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ELMIRA SUNDAY TELEGRAM OCT. 4 1953 Anniversary of Kitty Hawk Flight by the Wrights 12 pages In Two Parts Virginian-Pilot. TRUE TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY In Victory or Defeat Vol. XIX XO. 68 NORFOLK VA. FRIDAY DECEMBER 18 1903 TWELVE PAGES THREE CENTS PER COPY FLYING MACHINE SOARS 3 MILES IN TEETH OF HIGH WIND OVER SAND HILLS AND WAVES AT KITTY HAWK ON CAROLINA COAST TALLY SHEETS [[text cut]] U.S. LANDING PARTY FINDS STONG CAMP OF COLOSIAN TROOPS TO DEEPEN THE [[TEXT CUT OFF]] WANTS CANAL BUILT WITHOUT SUSPICION OF [[TEXT CUT OFF]] __________ NO BALLON ATTACHED TO AID IT __________ Three years of Hard, Secret Work by Two Ohio Brothers Cr[[?]] With Success __________ ACCOMPLISHED WHAT LANGLEY FAILED AT [[CUT OFF]] [[IMAGE]] AVIATION has made gargantuan strides between the Wright brothers' historic flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C., Dec. 17, 1903. In picture Orville Wright lies prone to left of motor while his brother, Wilbur, runs alongside, just after taking off the first try for a flight of 120 feet. (Wide World). THE FIRST newspaper account of the Wright brothers' historic flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C., on Dec. 17, 1903, as it appeared the following morning on the front page of the Norfolk, Va., Virginian-Pilot. It was one of the great news beats of all time–a scoop for Harry P. Moore, a 20-year-old cub reporter. Moore today is the marine editor on the same page. Most Editors Wouldn't Print the Story Norfolk, Va. –In these days of teletypes and pictures by Wirephoto the news of an accomplishment such as man's first flight would be splashed over every front page in the country. But, 50 years ago, when man first, it was months before many readers knew of it. There were two reasons: no newsmen on the scene and heavy skepticism among editors around the country. Samuel P. Langley, amid much fanfare, had tried to have his plane flown off a houseboat in the Potomac. The experiment had drawn good-sized crowds, who scoffed and said "I told you so" when the craft twice did a swan-dive into the river. No one had paid much attention to the brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright, who had been experimenting at Kitty Hawk, N.C. The word of their success got out, all right, thanks to a couple of seamen at the Kill Devil Hill life saving station, a forerunner of the Coast Guard, and the Weather Bureau telegrapher at Kitty Hawk. How It Got Out But just how it got out has become a matter of some dispute at this late date. Harry P. Moore, now marine editor of the Norfolk Virginia - Pilot was 20 then and just starting in on the paper. He says he learned of the experiments, went to Kitty Hawk, and arranged with the life savers, J.T. Daniels and A.D. Etheridge, and the telegrapher, J.j. Dosher, to let him know if the Wrights ever flew. Moore says he got a wire: "Wrights flew in motor driven machine 1120." Then he phoned the life saving station and was told: "At last the nuts have flown." The then city editor of the Virginia-Pilot, Keville Glennan, now retired, says it wasn't quite that way. He credits the late Edward O. Dean, reporter assigned to the Norfolk Weather Bureau. He says Dean got the tip. The Glennan phoned the coast guardsmen, was told had no details, and would call back. Moore later came up with some details, Glennan says, but wouldn't tell his source. The details, Glennan adds, were not entirely accurate. "Inasmuch as Moore had been hailed repeatedly as the man who did it all," Glennan now says. "I think that justice demands that the record be put straight by giving to Dean the credit… "Dean is the man who brought the news first to the desk. That's the finish line in news races. Editors Skepitcal Whoever did the job, the Virginian-Pilot spread the story under an 8-column page one banner. Some of the details were wrong, but the essential fact was there: man had flown. Moore says he offered the story to 21 other papers around the country. Six were interested. Some of the others made him pay the 22-cent toll charge for his message of inquiry. Of the six, only the New York Journal also gave it page one play. Others put it on inside pages or didn't use it at all. In many cities no story appeared for months. In Dayton, the Wrights had messaged their family and another brother, Lorin, prepared a release for The Associated Press. He took it to a Dayton paper and talked to the telegraph editor, who also was the AP representative. Lorin recalled later that the story was rejected with the remark that if the flight had lasted 59 minutes instead of 59 seconds it might have been news. Edgcombs Announce a Series of Wonder Values To make the Home of Your Dreams Come True Its home fashion time You've seen the furniture fashions advertised in recent Home Magazines. They are typical of hundreds of other new groupings EDGCOMB'S are featuring for your Fall and Winter needs. A combination of good quality, late styling and low prices make for a "Wonder Value." Shop EDGCOMB's tomorrow and be convinced. Budge terms no extra. [[rest of the article is cut off]]
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