Dayton, September 9, 1903
Your letter of 3rd inst. is received. I had a letter from Mr. Merrill some days ago containing substantially the same information as that sent you. Our plans for experimenting without forward motion all failed on account of lack of suitable winds. Possibly Mr. Merrill intends to use lighter load per sq. ft. of wing area. If so he may succeed.1
Our preparations for our trip to Kitty Hawk are nearly finished. We shipped some goods today and will ship balance next week. We hope to start ourselves by the 20th. The erection of a building will probably occupy us for a week and it will take several weeks to set up the machine so we will not be ready for a trial much before October 25th.
We are pleased that your business is "booming" but hope it will not interfere with your visit to our camp.
1 Merrill's apparatus was a "soaring tower" on which a glider, enclosed in a framework of wire and springs, would supposedly be enabled to soar "for hours at a time" at no risk to the operator. An upward current of air was to be induced by an inclined windbreak constructed behind the tower.
Octave Chanute to Wilbur Wright, September 12, 1903