Octave Chanute to Wilbur Wright

Chicago, December 9, 1905

I am glad to learn that the Patent Office has allowed all your claims. I was afraid.

I think you are quite right in deferring an organization till you see how your pending negotiations will come out, and in awaiting conviction on the part of the President. He may blame you hereafter, however, for not calling his attention to your recent achievements.

On Nov. 20th Prof. Zahm mentioned in a letter1 that Mr. Carl Dienstbach was preparing an article for the New York Herald.2 1 have seen the article of Nov. 26th and I believe that the "man in this (New York) city" alluded to was either Herring or Manly, as both of them seem to have given points and information to the writer of the article. This is clear from internal evidence.

I am enclosing a French clipping which may prove interesting
to you.3

1 The letter from A. F. Zahm to Chanute, Nov. 20, 1905, is not available; Chanute replied on Dec. 10, 1905. The fate of the Zahm Chanute correspondence is something of a mystery, for no more than half a dozen Zahm letters have been found among the Chanute Papers in the Library of Congress.

2 See Wilbur Wright to Chanute, Dec, 13, 1905. Search fails to disclose any such article by Dienstbach.

3 This has not been identified.

Octave Chanute to Wilbur Wright, December 11, 1905