kly that he decided, in order to avoid a more
serious accident, to stop both engines. This sudden stop produced the
half-circle already described and the fall of the machine on its side.

The damage to the machine was serious; consisting at first sight of the
rupture of both propellers, the rear left wheel and the bending of the
left wing tip. It will only be possible to determine after the machine
is taken apart whether the engine, and more particularly the organs of
transmission, have been put out of line.

Whatever the damage may be, though comparatively easy to repair, it will
take a certain amount of time, and taking into consideration the time
of year it is evident that the tests will have to be adjourned for the
present.

As has been said in the above report, the tests, though prematurely
interrupted, have shown results of great importance, and though the
final results are hard to foresee, it would seem advisable to continue
the trials. By waiting for the return of spring there will be plenty of
time to finish the tests and it will not be necessary to rush matters,
which was a partial cause of the accident. The Chairman of the Committee
personally has but one hope, and that is that a decision be reached
accordingly.

Division General,

Chairman of the Committee,

Mensier.

Boulogne-sur-Seine, October 21st, 1897.

Annex to the Report of October 21st.

General Grillon, who was present at the trials of the 14th, and who saw
the report relative to what happened during that day, made the following
observations in writing, which are reproduced herewith in quotation
marks. The Chairman of the Committee does not agree with General Grillon
and he answers these observations paragraph by paragraph.

1. 'If the rear wheel (there is only one of these) left but intermittent
tracks on the ground, does that prove that the machine has a tendency to
rise when running at a certain speed?'

Answer.--This does not prove anything in any way, and I was very careful
not to mention this in my report, this point being exactly what was
needed and that was not demonstrated during the two tests made on the
grounds.

'Does not this unequal pressure of the two pair of wheels on the ground
show that the centre of gravity of the apparatus is placed too far
forward and that under the impulse of the propellers the machine has a
tendency to tilt forward, due to the resistance of