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Page Eight The Mountain Empire Bulletin September 1, 1936 First Service Ship Purchased from Wrights in 1909 Lieut. Selfridge was first fatality I. Shortly before Christmas, 1907, Major George O. Squier, technical adviser on aeronautical matters to the signal corps, was ordered by the war department to draw up specifications for a military plane. Bids were then sought by the government, from contractors, for machine capable of the performances Major Squier outlined. Considering the small progress that had been made in aeronautical developments since Dec. 17, 1903, the date of the first flight by the Wright brothers, the requirements were stringent indeed. The aeroplane, the Major decreed, must be capable of making a sustained flight of one hour, be able to carry two persons, complete a reconnaissance flight of 125 miles, and maintain an average speed in excess of 36 miles an hour over a 10 mile course. It must, in addition, be of such construction that is could be readily taken apart, transported on a couple of wagons, and reassembled in 60 minutes. The combined weight of the two persons carried must total at least 360 pounds. Forty-one Bids Forty-one persons, it was found when the bids were opened in Feb. 1, 1908, were willing to supply the government with a flying machine, but only three of the proposals ______________ Curtiss Perfects Land-Water Plane At San Diego ___ SAN DIEGO, Calif., Jan. 26, 1911 (E.B.)--Glenn Hammond Curtiss, the noted aeroplane inventor, who has established a winter aviation camp here, has another aeonautical [[aeronautical]] triumph to his credit. Today in a standard fifty-horse-power Curtiss biplane which had been fitted with a system of floats, he succeeded in rising from the water of Spanish Bight, an inlet of San Diego bay, in flying about a mile, making a turn and in again descending to the surface of the bay. The flight [[made?]] by Curtiss today [[continues on page 73 of transcriptions]] [[start 2nd column]] were given considerations. These were an offer by the Wright brothers to supply a satisfactory machine in 200 days at a cost of $25,000, an offer from A. M. Herring to deliver a machine in 185 days for $20,00, and an offer from J. F. Scott to produce a completed aeroplane in 180 days for $1,000. The Wright brothers had been inactive for two years. Now with the prospects of the government order, and the assurance of some foreign business, flying experiments were resumed at Kitty Hawk, N. C., in May, 1908. The machine used in these tests was the same as had been flown by them in 1905, with provision made for the operator to sit erect, instead of lying prone, and with an added seat for a passenger. A large motor was installed and a radiator nd [[and]] gasoline tank of greater capacity. 12 Flights Made Between May 6 and May 14 about 12 flights were made, the longest being one of 5 minutes. On the final day of the trials, which ended when the machine was wrecked, a passenger, C. W. Furnas, was taken aloft. On August 8 Wilbur Wright left for France to conclude foreign negotiations for the use of the Wright patents, leaving Orville to complete the business with the government. On September 3, having assembled the aeroplane which he hoped to sell to the war department at the parade ground at Fort Meyer, Va,. near Washington, D. C., Orville ascended for a test flight. After two circuits of the field he made a mistake in the manipulation of the steering lever, in which some damage was done to the forward portion of the runners. Octave Chanute Present The signal corps representatives at Fort Meyer were Major Squier and Lieutenants Frank P. Lahm, Benjamin D. Foulois and Thomas E. Selfridge. Lieutenants Lahm and Foulois were attached to the balloon section of the corps, and had recently conducted a series of experiments with the Baldwin dirigible, purchased by the government a short time before. Lieutenant Selfridge had been but recently recalled from detached duty with the Aerial Experiment association. The navy was represented by Lieutenant Sweet. Charles Tay- [[continues on page 73 of transcriptions]] [[start 3rd column]] minutes and 15 seconds, traveling a distance of 38 1/2 miles around the measured course. the flight was witnessed by about 1000 persons attracted to Fort Meyer by the news of the earlier voyage. Within a short time he again ascended, with Lieutenant Lahm as a passenger, for a six minute trip. On Sept. 10 Orville succeeded in remaining aloft 65 minutes and 52 seconds, making 58 circuits of the parade grounds. On Sept. 11 he made two flights, the longest being 70 minutes and 26 seconds. On September 12 Major Squier was taken up for a ride lasting 9 minutes and 6 1/3 seconds. Before a crowd of 5,000 which had gathered, Orville flew for one hour and 14 minutes. Two weeks now remained in which to complete the government tests and Orville announced that he intended to continue his practice and trials further before attempting the official flights. On Thursday, Sept. 17, at 5:14, while cavalrymen restrained a crowd of 2,000 persons from encroaching upon the parade ground, Orville ascended with Lieutenant Selfridge as a passenger. They had been up for six of seven minutes, had made two circuits of the field at an altitude of about 75 feet, when the machine was observed to waver in the air, twist in its course, and nose upwards. Fell With Crash The aeroplane fell to earth with a crash. The crowd broke past the soldiers and started to rush across the field to where Orville and Lieutenant Selfridge were pinned in the wreckage, but the troops hastily formed a cordon and held them back. The motor lay on top of Selfridge. His head was covered in blood and his breath came in choking gasps. He was unconscious. Orville, badly hurt, was still conscious. "Oh," hurry and lift the motor," he begged looking towards his companion. An ambulance took both men to the Fort Meyer hospital. Orville's injuries consisted of a compound frarture [[fracture]] of the right thigh bone, and two broken ribs. Lieutenant Selfridge had sustained a basal fralture [[fracture]] of the skull. [[continues on page 73 of transcriptions]] [[start column 4]] ting of a starting rail and tower, was used. Sets Duration Record There were no flights made on the 28th. A new motor gave trouble and other difficulties encountered. Finally, on June 29, after 12 feet has been added to the starting rail, and 60 pounds to the starting weight in the tower, Orville took off for a brief hop of 3960 feet. Over trial trips of increasing length were made until, on July 20, he was able to establish a new American duration record by remaining in the air for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Orville announced now, that on July 26 an attempt would be made to pass the government requirement for a one hour flight with two men aboard, and on that day 10,000 persons, including President Taft, assembled at the parade ground. In a preliminary flight the dropping of the launching weight was dispensed with, the plane rolling along the rail under its own power, skimming the grass for a few feet, then rising into the air. Orville made the first circle of the field at an elevation of about 25 feet, the climbed to 75 feet for the next two rounds, and landed with a succession of dips and swoops. In the meantime a gusty wind of 15 to 20 miles an hour velocity had sprung up causing the duration flight to be postponed until the following day. On the 27th the weather was even more unsettled. A high wind lasted throughout the day until late afternoon. Then there was a shower, followed by a calm spell. At 6:36:40 p.m., when the calm showed signs of persisting, with Lieut. Lahm aboard, Orville steered the aeroplane aloft for what was to become the longest two man flight on record. Seventy rounds of the parade grounds were made, and the duration mounted minute by minute to a total of one hour. Seventy rounds of the field meant a total distance covered of about 50 miles, and the assembled throng cheered and waved an acknowledgement of a great accomplishment. Five more times Orville and his passenger sailed around the course, at an average altitude of 75 feet bobbing up and down in the breeze, [[text cut off]] this time, in addition the one aeroplane, consisted of the Baldwin dirigible and several free and captive balloons. There was one balloon house at Fort Meyer and another at Fort Omaha, Neb. At Fort Omaha there was also an electroyisis plant for the manufacture of hydrogen case. 1909 Aero Organization The 1909 aeronautical organization of the signal corps under Chief Signal Officer Brigadier General James Allen was Major Squier, theoretical expert and adviser; Lieut. Lahm, chief of the aeronautical section; and Capt. Chas. de F. Chandler, and Lieutenants Foulois, Winters, Bamberger, Dickenson and Humphries, commissioned personnel. Lieutenants Lahm, Humphries and Foulois were the first officers assigned for training on the heavier-than-air type craft. Wilbur Wright, following his September appearance at New York, in connection with the Hudson Fulton celebration, returned to Fort Meyer to instruct the embryo airmen. On Oct. 9 Wilbur slid off the starting tail for a trial trip of 3,280 feet. On Oct. 11 he made a complete circle of the parade grounds. He was then ready to proceed with the training course. The officers proved apt pupils and progress was rapidly made to a point where, on Oct. 30, Lieut. Foulois and Humphries were given sole charge of the machine and sent aloft without the more experienced hand of Wilbur at their side. [[Advertisement]] [[image - star logo]] Greetings to the [[page cut off]]
Transcription Notes:
Warning - fairly detailed description of fatal accident!
