Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 July 1909 — WRIGHT MAKES THREE FLIGHTS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WRIGHT MAKES THREE FLIGHTS

Orville Has New Aeroplane “Tamed” Properly. GOES ROUND AND ROUND Machine Glides Into Air and Descends to Earth at Will of Aviator and Ope* rator Is Cheered Repeatedly For Pluck and Persistency In Trying and Retrying Until Success la Achieved. Major George O. Squier Says Speed of 38 Miles Was Attained. Washington, July 2. —Calm, confident and nerveless, Orville Wright encircled the Fort Myer drill grounds time after time in his aeroplane in three successful flights while a crowd of thousands cheered him for the success that attended his persistency and pluck. Bishop Milton Wright, the proud father, and the brother, Reuchlin, who

had never before seen his brother’s machine fly, were with the aeroplanists. The first round was made in fifty seconds. Five times the machine skirted the field, attaining a height which varied from fifteen to thirty feet. On the sixth round Wright came to earth within a few feet of the starting point, completing the flight in exactly five minutes. The landing was perfect, the machine swooping down in successive g'ides until -within a few feet of the earth, when Orville pulled the string which stops his motor and the aeroplane glided smoothly over the grass on its skids until it came to a stop. On his second flight Orville made nine rounds of the field in a few seconds less than eight minutes. He made another graceful landing. In his last attempt he remained aloft for a few seconds more than nine minutes and encircled the field nine and one-half times. In this flight he reached a height of forty feet. Major Spuier expressed the opinion that the rounds were approximately half a mile in length. As the machine made these rounds in fifty seconds each, it probably was traveling at a speed of front thirty-six to thirty-eight miles per hour. Charlie Taft, son of the president, violated nearly all of the rules set down by the Wrights for the restriction of photographers. He was greatly excited over the aeroplane's performances.

MAJOR GEORGE O. SQUIER.