J74 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE VOL. 27 



incontrovertible evidence, which (he instantaneous photographs had given as to 

 just what had occurred to the machine in the accident of October 7, was in this 

 case unfortunately lacking. It was at first thought thai no photographs had 

 been obtained while the machine was actually in the air, but it was later found 

 that bj some rare fortune the photographer for The Washington Star had se- 

 cured a photograph, which, while small, showed very distinctly some decidedly 

 interesting facts. An enlargement of this photograph is shown in Plate 101, by 

 the kind permission of The Washington Shu: Referring to this photograph, 

 it will he seen that al the moment it was taken the machine was practically ver- 

 tical in the air, and it confirms the testimony of the eye witnesses, and also the 

 writer's impression that the machine was maintained in a vertical position for 

 several moments by the upward thrust of the propellers. It will also be seen 

 that the Penaud tail has been completely demolished and is hanging as a limp 

 roll "f cloth, which the strong wind has deflected backwards inwards the house- 

 boat, the port rear wing has broken its main ribs, both where they are attached 

 to the main frame and also about midway the length of the wing, the outer end 

 being partially folded towards the frame. The starboard rear wing has also 

 broken both of its main ribs at the point where they are joined to the frame, 

 and they have also broken at a point about one-third their length from the frame, 

 the outer end being likewise folded towards the frame. By a still more careful 

 inspection, it will also be seen that the port front wing is apparently uninjured, 

 while the starboard front wing has broken the'middle main rib at a point be- 

 tween the sixth and seventh cross-ribs, and while it cannot be distinctlj seen at 

 first that the front main rib has also broken at the same point very careful in- 

 spection will show that this is the case, as the sixth and seventh ribs, showing 

 as faintly darker lines in the photograph, are seen to be displaced, so that they 

 are together and actually crossing each other. It will furthermore be seen that 

 both front wings have been pressed upward by the wind until their tips near 

 the inner ends are in contact with the cross-frame. This could not have hap- 

 pened unless the front guy-post had given away either by bending or breaking. 

 The fact that it has given way is further evidenced by a more careful examina- 

 tion of the extreme front end of the machine, where it will be seen that the bow- 

 sprit and the curved tubes which form the extreme end of the steel frame have 

 been bent from a straight line with reference to the main frame. This bend- 

 ing of the bowsprit and the curved tubes could be produced only by the front 

 guy-post coming in contact with some obstruction on the launching car as the 

 machine left it. It is known very certainly that the rear end of the machine 

 came in contact with the launching car, as the car itself shows a very deep gash 

 in the wooden cross piece at its center, which was produced by the port-bear- 

 ing point at the rear striking it. As this bearing point was elevated five feet 

 above the cross piece of the launching car, and was also six feet six indies to 



