PROGRESS IN AVIATION CHANUTE. 149 



chine of the 1908 design, at Le Mans, where Wilbur Wright first ex- 

 hibited it to the French, while a contract had been made in this coun- 

 try with the United States Government to furnish a similar machine, 

 and figure 2 represents a three-fourths front view of the machine. 

 There is at the front a double-decked horizontal rudder. It will be 

 noticed that these inventors have modified the make-up of a bird by 

 putting the tail in front. Behind are placed vertical rudders, but it 

 is the front rudder which elevates and gives horizontal direction to 

 the machine. The rear rudder guides the machine to the right or left. 

 Back of the main surfaces are the two screws revolving in opposite 

 directions. 



The machine is equipped with a pair of skids for alighting, while 

 the French people have equipped their machines with wheels. The 

 wheels weigh more, catch more air, and are not as safe as the skids, 

 but the skids require a rail and a starting weight in order to get the 

 machine into the air, unless there is a brisk head wind. Plate 6, 

 figure 1, is from a remarkable photograph sent to me by Wilbur 

 Wright, which was taken just at dusk. 



Mr. Wright had extraordinarily good fortune in carrying on the 

 experiments in France, his machine falling only once. One other 

 accident occurred in the breaking of one of the sprocket chains in 

 mid-air; but he then operated the machine as a glider and came down 

 safely. The French people at first made all sorts of comments, criti- 

 cisms, and caricatures of Wilbur Wright, and even published a num- 

 ber of amusing songs, but finally he triumphed, won their esteem and 

 admiration, and they acknowledged that he was the master of all the 

 aviators. Plate 6. figure 2, shows one of the flights at Le Mans. 

 From Le Mans he went to Auvours in order to get better ground, and 

 there made over 100 flights. 



The more remarkable performances which he made I have under- 

 taken to tabulate, but I will not inflict those statistics upon you this 

 evening. Mr. Wright established great records, however. On the 

 18th of December, 1908, he flew 62 miles in 1 hour and 54 minutes, 

 this being at that time the world's record, and he beat this directly 

 afterwards, on the 31st of December, by flying 77 miles in 2 hours 

 20 minutes and 23 seconds, thus winning the Michelin prize and 

 establishing a world record, which was only beaten in the tournament 

 at Eheims three weeks ago. In Rome he took up a great many pas- 

 sengers, and on one occasion he started without the use of starting 

 weights, simply facing a wind of sufficient intensity and going up 

 straight from the ground. Plate 7 shows one of these flights. On 

 the 25th of September, after returning to America and after he had 

 been universally acclaimed in this country and overwhelmed (modest 

 man that he is) with public dinners, receptions, and medals, he 

 encircled in flight the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor and 



