Unfortunately for Curtiss, poor weather, strong winds in particular, severely limited the amount of flying that could safely be accomplished during the first week. Determined to collect some of the contract money, Curtiss made one short official flight on Governors Island and called it quits, then departed to meet a commitment in St. Louis. By Monday morning, 4 October 1909, the weather had calmed, and Wilbur announced that he would attempt to satisfy the terms not only of his contract, but of Curtiss’s as well. The round-trip flight to Grant’s Tomb took just over half an hour. The prize money was secure.52