ,wright airplane1 whose qualities have long been regarded with doubt1 and it was perfect40 ,louis ,bleriot1 member of the ,aro ,club1 wealthy manufacturer of automobile headlights1 and himself a flyer1 was quoted in ,le ,matin as saying3 8,the ,wright machine is indeed superior to our airplanes40 ,as early as ,may1 #aijh1 when the ,wrights were still at ,kitty ,hawk1 the ,frenchman1 ,henri ,farman1 had issued a challenge to them to participate in a flying contest1 for #e1jjj--later raised to #aj1jjj4 ,but the challenge1 made only in public prints1 was never sent directly to the ,wrights4 ,it may have been simply what today would be called a 8publicity stunt40 7,farman's best straightaway flight of about a mile and a quarter had been made at ,issy1 ,france1 on ,march #ba1 #aijh47 ,nothing more was heard of the ,farman challenge now4 ,a ,french paper commented that the ,farman plane and also that of ,lon ,delagrange were approximate copies of the ,wright plane but that the ,wright machine 8seems more solid1 more controllable1 and more scientific40 ,two days after that first demonstration1 on ,august #aj1 ,wilbur made two more short flights1 the first one a figure eight1 and the other1 three complete circles4 ,he flew on ,august #aa for #c minutes #dc seconds2 the next day1 #f minutes #ef seconds2 and on ,august #ac1 #h minutes #ac4b seconds4 ,this time he did seven wide 8orbes10 as the ,french described them4 ,in landing that day ,wilbur broke the left wing of his plane and repairs kept him from flying until ,august #ba4 ,he took time out on ,august #bd to attend an agricultural fair where reporters observed that he seemed much interested in pigs and cattle and1 as one paper expressed it1 8talked much more freely about them than about aviation40 ,after those first few flights1 the army officer in charge of the artillery testing grounds at ,auvours let it be known that the military people at ,paris would be proud to have ,wilbur ,wright's further demonstrations carried on there4 ,as the military field was larger than that at ,hunaudires1 ,wilbur was glad to make the change4 ,the ,hunaudires hangar--which ,wilbur persisted in calling the 8shed0--was torn down and rebuilt within twenty-four hours at ,auvours4 ,as the two fields were only about ten miles apart1 ,wilbur could have flown the plane to the new location2 but with so much at stake he was taking no chances4 ,the plane was placed longitudinally on two wheels fastened behind ,lon ,bolle's automobile and towed to the ,auvours field without removing the wings4 ,within a month after setting up operations at ,auvours1 ,wilbur was flying many times the distance between the two fields4 ,all parts of ,france were now flooded with souvenir post cards bearing pictures of ,wilbur or of his plane in flight4 ,and the ,french people gave him all the hero-worship of which they were capable4 ,there was talk of a public subscription for a testimonial to him4 ,when the ,french ambassador to the ,united ,states reached ,new ,york a short time later he declared that ,wilbur ,wright was accepted as the biggest man in ,france4 ,it wasn't alone his achievements in the air that won the people1 but also his modesty1 decency1 and intelligence4 ,the ,french papers made enthusiastic comment on the fact that in conversation he seemed to be exceptionally well informed not only about scientific work1 but also on art1 literature1 medicine1 and affairs of the world4 ,newspapermen liked ,wilbur because he always made it plain that they were welcome4 ,they probably liked him all the more because1 as a joke1 he usually put them at manual work1 to fetch tools1 or help drag the plane in and out of the hangar4 ,those who had access to the hangar were impressed by the orderliness of the place4 ,wilbur's canvas cot was hauled up by ropes toward the roof during the day1 and the space where he slept was divided from another section of the building by a low partition made of wood from packing cases4 ,wilbur explained that one room was his bedroom1 the other his dining-room4 ,another trait that appealed to the ,french was ,wilbur's punctuality at all appointments4 ,no one ever had to wait even a minute on him4 ,nothing ,wilbur was overheard to say by ,french journalists seemed too trivial to be recorded4 ,one day he said 8fine0 to an assistant1 by way of commendation1 and the next day a ,paris paper explained that ,wilbur meant 8,c'est beau40 8,boys1 let's fix these ropes0 was promptly translated as 8,allons1 jeunes gens1 allez disposer les cordes40 ,wilbur was flooded with letters of all kinds4 ,some were from scientists seeking information1 and hundreds came from women who desired to make his acquaintance4 ,he tried his best to answer all sensible questions from scientists2 the others went into the stove4 ,he was equally considerate of scientific-minded people--including those who might be considered rivals in aviation--who came in person4 ,to all who had real interest he patiently explained any detail of his machine4 ,but he was capable of quiet sarcasm toward the ill-informed who started to enlighten him about aerodynamics4 ,it now became the fashionable thing for ,parisians to take a train down to ,le ,mans and drive from there to the ,champ d',auvours to see ,wilbur fly4 ,amusing episodes grew out of that4 ,since the flights were not often announced in advance1 those who made the sight-seeing trip had to take their chances4 ,but some of the callers felt almost a personal affront if ,wilbur made no flight on the day they happened to be there4 ,one ,american society woman living in ,paris was bitterly resentful when she was told that ,monsieur ,wright was taking a nap and therefore would not fly that afternoon4 8,the idea10 said she1 petulantly1 8of his being asleep when ,i came all the way down here to see him in the air60 ,cabmen at ,le ,mans found the sudden influx of visitors so profitable that they tried to make the most of it and encouraged people who had been disappointed to come again the next day4 ,they would always say3 8,he is sure to fly tomorrow4 ,we have it on good authority40 ,so grateful to ,wilbur were members of the 8,le ,mans-,auvours ,aeroplane ,bus ,service0 for the profitable trade he had created1 that they wanted to give a banquet in his honor4 ,news of ,wilbur's flights at ,le ,mans naturally caused talk in ,england4 ,members of the ,aeronautical ,society of ,great ,britain1 one after another1 went to ,le ,mans in doubt about the flights being as wonderful as reported1 but returned convinced that the age of practical flying-machines had come4 ,one of the first to go from ,england to investigate was ,griffith ,brewer1 who had been making balloon ascensions since #ahia4 ,half apologetically1 lest he be thought over-credulous1 he confided to an old associate of his in ballooning1 ,charles ,s4 ,rolls1 founder of the ,rolls-,royce motor car firm1 that he was going to ,france to see ,wilbur ,wright fly4 ,rolls laughed and said he had just returned from seeing him fly4 ,on his arrival at ,le ,mans1 ,brewer walked to the shed at the edge of the field4 ,opposite the shed1 in the middle of the field1 was ,wilbur ,wright tuning up his machine4 ,as a crowd was about ,wilbur1 ,brewer hesitated to add to it1 but sat down by the shed to smoke his pipe4 ,when a mechanic came from the machine over to the shed for a tool1 ,brewer handed him a calling card with the request that he give it to ,wilbur ,wright4 ,wilbur glanced at the card1 nodded to ,brewer1 and went on with his work4 ,there was no flight1 but it was some time before ,wilbur returned to the shed2 and as he stayed inside for what seemed a long time1 ,brewer began to think there might be an indefinite wait4 ,then ,wilbur came out1 putting on his coat1 and said3 8,now1 ,mr4 ,brewer1 we'll go and have some dinner40 ,they went to ,madame ,pollet's inn near by for a simple meal and ,brewer1 eager though he was to discuss aviation1 wondered if the inventor might not appreciate a rest from the subject of flying4 ,he therefore talked to him of affairs in ,america4 ,wilbur liked that1 and they formed a friendship4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,old ,,and ,,the ,,new ,,in ,,transportation4 ,two views of the ,wright plane in flight at ,pau1 ,france1 in #aiji4 ,on ,september #ab1 ,wilbur was guest of honor at a dinner in ,paris given by the ,aro ,club of the ,sarthe 7the governmental department in which ,le ,mans was located74 ,it was understood that he would not be expected to make a speech1 but ,baron d',estournelles1 member of the ,senate from ,le ,mans1 who presided1 did nevertheless call upon him4 ,wilbur then1 in justification of his unwillingness to say much1 made a remark that became famous4 ,illustration3 ,,demonstration ,,at ,,pau4 ,wilbur ,wright explaining the plane's mechanism to ,alfonso ,,xiii of ,spain4 8,i know of only one bird1 the parrot1 that talks10 he was quoted as saying1 8and it can't fly very high40 ,for the first time in ,france1 ,wilbur1 on ,september #af1 took up a passenger1 a young ,french balloonist1 ,ernest ,zens4 ,two days later1 in the early morning of ,september #ah1 as he was about to make a flight1 ,wilbur got word about the tragic accident at ,fort ,myer the day before1 when ,lieutenant ,selfridge was killed and ,orville ,wright injured1 it was not yet known how seriously4 ,within a few hours cables brought word that ,orville would recover1 and ,wilbur was able to fly again the next day4 ,two days later1 on ,september #ba1 he flew about forty miles1 in #a hour #ca minutes #be4d seconds4 ,news of that proved to be better medicine for ,orville1 in ,washington1 than anything the attending physician could do4 ,many passengers now made short flights with ,wilbur4 ,they included1 on ,october #c1 ,mr4 ,dickin1 of the ,paris edition of the ,new ,york ,herald1 and ,franz ,reichel1 of the ,paris ,figaro4 ,reichel was so enthusiastic over his flight of nearly an hour1 that on landing he threw his arms about ,wilbur4 ,lon ,bolle had his first flight on ,october #e1 and the next day ,arnold ,fordyce flew with ,wilbur for #a hour #d minutes and #bf seconds1 the longest flight yet made in an airplane with a passenger4 ,now that ,wilbur was carrying much weight and on longer flights1 the ,paris edition of the ,new ,york ,herald became impressed with future possibilities for carrying mail by plane4 ,it predicted that the time might come when there would be special stamps for 8aeroplane delivery40 ,a witness to several of these flights in early ,october was ,major ,b4 ,f4 ,s4 ,baden-,powell1 ,president of the ,aeronautical ,society of ,great ,britain 7and a brother of the founder of the ,boy ,scouts74 ,he was so impressed by what he saw that he sounded a warning to his fellow countrymen4 ,major ,baden-,powell was quoted as follows in the ,paris edition of the ,new ,york ,herald on ,october #f1 #aijh3 ,if only some of our people in ,england could see or imagine what ,mr4 ,wright is now doing ,i am certain it would give them a terrible shock4 ,a conquest of the air by any nation means more than the average man is willing to admit or even think about4 ,that ,wilbur ,wright is in possession of a power which controls the fate of nations is beyond dispute4 ,hart ,o4 ,berg1 on ,october #g1 went for a flight1 his first1 lasting three minutes and twenty-four seconds4 ,immediately afterward ,wilbur took ,mrs4 ,berg for a flight1 of two minutes1 three seconds1 the first ever made anywhere in the world by a woman4 7,one or two women were reported to have been in planes that made short hops1 but ,mrs4 ,berg was certainly the first woman to participate in a real flight47 ,berg tied a rope about the lower part of his wife's skirt to keep it from blowing4 ,a ,paris dressmaker who was among the spectators noted that ,mrs4 ,berg could hardly walk1 after landing1 with that rope above her ankles4 ,there1 thought the couturire1 was a suggestion for something fashionable4 ,a costume with skirt thus drawn between the ankles and the knees to make natural locomotion difficult should appeal to any customers who happened to be both stupid and rich4 ,thus was born the 8hobble skirt0 which1 for a short time1 was considered 8smart40 ,the next day1 ,october #h1 her royal highness1 ,margherita1 the dowager queen of ,italy1 who was touring ,france1 came to see a flight4 8,you have let me witness the most astonishing spectacle ,i have ever seen10 was her comment to ,wilbur ,wright4 ,on that same ,october #h1 ,griffith ,brewer1 making his second visit to ,le ,mans1 won the distinction of being the first ,englishman ever to fly4 ,he was followed almost immediately by three other ,british ,aeronautical ,society members1 ,c4 ,s4 ,rolls1 ,f4 ,h4 ,butler1 and ,major ,baden-,powell4 ,one of the ,englishmen remarked3 8,how decent it is of ,wilbur ,wright never to accept a fee for any of these flights1 when there are scores of persons who would gladly pay hundreds of pounds for the privilege40 ,wilbur continued until the end of the year to take up passengers at ,auvours4 ,among them1 on ,october #aj1 was ,m4 ,painlev1 of the ,french ,institute4 ,as they were taking off1 ,m4 ,painlev gaily waved his hand at the crowd and in so doing accidentally pulled a rope overhead that ,wilbur used for stopping the engine4 ,after another start1 the flight lasted one hour1 nine minutes1 forty-five seconds1 and covered forty-six miles1 a world record for both duration and distance for an airplane carrying two persons4 ,two other women besides ,mrs4 ,berg had short flights--,mesdames ,lon ,bolle and ,lazare ,weiller4 ,a passenger on ,october #bd was ,dr4 ,pirelli1 leading tire manufacturer in ,italy4 ,later1 in ,november1 ,f4 ,s4 ,lahm1 one of the first in ,europe to believe the ,wrights had flown1 had his first ride in a plane4 ,among the distinguished people who made passenger flights were two destined to die by assassins' bullets3 ,paul ,doumer1 member of the ,french parliament1 afterward ,president of ,france2 and ,louis ,barthou1 ,minister of ,public ,works and ,aerial ,communications1 afterward ,premier4 ,under the terms of the contract between the ,wrights and the newly formed ,french company1 one of the ,wright brothers was to train three pilots4 ,wilbur began this training at ,auvours4 ,the students were ,count ,charles de ,lambert1 ,paul ,tissandier1 and ,captain ,lucas de ,girardville4 ,both ,tissandier and de ,lambert had made flights as passengers on ,september #bh1 but did not begin their training until later4 ,captain ,lucas de ,girardville went up as a passenger for the first time on ,october #ab4 ,the first to receive a lesson at piloting was ,count de ,lambert on ,october #bh4 ,the ,aro ,club of ,france had offered a prize of #b1ejj francs for an altitude of twenty-five meters4 ,but there was a 8catch0 to that offer4 ,a little clique in the ,aro ,club1 a bit over-chauvinistic1 wanted a native experimenter to win1 and that was why the altitude to be attained was fairly low4 ,it was stipulated that anyone competing for the prize must start without use of derrick or catapult4 ,the ,french experimenters had wheels on their machines and could get as long a start as necessary before leaving the ground4 ,but the ,wright machine1 designed for the rough1 sandy ground at ,kitty ,hawk1 and the somewhat bumpy ,huffman field1 still had skids instead of wheels4 ,thus the rules for the contest seemed to be aimed to prevent ,wilbur ,wright from winning the prize4 ,members of the ,aro ,club of the ,sarthe thought their compatriots in the ,aro ,club of ,france were being unsportsmanlike1 and they offered a prize of #a1jjj francs for an altitude record of thirty meters4 ,wilbur won it on ,november #ac4 ,in doing so he went three times as high as required1 reaching an altitude of ninety meters4 ,then ,wilbur decided that he might as well win the prize of the ,aro ,club of ,france1 and do so on their own terms4 ,he arranged for a longer starting track than usual1 and1 five days after taking the prize for thirty meters1 he started without the use of derrick or catapult and won the prize for twenty-five meters4 ,to the delight of his friends in the ,aro ,club of the ,sarthe1 he purposely did not throw in much altitude for good measure and went only high enough to clear safely the captive balloon that showed the height required4 ,on ,december #af1 ,wilbur astounded the spectators by shutting off the motor at an altitude of about #bjj feet and volplaning slowly down4 ,and on ,december #ah1 he flew for #a hour #ed minutes #ec4d seconds4 ,later that same day he won another prize offered by the ,aro ,club of the ,sarthe for an altitude of a hundred meters4 ,wilbur went ten meters higher than required4 ,this was a new world's record for altitude4 ,then on ,december #ca1 the last day he ever flew at ,auvours1 he made what was then an almost incredible record of staying continuously in the air #b hours #bj minutes #bc4b seconds4 ,for this feat he won the ,michelin award of #d1jjj1 or #bj1jjj francs4 ,as the weather at ,le ,mans was no longer ideal for flying1 it was necessary to seek a warmer climate1 and at the suggestion of ,paul ,tissandier1 ,wilbur decided to go to ,pau1 a beautiful winter resort city of #ce1jjj1 at the edge of the ,pyrenees4 ,the city of ,pau provided a field and a hangar4#ac ,at about the same time1 ,orville ,wright1 now rapidly recuperating from his injuries at ,fort ,myer1 arrived in ,paris with their sister1 ,katharine1 for a reunion with ,wilbur4 ,then ,wilbur went on down to ,pau1 and his brother and sister joined him there a week or two later4 ,en route to ,pau1 their train met with an accident near the town of ,dax1 in which two persons were killed4 ,the ,wrights escaped injury1 but ,orville was a bit startled for another reason4 ,when the crash came1 his mattress tipped up on one side at the same time that his watch1 pocketbook and other articles slid off a stand or shelf beside the bed4 ,his valuables thus got themselves hid beneath the mattress and1 until he chanced to find them1 it looked as if he had been robbed4 ,as at ,le ,mans1 ,wilbur lived at the hangar1 where he had a ,french cook the hospitable ,mayor de ,lassence1 of ,pau1 had selected4 ,his brother and sister lived at the ,hotel ,gassion1 not far from the famous old chteau where ,henry ,,iv was born1 and within a short stroll from the ,place near the center of the city that affords what ,lamartine has called the finest land view in all the world4 ,the ,wrights were not long in discovering that life here should be ideal4 ,wilbur's ,french cook proved to be competent enough at preparing regional and other choice dishes--though ,katharine ,wright did not think he had quite the best technique with a broom for keeping the quarters clean4 ,a ,london newspaper photographer gave ,orville a photograph of his sister demonstrating to that ,frenchman how to handle a broom4 ,by coming to ,pau the ,wrights had unintentionally played a joke on ,james ,gordon ,bennett1 owner of the ,new ,york ,herald and ,paris ,herald4 ,a few years previously1 when ,bennett was spending the winter there1 he had a tally-ho party and someone in the party had attracted the attention of the police4 ,the episode was reported in local newspapers4 ,bennett was so indignant that he laid down a rule for both his papers to say as little as possible about ,pau4 ,but now1 with ,wilbur ,wright flying there1 the town could hardly be ignored4 ,pau date lines were again frequent in the ,bennett papers4 ,wilbur did not attempt any new records at ,pau1 but devoted most of his time to teaching the young pilots for the ,french ,wright company4 ,count ,charles de ,lambert continued his training1 and his wife1 almost equally enthusiastic over aviation1 made a passenger flight4 ,another woman to make a flight at ,pau was ,katharine ,wright herself4 ,it was her first trip in a plane1 though1 as she laughingly remarked1 she had heard plenty about aviation4 ,an ,american multi-millionaire from ,philadelphia1 spending some time at ,pau1 announced1 with the self-confidence money sometimes gives1 that he intended to make a flight with ,wilbur4 ,when told that ,wilbur was not taking up any passengers1 he replied3 8,oh1 ,i daresay that can be arranged40 8,i'd like to be around when you do the arranging1 just to see how it's done10 observed ,lord ,northcliffe1 owner of the ,london ,daily ,mail1 who had recently arrived and become acquainted with the ,wrights4 ,the ,american went away without having had his ride4 ,in ,february1 ,king ,alfonso of ,spain came to ,pau with his entourage1 and the ,wrights were formally presented to him at the field4 8,an honor and a pleasure to meet you10 said the king4 ,alfonso showed more boyish enthusiasm about the plane than almost anyone4 ,he was eager to fly1 but both his queen and his cabinet had exacted a promise that he would not4 ,however1 he climbed aboard the plane and sat there for a long time fascinated while ,wilbur painstakingly explained every detail4 ,a little later1 on ,march #ag1 still another king arrived4 ,edward ,,vii of ,england came by automobile with his suite from near-by ,biarritz4 ,the presentation of the brothers and their sister was made at the field and ,edward showed his customary graciousness4 ,he did not seek any technical details about the machine1 but was much interested in seeing the flights themselves and in meeting the ,wrights4 ,it was during the stay of ,king ,edward that ,miss ,katharine ,wright made her second trip in an airplane4 ,other famous personages continued to come to ,pau1 among them ,lord ,arthur ,balfour1 former ,prime ,minister of ,england4 ,sometimes when ,wilbur was preparing for a flight1 visitors would pull on the rope that raised the weights on the launching derrick4 ,balfour insisted that he must not be denied this privilege of 8taking part in a miracle0 and did his share of yanking at the rope4 ,another man who shared in handling the rope that day was a young ,english duke4 8,i'm so glad that young man is helping with the rope10 said ,lord ,northcliffe to ,orville ,wright1 with a motion of his head toward the duke1 8for ,i'm sure it is the only useful thing he has ever done in his life40 ,northcliffe1 after his meeting with the ,wrights at ,pau1 became one of their most enthusiastic supporters in ,england4 ,long afterward1 he publicly made this comment3 8,i never knew more simple1 unaffected people than ,wilbur1 ,orville1 and ,katharine4 ,after the ,wrights had been in ,europe a few weeks they became world heroes1 and when they went to ,pau their demonstrations were visited by thousands of people from all parts of ,europe--by kings and lesser men1 but ,i don't think the excitement and interest produced by their extraordinary feat had any effect on them at all40 ,,xvi ,,further ,,adventures ,,in #aiji ,shortly after they were established at ,pau1 the ,wrights received a call from a ,german1 ,captain ,alfred ,hildebrandt4 ,this was not the first time he had tried to see them4 ,he had stopped in ,dayton1 on his way homeward after attending the international balloon races at ,st4 ,louis1 in #aijg2 but on reaching ,dayton he learned that the ,wrights were in ,europe4 ,captain ,hildebrandt came to ,pau on behalf of a newspaper publisher4 ,his principal was ,herr ,scherl1 owner of the ,lokal ,anzeiger1 a leading paper in ,berlin4 ,scherl thought it would be a great stroke of advertising for his paper if he could arrange for a big public demonstration of a ,wright machine1 with the general public invited to be the paper's guests4 ,it was arranged that one of the ,wrights should make a series of flights at ,berlin1 later that year1 for a substantial fee4 ,the brothers later decided that the ,berlin flights should be made by ,orville4 ,a move had been started in ,italy to have demonstrations of the ,wright plane in ,rome4 ,dr4 ,pirelli1 ,italian tire manufacturer1 who had flown with ,wilbur ,wright at ,le ,mans1 was believed to have made the first suggestion that led to organizing an aviation club at ,rome to buy a ,wright plane4 ,this 8club0 was supposed to be backed at least partly by the ,italian ,government1 and the arrangement with the ,wrights provided for the training of two lieutenants1 one from the ,navy1 the other from the ,army4 ,parts and material for six new planes had already been shipped to ,europe from ,dayton1 and the parts for one of these were sent to ,pau1 where they were built into a complete machine4 ,the machine was then taken down in sections and shipped to ,rome4 7,the one used in the ,french flights became the personal property of ,lazare ,weiller1 organizer of the ,french ,wright company1 and later it went to a museum in ,paris47 ,in ,april the ,wrights returned from ,pau to ,paris1 and after a brief stay there ,wilbur went to ,rome4 ,he was joined there later by ,orville and ,katharine1 who went to a hotel opposite the ,barberini ,palace4 ,count and ,countess di ,celleri1 of the ,italian nobility1 had a cottage adjoining their villa near the flying field at ,centocelle1 and they offered it to ,wilbur4 ,countess di ,celleri later felt more than repaid when she had a passenger flight in the ,wright plane4 ,when the machine shipped from ,pau in sections arrived in ,rome it was reassembled in an automobile factory1 just outside the city limits1 on the ,flaminian ,way4 ,it was then moved across the city on a truck drawn by a magnificent team of gray horses to a military field in ,centocelle4 ,as the strange-looking machine was carried through ,roman streets past ancient ruins1 it is doubtful if amazed beholders had ever seen a greater contrast between old and new4 ,almost immediately after his arrival1 ,wilbur began the training of the ,italian flyers1 naval ,lieutenant ,calderara and ,lieutenant ,savoia1 of the army engineering corps4 7,calderara was afterward the air attach at the ,italian ,embassy in ,washington2 and ,lieutenant ,savoia became the head of the well-known ,italian aviation company of that name47 ,king ,victor ,emmanuel came to witness flights4 ,as he strolled about the field with a folding camera suspended from his shoulder1 he might have been mistaken for just one more tourist4 ,other sightseers who came to the field were the elder ,j4 ,p4 ,morgan and the famous railroader1 ,james ,j4 ,hill4 ,among those who made flights with ,wilbur were ,lloyd ,griscom1 the ,american ,ambassador1 and ,sonnino1 former ,premier of ,italy4 ,soon after that1 for the first time1 an operator took a motion picture from an airplane in flight4 ,while at ,rome the ,wrights established friendship with another ,german1 ,captain von ,kehler1 whom they had already met in ,berlin1 and he played an important part in steps toward forming a ,wright company in ,germany4 ,captain von ,kehler was managing director of the ,studien ,gesellschaft1 an organization for the study of aeronautics1 that had been formed after a meeting between certain outstanding ,german industrialists and the ,kaiser1 back in #aijf4 ,the ,kaiser had called the representatives of the ,krupps and other powerful industrialists to ,potsdam to give them a big banquet at the close of which he said he thought ,germany should be looking into the possibilities of the development of the airship 7lighter-than-air74 ,just what should be done he did not pretend to know4 ,that problem1 he said1 he would turn over to them4 ,they knew what he meant4 ,they1 as a patriotic duty1 must provide money for research and experimentation in the lighter-than-air field or else lose standing with their ,kaiser4 ,thus did the ,studien ,gesellschaft come into being4 ,the organization began experiments by building a dirigible known as the ,parseval1 named for its designer1 ,major ,parseval4 ,the ,parseval turned out to be an expensive experiment4 ,at the end of two years the subscribed funds were nearly exhausted and the project far from completion4 ,the subscribers began to fear another invitation to dinner4 ,just at this time they began to hear reports about the aeroplane flights of the ,wrights in ,france1 and they became much interested4 ,it occurred to them that experiments with the new flying-machine would perhaps be less expensive than experiments with a dirigible1 and that prospects for the aeroplane might be greater than for the dirigible4 ,captain von ,kehler went to ,rome to talk with the ,wrights4 ,he told them that some of the wealthy men in the ,studien ,gesellschaft would like to form a ,german ,wright company4 ,before he left ,rome1 a preliminary contract was signed4 ,its terms provided that the brothers should receive cash1 a block of stock in the company1 and ten per cent royalty on all planes sold4 ,the final contract was closed in ,august1 #aiji4 ,after leaving ,rome the ,wrights made a brief stay in ,paris and went to ,le ,mans to receive a bronze art piece presented by the ,aro ,club of the ,sarthe4 ,the work in bronze1 by ,louis ,carvin1 showed the ,wright brothers at the edge of a chasm gazing upon an eagle in flight4 ,above them was a winged figure--the spirit of aviation4 ,from ,france the ,wrights went to ,london4 ,there they received gold medals from the ,aeronautical ,society of ,great ,britain and from the ,aero ,club of the ,united ,kingdom at formal banquets4 ,before going to these dinners ,griffith ,brewer was describing to ,wilbur some of the people he would meet4 ,of one man he said3 8,you'll readily recognize him1 as he is the ugliest man in the ,aeronautical ,society40 ,to which ,wilbur replied3 8,he'll lose that distinction on this occasion1 because now there will be a pair of us40 ,on their arrival in ,new ,york the ,wrights attended a luncheon in their honor given by the ,aero ,club of ,america4 ,the ,aero ,club had awarded medals to the ,wrights and these were formally presented a month later by ,president ,taft at the ,white ,house4 ,after an absence of many months1 the ,wrights arrived in ,dayton early in ,may4 ,five weeks later the city had a great celebration in their honor4 ,the home town had now recognized the ,wrights' importance4 ,this 8home coming0 for the ,wrights lasted two days1 ,june #ag and #ah4 ,at #i o'clock on that morning of ,june #ag1 they heard a deafening sound4 ,it did not at once occur to them what it was4 ,every factory whistle in ,dayton was blowing and every bell ringing--all in their honor4 ,this continued for ten minutes4 ,bands were playing and cannons booming4 ,at #aj o'clock the brothers rode in a carriage1 escorted by bands1 to the opening events4 ,ed ,sines1 boyhood chum of ,orville1 and ,ed ,ellis1 long a friend of ,wilbur1 were in the carriage with them4 ,sines and ,ellis1 as a practical joke1 gleefully shook hands1 as if they were the heroes1 with all who tried to greet the ,wrights along the route1 and few knew the difference4 ,after reviewing a parade in their honor that afternoon1 the ,wrights returned to their shop4 ,that night they had opportunity to see a display of fireworks that included their own profiles1 eight feet high1 entwined with an ,american flag4 ,during these two days1 practically all business in ,dayton was suspended--except the sale of souvenir postal cards showing the ,huffman pasture1 the ,hawthorne ,street home1 the flying field at ,le ,mans1 ,france1 and the parade ground at ,fort ,myer4 ,on the second day1 the inventors' father1 ,bishop ,wright1 gave the invocation preceding the presentation of medals to his sons4 ,one medal that had been ordered by act of ,congress was presented by ,general ,james ,allen1 chief signal officer of the ,army2 another1 by the ,ohio legislature1 was presented by ,governor ,harmon2 and a third from the city of ,dayton was presented by the ,mayor4 ,the ,wrights were alongside of #b1ejj school children1 dressed in red1 white and blue1 to represent an immense ,american flag4 ,patriotic fervor ran high4 ,the home folk knew now that the ,wrights could fly2 they knew1 too1 that international fame had not changed them4 ,they were the same unassuming pair they had always been4 ,before the celebration was quite over1 ,wilbur and ,orville took a train to ,washington4 ,the time for completing those ,government trials at ,fort ,myer was approaching and there was much to be done4 ,orville made his first flight on ,june #bh1 and finished on ,july #cj4 ,one of the most memorable of the flights in this series was on that final day when ,orville1 with an ,army officer1 ,lieutenant ,benjamin ,d4 ,foulois1 for passenger1 made the first cross-country trip yet made in an airplane1 a total distance of about ten miles to ,alexandria and return--without any suitable landing spots if trouble had occurred4 ,this was the speed test4 ,the machine now used was capable of about four miles an hour greater speed than the one in the tests the previous year4 ,the turning point in ,alexandria was at ,shuter's ,hill1 where a ,masonic temple now stands4 ,a captive balloon floated above the hill1 and a telegraph line had been run to the top of the hill where an operator was stationed to give a signal when ,orville had passed that point4 ,but a strong wind that day blew down the telegraph line and also kept the balloon so close to the ground that ,orville could not see the turning point in advance and covered more than the required distance4 ,as the plane passed out of sight for a time on the return trip1 the crowd feared the worst2 but when it reappeared1 headed back toward the parade ground1 the honking of automobile horns and excited cheering indicated that everyone knew they had all seen an extraordinary event4 ,the time for the ten miles was fourteen minutes1 or just under forty-three miles an hour4 ,thus the ,wrights got a bonus of #e1jjj more than the basic price agreed upon--ten per cent for each complete mile per hour more than forty--and they received #cj1jjj for the machine4 ,almost immediately after the ,fort ,myer trials and formal acceptance of the machine1 on ,august #b1 by the ,united ,states ,government1 ,orville ,wright1 accompanied by his sister ,katharine1 set out for ,berlin4 ,orville would start training a flyer for the ,german ,wright company immediately after giving the exhibition arranged for by ,captain ,hildebrandt on behalf of the ,lokal ,anzeiger4 ,these first flights in ,germany were to be made at ,tempelhof field1 then a military parade ground1 at the outskirts of ,berlin4 ,on the day set for the initial flight1 there was a terrible wind and ,captain ,hildebrandt1 who accompanied ,orville to the field1 was torn between his desire not to disappoint the crowd and his fear of seeing ,orville take too great a risk4 ,orville said he would follow ,hildebrandt's wishes4 8,no10 said ,hildebrandt1 8don't go up40 ,the next day even more people were present4 ,orville made a flight of fifteen minutes4 ,when he landed it was difficult to keep the crowd from almost smothering him with adulation4 ,people clamored for a chance not only to look at him up close1 but to touch him4 ,men1 women1 and children struggled to lay gentle hands on him1 even to touch his sleeve or the hem of his coat4 ,evidently it was some kind of belief in the desirability of physical contact with a miracle man4 ,after a later flight1 when ,orville stayed in the air fifty-five minutes1 the crowd about him and ,katharine1 who were accompanied by ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,charles ,r4 ,flint1 was so dense that ,orville felt duty bound to move as fast as he could away from his party1 to relieve the pressure on them4 ,thereafter a hollow square of ,german soldiers kept the crowd at a safe distance4 ,the ,german ,crown ,prince1 ,frederick ,wilhelm1 sought to get in touch with ,orville to ask the privilege of seeing a flight4 ,he telephoned to the ,wrights' suite at the ,hotel ,esplanade1 and the call was answered by a young ,german woman whom ,katharine ,wright had employed as interpreter when shopping4 ,when the girl discovered that the voice over the phone was that of a member of the royal family1 she dropped the telephone receiver and almost fainted4 ,members of the hotel staff were not much less agitated when they learned that royalty might be calling on two of their guests4 ,orville ,wright and his sister were invited by ,kaiser ,wilhelm himself to be present--the only civilian guests--on ,august #bi1 when ,count von ,zeppelin would make the first trip in his latest model airship from ,friedrichshafen1 and land at ,tegel field1 ,berlin4 ,when he met ,count von ,zeppelin1 ,orville offered to take him for an airplane ride the next day4 ,the ,count1 after expressing his appreciation1 pleaded lack of time4 ,but he invited ,orville to accompany him in the airship on a trip1 ,september #e1 from ,frankfort to ,mannheim1 and ,orville accepted4 ,in the course of that trip1 ,orville1 by using a stop-watch in his pocket and counting telephone poles1 was able to tell if the reported speed of the ship was correct4 7,when the ,wrights were in ,europe in #aijg1 they had seen flights by government-owned dirigibles in more than one country1 and had noted that the ,german ship1 ,der ,gross1 was the only one that made the speed claimed for it4 ,all they needed to learn was the length of the airship4 ,then by sighting on the corner of a building1 while using a stop-watch1 they could tell to the fraction of a second how long it took for the ship to travel its own length47 ,on the airship's arrival at ,mannheim1 the crowd was so great that ,orville soon became separated from ,captain ,hildebrandt1 who had come along as his interpreter4 ,here he was1 not knowing much ,german1 supposed to be guest of honor at a luncheon1 and he didn't even recall the name of the hotel where the affair was to be held4 ,a member of the committee in charge of the luncheon decided that ,orville would doubtless make his way to the center of the city1 in search of the right hotel1 and that there was just one way to locate him--to drive about the principal streets until he caught sight of him4 ,this man had never met ,orville but he felt sure he would recognize him from pictures he had seen4 ,the plan1 to ,orville's immense relief1 succeeded4 ,on ,september #af1 ,orville raised the world's altitude record from #ajj to #agb meters4 ,two days later1 he made a new world's record for a flight with a passenger4 ,accompanied by ,captain ,paul ,englehardt1 he flew for one hour1 thirty-five minutes1 forty-seven seconds4 ,toward the end of his stay in ,germany1 ,orville's flights were at ,bornstedt field1 near ,potsdam4 ,it was there that he trained two pilots for the ,german ,wright company--,captain ,englehardt and ,herr ,keidel4 ,since his first meeting with ,orville1 the ,german ,crown ,prince had made no secret of his eager desire to fly as a passenger4 ,as early as ,september #i1 ,orville had made a special flight of fifteen minutes for the ,crown ,prince to witness4 ,though he was willing enough to oblige the ,crown ,prince by taking him for a passenger flight1 he hesitated to do so1 lest it might be disapproved by the ,kaiser1 and he made one excuse after another for delay4 ,he had been warned that if he took the ,crown ,prince as passenger against the ,kaiser's wishes1 then he might immediately become persona non grata4 ,the prudent thing to do1 it seemed to ,orville1 was to give members of the royal family plenty of notification4 ,different members of the family came to ,bornstedt field from time to time1 and when he met any of them ,orville was sure to remark that he and the ,crown ,prince were going to have a flight together before long4 ,as no one made any objection1 the ,german ,crown ,prince finally became1 on ,october #b1 the first member of a royal family ever to ride in an airplane4 ,on landing1 the ,crown ,prince handed to ,orville1 as a token of appreciation1 a jeweled stick-pin--a crown set in rubies1 with a 8,w0 in diamonds4 7,the 8,w0 was not for ,wright1 but for ,wilhelm1 the ,crown ,prince's name47 ,on that same day1 ,orville ascended #a1fjj feet for a new--though unofficial--world's altitude record4 ,orville's farewell ascent in ,germany was a twenty-five-minute flight1 ,october #ae1 for ,kaiser ,wilhelm to see4 ,the ,kaiser was enthusiastic and frankly so4 ,he was outspoken in expressing his belief that the airplane might revolutionize warfare1 and talked about the different military uses to which the machine could be put4 ,one thing that impressed him was the maneuverability of the plane4 ,orville had made complete turns within a space not much more than #ajj feet wide4 ,now1 during the time that ,orville was making these sensational demonstrations in ,germany1 ,wilbur ,wright1 in ,america1 had been doing his share to glorify the brotherly partnership4 ,on ,september #bi1 in connection with the ,hudson-,fulton ,celebration1 ,wilbur made spectacular flights witnessed by millions of people4 ,two of these were over ,governors ,island2 and another was from ,governors ,island around the ,statue of ,liberty and back again4 ,on ,october #d1 ,wilbur flew twenty-one miles from ,governors ,island up the ,hudson ,river beyond ,grant's ,tomb and back to the starting point4 ,it was one of the most daring flights yet made in an airplane1 and ,wilbur had taken the precaution to buy a red canoe which he roped to the lower part of the plane4 ,the part of the canoe ordinarily open was covered with canvas to make it water-tight4 ,wilbur's idea was that if anything went wrong the canoe might possibly serve as a buoy1 or pontoon1 to keep the machine afloat4 ,in going up the river he flew over ferryboats1 and hot gases from the smokestacks did cause the plane to make what looked like dangerous plunges4 ,a second flight was planned for that afternoon1 and everyone who could exert influence had applied for a pass to the military reservation on ,governors ,island4 ,but they were disappointed1 for the engine blew a cylinder and that brought the series of flights to a close4 ,almost immediately after his flights for the ,hudson-,fulton ,celebration1 ,wilbur began preparations to train two ,army ,signal ,corps officers1 as provided for in the contract for the sale of a plane to the ,united ,states ,government4 ,this was done at ,college ,park1 ,maryland1 near ,washington4 ,the men trained were ,lieutenants ,frank ,p4 ,lahm and ,frederic ,e4 ,humphreys4 ,their instruction began on ,october #h and was completed ,october #bf4 ,lieutenant ,lahm1 who had been the first army officer ever to fly as a passenger in a plane1 received the first lesson in pilotage4 ,but ,humphreys made the first solo flight1 a few minutes before ,lahm's4 ,wilbur also gave some lessons to ,lieutenant ,benjamin ,d4 ,foulois between ,october #bc and #bg4 ,orville and ,katharine ,wright sailed from ,europe on the ,adriatic1 due in ,new ,york ,november #d4 ,after leaving ,germany1 ,orville had investigated the outlook of the recently formed ,french company4 ,already it appeared that this company would be a disappointment4 ,count de ,lambert had given the company the best kind of advertising by flying a ,wright plane over ,paris1 around and above the ,eiffel ,tower4 ,but the ,french ,wright company evidently was depending more on political influence and on entertaining important people than on sound salesmanship4 ,the ,war ,ministry hesitated to buy planes for fear of public criticism4 ,general ,picquart1 the ,army officer who had stood for justice in the ,dreyfus case1 had become ,minister of ,war4 ,he once inquired of the ,wrights if it would be possible to buy their planes directly from them in the ,united ,states4 ,that would have been against provisions of the contract with the company in ,france1 but there was another reason why it could not be done4 ,the ,wrights were not yet organized to produce planes in great numbers4 ,though there were now two commercial companies for the manufacture of ,wright planes in ,europe1 no such company yet existed in ,america4 ,,xvii ,,in ,,aviation ,,business ,after companies to manufacture the ,wright brothers' invention had been organized in ,france and ,germany1 and a plane had been sold in ,italy1 it might have been expected that important business people in the ,united ,states would see commercial possibilities in the ,wright patents4 ,the inventors had1 indeed1 received offers4 ,one proposal had come from two brothers1 in ,detroit1 influential stockholders in the ,packard ,automobile ,company1 ,russell ,a4 and ,frederick ,m4 ,alger--who some time before had been the first in the ,united ,states to order a ,wright machine for private use4 ,but the first ,american company to manufacture the plane was promoted by a mere youngster4 ,that was ,clinton ,r4 ,peterkin4 ,he was barely twenty-four and looked even younger4 ,only a year or two previously he had been with ,j4 ,p4 ,morgan ,company as 8office boy0--a job he had taken at the age of fifteen4 ,but he had intelligently made the most of his opportunities by spending all the time he could in the firm's inner rooms1 and had learned something of how new business enterprises were started4 ,now1 recently returned from a stay in the ,west because of ill health1 ,peterkin wished to be a promoter1 and he wondered if the ,wright brothers would agree to the formation of a flying-machine company4 ,by chance he learned that ,wilbur ,wright was spending a few days at the ,park ,avenue ,hotel in ,new ,york1 and in ,october1 #aiji1 he went to see him4 ,wilbur was approachable enough and received ,peterkin in a friendly way1 though he didn't seem to set too much store by the young man's proposals4 ,in reply to questions1 ,wilbur said that he and his brother would not care to have a company formed unless those in it were men of consequence4 ,they would want names that carried weight4 ,then ,peterkin spoke of knowing ,j4 ,p4 ,morgan1 whom he might be able to interest4 ,without making any kind of agreement or promise1 ,wilbur told him he could go ahead and see what he could do--doubtless assuming that he would soon become discouraged4 ,but ,peterkin saw ,j4 ,p4 ,morgan who told him he would take stock and that he would subscribe also for his friend ,judge ,elbert ,h4 ,gary1 head of the ,united ,states ,steel ,corporation4 ,after seeing ,morgan1 ,peterkin was enthusiastically telling of his project to a distant relative of his1 a member of a law firm with offices in the financial district4 ,the senior partner in that law firm1 ,de,lancey ,nicoll1 chanced to overhear what ,peterkin was saying and grew interested4 ,he suggested that perhaps he might be of help4 ,that was a good piece of luck for ,peterkin4 ,he could hardly have found a better ally1 for ,de,lancey ,nicoll had an exceptionally wide and intimate acquaintance among men in the world of finance4 ,all he needed to do to interest some of his friends was to call them on the telephone4 ,in a surprisingly short time1 an impressive list of moneyed men were enrolled as subscribers in the proposed flying-machine company4 ,a number of them were prominent in the field of transportation4 ,the list included ,cornelius ,vanderbilt1 ,august ,belmont1 ,howard ,gould1 ,theodore ,p4 ,shonts1 ,allan ,a4 ,ryan1 ,mortimer ,f4 ,plant1 ,andrew ,freedman1 and ,e4 ,j4 ,berwind4 ,shonts was president of the ,new ,york ,interborough subway4 ,ryan1 a son of ,thomas ,f4 ,ryan1 was a director of the ,bethlehem ,steel ,corporation4 ,plant was chairman of the ,board of ,directors of the ,southern ,express ,company1 and ,vice ,president of the ,chicago1 ,indianapolis ,louisville ,railroad4 ,berwind1 as ,president of the ,berwind-,white ,coal ,mining ,company1 had accumulated a great fortune from coal contracts with big steamship lines4 ,freedman had made his money originally as a sports promoter and then in various financial operations4 7,he later provided funds for founding the ,andrew ,freedman ,home in ,new ,york47 ,the ,wrights wanted to have in the company their friends ,robert ,j4 ,collier1 publisher of ,collier's ,weekly1 and the two ,alger brothers of ,detroit4 ,those names were promptly added4 ,but the names of ,j4 ,p4 ,morgan and ,e4 ,h4 ,gary were not in the final list of stockholders4 ,the truth was that some of the others in the proposed company did not want ,morgan with them because they believed--probably correctly--that he would dominate the company2 that where he sat would be the head of the table4 ,one of them phoned to ,morgan that the stock was oversubscribed4 ,when he thus got strong hints that his participation was not too eagerly desired1 ,morgan promptly withdrew his offer to take stock for himself and ,gary4 ,on ,november #bb1 #aiji1 only about a month after ,peterkin's first talk with ,wilbur1 ,the ,wright ,co4 was incorporated4 ,the capital stock represented a paid-in value of #bjj1jjj4 ,in payment for all rights to their patents in the ,united ,states1 the ,wright brothers received stock and cash1 besides a provision for ten per cent royalty on all planes sold2 and ,the ,wright ,co4 would thenceforth bear the expense of prosecuting all suits against patent infringers4 ,from the ,wright brothers' point of view1 the one fly in the ointment was that they now found themselves more involved than ever before in business affairs4 ,it had been their dream to be entirely out of business and able to give their whole time to scientific research4 ,the company opened impressive offices in the ,night and ,day ,bank ,building1 #ebg ,fifth ,avenue1 ,new ,york1 but the factory would be in ,dayton4 ,in ,january1 #aiaj1 ,frank ,russell1 a cousin of the ,algers1 who had been appointed factory manager1 arrived in ,dayton and went to see the ,wrights at their office over the old bicycle shop4 ,as the brothers had no desk space to offer him1 they suggested a room at the rear of a plumbing shop down the street where he might make temporary headquarters4 ,according to ,russell1 ,wilbur ,wright came there a day or two later carrying a basket filled with letters1 directed to ,the ,wright ,co41 that had been accumulating4 8,i don't know what you'll want to do about these10 ,russell has reported ,wilbur as jokingly saying2 8maybe they should be opened4 ,but of course if you open a letter1 there's always the danger that you may decide to answer it1 and then you're apt to find yourself involved in a long correspondence40 ,at first ,the ,wright ,co4 rented floor space in a factory building1 but almost immediately the company started to build a modern factory of its own1 and it was ready for use by ,november1 #aiaj4 ,within a short time after the company started operations in its rented space it had a force of employees at mechanical work and was able to produce about two airplanes a month4 ,the ,wrights well knew that the time was not yet for the company to operate profitably by selling planes for private use4 ,their main opportunity to show a good return on the capital invested would be from public exhibitions4 ,relatively few people in the ,united ,states had yet seen an airplane in flight and crowds would flock to behold this new miracle--still1 in #aiaj1 almost incredible4 ,as soon as they decided to give public exhibitions1 the ,wrights got in touch with another pioneer of the air1 ,roy ,knabenshue1 a young man from ,toledo1 who had been making balloon flights since his early teens1 and was the first in the ,united ,states to have piloted a steerable balloon4 ,they had previously become acquainted with ,knabenshue4 ,because of his curiosity over anything pertaining to aerial navigation1 he had once subscribed to a press-clipping bureau which sent him anything found in the papers about aeronautics2 and in this way he had been able to read an occasional news item about the two ,dayton men said to have flown4 ,with a fairly irresistible impish grin1 ,knabenshue never had much trouble making new acquaintances1 and he decided to call upon the ,wrights4 ,that was before the ,wright flights at ,fort ,myer and in ,france1 and the brothers were not then interested when ,knabenshue suggested that they sell him planes for exhibitions4 8,well10 he said1 8,i have been making airship flights at the big state fairs1 besides promoting public exhibitions1 and ,i know how to make the proper contacts4 ,you may have heard about my flights in a small dirigible at the ,st4 ,louis ,world's ,fair4 ,if you ever decide to give exhibitions1 just let me know40 ,though exhibitions had been farthest from the ,wrights' thoughts at the time of that first meeting with ,knabenshue1 now the situation was different4 ,roy ,knabenshue would probably be the very man they needed4 ,they sent a telegram to him and he received it at ,los ,angeles4 ,he wired back that he would see them as soon as he returned to ,ohio4 ,this he did soon afterward4 ,the result of their conversation was that ,roy took charge of the work of arranging for public flights4 ,he had need of a competent secretary and an intelligent young woman1 ,miss ,mabel ,beck1 came to take the job4 ,this was her first employment and she seemed a bit ill at ease1 lest her work might not be satisfactory2 but almost immediately she became an extraordinarily good assistant--so good1 in fact1 that ,wilbur ,wright afterward selected her to work with him in connection with suits against patent infringers1 and after his death she became secretary to ,orville ,wright1 in which position1 at this writing1 she still is4 ,by the time ,knabenshue had started planning for public exhibitions1 ,orville ,wright had begun the training of pilots to handle the exhibition planes being built4 ,the weather was still too wintry for flying at ,huffman field1 now leased by ,the ,wright ,co41 and it was necessary to find a suitable place in a warmer climate4 ,the field selected was at ,montgomery1 ,alabama4 7,today known as ,maxwell ,field1 it is used by the ,united ,states ,government47 ,shortly after his arrival at ,montgomery1 early in #aiaj1 ,orville ,wright had a new experience in the air4 ,while at an altitude of about #a1ejj feet he found himself unable to descend1 even though the machine was pointed downward as much as seemed safe4 ,brought up to have faith in the force of gravity1 he didn't know at first what to make of this4 ,for nearly five minutes he stayed there1 in a puzzled state of mind bordering on alarm4 ,later it occurred to him that the machine must have been in a whirlwind of rising air current of unusual diameter1 and that doubtless he could have returned quickly to earth if he had first steered horizontally to get away from the rising current4 ,the first pilot ,orville trained was ,walter ,brookins of ,dayton4 8,brookie0 was a logical candidate for that distinction1 for since the age of four he had been a kind of 8pet0 of ,orville's4 ,after ,orville had left ,montgomery and returned to ,dayton on ,may #h1 ,brookins himself became an instructor4 ,he began1 at ,montgomery1 the training of ,arch ,hoxsey1 noted for his personal charm and his gay1 immaculate clothes2 and also that of ,spencer ,c4 ,crane4 ,on his return to ,dayton1 ,orville opened a flying school at the same ,huffman field#ad the ,wright brothers had used for their experiments in #aijd-e4 ,here he trained ,a4 ,l4 ,welsh and ,duval ,la,chapelle4 ,when ,brookins arrived there from ,montgomery1 near the end of ,may1 he took on the training of ,ralph ,johnstone and ,frank ,t4 ,coffyn1 besides completing the training of ,hoxsey4 ,two others trained at the same field later in the year were ,phil ,o4 ,parmalee and ,c4 ,o4 ,turpin4 ,orville ,wright continued to make frequent flights until #aiae1 personally testing every new device used on a ,wright plane4 7,he did not make his final flight as a pilot until #aiah47 ,more than one person who witnessed flights at the ,huffman field 7or at ,simms station1 as the place was better known7 has made comment that it was never difficult to pick ,orville ,wright from the other flyers1 whether he was on the ground or in a plane4 ,students1 and instructors too1 would be dressed to the teeth for flying1 with special suits1 goggles1 helmets1 gauntlets1 and so on2 but ,orville always wore an ordinary business suit4 ,he might put on a pair of automobile goggles and shift his cap backward1 and on cold days he would turn up his coat collar2 but otherwise he was dressed as for the street4 ,when he was in the air anyone could recognize who it was--from the smoothness of his flying4 ,and when he wished to test the control and stability of a plane1 he would sometimes come down and make figure eights at steep angles with the wing tip maybe not more than a few feet from the grass4 ,the public was no longer unaware of the significance of the flights at ,huffman field4 ,sightseers began to use every possible pretext to come as close to the planes as possible4 ,one evening as ,orville ,wright was standing near the hangar1 a bystander edged up to him4 8,i flew with ,orville ,wright down at ,montgomery10 he declared1 8and he told me to make myself at home here40 ,never before having seen ,orville1 he had mistaken him for an employee4 ,illustration3 ,,two ,,aces ,,and ,,king4 ,orville ,wright1 ,wilbur ,wright1 and ,edward ,,vii of ,england at ,pau1 ,france1 ,march #ag1 #aiji4 ,three flights at ,huffman field in ,may1 #aiaj1 were especially noteworthy4 ,a short one by ,wilbur--one minute twenty-nine seconds--on ,may #ba1 was the first he had made alone since his sensational feats starting from ,governors ,island4 ,and it was the last flight as a pilot ,wilbur ever made4 ,but on ,may #be he and ,orville flew for a short time together--with ,orville piloting--the only occasion when the ,wright brothers were both in the air at the same time4 ,later that same day1 ,orville took his father1 ,bishop ,milton ,wright1 then eighty-two years old1#ae for his first trip in a flying-machine4 ,they flew for six minutes fifty-five seconds1 most of the time at about #cej feet4 ,the only thing that ,bishop ,wright said while in the air was a request to go 8higher1 higher40 ,the average charge by ,the ,wright ,co4 for a series of exhibition flights at a county fair or elsewhere was about #e1jjj for each plane used4 ,at ,indianapolis1 the scene of the first exhibition1 five planes were used4 ,the weather was not ideal for the ,indianapolis event1 but the crowd was much impressed4 ,another early exhibition was at ,atlantic ,city1 where1 for the first time1 wheels were publicly used on a ,wright machine for starting and landing4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,wright ,,home ,,and ,,shop4 ,the original ,wright homestead and ,wright bicycle shop1 brought from ,dayton and restored at ,greenfield ,village1 ,dearborn1 ,michigan4 ,roy ,knabenshue knew from his experience in making public airship exhibitions1 that it was not enough to go where a fair or carnival was to be held and suggest airplane flights as a feature4 ,to get all the business possible for his company he must promote exhibition flights in places where no such big outdoor events were yet contemplated4 ,he particularly desired to have flights made in large cities where newspaper reports of the event would attract attention over a large area and aid him in making further bookings4 ,with this in mind he went to ,chicago and started inquiries to learn whether public-spirited citizens there would be willing to underwrite a big public demonstration of aviation along the lake front4 ,several people told him the man he should see was ,harold ,mc,cormick1 one of the controlling stockholders in the wealthy ,international ,harvester ,company4 ,he went at once to ,mc,cormick's offices in the ,harvester ,building4 ,but when he reached the outer office1 he discovered that it was not easy to get any farther4 8,what was it you wished to see ,mr4 ,mc,cormick about80 asked a secretary4 8,i don't wish to sell him anything10 ,roy explained1 smiling in a manner that should have won confidence1 but didn't4 8,please just say to him that there's a man here who has an important suggestion for him40 8,but if you'll tell me what the suggestion is10 the secretary proposed1 8then he can let you know if he is interested40 8,no1 ,i'll tell you what you do10 countered ,roy4 8,please hand my card to him and let him decide if he wishes to see me40 ,the secretary reluctantly took ,roy's card which indicated that he represented ,the ,wright ,co4 of ,dayton1 ,ohio4 ,a moment later the secretary returned to say that ,mr4 ,mc,cormick was too busy to see anyone4 ,roy walked out of the building into ,michigan ,avenue1 discouraged4 8,no matter how good an idea you've got10 he reflected1 8and no matter how much some of these big executives might be interested1 you don't get a chance to tell them about it40 ,as he strolled along1 his eye chanced to fall on a big sign that read3 8,think ,of ,it4 ,the ,record-,herald ,now ,one ,cent40 ,then he remembered that the ,chicago ,record-,herald1 rival of the ,tribune in the morning field1 had recently reduced its price and was making a big bid for increased circulation4 ,he also recalled that ,h4 ,h4 ,kohlsaat1 owner of the ,record-,herald1 had known his father4 ,using his father's name for an introduction1 he had little difficulty1 a half hour later1 in gaining access to ,kohlsaat's private office to tell him what was on his mind4 ,the publisher grew interested4 ,yes1 it might be a good idea to have some airplane flights along the lake front and invite the public to see them as guests of the ,record-,herald4 ,before he left the office1 ,roy had the preliminary arrangements all made4 ,on the opening day of the big event1 when ,walter ,brookins1 as pilot1 was about to take off on the first flight1 ,knabenshue remarked to him3 8,that corner window on the fourth floor of the ,harvester ,building is in the office of a man ,i hope will see what's going on40 ,the next day ,knabenshue appeared once again at ,harold ,mc,cormick's office in the ,harvester ,building and presented his business card to the same secretary he had met on his previous visit4 ,after looking at the card1 the secretary1 without waiting to consult anyone1 said3 8,oh1 yes1 you're with ,the ,wright ,company4 ,i'm sure ,mr4 ,mc,cormick will wish to see you4 ,just step this way40 ,roy had made this call partly as a kind of practical joke--for the satisfaction of entering an office where he had once been denied4 ,but as a result of the talk he then had with ,mc,cormick1 it was arranged that a committee of ,chicago citizens should sponsor1 the next year1 another aviation meeting there1 to be the biggest thing of the kind ever held4 ,meanwhile1 on the final day of the #aiaj exhibitions at ,chicago1 ,brookins made the first long cross-country flight1 #ahe miles1 to ,springfield1 ,illinois4 ,it was not1 however1 a non-stop flight4 ,he made one landing in a cornfield1 and it was necessary to obtain permission from the farm owner to cut a wide strip across the field to provide space for the plane to take off4 ,in that same year1 #aiaj1 ,dayton people saw the first flight over the city itself4 ,thousands had now seen flights at the ,huffman field1 ,simms station1 but no flight had ever been made nearer than eight miles to the home town where successful flying was conceived4 ,the ,greater ,dayton ,association was holding1 in ,september1 an industrial exhibit1 but it was operating at a loss4 ,those in charge of the exhibit saw that something would have to be done to arouse interest4 ,orville ,wright was asked if he would start at ,simms station1 fly to ,dayton and circle over the city4 ,he agreed and the newspapers announced the flight for the next day4 ,it was stirring news--even to ,katharine ,wright4 ,she had started to ,oberlin to attend a college meeting1 but1 when on her arrival there she happened to see a newspaper item about ,orville's flight scheduled for the next day1 she hastened home at once4 ,another premier event in #aiaj was when an airplane for the first time in the world was used for commercial express service4 ,the ,morehouse-,martin ,co41 a department store in ,columbus1 ,ohio1 arranged to have a bolt of silk brought from ,huffman field to a driving park beyond ,columbus4 ,the distance of more than sixty miles was covered at better than a mile a minute1 then considered fast airplane speed2 and the 8express fee0 was #e1jjj1 or about #ga4db a pound4 ,but within a day or two the store had a good profit on the transaction1 for it sold small pieces of the silk for souvenirs1 and the gross returns were more than #f1jjj4 ,then1 at ,belmont ,park1 ,new ,york1 in late ,october1 #aiaj1 ,wright planes participated in a great ,international ,aviation ,tournament4 ,all other planes taking part were licensed by ,the ,wright ,co4 ,orville ,wright now devoted his time mainly to supervision of engineering at the factory of ,the ,wright ,co4 ,wilbur was kept busy looking after the prosecution of suits against patent infringers and in ,march1 #aiaa1 he went to ,europe in connection with suits brought by the ,wright company of ,france4 ,from ,france he went to ,germany and while there called at the home of the widow of ,otto ,lilienthal to offer his homage to the memory of that pioneer in aviation whose work had been an inspiration to the ,wrights4 ,after ,wilbur's return to ,america1 ,orville spent several weeks in ,october1 #aiaa1 at ,kitty ,hawk1 where he went to do some experimenting with an automatic control device and to make soaring flights with a glider4 ,in camp with him were ,alec ,ogilvie of ,england1 who flew a ,wright plane1 ,orville's brother ,lorin1 and ,lorin's ten-year-old boy1 8,buster40 ,on account of the presence of a group of newspapermen who appeared and were at the camp each day during his entire stay at ,kitty ,hawk1 ,orville never tested the new automatic device2 but before his soaring experiments were over he had made1 on ,october #bd1 a new record1 soaring for nine minutes forty-five seconds4 7,this was to remain the world's record until ten years later when it was exceeded in ,germany47 ,that same year1 #aiaa1 ,the ,wright ,co4 benefited from another aviation record4 ,cal ,p4 ,rodgers1 who had received some of his flying training at the ,wright ,school1 made--between ,september #aa and ,november #e--the first transcontinental airplane trip1 from ,new ,york to ,california4 ,new as their line of business was1 ,the ,wright ,co4 was profitable from the start--especially so during the first year or two when the sight of a flying-machine was still a novelty and contracts for exhibition flights were numerous4 7,it might have been more profitable if the ,wrights had not insisted that no contracts be made to include flights on ,sunday47 ,but inevitably the exhibition part of the business began to taper off--and such profits as might still have come from it were reduced by the persistent illegal competition of patent infringers4 ,more and more1 the company's dealings were with the ,united ,states ,army and ,navy and with private buyers of planes4 ,the first private plane sold had gone to ,robert ,j4 ,collier1 and others seeking the excitement or prestige of owning a plane had been making inquiries4 ,the retail price of a plane was #e1jjj4 ,with aviation thus becoming more practical1 the ,wrights were receiving from their invention a form of reward they had never expected4 ,they would now have wealth1 not vast1 but enough to enable them to look forward to the time when they might retire and work happily together on scientific research4 ,they were making plans1 too1 for their new home on a seventeen-acre wooded tract they had named ,hawthorn ,hill1 in the ,dayton suburb of ,oakwood4 ,but tragic days were ahead4 ,early in ,may1 shortly after visiting the new home site with other members of the family1 ,wilbur was taken ill4 ,what at first was assumed to be a minor indisposition proved to be typhoid fever4 ,worn out from worries over protecting in patent litigation the rights he knew were his and his brother's1 he was not in condition to combat the disease4 ,after an illness of three weeks1 despite the best efforts of eminent specialists1 early in the morning of ,thursday1 ,may #cj1 #aiab1 ,wilbur ,wright died4 ,he was aged only forty-five years and forty-four days4 ,messages of condolence and expressions of the world's loss poured in from two hemispheres1 among them those from heads of governments4 ,orville ,wright succeeded his brother as president of ,the ,wright ,co4 ,in ,june1 #aiac1 ,grover ,loening1 a young man who had become acquainted with ,wilbur at the time of the ,hudson-,fulton exhibition flights1 came to ,the ,wright ,co4 as engineer1 and then became factory manager4 ,loening had the distinction of being the first person in the ,united ,states to study aeronautical science in a university4 ,business affairs had been complicated earlier that year by the fact that ,dayton had the worst flood in its history4 ,the ,wright factory was not under water but not many of the employees could reach the building4 ,among the hundreds of houses under water was the ,wright home on ,hawthorne ,street4 ,to ,orville a serious part of the loss there was the damage to photographic negatives showing his and ,wilbur's progress toward flight4 ,but the negative of the famous picture of the first power flight was not much harmed4 ,accompanied by his sister1 ,orville made his last trip to ,europe in #aiac1 on business relating to a patent suit in ,germany4 ,at about the same time he sanctioned the forming of a ,wright company in ,england4 ,before ,wilbur's death1 there had been opportunities for a company in ,england1 but the brothers had held back because all the offers appeared to be purely stock promotions in which the names of members of the ,english nobility would appear as sponsors4 ,the ,british company as finally organized did not make planes itself1 but issued licenses for use of the patents4 ,within a year after it was formed the ,english company accepted from the ,british ,government a flat payment for all claims against the government1 for use of the ,wright patents up to that time and during the remainder of the life of the basic patents4 ,though the amount paid was no trifling sum1 the settlement was widely applauded by prominent ,englishmen1 among them ,lord ,northcliffe1 as showing a generous attitude on the part of the patent owner--about as little as could have been compatible with full recognition of the priority of the ,wrights' invention4 ,by this time1 ,the ,wright ,co4 had more applications to train student pilots than they could handle4 ,even a few young women wished to become pilots4 ,two capable students1 of a somewhat earlier period1 destined to go far in aviation1 were ,thomas ,d4 ,milling1 later ,general ,milling1 of the ,united ,states ,army ,air ,corps2 and ,henry ,h4 ,arnold1 who during the ,second ,world ,war was ,lieutenant ,general ,arnold1 ,commanding ,general of the ,army ,air ,forces and ,deputy ,chief of ,staff for ,air4 ,one unfortunate student pilot1 who had begun his training at the ,wright ,school in #aiab1 later got himself into much trouble4 ,this man became one of the best flyers in the ,united ,states4 ,as he had plenty of money he bought a plane of his own1 and he used to give free exhibitions at his estate near ,philadelphia4 ,in one way or another he did much for aviation4 ,but in #aiag1 when the ,united ,states entered the ,first ,world ,war1 that young pilot refused to register in the draft and became notorious as a draft evader4 ,his name8 ,grover ,cleveland ,bergdoll4 ,the early ,wright plane he had bought is today on exhibition at the ,franklin ,institute in ,philadelphia4 ,it is believed to be the only authentic ,model ,b--the first model built by ,the ,wright ,co4--in existence4 ,in #aiad1 ,orville ,wright had bought the stock of all other shareholders in ,the ,wright ,co41 except that of his friend1 ,robert ,j4 ,collier1 who1 for sentimental reason1 wished to retain his interest4 ,orville's motive in acquiring almost complete ownership of the company had been as a step toward getting entirely out of business4 ,both he and ,wilbur ,wright had agreed to stay with the company for a period of years1 not yet expired1 and he could not honorably dispose of his own holdings so long as those with whom he had made the agreement were still in the company4 ,but almost immediately after buying the shares of the others1 he let it be known that he might be willing to sell his entire interest4 ,to this1 ,collier1 the only other shareholder1 agreed4 ,in #aiae1 ,orville received an offer and gave an option to a small group of eastern capitalists that included ,william ,boyce ,thompson and ,frank ,manville1 the latter president of the ,johns-,manville ,co4 ,the deal was closed in ,october1 #aiae4 ,just after ,orville had given his option to the eastern syndicate1 ,robert ,j4 ,collier came to tell him an important piece of news1 and to urge him not to sell just yet4 ,collier had been having some talks with his friend1 the wealthy ,harry ,payne ,whitney1 and had urged upon him the idea of doing what ,collier thought would be a wonderful piece of philanthropy that would mean much for the future of aviation in the ,united ,states4 ,what ,collier wanted him to do was to buy the stock of ,the ,wright ,co41 thus gaining ownership of the ,wright patents1 and then immediately make the patents free to anyone in the ,united ,states who wished to manufacture airplanes4 ,whitney was willing to carry out the ,collier suggestion4 ,to do so he was also ready to pay more for the stock of ,the ,wright ,co4 than the syndicate had offered4 ,but ,orville explained to ,collier that the option already given was legally drawn and the holders presumably wished to exercise it4 ,collier's daring idea and ,whitney's generous acceptance of it had come just a little too late4 ,,xviii ,,patent ,,suits ,the ,wrights had found that patents covering the basic features of their invention were not enough protection against infringers4 ,indeed1 having the technical details on file in the ,patent ,office1 where anyone who desired might see them1 was1 in a way1 to the advantage of those who would help themselves to an inventor's work and ideas4 ,only a decision in the courts could determine the justice of an inventor's claims4 ,but the courts work slowly and legal procedure is expensive4 ,except for their good fortune--never contemplated when they started--in realizing substantial sums from their invention1 the brothers might not have been financially able to carry on the fight that finally gave them world-wide recognition as the first to contrive a successful flying-machine4 ,altogether the brothers had active part in a dozen different suits in the ,united ,states against infringers--and there were suits in ,france and ,germany in each of which about a dozen infringers were involved4 ,most of the suits in the ,united ,states did not go beyond the early stages1 as the infringers were not disposed to continue after a preliminary injunction had been issued4 ,but three suits were of special importance4 ,one of these was against ,louis ,paulhan1 ,french aviator1 who was about to give exhibitions in the ,united ,states1 using planes made in ,france4 ,another was against ,claude ,grahame-,white1 ,english aviator1 also about to give exhibitions in the ,united ,states with planes that infringed the ,wright patents4 ,the most important suit of all was against the ,herring-,curtiss ,co4 and ,glenn ,h4 ,curtiss4 ,this case was bitterly contested and was carried up to the ,u4 ,s4 ,court of ,appeals4 ,it was brought by the ,wright brothers1 late in #aiji1 but ,the ,wright ,co41 formed shortly afterward1 succeeded the brothers as complainants4 ,because of the importance of this suit in aviation history1 it is worth while to examine the background of the relations between the ,wrights and ,glenn ,curtiss4 ,the ,wrights' personal acquaintance with ,curtiss began in ,may1 #aijf1 when he wrote to them in regard to the light motors of which he was a manufacturer4 ,then in early ,september1 #aijf1 ,curtiss visited the ,wright office and workshop4 ,he was brought there by his friend1 ,captain ,thomas ,s4 ,baldwin1 a well-known aeronaut1 who was giving exhibition flights in ,dayton with his dirigible balloon on which he used a motor he had persuaded ,curtiss to build for him4 ,it was to make repairs on that motor that ,curtiss had come to ,dayton4 ,after that meeting1 the four men1 ,curtiss1 ,baldwin1 and the ,wrights1 were together much of the time for several days4 ,when in response to questions about their work1 the ,wrights showed a number of photographs of their flights made at the ,huffman pasture during the two previous years1 ,curtiss seemed much astonished4 ,he remarked that it was the first time he had been able to believe anyone had actually been in the air with a flying-machine4 ,long afterward1 in an interview in the ,new ,york ,times 7,february #bh1 #aiad71 ,baldwin recalled the many talks he and ,glenn ,curtiss had with the ,wrights in that fall of #aijf4 8,i sometimes suggested to ,curtiss10 ,baldwin told the interviewer1 8that he was asking too many questions1 but he kept right on4 ,the ,wrights had the frankness of schoolboys in it all and had a rare confidence in us4 ,i am sure ,curtiss at that time never thought of taking up flying40 ,a year after the ,wrights' first meetings with ,curtiss1 in ,october1 #aijg1 the ,aerial ,experiment ,association was formed by ,alexander ,graham ,bell and others1 with headquarters first in ,nova ,scotia and later at ,hammondsport1 ,n4 ,y41 where ,curtiss lived4 ,he became 8,director of ,experiments40 ,this was the first time ,curtiss had been directly connected with aviation except as a manufacturer of motors1 and three months later1 a letter he wrote to the ,wrights indicated that motors rather than aviation were still his chief interest4 8,i just wish to keep in touch with you10 he wrote1 8and let you know that we have been making considerable progress in engine construction40 ,after listing and describing the various engines he was building1 he proposed to furnish to the ,wrights 8gratis0 one of his fifty-horsepower engines4 ,but the offer was not accepted4 ,the letter mentioned that ,captain ,baldwin was a 8permanent fixture in this establishment0--a fact not without importance1 considering information that ,baldwin was later to reveal4 ,further on in the letter1 ,curtiss told of ,dr4 ,bell's reading to the members of the ,aerial ,experiment ,association the ,united ,states ,government's specifications for the purchase of a flying-machine1 and added3 8,you1 of course1 are the only persons who could come anywhere near doing what is required40 ,about a fortnight after receipt of that letter from ,curtiss1 the ,wrights got another letter dated ,january #ae1 #aijh1 written on ,aerial ,experiment ,association stationery1 and signed by ,lieutenant ,t4 ,selfridge1 whose name appeared on the letterhead as secretary of the association4 7,this was the same ,selfridge who was killed a few months later in the tragic airplane accident at ,fort ,myer47 ,in that letter1 ,selfridge1 on behalf of the ,experiment ,association1 said3 ,i am taking the liberty of writing you and asking your advice on certain points connected with gliding experiments1 or rather glider construction1 which we started here last ,monday4 ,will you kindly tell me what results you obtained on the travel of the center of pressure both on aerocurves and aeroplanes8 ,also1 what is a good1 efficient method of constructing the ribs of the surfaces so that they will be light and yet strong enough to maintain their curvature under ordinary conditions1 and a good means of fastening them to the cloth and upper lateral cords of the frame8 ,i hope ,i am not imposing too much by asking you these questions4 ,supposing the information would be used only for scientific purposes1 the ,wrights obligingly replied at once as follows3 ,you will find much of the information you desire in the addresses of our ,mr4 ,wilbur ,wright before the ,western ,society of ,engineers1 published in the ,journals of the ,society of ,december1 #aija1 and ,august1 #aijc4 ,the travel of the center of pressure on aeroplanes is from the center at #ij degrees1 toward the front edge as the angle becomes smaller4 ,the center of pressure on a curved surface is approximately at its center at #ij degrees1 moves forward as the angle is decreased until a critical angle is reached1 after which it reverses1 and moves toward the rear edge4 ,the critical angle varies for different shaped curves1 but is generally reached at some angle between #ab and #ah degrees4 ,with the angles used in gliding flight the travel will be between the center of the surface and a point one-third back from the front edge4 ,the methods of construction used in our gliders are fully described in an article by ,mr4 ,chanute in the ,revue des ,sciences in #aijc 7we do not remember the month7 and in the specifications of our ,united ,states patent1 ,no4 #hba1cic4 ,the ribs of our gliders were made of second growth ash1 steamed and bent to shape4 ,selfridge replied in a few days saying he had been able to obtain a copy of the patent and would endeavor to get the other references the ,wrights had supplied4 ,the data must have been useful to the ,aerial ,experiment ,association for early the following summer1 ,glenn ,curtiss1 8,director of ,experiments0 had a power-driven airplane1 called the 8,june ,bug10 in which he made a flight on ,july #d1 #aijh1 at ,hammondsport4 ,that flight created the belief in the minds of many who were not fully informed that the ,aerial ,experiment ,association must have done an amazing job of original research4 ,this belief was encouraged by the fact that after the ,aerial ,experiment ,association began building and experimenting with flying-machines1 using much information they had obtained from the ,wrights1 they neglected1 in public statements about their work1 to so much as mention the ,wright brothers4 ,soon after the report of the flight of the 8,june ,bug10 there appeared in the press a statement that the ,aerial ,experiment ,association was disbanding1 and that ,glenn ,h4 ,curtiss was going to engage in exhibition flying4 ,that news led ,orville ,wright to send to ,curtiss the following letter3 ,i learn from the ,scientific ,american that your 8,june ,bug0 has movable surfaces at the tips of the wings1 adjustable to different angles on the right and left sides for maintaining the lateral balance4 ,in our letter to ,lieutenant ,selfridge of ,january #ahth1 replying to his of the #aeth1 in which he asked for information on the construction of flyers1 we referred him to several publications containing descriptions of the structural features of our machines1 and to our ,u4 ,s4 patent ,no4 #hba1cic4 ,we did not intend1 of course1 to give permission to use the patented features of our machine for exhibitions or in a commercial way4 ,this patent broadly covers the combination of sustaining surfaces to the right and left of the center of a flying-machine adjustable to different angles1 with vertical surfaces adjustable to correct inequalities in the horizontal resistances of the differently adjusted wings4 ,claim #ad of our patent ,no4 #hba1cic specifically covers the combination which we are informed you are using4 ,we believe it will be very difficult to develop a successful machine without the use of some of the features covered in this patent4 ,the commercial part of our business is taking so much of our time that we have not been able to undertake public exhibitions4 ,if it is your desire to enter the exhibition business1 we would be glad to take up the matter of a license to operate under our patents for that purpose4 ,curtiss replied that1 contrary to newspaper reports1 he did not expect to do anything in the way of exhibitions2 that his flights had been in connection with the ,aerial ,experiment ,association's work4 ,the matter of the patents he had referred1 he said1 to the ,secretary of the ,association4 ,a few weeks later1 when ,orville went to ,washington in preparation for the ,fort ,myer tests of the ,wright machine1 ,captain ,baldwin was there teaching ,army officers to operate a new dirigible balloon for which ,curtiss had furnished the motor4 ,in speaking of the experiments in aviation being carried on by ,curtiss and other members of the ,aerial ,experiment ,association at ,hammondsport1 ,baldwin said warningly to ,orville3 8,i hear them talking40 ,he went on to caution ,orville that the work those men were doing would infringe the ,wright patents4 ,by the following year1 ,curtiss had formed a commercial company1 ,the ,herring-,curtiss ,co41 to make or exhibit airplanes4 ,on ,january #c1 #aiaj1 ,judge ,john ,r4 ,hazel1 of the ,federal ,circuit ,court1 at ,buffalo1 ,new ,york1 granted a temporary restraining order against ,the ,herring-,curtiss ,co4 and ,glenn ,h4 ,curtiss to prevent them from infringement of the ,wright patents4 ,in handing down his decision1 ,judge ,hazel said3 ,it appears that the defendant ,curtiss had notice of the success of the ,wright machine1 and that a patent had been issued in #aijf4 ,indeed1 no one interfered with the rights of the patentees by constructing machines similar to theirs until in ,july1 #aijh1 when ,curtiss exhibited a flying-machine which he called 8,the ,june ,bug40 ,he was immediately notified by the patentees that such machine1 with its movable surfaces at the tips1 or wings1 infringed the patent in suit1 and he replied that he did not intend to publicly exhibit the machine for profit1 but merely was engaged in exhibiting it for scientific purposes as a member of the ,aerial ,experiment ,association4 ,to this the patentees did not object4 ,subsequently1 however1 the machine1 with supplementary planes placed midway between the upper and lower aeroplanes1 was publicly exhibited by the defendant corporation1 and used by ,curtiss in aerial flights for prizes and emoluments4 ,it further appears that the defendants now threaten to continue such use for gain and profit1 and to engage in the manufacture and sale of such infringing machine1 thereby becoming an active rival of complainant in the business of constructing flying-machines embodying the claims in suit1 but such use of the infringing machine it is the duty of this ,court on the papers presented to enjoin4 ,then1 in ,february1 #aiaj1 ,judge ,learned ,hand1 in the ,federal ,circuit ,court1 at ,new ,york1 issued an injunction to prevent the ,french aviator1 ,louis ,paulhan1 from making exhibitions in the ,united ,states unless he would put up an indemnity to the amount of #be1jjj4 ,the ,court declared that both the ,bleriot and ,farman planes that the defendant was planning to use were infringements of the ,wright patents4 ,not until ,january #ac1 #aiad1 did the ,u4 ,s4 ,circuit ,court of ,appeals hand down its decision in the ,wright suit against ,curtiss4 ,the decision was in favor of ,the ,wright ,co4 ,in his interview in the ,new ,york ,times1 already quoted from1 published in the ,new ,york ,times1 ,february #bh1 #aiad1 ,captain ,thomas ,s4 ,baldwin1 though a close associate of ,curtiss1 heartily endorsed the final decision in the ,wright vs4 ,curtiss case4 ,referring to that decision he told the interviewer3 8,it is high time for all the rest of us to step up and admit that not a one of us ever would have got off the ground in flight if the ,wrights had not unlocked the secret for us4 8,i want to go on record as saying that the ,wrights are fully entitled to the decision they have at last received4444 8,mr4 ,curtiss is a friend of mine today10 said ,baldwin1 8and ,i have served in his companies as a director4 ,but it is due to the ,wrights as a simple matter of justice to have the story of the actual genesis of flight fully established40 ,by that time1 ,captain ,baldwin had abandoned the dirigible balloon for the airplane1 and thus he1 too1 had been an infringer of the ,wright patent4 ,but as his public statements indicated1 he showed an attitude quite different from that of most other infringers4 ,glenn ,martin was another1 like ,baldwin1 who acknowledged indebtedness to the ,wrights4 ,after the ,wrights had won their important suit against ,curtiss in the ,circuit ,court of ,appeals1 ,curtiss made no secret of the fact that he still hoped to find a possible loophole to get around the ,wright patent4 ,since the decision of the ,court enjoined him from using two ailerons operating simultaneously in opposite directions1 he thought perhaps he could escape penalty by using just one aileron at a time1 while the other remained inoperative4 ,this1 however1 was covered by ,claim #a of the ,wright patent1 if the claim were given a liberal interpretation1 as the ,court had said the ,wright ,patent was entitled to1 on account of the ,wrights being the pioneers in the art of flying4 ,but ,claim #a had not been cited in the former suits1 and so had not as yet been adjudicated4 ,if ,curtiss could just show1 or seem to show1 in some way that the ,wrights were not exactly pioneers1 that some other machine capable of flight antedated the ,wright machine1 then he would be in a stronger position to defend himself against ,claim #a if it should be cited against him4 ,anticipating a suit1 ,curtiss took astounding means to prepare for combating it--as will appear4 ,but after all the evidence was taken in that case and just before the case was to come to trial1 ,orville ,wright sold his interest in ,the ,wright ,co4 to ,new ,york capitalists4 ,curtiss then contrived to gain delay after delay by approaching the new owners with proposals of settlement4 ,these negotiations dragged on until the ,united ,states entered the ,first ,world ,war1 and the ,manufacturers ,aircraft ,association was organized for cross-licensing manufacturers who were building machines for the ,united ,states ,government4 ,through this cross-licensing agreement1 ,the ,wright ,co4 received royalty on all planes manufactured for the ,government4 ,consequently1 this last case against ,curtiss never came to trial4 ,the ,wrights won their patent suits1 too1 in the highest courts of both ,germany and ,france4 ,the court in ,germany made the comment in its oral decision that their discovery that a rear rudder was a balancing device rather than a steering device should entitle them to a basic patent4 ,without going into too much detail about the various patent suits1 the important point is that the priority of the ,wright patents was sustained by the courts in both the ,united ,states and ,europe4 ,every airplane that flies1 in any part of the world1 even today1 does so by use of devices and discoveries first made by the ,wright brothers4 ,these patent suits were a terrible ordeal for the attorneys and judges concerned1 for aviation was so new that many of the technical terms were beyond the knowledge of nearly everyone4 ,it was as if lawyers and judges had to learn a new language and take a course in the theoretical side of aeronautical engineering as they went along4 ,in a case against a foreign aviator1 ,wilbur ,wright was called upon in ,court to explain the function and operation of a rudder when an aeroplane is making a circle4 ,wilbur got hold of a piece of string and a fragment of chalk and went to a blackboard1 where he made it clear to the ,judge that when a machine is making a turn the pressure is on the opposite side of an aeroplane rudder from what it is on a ship's or a dirigible's rudder when they are making the same turn4 ,after the ,judge had issued a temporary restraining order1 at the end of the day's proceedings1 ,clarence ,j4 ,shearn1 attorney for the defendant1 gloomily remarked3 8,if it hadn't been for ,wright and that damned piece of string1 we would have won40 ,one bit of testimony in another case was in regard to the accuracy of observations of men who fly airplanes4 ,to show the inaccuracy of most people's observations on phenomena having to do with physical laws1 ,wilbur used for illustration what a man thinks happens when riding a bicycle4 8,i have asked dozens of bicycle riders10 said ,wilbur1 8how they turn a bicycle to the left4 ,i have never found a single person who stated all the facts correctly when first asked4 ,they almost invariably said that1 to turn to the left1 they turned the handlebar to the left and as a result made a turn to the left4 ,but on further questioning them1 some would agree that they first turned the handlebar a little to the right1 and then as the machine became inclined to the left1 they turned the handlebar to the left and made the circle1 inclining inwardly4 ,to a scientific student it is very clear that without the preliminary movement of the handlebar to the right1 a movement of the handlebar to the left would cause the bicycle to run out from under the man1 who would continue headlong in his original direction4 ,yet ,i have found many people who would deny having ever noticed the preliminary movement of the handlebar to the right4 ,i have never found a non-scientific bicycle rider who had particularly noticed it and spoke of it from his own conscious observation and initiative4 ,i found the same condition among aviators with whom ,i have flown4 ,some have almost no consciousness of whether the machine is rising a little or descending a little1 or whether it is sliding somewhat to the right or to the left4 ,the ability to notice these things1 even in small degrees1 is the main quality which distinguishes skilled aviators from novices and born flyers from men who will never be able to handle flying-machines competently40 ,even though the ,wrights won all their patent suits1 collecting royalties proved to be something else6 ,,xix ,,why ,,the ,,wright ,,plane ,,was ,,exiled ,why was the original ,wright airplane1 the first flying-machine in the world capable of flight1 deposited in the ,science ,museum at ,south ,kensington1 ,london1 ,england1 rather than in the ,united ,states ,national ,museum1 administered by the ,smithsonian ,institution1 at ,washington8 ,why should ,exhibit ,a of one of the greatest of all ,american scientific achievements be in exile8 ,for the answer to these questions1 puzzling to a vast number of patriotic ,americans1 we must trace events back a number of years4 ,it will be remembered that ,dr4 ,samuel ,p4 ,langley1 while ,director and ,secretary of the ,smithsonian1 with a #ej1jjj government fund at his disposal for experiments 7besides #bj1jjj from the ,hodgkins fund71 had failed in his attempts to build a successful man-carrying flying-machine4 ,at each trial1 in #aijc1 his machine promptly fell from its launching platform into the ,potomac4 ,doubtless ,langley's failure was a bitter disappointment to him--all the more so because he was derided in the public press for having even tried what was commonly believed to be impossible4 ,but when the ,wrights flew1 only nine days after ,langley's final unsuccessful trial1 they in a measure saved the ,langley reputation4 ,no one could any longer say that he was a 8crank40 ,the ,wrights had vindicated his belief that man could fly4 ,langley uttered no word to minimize the importance of the ,wrights' feat4 ,nor was anything unfriendly toward ,langley ever said by either of the ,wrights4 ,on the contrary1 the ,wrights more than once gave ,langley credit for having been a source of inspiration to them1 from the simple fact that he1 an eminent scientist1 considered human flight possible4 ,indeed1 the ,wrights took advantage of an opportunity to save the ,langley name from being made ridiculous4 ,after ,dr4 ,langley's death1 the ,smithsonian ,regents ordered the erection in the ,smithsonian building of a tablet in his memory4 ,the plan was to inscribe on the tablet the 8,langley ,law10 as ,langley's chief contribution to aeronautical science4 ,dr4 ,charles ,d4 ,walcott1 who succeeded ,dr4 ,langley as ,secretary of the ,smithsonian1 sent the proposed inscription to the ,wrights for their opinion of it4 ,wilbur ,wright replied that it would be both unwise and unfair to ,langley to rest his reputation in aerodynamics especially on that so-called ,langley ,law or upon the computations which gave rise to it4 ,the ,wrights knew at that time1 as all aeronautical engineers know today1 that the ,langley ,law was simply a mistake and not true4 ,because of what ,wilbur ,wright pointed out in his letter1 the ,langley ,law was omitted from the memorial tablet4 ,but1 having eliminated the discredited ,law that was ,langley's1 ,dr4 ,walcott then put in its place on the tablet an inscription crediting ,langley for a discovery that was not his6 ,the inscription claimed for ,langley that he had 8discovered the relations of speed and angle of inclination to the lifting power of surfaces moving in the air40 7,his tables of air pressures had been antedated by both ,duchemin and ,lilienthal47 ,this tendency to claim for ,langley what was not his was destined to show itself in a more pernicious form in later acts of ,dr4 ,walcott4 ,if ,langley had lived1 the relations between the ,smithsonian and the ,wrights would doubtless have continued to be marked by mutual respect and consideration4 ,but after ,dr4 ,langley's death1 the attitude of the ,smithsonian began to change4 ,the ,institution started a subtle campaign to belittle the ,wrights1 to try to take from them much of the credit for having both produced and demonstrated the first machine capable of flight1 and for having done the original research that made the machine possible4 ,indeed1 the ,institution even went so far as to issue false and misleading statements4 ,one of these was in connection with the first award of a ,langley medal1 publicly presented to the ,wrights in ,february1 #aiaj4 ,in referring to that presentation1 the ,annual ,report for the year #aiaj 7page #bc71 by the ,secretary of the ,institution1 quoted ,wilbur ,wright as making a statement not made by him on that occasion at all1 but used in a different connection at another time4 ,the improper use of that quotation helped to create a false impression over the world that the ,wrights had acknowledged indebtedness to ,langley's scientific work4 ,the truth was that ,wilbur ,wright had in a private letter mentioned indebtedness to ,langley1 not for scientific data but for the fact that it was encouraging to know that the head of a scientific institution believed human flight to be possible4 7,langley's published work in the field of aerodynamics dealt with measurements of air pressures on flat surfaces only--and later experiments proved even that to be incorrect47 ,the ,smithsonian has more than once mentioned the award of the ,langley medal to the ,wrights as a proof of the ,institution's disposition to honor them4 ,but the truth is that the ,langley medal was established to honor ,langley1 not the ,wrights4 ,neither in the award nor in the presentation of the medal to the ,wright ,brothers was there any suggestion that the ,wrights were the first to fly4 ,in #aiaj1 ,dr4 ,walcott made it evident that the ,institution actually did not want the original ,wright plane of #aijc as an exhibit4 ,this could be seen in letters he sent to ,wilbur ,wright in the spring of #aiaj4 ,the first of these1 dated ,march #g1 said3#af ,the ,national ,museum is endeavoring to enlarge its collections illustrating the progress of aviation and1 in this connection1 it has been suggested that you might be willing to deposit one of your machines1 or a model thereof1 for exhibition purposes4 ,the great public interest manifested in this science and the numerous inquiries from visitors for the ,wright machine make it manifest that if one were placed on exhibition here it would form one of the most interesting specimens in the national collections4 ,it is sincerely hoped that you may find it possible to accede to this request4 ,wilbur ,wright replied as follows3 ,my ,dear ,dr4 ,walcott3 444 ,if you will inform us just what your preference would be in the matter of a flier for the ,national ,museum we will see what would be possible in the way of meeting your wishes4 ,at present nothing is in condition for such use4 ,but there are three possibilities4 ,we might construct a small model showing the general construction of the aeroplane1 but with a dummy power plant4 ,or we can reconstruct the #aijc machine with which the first flights were made at ,kitty ,hawk4 ,most of the parts are still in existence4 ,this machine would occupy a space #dj feet by #bj feet by #h feet4 ,or a model showing the general design of the latter machine could be constructed4 ,the peculiar attitude of the ,smithsonian then began to appear4 ,in his next letter to ,wilbur ,wright1 dated ,april #aa1 #aiaj1 ,dr4 ,walcott wrote3 444 ,the matter of the representation of the ,wright airplane has been very carefully considered by ,mr4 ,george ,c4 ,maynard1 who has charge of the ,division of ,technology in the ,national ,museum4 ,i told him to indicate what he would like for the exhibit1 in order that the matter might be placed clearly before you and your brother4 ,in his report he says3 8,the following objects illustrating the ,wright inventions would make a very valuable addition to the aeronautical exhibits in the ,museum3 8#a4 ,a quarter-size model of the aeroplane used by ,orville ,wright at ,fort ,myer1 ,virginia1 in ,september1 #aijh4 ,such a model equipped with a dummy power plant1 as suggested by the ,wrights1 would be quite suitable4 8#b4 ,if there are any radical differences between the machine referred to and the one used at ,kitty ,hawk1 a second model of the latter machine would be very appropriate4 8#c4 ,a full-sized ,wright aeroplane4 ,inasmuch as the machine used at ,fort ,myer#ag has attracted such world-wide interest1 that machine1 if it can be repaired or reconstructed1 would seem most suitable4 ,if1 however1 the ,wright brothers think the ,kitty ,hawk machine would answer the purpose better1 their judgment might decide the question4 8#d ,if the ,wright brothers have an engine of an early type used by them which could be placed in a floor case for close inspection that will be desirable40 ,the engine of the ,langley ,aerodrome is now on exhibition in a glass case and the original full-size machine is soon to be hung in one of the large halls4 ,the three ,langley quarter-size models are on exhibition4 ,the natural plan would be to install the different ,wright machines along with the ,langley machines1 making the exhibit illustrate two very important steps in the history of the aeronautical art4 ,the request of ,mr4 ,maynard is rather a large one1 but we will have to leave it to your discretion as to what you think it is practicable for you to do4 ,sincerely yours1 ,,charles ,d4 ,,walcott1 ,secretary4 ,if ,dr4 ,walcott's suggestions1 that the ,wrights provide a reproduction in model size of their #aijh plane and the #aijh plane itself1 had been accepted1 then the proposed exhibits in the ,national ,museum of models and full-size machines by ,langley and the ,wrights could easily have been of a nature to give a wrong impression4 ,surely a good many uninformed visitors to the museum would hardly have known1 or stopped to think1 that it is one thing to build and fly a small model plane1 but an altogether different problem to build and fly a plane1 of the same design1 large enough to carry a man4 ,small models of flying-machines were flown by the ,frenchman1 ,pnaud1 as early as #ahga4 ,but a larger machine of the same design could not be flown--as the ,wrights themselves in early boyhood had found out4 ,likewise1 the fact that ,langley flew a steam-driven model in #ahif1 and a gas-driven model in #aijc1 would not indicate to anyone who understands such matters that a full-size machine of the same design as either of the models could support itself in the air4 ,langley's own experiments had proved how great is the gap between success with a model and with a larger machine4 ,his full-size machine of #aijc1 of the same design as the model flown earlier that year1 collapsed the moment it was launched4 ,but suppose an uninformed visitor noticed1 side by side1 a ,langley model plane of #aijc1 and a reproduction in model size of the ,wright machine flown with a pilot in #aijh4 ,if he hadn't read the labels carefully1 or if the labels didn't go into enough detail to make the facts clear1 couldn't he easily have received the false impression that ,langley had been at least five years ahead of the ,wrights8 ,and if the visitor didn't know that the ,langley full-size machine of #aijc never flew1 wouldn't the sight of it1 alongside the ,wright machine flown in #aijh1 have seemed to confirm the wrong impression8 ,perhaps1 however1 that was the impression ,dr4 ,walcott wanted museum visitors to receive6 ,the ,walcott letter said1 it may be noted1 that if there were 8any radical differences0 between the first ,wright machine and the one flown in #aijh1 then a 8model0 of the first machine might be appropriate4 ,but since there were no radical differences between the #aijc and #aijh machines1 not even a small-sized model of the first machine ever to be flown was being asked for4 ,the ,wrights took the letter to mean that the ,smithsonian did not want an exhibit that would emphasize the fact of their having flown a successful1 man-carrying machine as early as #aijc4 ,they thought it was significant that the letter did not say that the ,wrights' own opinion would decide which machine was more suitable1 but only that their judgment 8might0 decide the question4 ,because of their strong belief that the ,smithsonian was showing a prejudiced attitude1 they made no reply to the ,walcott letter4 ,there was no further correspondence on this subject between the ,smithsonian and the ,wrights until six years later4 ,in #aiaf1 the original ,wright plane was exhibited at the dedication of the new buildings of the ,massachusetts ,institute of ,technology4 ,dr4 ,alexander ,graham ,bell1 a ,regent of the ,smithsonian ,institution1 saw the plane and expressed astonishment4 ,it was the first he knew that it was still in existence4 ,shortly afterward1 in a conversation with ,orville ,wright1 he asked why the plane was not being exhibited by the ,smithsonian4 8,because10 replied ,orville1 8the ,smithsonian does not want it40 8,indeed the ,smithsonian does want it60 exclaimed ,dr4 ,bell4 ,he was sincere in thinking so and requested ,dr4 ,walcott to get in touch with ,orville ,wright4 ,walcott on ,december #bc1 #aiaf1 wrote what ,orville considered a perfunctory letter saying3 8444 the importance of securing for the ,national ,museum the ,wright aeroplane which was exhibited at the opening of the new buildings of the ,massachusetts ,institute of ,technology has been suggested to me40 ,orville ,wright replied that he would be glad to take up the question with ,dr4 ,walcott in a personal interview4 ,a few days later the two met in ,washington1 but it was soon evident to ,orville that ,dr4 ,walcott's attitude had not changed2 that he did not want that original ,wright machine which had flown exhibited beside the ,langley machine which had failed to fly4 ,when ,orville found that ,walcott's attitude had not changed in the six years since the former correspondence1 he gave the question no further consideration4 ,meanwhile1 in #aiad1 after the ,federal courts had upheld the ,wright patents in the suits against ,glenn ,h4 ,curtiss and others1 and recognized the ,wrights as 8pioneers0 in the practical art of flying with heavier-than-air machines1 an astounding thing happened4 ,a few days after the final court decision had been delivered1 ,lincoln ,beachey1 a ,curtiss stockholder1 telegraphed to ,secretary ,walcott1 of the ,smithsonian1 asking permission to attempt a flight with the original ,langley machine4 ,that proposal was not accepted2 but two months later1 when ,glenn ,h4 ,curtiss himself said he would like to test the ,langley machine1 his request was granted4 ,the ,smithsonian entered into a deal with ,curtiss in which he was to receive a payment of #b1jjj1 and was permitted to take the original ,langley plane from the ,smithsonian to his shop at ,hammondsport1 ,new ,york4 ,there he made numerous vital changes in the machine1 using knowledge of aerodynamics discovered by the ,wrights but never possessed by ,langley4 ,no information is available to indicate that the ,smithsonian offered any objection to these alterations being made4 ,the ,smithsonian's official observer1 in connection with the tests of the machine1 was ,dr4 ,a4 ,f4 ,zahm1 who had been technical expert for ,curtiss in the recent lawsuits and was to serve again in that capacity in another suit soon to follow4 ,no one officially representing any disinterested scientific body was present during the time the changes in the machine were made nor during the time it was tested4 ,it seems highly improbable that ,dr4 ,walcott could have been so unintelligent or so uninformed as not to know about the recent decision of the ,u4 ,s4 ,court of ,appeals against ,curtiss2 and equally improbable that he could have been unaware of ,zahm's relations with ,curtiss as expert witness and adviser4 ,one may well wonder1 too1 if ,dr4 ,walcott could have failed to understand why ,curtiss had recently become interested in testing the ,langley plane4 ,in hundreds of pages of direct testimony in the lawsuits1 neither ,curtiss nor ,zahm had mentioned ,langley's name1 though they had more than once referred to ,chanute1 ,maxim1 ,henson1 ,marriott1 ,boulton1 ,pilcher1 ,harte1 and other pioneers4 ,one may further wonder if ,walcott could have been unaware when1 in #aiac1 the ,smithsonian awarded the ,langley medal to ,curtiss1 that he had already been pronounced an infringer of the ,wright patents by a ,federal court1 and that another decision in a higher court was pending4 ,it almost looked as if there might have been an intent to try to influence that decision4 ,curtiss had a strong motive for wanting to make it appear that the ,langley plane could have flown4 ,the ,united ,states ,court of ,appeals had held that the ,wrights were pioneers in the field of heavier-than-air flying-machines1 and that therefore their patent claims were entitled to a 8liberal interpretation40 ,if ,curtiss could demonstrate1 or seem to demonstrate1 that a machine capable of flight had been built before the ,wright machine1 then he could weaken their claims1 to his financial advantage1 in a patent suit he expected to have to defend4 ,in consequence of the important changes that were made1 ,curtiss finally was able to make several short hops1 of less than five seconds1 with the reconstructed machine1 in ,may and ,june1 #aiad1 over ,lake ,keuka1 at ,hammondsport1 ,n4 ,y4 ,then the ,smithsonian1 in its annual report of the ,u4 ,s4 ,national ,museum for that year1 falsely stated that the original ,langley plane had been flown 8without modification06 ,and the annual report of the ,smithsonian ,institution for #aiad1 with equally glaring falsity1 said3 8,it the ,langley machine has demonstrated that with its original structure and power1 it is capable of flying with a pilot and several hundred pounds of useful load4 ,it is the first aeroplane in the history of the world of which this can truthfully be said06 7,italics supplied47 ,the ,institution's annual report for #aiae continued to repeat such untruths4 8,the tests thus far made have shown that former ,secretary ,langley had succeeded in building the first aeroplane capable of sustained free flight with a man40 ,similar misstatements were made in the ,institution's reports for #aiaf1 #aiag1 #aiah1 and afterward4 ,altogether here had been something probably unique in scientific procedure4 ,a test was made purporting to determine if the original ,langley plane was capable of flight2 but the test was not made with the machine as designed and built by ,langley1 nor with an exact copy of it4 ,no disinterested official observer was present4 ,misstatements were published about the results1 and no information was furnished1 regarding the changes made1 to enable anyone to learn the truth4 ,to have made one more honest test of the ,langley plane that had immediately crashed each time it was launched over the ,potomac would have been permissible4 ,but for a scientific institution officially to distort scientific facts1 and in collaboration with a man who stood to gain financially by what he was doing1 has been called worse than scandalous4 ,after the ,langley machine had been restored as nearly as possible to its original state1 it was placed on exhibition by the ,smithsonian4 ,soon afterward it bore a label that falsely proclaimed it to be 8the first man-carrying aeroplane in the history of the world capable of sustained free flight40 ,but neither in connection with the exhibit of the ,langley plane nor in any report of the ,smithsonian ,institution was there any hint of the fundamental changes made at ,hammondsport1 without which the plane could not possibly have carried its weight4 ,one of these changes had to do with the supporting posts on the wings4 ,professor ,langley had not known--indeed1 no one knew until the ,wrights' wind-tunnel experiments established the facts--where the center of the air pressure would be on a curved surface1 and consequently he had failed to place his wing-trussing posts where they were most needed4 ,in the attempts to fly the machine over the ,potomac1 in #aijc1 the wing that bore the greater part of the weight had each time collapsed at the moment the apparatus left the starting platform4 7,lacking the knowledge about curved surfaces that later was available1 those in charge of the #aijc trials had blamed the trouble on the launching apparatus47 ,at the ,hammondsport tests1 the trussing posts were moved thirty inches rearward4 ,this brought the guy posts almost exactly in the same plane with the center of pressure on the wings and thus eliminated the backward pull that had wrecked the machine in the #aijc tests4 ,three fundamental changes were made in the design of the wings themselves3 7#a7 ,the camber was greatly changed2 7#b7 the shape of the leading edge was entirely different2 7#c7 the aspect ratio--the ratio of span to chord--was increased4 ,these three features are the most important characteristics in determining the efficiency of a wing4 ,the change of the camber of itself may increase the efficiency of a wing by thirty per cent4 ,and not only were the wings changed as to design1 but they were strengthened by various means of reinforcing and trussing not used by ,langley4 ,even the cloth on the wings was improved by varnishing1 to make the wings more efficient4 ,langley had not used varnish on the cloth4 ,numerous changes were made in other parts of the machine4 ,the large fixed vertical keel surface1 situated below the main frame in #aijc1 was entirely omitted in #aiad4 ,this omission improved the machine's stability4 ,a different kind of rudder was used4 ,the position of the 8,pnaud tail0 used by ,langley was raised about ten inches to increase the stability of the machine1 and was connected to a modern steering post1 to give better control4 ,the forward corners of the original ,langley propellers were cut off in the manner of the early ,wright propellers to increase their efficiency4 ,as the system of control ,langley had used was not adequate1 the aileron system1 covered by ,wright patents1 a system unknown to ,langley1 was added4 ,how did all these changes become known8 ,orville ,wright called attention to them in an affidavit in #aiae in the ,wright-,curtiss lawsuit4 ,one way to learn most of the facts is astonishingly simple4 ,all that is necessary to any observer who knows what to look for is to make careful comparisons of the ,smithsonian photographs of the original ,langley machine with ,smithsonian photographs of the machine tested at ,hammondsport4 ,it was learned1 too1 that even the engine used by ,langley was changed in several respects4 ,a modern type carburetor1 a new intake manifold1 a magneto ignition1 and a modern radiator were installed4 ,though all these changes and many others were made in the machine at ,hammondsport1 the ,smithsonian published only a few of them--the less important4 ,it did not tell of the fundamental changes4 ,and the ,institution made statements that1 by implication1 practically amounted to a denial that any changes of importance had been made4 ,by omitting from its published reports at the time and for many years afterward1 the facts about the changes in the ,langley machine1 the ,smithsonian ,institution succeeded in deluding the public4 ,if the stories about these fake tests had been issued by ,curtiss1 who conducted them1 or by an organization less well known than the ,smithsonian1 they might not have been taken seriously4 ,but when false and misleading announcements were backed by the prestige of a famous scientific institution1 it was possible to have the fraudulent character of the experiments pass generally unsuspected4 ,when the reports of ,secretary ,walcott of the ,smithsonian ,institution said the 8original0 ,langley machine had made 8flights10 and when the report of the ,national ,museum said the ,langley machine had been flown 8without modification10 such statements1 untrue though they were1 naturally carried weight4 ,indeed1 the misstatements were so widely accepted as fact that they began to find their way into school text-books and into encyclopedias4 ,griffith ,brewer1 the ,english aeronaut1 delivered a lecture before the ,royal ,aeronautical ,society in ,london1 in ,october1 #aiba1 and exposed the fraudulent nature of the ,hammondsport tests4 ,in this lecture he mentioned many of the vital changes made in the ,langley plane before any attempt was made to fly it4 ,dr4 ,walcott made a statement in reply to ,brewer4 ,up to this time ,orville ,wright had thought that ,walcott could have been ignorant of those changes2 but after reading the ,walcott statement he was convinced that there was nothing accidental or unintentional about the misstatements published by the ,smithsonian regarding the tests at ,hammondsport4 ,while the ,kitty ,hawk plane rested in its storage place1 subject to possible fire hazards1 officials of the ,science ,museum at ,south ,kensington1 ,london1 ,england1 had made requests to have the machine for exhibition there4 ,after ,orville ,wright became convinced that none of the ,members or ,regents of the ,smithsonian ,institution or any other influential persons were enough interested in establishing the facts in controversy to go to the trouble of making an investigation1 he reluctantly decided1 in #aibc1 to accede to the requests from ,london4 ,in reply to letters deploring this decision1 he has expressed his reasons as follows3 ,i believe my course in sending our ,kitty ,hawk machine to a foreign museum is the only way of correcting the history of the flying-machine1 which by false and misleading statements has been perverted by the ,smithsonian ,institution4 ,in its campaign to discredit others in the flying art1 the ,smithsonian has issued scores of these false and misleading statements4 ,they can be proved to be false and misleading from documents4 ,but the people of today do not take the trouble to examine this evidence4 ,with this machine in any ,american museum the national pride would be satisfied2 nothing further would be done and the ,smithsonian would continue its propaganda4 ,in a foreign museum this machine will be a constant reminder of the reason of its being there1 and after the people and petty jealousies of this day are gone1 the historians of the future may examine impartially the evidence and make history accord with it4 ,your regret that this old machine must leave our country can hardly be so great as my own4 ,reluctant to carry out his intention to send the ,kitty ,hawk plane out of the country1 ,orville ,wright in #aibe proposed that the controversy be settled through the investigations of an impartial committee4 ,but the suggestion got no response4 ,he wrote a letter1 on ,may #ad1 #aibe1 to ,chief ,justice ,william ,howard ,taft1 as ,chancellor of the ,smithsonian ,institution1 in the hope that it might yet be possible to have an impartial hearing4 ,in this letter1 after reviewing the relations of the ,wrights and the ,smithsonian1 he said3 ,it was not until #aiba that ,i became convinced that the officials of the ,smithsonian1 at least ,dr4 ,walcott1 were fully acquainted with the character of the tests at ,hammondsport4 ,i had thought up to that time that they might have been ignorant of the fundamental changes which had been incorporated in the machine before these tests were made1 and that when these changes were pointed out to them they would hasten to correct their erroneous reports4 ,they did not do this1 but have continued to repeat their early statements4 ,by these the public has been led to think that flights were made in #aiad with the original ,langley machine1 with no changes1 excepting such as were necessary to attach floats for the new system of launching4 ,when the proofs on both sides concerning these changes are shown1 ,i do not think it will take you five minutes to make up your mind whether the changes were made and whether they were of importance4 ,it seems to me possible that you as ,chancellor of the ,smithsonian ,institution may wish me to present personally to you my evidence on these points and to have ,dr4 ,walcott present at the same time to give his proofs to the contrary4 ,it may be a way of cutting short a long and bitter controversy4 ,chief ,justice ,taft replied that his position as ,chancellor and head of the ,smithsonian was purely nominal2 that his other duties were such that he did not have the time to give any real attention to questions that have to be settled by the ,institution's ,secretary4 ,a similar preference to stand aside was shown by others nominally in a position to exercise authority over the acts of the ,smithsonian4 ,that ,institution has as its members the ,president of the ,united ,states1 the ,vice ,president1 the ,chief ,justice of the ,supreme ,court1 and members of the ,president's cabinet4 ,its ,board of ,regents is made up of the ,chief ,justice1 the ,vice ,president1 three members of the ,senate1 three members of the ,house of ,representatives1 and six citizens appointed by joint resolution of ,congress4 ,any one of these members of the ,board of ,regents could doubtless have forced an investigation of any reported injustice committed by the ,smithsonian4 ,but all had other duties to occupy their time and1 like ,chief ,justice ,taft1 they were willing to let the ,secretary of the ,smithsonian act as he saw fit4 ,thus the ,secretary of the ,smithsonian1 which administers several important government bureaus besides the ,national ,museum1 could exercise great influence4 ,that is how it came about that the attempt to mislead the public regarding the epochal achievements of the ,wrights went so long unchecked by official action4 ,and as ,orville ,wright once said he had discovered1 8,silent truth cannot withstand error aided by continued propaganda40 ,after the exchange of letters with ,chief ,justice ,taft1 ,orville ,wright still delayed sending the ,kitty ,hawk plane to ,england4 ,there was nothing impetuous about what he did4 ,not until early in #aibh1 or fourteen years after the fraudulent tests at ,hammondsport1 with the ,smithsonian still showing no intention to correct its false record of those flights1 did he send the machine to the ,science ,museum at ,south ,kensington4 ,the arrangement he made with the ,science ,museum was that the plane should stay there for not less than five years1 and permanently unless brought back to the ,united ,states within his lifetime4 ,early in #aibh1 a bill was introduced in ,congress to ascertain which was the first heavier-than-air flying-machine4 ,shortly afterward the ,smithsonian adopted a resolution declaring that 8to the ,wrights belongs the credit of making the first successful flight with a power-propelled heavier-than-air machine carrying a man40 ,that resolution was1 of course1 superfluous1 for there had never been any question1 even by the ,smithsonian1 as to the first machine to make a sustained flight4 ,but the ,smithsonian continued to claim for ,professor ,langley credit for the invention of the first machine capable of flight4 ,dr4 ,charles ,g4 ,abbot became the ,secretary and ,director of the ,smithsonian ,institution in #aibh1 succeeding ,dr4 ,walcott1 who had died in #aibg4 ,soon after he became the head of the ,institution1 ,dr4 ,abbot invited ,orville ,wright to go to lunch with him at the ,carlton ,hotel in ,washington4 ,in the course of their talk ,dr4 ,abbot expressed the wish that they might come to an agreement by which the ,kitty ,hawk plane could be returned to ,america and placed under the care of the ,smithsonian in the ,national ,museum4 ,orville ,wright said that this could easily be done4 ,all that he asked for1 he said1 was a correction in the ,smithsonian publications of the false and misleading statements previously made in those publications4 ,dr4 ,abbot expressed a willingness to do so1 provided this could be accomplished without injuring the reputation of his predecessor or the prestige of the ,institution4 ,but the painful fact was that the ,smithsonian1 however spotless its previous reputation1 had committed a reprehensible act1 and its reputation and prestige were bound to suffer when its guilt became known4 ,having committed a serious offense1 one or the other of two courses were open to it3 7#a7 to confess its guilt and make a full1 frank correction2 or 7#b7 to try to keep the misdeed concealed4 ,unfortunately1 the ,institution adopted1 at the beginning1 the latter course1 evidently in the belief that its great prestige1 acquired through an honorable past1 could crush any imputation against it4 ,indeed1 that course did prove successful up to the time ,orville ,wright sent the ,kitty ,hawk plane abroad4 ,dr4 ,abbot had not been responsible for the disgraceful situation he inherited when he became ,secretary of the ,smithsonian and found himself in the unenviable position of having to make an embarrassing decision4 ,but it seemed as if he could not quite muster the courage to break away from the course the ,institution had been following4 ,instead1 he at first tried to justify the ,institution's previous attitude1 though he did concede that it was not true that the ,langley plane had been flown at ,hammondsport 8without modification0 as the ,smithsonian had published4 ,there were 8many differences10 he admitted4 8,some of the changes were favorable1 some unfavorable1 to success10 he declared4 8,just what effects1 favorable or unfavorable1 the sum total of these changes produced can never be precisely known40 ,orville ,wright1 on the other hand1 insisted that the 8effects1 favorable or unfavorable0 could easily be determined by experts if only the changes were made known to them4 ,but ,dr4 ,abbot still failed to publish the changes4 ,since then ,orville ,wright more than once let the ,smithsonian know what he thought should be done to settle the controversy4 ,in a letter he sent to ,dr4 ,abbot on ,december #bc1 #aicc1 he wrote3 ,the points involved in the straightening of the record are not on matters of mere opinion4 ,they are on matters of fact1 which at this time can be easily and definitely established4 ,all that ,i have demanded in the past has been that there be an impartial investigation of the matters in controversy and that the record then be made to agree with the facts4 ,the suggestion made by me in #aibe1 three years before the plane left this country1 that a committee be appointed to make an impartial investigation and settle the controversy1 received from the ,smithsonian no response4 ,nevertheless1 ,i shall be most happy now to join with you in the selection of such a committee1 with the understanding that the committee will fully investigate the matters in controversy and will make a full report of its findings4 ,in a letter a few weeks later1 ,dr4 ,abbot suggested that1 if it were agreeable to ,orville ,wright1 he would ask three public officials each to name an expert to serve on 8an impartial committee0 of three to investigate and report on the experiments at ,hammondsport in #aiad1 and their bearing on the capacity of the ,langley machine for flight in #aijc4 ,but all three of the ,government officials that he mentioned were members of the ,smithsonian4 ,if the suggested plan had been followed1 presumably ,dr4 ,abbot himself would have had the naming of the investigating committee1 for in organizations1 such as the ,smithsonian1 appointing of committees by members is usually referred to the ,secretary4 7,chief ,justice ,taft1 ,chancellor of the ,smithsonian1 had written that because he did not have the time1 he let questions regarding the ,institution be settled by the ,secretary47 ,it appeared to ,orville ,wright that ,dr4 ,abbot did not have too much confidence in the findings of a committee1 even if wholly appointed by the ,smithsonian1 for ,abbot specified just what questions the committee was to investigate4 ,and most of these were wholly irrelevant4 ,a little later1 ,orville ,wright1 in reply to a letter from ,dr4 ,abbot1 made this suggestion3 ,that the ,smithsonian publish a paper presenting a list of specifications in parallel columns of those features of the ,langley machine of #aijc and of the ,hammondsport machine of #aiad in which there were differences1 along with an introduction stating that the ,smithsonian now finds it was misled by the ,zahm report of #aiad2 that through the ,zahm report the ,institution was led to believe that the aeroplane tested at ,hammondsport was 8as nearly as possible in its original condition02 that as a result of this misinformation the ,smithsonian had published erroneous statements from time to time alleging that the original ,langley machine1 without modification1 or with only such modifications as were necessary for the addition of floats1 had been successfully flown at ,hammondsport in #aiad2 that it ask its readers to disregard all of its former statements and expressions of opinion regarding the flights at ,hammondsport in #aiad1 because these were based upon misinformation as the accompanying list of changes would show4 7,the accuracy of the list of changes was to be settled before publication by the ,smithsonian1 ,orville ,wright and a mediator47 ,but the suggestion was not followed4 ,it will be noted that ,orville ,wright did not even ask that the ,smithsonian should say it did not believe the original ,langley machine could fly4 ,all he asked was that the facts regarding the ,hammondsport trials be made public by the ,smithsonian4 ,it has been his contention that if this information had not been withheld1 then anyone having a knowledge of the science of aviation could form for himself an opinion regarding the importance of the differences between the original ,langley machine of #aijc and the ,zahm-,curtiss-,langley machine of #aiad4 ,he has been willing to stake his and his brother's reputation on the conclusion that a committee of competent disinterested scientists would reach if they had all the facts4 ,dr4 ,abbot1 in the years #aicc to #aidb1 proposed a number of times to issue a statement by the ,smithsonian for the declared purpose of correcting the record4 ,all these statements1 however1 except the final one1 would have left the record as confusing as it was before4 ,the first statement proposed was to contain3 7#a7 ,a history of ,langley's work up to ,december1 #aijc1 which was entirely irrelevant to the controversy and would have filled hundreds1 if not thousands1 of pages of print2 7#b7 a history of the ,langley machine from #aijc to #aiad1 which1 likewise1 had no part in the controversy2 7#c7 ,a4 ,f4 ,zahm's report of the tests of the ,langley machine at ,hammondsport in #aiad1 with no correction by the ,institution of its many misrepresentations of fact about those tests2 7#d7 ,orville ,wright's list of changes made in the ,langley machine at ,hammondsport in #aiad1 without any acknowledgement by the ,smithsonian of its accuracy4 7,the accuracy of the list was later acknowledged by the ,institution47 7#e7 ,a long list of 8amendments0 by ,a4 ,f4 ,zahm to ,orville ,wright's list of changes4 7,these 8amendments10 or comments1 had the appearance of being corrections of errors in ,orville ,wright's list1 though a careful reading will disclose that they were not corrections47 ,dr4 ,abbot's proposed statement thus would have dealt almost entirely with matters not involved in the controversy4 ,about all that did touch on questions in the controversy would have been contradictory statements by ,zahm and ,wright4 ,the reader1 having no way of knowing which one was telling the truth1 would have been more confused than ever4 ,all the publications proposed later1 except the final one1 were similar to the first1 though less voluminous4 ,none of them would have clarified the situation any more than the first4 ,not until ,september1 #aidb1 did ,dr4 ,abbot submit a statement which1 with some amendments1 was satisfactory to ,orville ,wright4 ,that statement1 published by the ,smithsonian on ,october #bd1 #aidb1 is given here verbatim1 as follows3 ,,the #aiad ,,tests ,,of ,,the ,,langley 8,,aerodrome0#ah ,,by ,c4 ,g4 ,,abbot ,secretary1 ,smithsonian ,institution ,,note--,this paper has been submitted to ,dr4 ,orville ,wright1 and under date of ,october #h1 #aidb1 he states that the paper as now prepared will be acceptable to him if given adequate publication4 ,it is everywhere acknowledged that the ,wright brothers were the first to make sustained flights in a heavier-than-air machine at ,kitty ,hawk1 ,north ,carolina1 on ,december #ag1 #aijc4 ,mainly because of acts and statements of former officers of the ,smithsonian ,institution1 arising from tests made with the reconditioned ,langley plane of #aijc at ,hammondsport1 ,new ,york1 in #aiad1 ,dr4 ,orville ,wright feels that the ,institution adopted an unfair and injurious attitude4 ,he therefore sent the original ,wright ,kitty ,hawk plane to ,england in #aibh4 ,the nature of the acts and statements referred to are as follows3 ,in ,march #aiad1 ,secretary ,walcott contracted with ,glenn ,h4 ,curtiss to attempt a flight with the ,langley machine4 ,this action seems ill considered and open to criticism4 ,for in ,january #aiad1 the ,united ,states ,court of ,appeals1 ,second ,circuit1 had handed down a decision recognizing the ,wrights as 8pioneers in the practical art of flying with heavier-than-air machines0 and pronouncing ,glenn ,h4 ,curtiss an infringer of their patent4 ,hence1 in view of probable further litigation1 the ,wrights stood to lose in fame and revenue and ,curtiss stood to gain pecuniarily1 should the experiments at ,hammondsport indicate that ,langley's plane was capable of sustained flight in #aijc1 previous to the successful flights made ,december #ag1 #aijc1 by the ,wrights at ,kitty ,hawk1 ,n4 ,c4 ,the machine was shipped to ,curtiss at ,hammondsport1 ,n4 ,y41 in ,april4 ,dr4 ,zahm1 the ,recorder of the ,langley ,aerodynamical ,laboratory and expert witness for ,curtiss in the patent litigation1 was at ,hammondsport as official representative of the ,smithsonian ,institution during the time the machine was being reconstructed and tested4 ,in the reconstruction the machine was changed from what it was in #aijc in a number of particulars as given in ,dr4 ,wright's list of differences which appears later in this paper4 ,on the #bhth of ,may and the #b;d of ,june1 #aiad1 attempts to fly were made4 ,after acquiring speed by running on hydroplane floats on the surface of ,lake ,keuka the machine lifted into the air several different times4 ,the longest time off the water with the ,langley motor was approximately five seconds4 ,dr4 ,zahm stated that 8it was apparent that owing to the great weight which had been given to the structure by adding the floats it was necessary to increase the propeller thrust40 ,so no further attempts were made to fly with the ,langley #eb ,,hp engine4 ,it is to be regretted that the ,institution published statements repeatedly#ai to the effect that these experiments of #aiad demonstrated that ,langley's plane of #aijc without essential modification was the first heavier-than-air machine capable of maintaining sustained human flight4 ,as first exhibited in the ,united ,states ,national ,museum1 ,january #ae1 #aiah1 the restored ,langley plane of #aijc bore the following label3 ,,the ,,original1 ,,full-,,size ,,langley ,,flying ,,machine1 #aijc ,for this simple label others were later substituted containing the claim that ,langley's machine 8was the first man-carrying aeroplane in the history of the world capable of sustained free flight40 ,though the matter of the label is not now an issue1 it seems only fair to the ,institution to say that in ,september #aibh1 ,secretary ,abbot finally caused the label of the ,langley machine to be changed to read simply as follows3 ,,langley ,,aerodrome ,,the ,,original ,,samuel ,,pierpont ,,langley ,,flying ,,machine ,,of #aijc1 ,,restored4 ,deposited by ,the ,smithsonian ,institution #cja1fac ,this change has frequently been overlooked by writers on the controversy4 ,in ,january #aidb1 ,mr4 ,fred ,c4 ,kelly1 of ,peninsula1 ,ohio1 communicated to me a list of differences between the ,langley plane as tested in #aiad and as tested in #aijc1 which he had received from ,dr4 ,wright4 ,this list is given verbatim below4 ,the ,institution accepts ,dr4 ,wright's statement as correct in point of facts4 ,inferences from the comparisons are primarily the province of interested experts and are not discussed here4 ,,comparison ,,of ,,the ,,langley ,,machine ,,of #aijc ,,with ,,the ,,hammondsport ,,machine ,,of ,,may-,,june1 #aiad4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #c4 ,,langley ,,wing ,,trussing #aijc4 ,fig4 #d4 ,,hammondsport ,,wing ,,trussing #aiad4 ,,langley1 #aijc4 ,,hammondsport1 #aiad4 ,,wings4 #a ,,size3 #aaf #bbf 7,l4,m4,a ,,size3 #ajaa #bbf p4 #bjf7 ,a ,the letters ,l4,m4 in first column refer to ,langley ,memoir4 #b ,,area3 #ajdj sq4 ft4 7,l4,m4 p4 ,,area3 #ihh sq4 ft4 #bjf7 #c ,,aspect ,,ratio3 #a4if ,,aspect ,,ratio3 #b4je #d ,,camber3 #a_/ab 7,l4,m4 p4 #bje7 ,,camber3 #a_/ah #e ,,leading ,,edge3 ,wire #a_/af ,,leading ,,edge3 ,cylindrical spar diameter 7,l4,m4 ,pl4#ff7 #a dia4 at inner end1 tapering to #a dia4 at outer end4 #f ,,covering3 ,cotton fabric1 not ,,covering3 ,cotton fabric1 varnished4 varnished4 #g ,,center ,,spar3 ,cylindrical ,,center ,,spar3 ,cylindrical spar wooden spar1 measuring #a dia4 about #a dia4 at inner end1 for half its length and tapering tapering to about #a dia4 at to #a at its tip4 7,l4,m4 p4 #bjd47 outer end4 ,located on upper ,located on upper side of wing4 side of wing4 ,this center spar was reinforced 7#a7 by an extra wooden member on the underside of the wing1 which measured #a #a and extended to the #gth rib from the center of the machine2 and 7#b7 by another wooden reinforcement on the underside extending out about one-fourth of the length of the wing4 #h ,,ribs3 ,hollow box construction4 ,,ribs3 ,most of the original 7,l4,m4 ,plates #ff1 #fg47 ,langley box ribs were replaced with others made at ,hammondsport4 7,manly letter1 #aiad47 ,the ,hammondsport ribs were of solid construction and made of laminated wood4 ,that part of the rib in front of the forward spar was entirely omitted4 #i ,,lower ,,guy-,,posts3 ,a single ,,lower ,,guy-,,posts3 ,four for each round wooden post for each pair pair of wings 7see ,fig4 #d71 two of wings 7see ,fig4 #c71 #a in of which were of streamline form dia4 #f long4 7,l4,m4 ,plate #fb1 measuring #a #c #ed long2 p4 #ahd47 and two measuring #b #b with rounded corners1 #ci long4 #aj ,the front wing guy-post was ,the front-wing guy-posts were located #bh in front of the located directly underneath the main center spar4 7,l4,m4 ,plate main center spar1 #bh further #ec47 rearward than in #aijc4 #aa ,the rear wing guy-post was ,the rear wing guy-posts were located #ca in front of the located directly under the main center spar4 7,l4,m4 ,plate main center spar1 #ca further #ec47 rearward than in #aijc4 #ab ,,upper ,,guy-,,posts3 ,for each ,,upper ,,guy-,,posts3 ,for each pair pair of wings a single steel of wings1 two streamline wooden tube dia41 #dc long4 7,l4,m4 p4 posts each #a #c1 #gf long1 #ahd1 pl4 #fb47 forming an inverted ,v4 7,see ,fig4 #d47 #ac ,front wing upper guy-post ,front wing upper guy-posts located #bh in front of the located directly over main spar1 main center spar4 7,l4,m4 pl4 #ec47 #bh further rearward than in #aijc4 #ad ,the rear wing upper guy-post ,the rear wing guy-posts were was located #ca in front of the located directly over the main main center spar4 7,l4,m4 pl4 #ec47 center spar1 #ca further rearward than in #aijc4 #ae ,,trussing3 ,the wing trussing ,,trussing3 ,a different system wires were attached to the spars of wing trussing was used1 and at the #eth1 #gth and #ith ribs out the wing trussing wires were from the center 7,l4,m4 pl4 #ed47 attached to the spars at the ,the angles between these wires #crd1 #fth and #ith ribs from the and the spars to which they were center4 ,the angles between attached are shown in ,fig4 #c4 these wires and the spars to which they were attached were all different from those in the original ,langley machine4 7,see ,fig4 #d47 ,,control ,,surfaces4 #af ,,vane ,,rudder3 ,a split vane ,,vertical ,,rudder3 ,the ,langley composed of two surfaces united vane rudder was replaced by a at their leading edges and single plane vertical rudder separated #ae at their trailing which measured #cf #e1 with edges1 thus forming a wedge4 aspect ratio of 4#g4 ,each surface measured #bc #df1 with aspect ratio 4#e4 7,l4,m4 p4 #bad1 pls4 #ec1 #ed47 #ag ,operated by means of a wheel ,operated at ,hammondsport through located slightly in front of the the ,curtiss steering wheel in pilot at his right side and at some tests 7,zahm affidavit pp4 the height of his shoulder 7,l4,m4 #e1 #f71 through the ,curtiss p4 #baf1 pls4 #ec1 #ed47 shoulder yoke in some others 7,manly letter1 #aiad71 and fixed so as not to be operable at all in still others 7,zahm affidavit p4 #g74 #ah ,used for steering only4 7,l4,m4 ,used 8as a vertical aileron to p4 #bad47 control the lateral poise of the machine0 7,zahm affidavit p4 #f71 as well as for steering 7,zahm affidavit p4 #g74 #ai ,,penaud ,,tail3 ,this was a ,,tail ,,rudder3 ,same size and dart-shaped tail having a construction as in #aijc4 vertical and a horizontal surface 7,penaud tail71 each measuring #ie sq4 ft4 ,it was located in the rear of the main frame4 #bj ,attached to a bracket ,attached to same bracket at a extending below the main frame4 point about #h higher than in #aijc4 #ba 8,normally inactive10 7,l4,m4 ,operable about a transverse p4 #baf7 but adjustable about a horizontal axis and connected transverse horizontal axis by to a regular ,curtiss elevator means of a self-locking wheel control post directly in front located at the right side of the of the pilot 7,zahm affidavit p4 pilot1 even with his back1 and #e74 at the height of his shoulder4 7,l4,m4 pls4 #ea1 #ec47 #bb ,immovable about a vertical ,immovable about a vertical axis4 7,l4,m4 p4 #bad1 pl4 #ef1 axis on ,may #bh1 #aiad1 only4 ,fig4 #a47 ,no means were provided ,thereafter it was made movable for adjusting this rudder about about a vertical axis and was a vertical axis in flight4 connected through cables to a 8,although it was necessary that ,curtiss steering wheel mounted the large aerodrome should be on a ,curtiss control post capable of being steered in a directly in front of the pilot4 horizontal direction1 it was felt to be unwise to give the ,penaud tail and rudder motion in the horizontal plane in order to attain this end40 7,l4,m4 p4 #bad47 #bc ,,keel3 ,a fixed vertical ,,keel3 ,entirely omitted4 surface underneath the main frame measuring #cb in height by #f average length4 ,area #ai sq4 ft4 7,l4,m4 pl4 #ec47 ,,system ,,of ,,control4 #bd ,,lateral ,,stability3 ,the ,,lateral ,,stability3 ,three means dihedral only was used for were used for securing lateral maintaining lateral balance4 balance at ,hammondsport3 ,the 7,l4,m4 p4 #de47 dihedral angle as used by ,langley1 a rudder which 8serves as a vertical aileron0 7,zahm affidavit p4 #f71 and the ,penaud tail rudder4 ,the last two constituted a system 8identical in principle with that of ,complainant's ,wright combined warping of the wings and the use of the vertical rudder40 7,zahm affidavit p4 #f47 #be ,,longitudinal ,,stability3 ,,longitudinal ,,stability3 ,at ,langley relied upon the ,penaud ,hammondsport the ,penaud inherent system of inherent stability for longitudinal stability was maintaining the longitudinal supplemented with an elevator equilibrium4 8,for the system of control4 preservation of the equilibrium longitudinal of the aerodrome1 though the aviator might assist by such slight movements as he was able to make in the limited space of the aviator's car1 the main reliance was upon the ,penaud tail40 7,l4,m4 p4 #bae47 #bf ,,steering3 ,steering in the ,,steering3 ,on one day1 ,may horizontal plane was done #bh1 #aiad1 steering in the entirely by the split-vane horizontal plane was done with steering rudder located the vertical rudder which underneath the main frame4 7,l4,m4 had been substituted for the p4 #bad47 original ,langley split-vane steering rudder4 ,after ,may #bhth the steering was done by the vertical surface of the tail rudder 7,zahm affidavit p4 #g71 which in #aijc was immovable about a vertical axis 7,l4,m4 p4 #bad47 ,,power ,,plant4 #bg ,,motor3 ,langley #e cylinder ,,motor3 ,langley motor modified4 radial4 #bh ,,ignition3 ,jump spark with dry ,,ignition3 ,jump spark with cell batteries4 7,l4,m4 p4 #bfb47 magneto4 #bi ,,carburetor3 ,balzer carburetor ,,carburetor3 ,automobile type with consisting of a chamber filled float feed4 with lumps of porous cellular wood saturated with gasoline4 ,the air was drawn through this wood4 ,there was no float feed4 7,l4,m4 p4 #bbe47 #cj ,,radiator3 ,tubes with ,,radiator3 ,automobile radiator of radiating fins4 honeycomb type4 #ca ,,propellers3 ,langley ,,propellers3 ,langley propellers propellers 7,l4,m4 pl4 #ec1 pp4 modified 8after fashion of early #agh-ahb74 ,wright blades40 ,,launching ,,and ,,floats4 #cb ,,launching3 ,catapult mounted ,,launching3 ,hydroplanes1 on a houseboat4 developed #aiji-aiad1 attached to the machine4 #cc ,,floats3 ,five cylindrical ,,floats3 ,two wooden hydroplane tin floats1 with conical ends1 floats1 mounted beneath and attached to underside of main about #f feet to either side of frame at appropriate points1 and the center of the machine at about six feet above lowest part the lateral extremities of the of machine4 ,pratt system of trussing used for bracing the wing spars of the forward wings2 and one 7part of the time two7 tin cylindrical floats with conical ends1 similar to but larger than the ,langley floats1 mounted at the center of the ,pratt system of trussing used for bracing the rear wings4 ,all of the floats were mounted from four to five feet lower than the floats of the original ,langley1 thus keeping the entire machine above the water4 ,,weight4 #cd ,,total ,,weight3 ,with pilot1 #hej ,,total ,,weight3 ,with pilot1 #aagj pounds 7,l4,m4 p4 #bef74 pounds4 #ce ,,center ,,gravity3 above line ,,center ,,gravity3 ,about one foot of thrust4 below line of thrust4 ,since ,i became ,secretary1 in #aibh1 ,i have made many efforts to compose the ,smithsonian-,wright controversy1 which ,i inherited4 ,i will now1 speaking for the ,smithsonian ,institution1 make the following statement in an attempt to correct as far as now possible acts and assertions of former ,smithsonian officials that may have been misleading or are held to be detrimental to the ,wrights4 #a4 ,i sincerely regret that the ,institution employed to make the tests of #aiad an agent who had been an unsuccessful defendant in patent litigation brought against him by the ,wrights4 #b4 ,i sincerely regret that statements were repeatedly made by officers of the ,institution that the ,langley machine was flown in #aiad 8with certain changes of the machine necessary to use pontoons10 without mentioning the other changes included in ,dr4 ,wright's list4 #c4 ,i point out that ,assistant ,secretary ,rathbun was misinformed when he stated that the ,langley machine 8without modification0 made 8successful flights40 #d4 ,i sincerely regret the public statement by officers of the ,institution that 8,the tests0 7of #aiad7 showed 8that the late ,secretary ,langley had succeeded in building the first aeroplane capable of sustained free flight with a man40 #e4 ,leaving to experts to formulate the conclusions arising from the #aiad tests as a whole1 in view of all the facts1 ,i repeat in substance1 but with amendments1 what ,i have already published in ,smithsonian ,scientific ,series1 ,vol4 #ab1 #aicb1 page #bbg3 ,the flights of the ,langley aerodrome at ,hammondsport in #aiad1 having been made long after flying had become a common art1 and with changes of the machine indicated by ,dr4 ,wright's comparison1 as given above1 did not warrant the statements published by the ,smithsonian ,institution that these tests proved that the large ,langley machine of #aijc was capable of sustained flight carrying a man4 #f4 ,if the publication of this paper should clear the way for ,dr4 ,wright to bring back to ,america the ,kitty ,hawk machine to which all the world awards first place1 it will be a source of profound and enduring gratification to his countrymen everywhere4 ,should he decide to deposit the plane in the ,united ,states ,national ,museum1 it would be given the highest place of honor1 which is its due4 ,publication of this statement in the ,smithsonian ,annual ,report presumably should mark the end of the long controversy4 ,,footnotes #a ,note that the two families spelled the same name differently4 #b ,owned years afterward by ,orville ,wright4 #c ,first published in ,flying4 #d ,orville had arranged the camera on a tripod pointing to where he hoped the machine would be after leaving the track4 ,the negative was developed by ,orville after his return to ,dayton4 #e ,the ,wrights carried #gj pounds of iron bars in many of the flights of #aijd-'je1 and could fly with less power than if that load had not been carried4 ,here is the explanation3 ,the center of gravity of their machine was so far back of the center of pressure on the wings that an air pressure of #gj pounds was required on the top side of the horizontal elevator in front1 to make the center of lift and center of gravity coincide4 ,any downward pressure on the elevator1 the brothers reasoned1 regardless of whether produced by the air or by a weight1 would have to be supported by the main planes4 ,but if the downward pressure is obtained by use of the elevator1 then two drags are created1 one on the elevator itself1 and the other on the wings1 in consequence of carrying that extra pressure on the elevator4 ,on the other hand1 an equal downward pressure produced by a weight1 carried at the same distance as the elevator in front of the wings1 would add little to the drag on the elevator1 because it would dispose of the necessity for a downward pressure on that part of the machine1 and there would then be only the drag on the wings4 #f ,all italics used in letters quoted in this chapter are supplied4 #g ,dienstbach was still a resident of ,new ,york in #aidc4 #h ,when the airplane was first considered for military purposes1 the ,wrights thought the plane could be such a destructive instrument in warfare that no nation1 no government1 would risk subjecting people to the terrors it could create4 ,another reason why the brothers thought the machine might prevent war was the possibility that it could be used against those persons chiefly responsible for bringing on a war4 ,that is1 if one nation started an attack against another1 with or without a declaration of war1 the nation attacked could drop bombs on1 say1 assembled members of the legislature1 or the buildings housing the highest officials of the aggressor country4 ,that possibility1 it was hoped1 would deter any nation from taking warlike steps4 #i ,though there was no agreement in regard to the altitude at which the machine would fly1 the ,wrights were willing to guarantee #a1jjj feet1 and said that so far as the machine itself was concerned it could be flown at an altitude of a mile4 ,one of the ,germans remarked that half a mile from the ground should be enough1 as no gun in existence would be likely to hit so swiftly moving a target at that height4 #aj ,afterward a major general4 #aa ,the ,wright monument on top of ,kill ,devil ,hill1 ordered by act of ,congress and dedicated in ,november1 #aicb1 is probably the most impressive memorial ever built anywhere in the world to do honor to anyone still living4 ,reaching sixty-one feet above ,kill ,devil ,hill1 with a powerful beacon light at its top1 it may be seen for miles4 ,about the four sides of the base reads a legend3 ,in ,commemoration of the ,conquest of the ,air by ,the ,brothers ,wilbur and ,orville ,wright1 ,conceived by ,genius1 ,achieved by ,dauntless ,resolution and ,unconquerable ,faith4 8,anchoring0 the once shifting sands of ,kill ,devil ,hill by ingenious planting of suitable grasses and shrubbery provides a memorial in itself1 as is the national park of three hundred acres that includes the hill4 #ab ,a ,wright monument at ,le ,mans1 by the sculptor1 ,paul ,landowski1 was dedicated in #aibj4 #ac ,a ,wright monument at ,pau was dedicated in #aica4 #ad ,from ,wright ,hill1 near ,dayton1 on which there is a memorial monument1 one has a view of the great government aviation center of ,wright and ,patterson fields1 the latter of which includes the ,huffman tract4 ,the monument bears the legend3 8,in ,commemoration of the ,courage1 ,perseverance and ,achievements of ,wilbur and ,orville ,wright4 ,through ,original ,research the ,wright ,brothers ,acquired ,scientific ,knowledge and ,developed ,theories of ,aerodynamics which with their ,invention of ,aileron ,control ,enabled ,them in #aijc to ,build and ,fly at ,kitty ,hawk the ,first ,power-,driven1 ,man-,carrying ,aeroplane ,capable of ,flight4 ,their ,further ,development of the ,aeroplane ,gave it a ,capacity for ,service which ,established ,aviation as one of the ,great ,forward ,steps in ,human ,progress4 ,as ,scientists ,wilbur and ,orville ,wright ,discovered the ,secret of ,flight4 ,as ,inventors1 ,builders and ,flyers1 they ,brought ,aviation to the ,world40 #ae ,bishop ,wright lived to be nearly #hi4 #af ,the italics in all letters quoted in this chapter are supplied4 #ag ,a still later plane1 the one sold by the ,wrights to the ,united ,states ,government in #aiji1 was afterward given to the ,smithsonian by the ,war ,department1 and it was placed on exhibition4 ,it was wrongly labeled as the #aijh plane4 #ah ,for an account of early ,langley and ,wright aeronautical investigations1 see ,smithsonian ,report for #aijj and ,the ,century ,magazine of ,september #aijh4 #ai ,smithsonian ,reports3 #aiad1 pp4 #i1 #bai1 #bba1 #bbb2 #aiae1 pp4 #ad1 #aba2 #aiag1 p4 #d2 #aiah1 pp4 #c1 #bh1 #aad1 #aff4 ,report of ,u4 ,s4 ,national ,museum1 #aiad1 pp4 #df and #dg4 ,,index ,abbot1 ,dr4 ,charles ,g41 #cah-ba1 #cbc-cc accidents and mishaps1 #ia1 #ig1 #abg1 #abi1 #aca-cb1 #afa1 #bba1 #bbi-ca1 #bcd1 #bej1 #bfe ,ader1 ,clement1 #dg1 #ahg ,aerial ,experiment ,assn41 #bhi-id ,aero ,club of ,america1 #ade1 #adf1 #aeg1 #aeh1 #aga1 #aid1 #beh ,aro ,club of ,france1 #aff1 #afg1 #agj1 #agd1 #age1 #agg1 #ahj1 #ahb1 #aia1 #bcf1 #bci1 #bdh-di ,aro ,club of the ,sarthe1 #bdd-de1 #bdi1 #bej1 #beg ,aero ,club of the ,united ,kingdom1 #beh ,aeronautical ,annual1 #df ,aeronautical ,society of ,great ,britain1 #adg1 #agc1 #bdc1 #bdf1 #bdg1 #beh ,arophile1 #aff1 #afh1 #agj1 #agd1 #agi air pressure1 #ec-ed1 #fg1 #ga1 #gc-gf1 #hj1 #bia ,alexander1 ,patrick ,y41 #adg1 #agc1 #aia1 #bag ,alfonso of ,spain1 #beb ,algeciras conference1 #ahh ,alger1 ,russell ,a4 and ,frederick ,m41 #bfh1 #bgj1 #bga ,allen1 ,genl4 ,james1 #bjh1 #baa1 #bab1 #bei ,american ,assn4 for the ,advancement of ,science1 #aji-aj ,american ,magazine of ,aeronautics1 #baj angle of incidence1 #fg-fh1 #hb ,,ap1 #ajf1 #ajh1 #aji1 #aaj ,archdeacon1 ,ernest1 #afg-fh1 #agj1 #bcg ,arnold 7,lt4 ,genl471 ,henry ,h41 #bhd ,auto1 #agd1 #agi1 #ahb ,auvours flying field1 #bcd1 #bda1 #bdc1 #bdg1 #bdh1 #bej ,baden-,powell1 ,maj4 ,b4 ,f4 ,s41 #bdf1 #bdg balance--see equilibrium ,baldwin1 ,capt4 ,thomas ,s41 #bhh-hi1 #bic1 #bie ,balfour1 ,arthur1 #bec ,barnum ,bailey1 #bjc ,barriquand ,marre1 #bjf ,barthou1 ,louis1 #bdh ,bates1 ,maj4 ,genl4 ,j4 ,c41 #aec ,beacham1 ,thomas1 #ie ,beachey1 ,lincoln1 #cjh ,beard1 ,david1 #adf ,beard family1 #acf1 #adb1 #agh ,beard1 ,luther1 #aci-da ,beck1 ,mabel1 #bgc ,bell1 ,dr4 ,alexander ,graham1 #c1 #bhi1 #cjg ,belmont1 ,august1 #bgj ,belmont ,park ,aviation ,tournament1 #bha ,benham1 ,catharine--see ,thompson1 ,mrs4 ,samuel ,bennett1 ,james ,gordon1 #aia-ib1 #bai1 #bbb1 #bea ,bennett balloon race1 #bjg ,berg1 ,hart ,o41 #aie1 #aif1 #aig1 #bja1 #bjd1 #bcc1 #bcd1 #bcf1 #bch1 #bdf-dg ,berg1 ,mrs4 ,hart ,o41 #bdf-dg1 #bdh ,bergdoll1 ,grover ,c41 #bhe ,berlin ,b4 ,z4 ,mittag1 #bag2 ,lokal ,anzseiger1 #bed1 #bfa ,berry1 ,walter ,v4 ,r41 #ahg ,bertrand1 ,col4 ,charles ,a41 #agb1 #bbc ,berwind1 ,e4 ,j41 #bgj ,besanon1 ,georges1 #agj-ga1 #agd-ge1 #agi1 #ahj1 #aha bicycle shop1 the ,wrights'--see ,wright ,cycle ,co4 bidders on plane for ,u4 ,s4 ,war ,dept41 #baa ,bierce1 ,nelson1 #agd ,billman1 ,c4 ,s41 #ade1 #agg ,bleriot1 ,louis1 #bci-dj1 #bid blinkers1 #acj-ca 8bluffeur10 #bcd1 #bch ,bolle1 ,lon1 #bcc1 #bce-cf1 #bda1 #bde ,bolle1 ,mme41 #bdh ,bond1 ,miss1 #bd ,bonel1 ,comdt41 #ahg-bjj1 #bjc ,boulton1 #cji ,brewer1 ,griffith1 #bdd1 #bdg1 #beh1 #cad ,brinkley1 ,w4 ,c41 #ih ,british government1 #adg-dh1 #aea-eb ,british ,war ,office1 #aea1 #aef-eg ,british ,wright company1 #bhd ,brookins1 ,walter1 #bgd1 #bgi ,burkhardt1 ,j4 ,c41 #bbd ,butler1 ,f4 ,h41 #bdg ,cabot1 ,samuel and ,godfrey ,l41 #aae-af1 #aeg1 #aeh ,calderara1 ,lt41 #bee-ef ,camber1 #fi-gj1 #aba1 #acj ,capper1 ,lt4 ,col4 ,j4 ,e41 #adg-dh ,carvin1 ,louis1 #beg catapult--see derrick catapult ,celleri1 ,count and ,countess di1 #bee center of gravity1 #dg-dh1 #aba n41 #abg ,chandler1 ,capt4 ,charles ,de,f41 #bab ,chanute1 ,octave1 #dg1 #dh1 #eb1 #fh-fi1 #gb-gc1 #gh1 #ib1 #ajf1 #aaj1 #abf1 #adh1 #aeb1 #aee1 #aeg1 #aff1 #afi1 #aga1 #bbd1 #bia1 #cji2 ,progress in ,flying ,machines1 #df1 #eb ,chicago--,orville ,wright's speech at1 #gc-ge2 aviation meet at1 #bgi ,chicago ,daily ,news1 #aji2 ,record-,herald1 #aje1 #aji1 #bgh-gi2 ,tribune1 #bbd1 #bgh ,cie4 ,gn4 de ,nav4 ,arienne1 #bac ,cincinnati ,enquirer1 #aje-ajg1 #abc1 #abe2 ,post1 #ade ,claudy1 ,c4 ,h41 #bca ,cleveland ,leader1 #bah-ai ,coffyn1 ,frank ,t41 #bge ,collier1 ,robert ,j41 #bgj1 #bhb1 #bhe1 #bhf ,collier's ,weekly1 #adf1 #bbj1 #bbc1 #bbe1 #bgj ,coquelle1 ,robert1 #agi-ha ,cordley1 ,f4 ,r41 #aie1 #aig commercial express1 plane first used for1 #bhj ,cox1 ,james ,m41 #acd1 #ace ,crane1 ,spencer ,c41 #bgd ,crozier1 ,brig4 ,genl4 ,william1 #aeh1 #aei1 #bjh ,curtiss1 ,glenn ,h41 #bhh-if2 tests ,langley machine1 #cjh-ae1 #cah2 his alterations1 #cbg-cb ,daniels1 ,john ,t41 #ie1 #ih1 #ajb ,dargent1 ,m41 #afh ,dayton 7,o47 celebration for ,wrights1 #beh-ei2 flood 7#aiac71 #bhc2 ,daily ,news1 #ajg1 #abc1 #acd-ce1 #ade2 ,journal1 #aje-ajg1 #abc1 #aci1 #adj1 #ade2 first flight over1 #bhj ,dayton1 ,genl4 ,jonathan1 #ba ,delagrange1 ,lon1 #bag-ah1 #bdj derrick catapult1 #abh1 #bcf1 #bdi ,deutsch de la ,meurthe1 ,henri1 #agj1 #aih1 #aii1 #bac ,dewey1 ,orville1 #bc ,dickin1 ,mr41 #bde ,dickson1 ,capt4 ,t4 ,c41 #aee ,dienstbach1 ,carl1 #afi ,dosher1 ,joseph ,j41 #ef1 #ajc1 #bag ,dough1 ,w4 ,s41 #ie1 #ih ,doumer1 ,paul1 #bdh ,duchemin1 #cjb ,dunbar1 ,paul ,laurence1 #cg ,eddy1 ,u4 ,s41 #aid ,edison1 ,thomas ,a41 #c ,edward ,,vii1 ,king1 #beb ,eiffel ,tower1 #ada1 #bff elevator1 #ea1 #ec-ee1 #fc1 #fe-fg1 #hb1 #abg1 #aca-cd ,ellis1 ,e4 ,w41 #ade1 #beh-ei engines1 #hd-hf1 #aba-bb1 #aid ,englehardt1 ,capt4 ,paul1 #bfc equilibrium1 #dg-di1 #ej-ee1 #fd1 #gj-ga1 #ha-hc ,esnault-,pelterie1 ,robert1 #agj ,estournelles1 ,baron d'1 #bde ,etheridge1 ,a4 ,d41 #ih ,etienne1 ,m41 #ahf ,evening ,item 7,dayton71 #ch exhibition flights1 #bgg-gi1 #bhb2 charges for1 #bgg ,farman1 ,henri1 #bag-ah1 #bdj ,fdration ,aronautique ,internationale1 #aga ,feight1 ,john ,g41 #aad ,ferber1 ,capt4 ,louis ,f41 #afg-gc1 #aha-he1 #ahi ,fiske1 ,wilbur1 #bc flight1 the ,wrights' first1 #ij-aai2 ,orville's narrative1 #if-ajb2 telegram1 #ajc-ajd1 #ajf1 #ajg2 press treatment1 #ajc-aa2 cost1 #aab-ad2 public's reception of story1 #aad-ag ,flint1 ,charles ,r41 #aid1 #aie1 #bfa ,flint ,co41 #aid-if1 #bjc1 #bcc flying-fields1 #abb1 #bbf-cb1 #bcd1 #bee1 #bfa1 #bfc 7see also ,huffman field1 ,fort ,myer1 ,auvours7 ,fordyce1 ,arnold1 #ahc-ia1 #aih1 #bjj-bjc1 #bde ,fort ,myer 7,va47 tests1 #bae1 #bbf-cb1 #bfj1 #bic ,foster1 ,col4 ,h41 #aeb1 #aef-eg ,foulois1 ,lt4 ,benj4 ,d41 #bfj1 #bff ,fournier1 ,capt41 #ahg ,fouts1 ,william1 #ade1 #agh ,france1 aeronautics in1 #aff-ic1 #aih-bjc1 #bac1 #bcc-ec ,frederick ,william1 ,crown ,prince1 #bfb-fd ,freedman1 ,andrew1 #bgj ,french ,war ,ministry1 #aih-bjc1 #bcd1 #bff ,french ,wright company1 #bac1 #bdh1 #bea1 #bee1 #bha ,fuller1 ,maj4 ,samson ,m41 #afb1 #afe1 #bjh ,furnas1 ,charles ,w41 #bae1 #bba1 #bbf1 #bca ,gardner1 ,gilson1 #bbd ,gary1 ,judge ,elbert ,h41 #bfi gasoline motors--see engines ,german ,war ,dept41 #bjd-bjf ,german ,wright company1 #bef1 #beg1 #bfc ,gillespie1 ,maj4 ,genl4 ,g4 ,l41 #aej ,girardville1 ,capt4 ,lucas de1 #bdh ,gleanings in ,bee ,culture1 #aah1 #adc ,gleichen1 ,col41 #aeg gliders1 #di-ee1 #eg-ge1 #gi-hc1 #afh-gj ,gould1 ,howard1 #bgj ,grahame-,white1 ,claude1 #bhh 8,great ,w4 ,j4 ,m4 ,circus10 #ae-ah 8,great ,truxell ,bros4 ,la,rue ,show10 #cc-cd ,greater ,dayton ,assn41 #bhj ,greensboro 7,n4 ,c47 ,news1 #bag ,griscom1 ,lloyd1 #bef ,gross1 ,der1 #bfb-fc ,hamburger1 ,frank1 #ade ,hand1 ,judge ,learned1 #bid ,hare1 ,james ,h41 #bbj-be ,harmon1 ,gov4 ,judson1 #bei ,harrison1 ,pres4 ,benjamin1 #cf ,harte1 #cji ,hawthorn ,hill1 #bhb ,hazel1 ,judge ,john ,r41 #bic-id helicopter1 #h-i1 #de ,henson1 ,w4 ,s41 #cji ,herring1 ,a4 ,m41 #baa1 #bab ,herring-,curtiss ,co41 #bhh1 #bic ,hildebrandt1 ,capt4 ,alfred1 #bed1 #bfa1 #bfc ,hill1 ,james ,j41 #bef hobble skirt1 #bdg ,hobbs1 ,capt41 #ajd horseless buggy1 #dc-dd ,hoster1 ,william1 #bbj-be ,hoxsey1 ,arch1 #bgd1 #bge ,hudson-,fulton ,celebration1 #bfe1 #bhc ,huffaker1 ,e4 ,c41 #fi ,huffman field1 #abb-bc1 #abf ff41 #acd-ch1 #aci1 #adb1 #add-de1 #aeg1 #bad1 #bgd-gf1 #bhj1 #bhh ,huffman1 ,torrence1 #abb-bc1 #ade ,humphreys1 ,lt4 ,frederic ,e41 #bff ,hunaudires track1 #bcd1 #bcf1 #bda ,illustrierte ,aeron4 ,mitteilungen1 #afg1 #afi ,independent1 #aaf infringers--see lawsuits and ,wright patents ,internat'l ,aviation ,tournament1 #bha ,italy1 aeronautics in1 #bed-ef ,jamestown ,exposition1 #afj ,jamieson1 ,o4 ,f41 #ade ,jennings1 ,alice1 #be1 #cb ,johnston1 8,corky10 #ag ,johnston1 ,gansey1 #ad ,johnston1 ,griswold1 #ag ,johnstone1 ,ralph1 #bge 8,june ,bug10 ,glenn ,curtiss's1 #bia-ib1 #bid ,kehler1 ,capt4 von1 #bef1 #beg ,keidel1 ,herr1 #bfc ,kelly1 ,fred ,c41 #ada1 #cbf kite-flying1 #ab1 #ej kite1 man-carrying1 #eb ,kitty ,hawk 7,n4 ,c471 #ee-ff1 #fh-gb1 #gi-hc1 #ij-aaa1 #bae-be ,kitty ,hawk plane1 disposition of1 #cjj-cc ,knabenshue1 ,roy1 #bgb-gd1 #bgi-hj ,koerner1 ,john ,g41 #ai-bj ,koerner1 ,mrs4 ,john ,g4 7,catherine ,fry71 #bj ,koerner1 ,susan ,catherine--see ,wright1 ,mrs4 ,milton ,kohlsaat1 ,h4 ,h41 #bgh-gi ,krupp ,co41 #bef ,kumler1 ,dan1 #acd-ce ,la,chapelle1 ,duval1 #bge ,lahm1 ,lt4 ,frank ,p41 #bjg-bjh1 #bab1 #bbh-bi1 #bff ,lahm1 ,frank ,s41 #agc-gg1 #agi1 #ahj-hb1 #aib-ic1 #bjg1 #bdh ,lake1 ,simon1 #aie ,lambers1 ,bernard ,h41 #ade ,lambert1 ,count ,charles de1 #bdh1 #bea1 #bff ,lambert1 ,comtesse ,charles de1 #bea-eb 8,langley ,law10 #ach1 #cja ,langley medal1 #cjb1 #cjc1 #cji ,langley1 ,samuel ,p41 #df1 #gf1 #ij1 #aag1 #acg1 #baa1 #cjj-cjc1 #cje1 #cjf1 #cji1 #caj1 #cab1 #cac1 #cah1 #cbc1 #ccj1 #ccb2 ,experiments in ,aerodynamics1 #df2 ,experiments in ,mechanical ,flight1 #df ,langley's flying-machine1 #ib1 #cjj-ccc2 borrowed by ,curtiss for test1 #cjh2 how altered1 #cji-ac1 #cbb1 #cbd-cc ,la,rue1 ,fred1 #cc ,lassence1 ,mayor de1 #bea lathe1 #ab-ac launching--see derrick catapult lawsuits1 #bhg-ii1 #cjh1 #cji1 #cac1 #cbe letter-press1 #bi ,le ,mans1 #bcc-ej ,letellier1 ,m41 #ahc-hf1 #aih1 #bjj ,lilienthal1 ,otto1 #de-dh1 #bha1 #cjb2 ,problem of ,flying1 #df-dg ,lodge1 ,sen4 ,henry ,cabot1 #aeh ,loening1 ,grover1 #bhc ,london ,daily ,mail1 #bbj1 #bbb1 #bbc1 #beb ,mc,cormick1 ,harold1 #bgg-gi ,mc,gowan1 ,p4 ,h41 #bbj-be ,mansfield ,news1 #ahj ,manufacturers ,aircraft ,assn41 #bif ,manville1 ,frank1 #bhf ,margherita of ,italy1 #bdg ,marriott1 #cji ,martin1 ,glenn1 #bie ,mass4 ,institute of ,technology1 #cjg1 #cjh material used--cloth in gliders1 #ff2 wood in planes1 #abb ,maxim1 ,sir ,hiram ,s41 #dg1 #ij1 #cji ,maxwell ,field1 #bgd ,maynard1 ,george ,c41 #cjd ,means1 ,james1 #df ,melville1 ,rear ,admiral ,g4 ,w41 #aag ,midget1 #ca ,michelin ,cup1 #bej ,milling 7,genl47 ,thomas ,d41 #bhd ,moore1 ,h4 ,p41 #ajd1 #aje1 #ajf1 #aji ,moore1 ,johnny1 #ih1 #ajj ,moore1 ,willis1 #ea ,morehouse-,martin ,co41 #bhj ,morgan1 ,j4 ,p41 #bef1 #bfi1 #bgj-ga ,morgan ,co41 #ahd-he1 #ahg1 #ahi1 #bfh ,morgan1 ,harjes ,co41 #ahe1 #ahf1 #ahg ,morrow1 ,harry1 #ad1 #ae1 #af ,morse1 ,sherman1 #aia-ib ,mouillard1 ,empire of the ,air1 #df ,myers1 ,howard ,m41 #ade ,nevin1 ,r4 ,m41 #adi1 #aej ,new ,york ,american1 #aje2 ,globe1 #bji2 ,herald1 #aaa1 #ahb1 #aij1 #aib1 #bag1 #bah1 #bai1 #bbb1 #bbd2 ,times1 #bbg1 #bhi1 #bie2 ,world1 #bbh ,newcomb1 ,simon1 #aaf-ag1 #bbh newspapers--see press ,newton1 ,byron ,r41 #bai-be ,nicolai1 ,m41 #bcd ,nicoll1 ,de,lancey1 #bfi ,night and ,day ,bank ,bldg41 #bga ,nolte1 ,george ,h41 #aie ,norfolk 7,va47 ,virginian-,pilot1 #ajd-ajf1 #ajh1 #baf ,north ,american ,review1 #aag ,northcliffe1 ,lord1 #beb1 #bec1 #bhd ,ogilvie1 ,alec1 #bha ,o',neal1 8,uncle ,benny10 #ie ,packard ,automobile ,co41 #bfh ,painlev1 ,paul1 #bdg-dh ,paris ,figaro1 #bci1 #bde2 ,herald1 #aib1 #aig1 #bag-ah1 #bbb1 #bch-ci1 #bde1 #bdf2 ,journal1 #ahc1 #ahe1 #ahf1 #aih1 #bjj1 #bja1 #bci2 ,matin1 #aih1 #bdj ,parmalee1 ,phil ,o41 #bge ,parseval1 ,maj4 von1 #beg ,parsons1 ,herbert1 #afa-fb ,patterson ,field1 #bge n4 ,pau1 #bej-ec ,paulhan1 ,louis1 #bhg-hh1 #bid ,payne1 ,capt4 ,s4 ,j41 #ajd ,pnaud1 ,alphonse1 #h1 #de1 #dh1 #cjf2 helicopter1 #h-i1 #de ,perry1 ,israel1 #eh-ei ,peterkin1 ,clinton ,r41 #bfh-fi1 #bga ,phila4 ,record1 #aje ,picquart1 ,genl4 ,m4 ,g41 #aii1 #bjj1 #bff ,pilcher1 ,percy1 #dg1 #cji pilot1 position of1 #bad-ae pilots1 training of1 #bee-ef1 #bgd1 #bge1 #bhd-he ,pirelli1 ,dr41 #bdh1 #bed ,plant1 ,mortimer ,f41 #bgj ,popular ,science ,monthly1 #aaj1 #aah press1 its treatment of ,kitty ,hawk flight1 #ajc-aa2 of later developments1 #abc-bf1 #acd-ce1 #aci-da1 #ade1 #aij-ia2 of 7#aijh7 experiments1 #baf-be2 of ,fort ,myer tests1 #bbg-bh 7see also ,paris and ,n4 ,y4 ,c4 papers7 ,press1 ,j4 ,c41 #adf printing press1 the ,wrights'1 #cj-ch propellers1 #hf-ij1 #acc1 #bca2 shafts1 #ib-id public's reaction to ,wright experiments1 #aad-ag1 #ace-db ,puck1 #ada-db ,rathbun1 ,asst4 ,secy41 #ccb ,reeder1 ,catharine--see ,wright1 ,mrs4 ,dan ,reeder1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,george1 #ba ,reichel1 ,franz1 #bde ,religious ,telescope1 #bc ,revue des ,sciences1 #aff1 #bia ,richmond 7,ind47 ,evening ,item1 #ae ,rodgers1 ,cal ,p41 #bha-hb ,rolls1 ,charles ,s41 #bdd1 #bdg ,roosevelt1 ,pres4 ,theodore1 #afj1 #afa-fb1 #bab1 #bbg ,roosevelt1 ,theodore1 ,jr41 #bbg ,root1 ,a4 ,i41 #aag-ai1 #adb-dc rudder--see elevator ,ruhl1 ,arthur1 #bbj-be ,ruse1 ,cordy1 #dc ,russell1 ,frank1 #bga ,ryan1 ,allan ,a41 #bgj ,ryan1 ,thomas ,f41 #bgj ,salley1 ,d4 ,bruce1 #bah-ai ,santos-,dumont1 ,alberto1 #ajg1 #aae1 #ada1 #aff1 #agj1 #aib ,savoia1 ,lt41 #bef ,scherl1 ,herr1 #bed ,schindler1 ,reuben1 #ade ,scientific ,american1 #adc-dd1 #adf1 #afa1 #afi1 #bib ,scott1 ,j4 ,f41 #baa ,selfridge1 ,lt4 ,thomas1 #bbi-cj1 #bde1 #bij-ia1 #bib ,shaffer1 ,bert1 #i ,shank1 ,w4 ,h41 #ade ,shearn1 ,clarence ,j41 #big-ih ,shonts1 ,theodore ,p41 #bgj ,simms station--see ,huffman field ,sines1 ,edwin ,henry1 #f1 #cj1 #cc1 #cf1 #ci1 #beh-ei ,sines ,wright1 #cj-cg ,smithsonian ,institution1 #df1 #acg1 #cjj-ccc ,snapshots1 #ch ,sonnino1 ,baron ,sidney1 #bef ,south ,kensington ,science ,museum1 #cjj1 #cae1 #cah ,sports1 #agi1 #ahb ,spratt1 ,dr4 ,george ,a41 #fh-fi1 #ib ,squier1 ,maj4 ,george ,o41 #bbi ,stauffer1 ,amos1 #add1 #adf1 #agh ,steinmetz1 ,c4 ,p41 #d ,studien ,gesellschaft1 #bef-eg ,surcouf1 ,edouard1 #bch ,taft1 ,william ,howard1 #aej1 #aeb1 #aec1 #aeh1 #afb1 #baa-ab1 #beh1 #caf-ag1 #cah1 #cba tail1 #gi-hc1 #hf tail-spin1 #ha1 #abh-bi1 #aca ,tate1 8,dan10 #hj ,tate1 ,william ,j41 #ef-eg1 #ei-fa1 #fb1 #fe1 #ff1 #hj1 #ajb ,tattler1 #cg ,taylor1 ,charlie1 #hf1 #aba1 #abg1 #acf1 #bjb1 #bbf1 #bca telegram reporting ,kitty ,hawk flight1 #ajc-ajd1 #ajf1 #ajg ,tempelhof field1 #bfa ,thompson1 ,samuel1 #bj ,thompson1 ,mrs4 ,samuel1 #bj-ba ,thompson1 ,william ,boyce1 #bhf ,thorne1 ,tom1 #da-db tires1 #da ,tissandier1 ,paul1 #bdh1 #bej ,tomlinson1 ,john1 #ade ,tono-,bungay1 #baf transcontinental plane flight1 first1 #bha-hb ,truxell boys1 #cc ,tunison1 ,frank1 #ajf1 #adj ,turpin1 ,c4 ,o41 #bge ,u4 ,s4 ,board of ,ordnance1 #aej1 #aec1 #aed1 #aee1 #aeh-fj1 #afb-fe1 #bjh1 #baa ,u4 ,s4 ,signal ,corps1 #bjh1 #baa1 #bab-ac1 #bfe ,u4 ,s4 ,war ,dept41 #adg-fe1 #bjg-bji1 #bac1 #bbf1 #cje n4 ,vanderbilt1 ,cornelius1 #bgj ,veblen1 ,thorstein1 #e ,victor ,emmanuel of ,italy1 #bef ,voisin1 ,gabriel1 #afh-fi ,waddell1 ,theodore1 #adf ,wainwright1 ,l4 ,m41 #ij ,walcott1 ,dr4 ,charles ,d41 #cja-cji1 #cad-ae1 #cah1 #cbe warping mechanism1 #fc-ff1 #gi1 #ha1 #acb-cc ,washington 7,d4 ,c47 ,post1 #aje1 #aji ,weaver1 ,henry ,m41 #age1 #bjg ,weaver1 ,henry1 ,jr41 #age-gi1 #ahj1 #ahb1 #aib ,webbert brothers1 #ade ,webbert1 ,mr41 #aae ,weber1 ,william1 #ade ,weiller1 ,lazare1 #bac1 #bee ,weiller1 ,mme41 #bdh 8well-digging10 #ha ,welsh1 ,a4 ,l41 #bge ,west ,side ,news1 #cf ,westcott1 ,robert1 #ie ,western ,society of ,engineers1 #gc1 #bia2 ,journal1 #ge1 #bia ,whitfield1 ,forrest1 #cb ,whitney1 ,harry ,payne1 #bhf ,wilhelm1 ,kaiser1 #bjd1 #bef-eg1 #bfb1 #bfd ,wilson1 ,mary1 #be wind-tunnel1 #gd-gh woodcuts1 #bi ,wright brothers3 ,,note3 ,this entry covers joint activities only4 ,for individual activities1 see below--,wright1 ,orville1 and ,wright1 ,wilbur4 ,see also ,wright ,co41 ,w4 medals1 ,w4 monuments1 ,w4 patents1 ,w4 planes1 ,w4 records1 etc41 below4 ,ancestors and parents1 #ai-bb2 boyhood1 #e-ah1 #bc-bh2 early interest in mechanics1 #e-i1 #be2 lathe1 #ab-ac2 circuses1 #ae-ah1 #cc-cd2 reading1 #bf-bg2 weekly paper1 #ch2 start bicycle business1 #ch-ci2 begin manufacture and repair work1 #ci-dd ,early interest in aeronautics1 #de2 reading on it1 #df-dg2 experiments in building gliders1 #dh-ee2 first ,kitty ,hawk experiments 7#aija71 #ee-gb2 make wind-tunnels1 #gd-gh2 at ,k4 ,h4 7#aijb71 #gi2 meet tail-spin problem1 #ha-hc ,develop engine1 #hd-ij2 transmission and propeller problems1 #hi-ij2 power flights at ,k4 ,h4 7#aijc71 #ij-ie2 first successful flight1 #ie-ajc2 get flying field near ,dayton1 #abb-bc2 early public trials1 #abd-bf2 track and launching problems1 #abg-bi2 improve records1 #acj1 #acg-ch2 first complete circular flight1 #acj1 #adb2 their first three planes described1 #hd-id1 #aab-ac1 #aba-bb1 #acj-cd ,early relations with public and press1 #ajc-aa1 #acd-df2 first eye-witness story printed1 #adc-dc2 early dealings with ,u4 ,s4 and ,british govts41 #adg-fe2 abandon project to demonstrate at ,jamestown1 #afj-fa ,their work discussed in ,france1 #aff-ga2 asked for information and prices1 #aga-gc2 their letter shown at ,aro ,club1 #agd-ge2 visited by ,weaver1 and demonstrate for him1 #age-gi2 investigated by ,coquelle1 #agi-hj2 approached by ,ferber for ,french govt41 #ahb-hc2 visited by ,fordyce1 #ahc-he2 visited by ,french ,commission1 #ahg-ia2 by ,alexander1 #aia2 by ,herald reporter1 #aia-ib2 meet ,flint in ,n4 ,y41 #aid-if2 go to ,paris1 #bjb-bjd2 to ,berlin1 #bjd-bjf ,negotiations with ,u4 ,s4 ,war ,dept41 #bjh-ad2 their bid accepted1 #baa-ab2 add improvements to #aije plane1 #bad-ae2 go to ,k4 ,h41 #bae-be2 publicity begins1 #baf-be2 in ,france 7#aiji71 #bej-ec2 to ,rome1 #bee2 plan formation of ,german ,wright company1 #beg2 to ,le ,mans for gift bronze1 #beg-eh2 to ,london for medals1 etc41 #beh2 to ,washington for ,aero ,club medals1 #beh ,return to ,dayton celebrated1 #beh-ei2 get ,govt4 bonus after ,fort ,meyer tests1 #bfj2 organize ,the ,wright ,company1 #bfh-ga2 their only joint flight1 #bgf2 build house at ,hawthorn ,hill1 #bhb ,wright1 8,buster10 #bha ,wright ,company1 #bfh-ga1 #bgh1 #bgi1 #bha1 #bhc1 #bhe1 #bhf1 #bhh1 #bie1 #bif 7see also ,french--,german--,british ,wright ,co47 ,wright ,cycle ,co41 #ci-dd1 #gg1 #aad1 #abj-ba1 #adh1 #agf1 #bga ,wright1 ,dan1 #ba-bb ,wright1 ,mrs4 ,dan1 #ba ,wright exhibition flights1 charges for1 #bgg ,wright1 ,katharine1 #ac1 #bc1 #cg1 #dg1 #ajf1 #aac1 #bag1 #bej-ec1 #bfa1 #bfb1 #bff1 #bhj1 #bhd ,wright1 ,lorin1 #bb1 #be1 #ca1 #ha1 #ajf1 #bha ,wright medals1 prizes1 etc41 #bdh-di1 #bej1 #beg-eh1 #bei1 #bfd ,wright1 ,mrs4 ,milton1 #e1 #f1 #g1 #aa1 #bj1 #bb1 #bf1 #cd1 #ia ,wright1 ,rev4 ,milton1 #e-h1 #aa1 #ba-bc1 #bf1 #bg1 #ajc1 #ajf1 #ajg1 #aae1 #bei1 #bgf-gg1 #bgh ,wright monuments--,kitty ,hawk1 #bba2 ,pau1 #bej2 ,dayton1 #bge n4 ,wright1 ,orville ,,note3 ,for joint activities with ,wilbur1 see above1 ,wright brothers4 ,birth1 #bc2 boyhood enterprises1 #g1 #i-ab1 #ac-ae2 schooling1 #bd-be1 #cg2 letter-press1 #bi2 printing work1 #cj-ch2 builds press1 #cd-cf2 interest in bicycle racing1 #ch2 starts bicycle business1 #ch-dd2 illness1 #df2 first trip to ,kitty ,hawk1 #fa-gb2 makes wind-tunnel1 #gd2 his story of first successful power flight1 #if-ajb2 telegram announcing it1 #ajc-ajd ,goes to ,europe1 #bjb-bjf2 orders engines in ,paris1 #bjf2 to ,k4 ,h4 for practice 7#aijh71 #baf-be2 to ,fort ,myer for tests 7#aijh71 #bbf-cb2 establishes new records1 #bbi2 to ,france1 #bej2 in train accident1 #bej ,govt4 trials at ,fort ,myer 7#aiaj71 #bfj2 goes to ,germany1 #bfa-fd2 in ,paris1 investigates ,french ,wright company1 #bff-fg2 trains pilots in ,alabama1 #bgd2 opens flying school at ,dayton1 #bge2 further experiments at ,k4 ,h41 #bha2 succeeds ,w4 as pres4 of ,the ,wright ,co41 #bhc2 last trip to ,europe 7#aiac71 #bhd2 acquires almost complete ownership of ,company1 #bhe2 and sells entire interest1 #bhe-hf1 #bif ,relations and correspondence with ,glenn ,curtiss1 #bhh-if1 #cjh-cc 7see also lawsuits and ,wright patents72 dealings with ,smithsonian in regard to ,langley machine1 #cjg-cc ,style of flying1 #bgf2 flying dress1 #bge-gf2 memory1 #bjb2 effective demonstration at a patent-suit trial1 #big-ih2 comment on cyclists' notions about steering1 #bih-ii ,wright patents1 #di1 #hc1 #acj1 #bga1 #bgc1 #bha1 #bhd1 #bhg-ii ,wright planes3 ,kitty ,hawk 7#aijc71 #hd-id1 #aab-ac1 #cjj1 #cae1 #cah2 #aijd model1 #aba-bb1 #agj2 #aije model1 #acj-cd1 #bad-ae2 #aijg model1 #bjb1 #bjd1 #bjf1 #bcc1 #bcd-ec2 plane sold to ,u4 ,s4 ,signal ,corps1 #bjh-ac1 #bbf-cb2 planes built in ,europe from parts sent over1 #bee2 ,model ,b1 #bhe ,wright planes1 prices of1 #agb-gc1 #ahd-he1 #bjh1 #baa-ab1 #bhb ,wright records1 #bbh-bi1 #bch1 #bdj1 #bfc1 #bfd1 #bha ,wright1 ,reuchlin1 #bb1 #aac ,wright1 ,wilbur ,,note3 ,for joint activities with ,orville1 see above1 ,wright brothers4 ,birth1 #bb2 boyhood enterprises1 #g1 #h-i1 #ab-ac1 #ae2 schooling1 #bc-bd2 illness1 #bf2 joins ,o4 in printing newspaper1 #cg-ch2 in bicycle business1 #ch-dd2 makes warping device for glider1 #di-ej2 goes to ,kitty ,hawk1 #eh-gb2 makes ,chicago address1 #gc-ge ,goes to ,england1 #aif-ig2 ,paris1 #aig-bjd2 ,berlin1 #bjd-bjf2 appears before ,u4 ,s4 ,ordnance ,board1 and bids1 #bjh2 to ,k4 ,h4 7#aijh71 #bae-be2 to ,france for demonstrations1 #bbf1 #bbg1 #bcc-ec2 his records1 #bch1 #bdj2 at ,le ,mans1 #bcd-dd2 guest of ,aro ,club 7,sarthe71 #bdd-de2 wins altitude prizes1 #bdh-di1 #bej2 at ,pau1 #bej-ec2 to ,rome1 #bee2 trains ,italian flyers1 #bee-ef ,flies at ,hudson-,fulton ,celebration1 #bfe2 begins training ,u4 ,s4 pilots1 #bfe-ff2 last flight as pilot1 #bgf2 dealings with ,smithsonian in regard to ,langley machine1 #cja-cjg2 illness and death1 #bhb-hc ,character1 #bce1 #bcf1 #bda-dc2 memory1 #bjd2 athletic activities1 #ch ,zahm1 ,dr4 ,a4 ,f41 #cji1 #cbb-be ,zens1 ,ernest1 #bde ,zeppelin airships1 #bbh ,transcriber's ,notes ,punctuation1 hyphenation1 and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in the original book2 otherwise they were not changed4 ,simple typographical errors were corrected2 unbalanced quotation marks were remedied when the change was obvious1 and otherwise left unbalanced4 ,illustrations in this e,book have been positioned between paragraphs and outside quotations4 ,in versions of this e,book that support hyperlinks1 the page references in the ,list of ,illustrations lead to the corresponding illustrations4 ,the index was not checked for proper alphabetization or correct page references4