Wilbur Wright to Octave Chanute

Dayton, September 19, 1903

Your two letters of recent date received. We have been very busy with our final arrangements. Our last goods were shipped yesterday and we expect to start ourselves Monday morning.

I had a very nice letter from Captain Ferber a few weeks ago, just as he was about to start for the sand hills, I presume. The troubles described with vivid illustrations in his letter to you are evidently due chiefly to too great depth of curvature and the fact that the surfaces arc not sufficiently held to shape by ribs. There is also a possibility that his front rudder may not be arranged to act with sufficient 'quickness and exactness. We never had such extreme instability as he describes, but my first address gave some account of our troubles with a surface of too great curvature and the means we used to correct it.

We were glad to learn that Mr. Alexander is thinking of visiting this country again. Orville and I had made a firm resolve that Dr. Spratt and yourself should be the only visitors in camp this year up to the moment of actual trial. We have so much to do, and so little time to do it in. However, if Mr. Alexander's trip should occur at a time that would make it at all practicable to invite him to camp we shall certainly do so, as we were much pleased with him so far as his brief visit last year enabled us to make his acquaintance. We both liked him very much. We will consider the matter further when we see how things progress in camp.

We thank you for your offer of the loan of your camp tableware but think that, with the additions we are ourselves sending this year, we will have all we need. In an emergency we can buy down there.

P.S. I return the Cabot letter. Please convey to him our thanks for his kind expression.

Wilbur Wright to Octave Chanute, October 1, 1903