The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-08-29
A FLIGHT FROM PIXIES PEAK
William B. PeltS viii Jump 10 Colorado
Springs, a Distance Of IA Miles.
The MOST DARING FEAT EYER TRIED.
VIII PAS Over Two Lesser Ranges of
Mountains In n Descent OF 5000
Feet-An American Condor
His Model.

as mangled corpse at the foot Of the
topmost ridge of Pixies Peak or his name
will be heralded broadcast as the per-
former OF one Of the most daring feats
ever originated in tho brain OF man.
Fets is either genius OF a monumental
and mountainous fool. At present the
betting IS to / in favor Of the latter al
Tentative. But that makes no difference
Other geniuses have had a similar ex-
perience.
Felts proposes to fly or rather to glide
by means Of aeroplanes from the summit
of pixies Peak TO the city Of Colorado
Strings. a distance of fourteen miles, with
"a descent of over 5000 feet. or a mile and
"a half. lie will pass directly over the
summit OF two lesser ranges OF mountains
and tho intervening valleys, and his
failure. If he fails, viii be attended with
immediate and unavoidable destruction.
The machine upon which this appalling
adventure is TO be undertaken Is describ-
ed as a pair Of rigid aeroplanes, modelled
i'm a measure after the wings Of the con-
dor Of the South American mountain
ranges. Each wing is bent abruptly
downward near its junction with its
mate. and at this point the BODY OF the
voyager hangs suspended in easy har-
moss From the centre each wing sweeps
inward and outward in graceful curve,
while at the tip Of the wing II IS bent
upward with a convex surface downward
to avoid the'danger from sideWise sweeps
and extreme oscillations.
Directly over the body Of the voyager,
firmly connected and drawn taut be-
tween the body frames and wing braces,
there is an immovable rectoplane, which
Is designed TO secure still further
straight line OF fight. A hinged ex-
tension of the rectoplane, operated by
a pair Of opposing guys within reach OF
the voyager secures lateral changes or
direction while in motion.
The perlIs Of forward dips and rear
ward dives are mainly removed by the
low position OF tho centre OF gravity,
which is beneath the horizontal parts OF
the aeroplanes and much below tho eX-
tremities Of the wings TO guard against
any possible dangers OF this sort there
IS. however. a tail vane attachment 10
the body frames, which is under control
of the operator.
The inventor has seemed TO appreciate
the danger OF the operator losing self
possession, I'm which case he might hurl
himself TO his own destruction, and has
not riskcd too much on the ability or
the voyagcr to see and overcome danger
I'm time. The upward and downward
play Of the tail vane Is confined TO what
would seem 10 the inexperienced a very
narrow compass; but the controlling de-
vices may be moved by the involuntary
as wen as by the voluntary actions OF
tho voyager and 10 would not do TO have
the latitude too great
The arrangement Of the craft Is such,
too. that the adjustment is often auto
matte. For instance, II the machine
should suddenly tip forward. the natural
movement would he 10 throw oneself
backward and this action would In two
ways restore the equipoise of The ma
chine first, by altering the location Of
the centre OF gravity; and, second, by
changing the inclination OF the tail vane
The spot selected for this extraordinary
experiment is the best for this purpose
that could have been chosen. The summit
OF Pixies Peak rises 20 height Of H.lil
feet above sea level. The eastern face Of
the mountain is an abrupt precipce Of
rock scanned and SCARED by lightnings
and storms thousand feet beneath a
cluster OF little lakes sleep in the basin
which was followed out by a glacier many
years ago, and some four miles 10 the
east another rounded summit, CamerOn's
Cone, rises 1000 feet above sea level.
TO the north OF the cone Ruxton Creek
cuts through a deep and narrow canyon.
and at the foot of the mountain lies the
little city OF Manitou. Directly east from
the cone is Crystal Park. a level spot
surrounded by mountains, and beyond
the eastern rim OF this the mountain
drops steeply to tho plain. Five miles
from the foot OF the mountain lies Colo
RADIO Springs, within whose limits the
daring aeronaut expects 10 descend
The summit of the peak is in plain
sight from the city. while from the sum-
NIT the city squares appear like n check
er-bOard and almost beneath ones feet.
The peak itself is one OF the most cele-
brated Of mountains, and largely so be-
cause oe its accessibility. No other
summit OF equal height is so readily
reached The railroad runs to the sum-
NIT and carries thousands OF visitors
each summer month
The Pixies Peak railway will carry Mr.
Fclts and his machine to the summit.
When all IS in readiness he will take
short run along the only level spot on
the summit. the cog-road platform, and
leap from the edge of the eastern preci-
pice At first his course will be down
wards into the abyss Of the Crater Of
Vulcan. and then. n the aeroplanes do
their work successfully. he will swerve
outward towards the summit Of Cam
erOn's Cone and across the great Valley
Of the storms
Between the summit Of Pixies Peak
and the summit OF Camcron's Cone
there is n difference in height OF 5000
feet. and If the aeronaut drops no more
than this he can pass safely above the
lesser mountain. AS he rushes down
and EDWARDS he will keep his eye fixed
on the horizon line OF the plains beyond
the mountain. II the top Of the noun
tain seems to rise towards the horizon he
viii doubt his ability to clear the summit
" the summit touches the horizon he
open in the great valley 10 the north,
through which his path may safely lie a
thousand feet beneath the summit OF the
Cone Should this too fail. through a
too rapid descent. a last resort is open
along the narrower canyon through which
the stream finds its way.
II the daring voyager succeeds in pass
ing the mountain. his chief danger will be
over A slight elevation Of the tail vane
will change the course and slacken the
speed. and it is only a question OF how
far the terrific momentum acquired by
the drop OF a mile and a half will carry
the aeronaut out upon the plains
William Felts. who proposes 10 make
the longest jump ever attempted has
been a student and experimenter in aer-
ial navigation for the past ten years
and has travelled in many parts OF the
world 1t should not be hastily taken
for granted that this man has studed
out soma visionary eohcue ~ a da,-ico