The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1905-08-31
CITY WATCHES AlRSHlP
Roy Knabsnshue Makes Successful
Flight Over New York.
Vast Crowds Stop and Gaze at the Novel
Spectacle-Aeronaut Sailed q
Long Distance.

New York City.-For the second time
since his arrival in this city, A. Roy
hnabenshue treated New Workers to a
view Of a real airship soaring thou
n Of feet above them and re-
spending to the demands Of the daring
navigator in almost perfect fashion.
Inc exhibition vas even more remark
able than the previous one when
hnabenShue sailed around q Longacre
Square skyscraper.
Almost 10000 persons had gathered
near the lot at Sixty-second street and
Centra! Park West long before the
nour for the start, and, after the ship
assembled, business in one of the busiest
sections Of the city, from Fourteenth
TO Seventy-second streets and from
Eighth avenue to the East River, prac-
tcally was suspended.
The fact that al airship was sailing
over the city seemed to have a magic
charm. AS it appeared in the sky fac
tories, stores, hotels and cars were
emptied, n every one stood still with
eyes turned toward the strange craft.
Even Bellevue Hospital felt the thrill,
and as soon as the ship was sighted at
LCAAOdIlS, SuIk6OuS anu HduH Duu6QIS
rushed for the street.
The police had their hands full along
the entire lane of fight, and when the
craft finally was carried back to it's
tent the general marvel was that no
one had been injured severely in the
many crushes.
Additional excitement was caused by
the announcement that Knabenshue
would throw checks for 500 apiece
from his ship on the voyage. He scat
tered a mass of papers, and every
time anything white descended there
was a mad scramble for possession.
Instead of checks the crowd found
most of the white sheets were pieces
of newspaper, and there was anger at
the manner in which the crowds had
been fooled.
1t was a little after 2 p. M. that the
airShip was ready to go up. Knaben-
Shue stepped on the thin framework
attached to the balloon, tilted the nose
of the ship upward and began to as
cend. The craft left the lot gracefully,
responding to every movement of the
navigator, and in less than a minute 1t
had cleared the fence and was sailing
over Central Park. A crowd Of $4,000
watched the start, and a great cheer
went up as the aeronaut appeared.
The reserves from five precincts were
on hand to maintain order, but the first
view Of the ship caused the policemen
to lose all interest in the crowd and de-
vote their attention to watching the
flight.
After going up about 1900 feet Kna-
benshue started in a nOrtherly direc-
ton, heading against the wind. He
went through several maneuvres to
show the dirigibility of his balloon;
then, turning around, he went south
east. AS he started down town the
cheers that went up were deafening.
AS soon as the ship was sighted in
upper Broadway business and traffic
came practically to q standstill. Mo-
tormen stopped their cars and jumped
to the street to get a better view Of the
strange craft. Passengers sprang from
their seats, and in a moment the tradi-
tional hurry of New Workers was for
gotten. No one seemed to care about
anything except the airship.
1t was Knabenshue's Intention to cir
Gle the Flatiron building, but because
of the strong wind he was unable to do
so. In his efforts to accomplish the
feat he rose to a height of 5000 feet,
until the big ship looked no bigger than
the ordinary toy balloon. When he
gave up the attempt he turned north
at Twenty-third street and Third ave-
nue..
The ship had descended to about 1000
feet just before reaching Twenty-third
street, when the navigator slipped to
the real of the framework and tilted
it's nose upward. 1t rose almost per-
pendicularly, and to those in the street
it seemed the young man surely would
be killed. He remained in that posi-
ton until the ship had descended about
5000 feet. Then he headed back to-
ward the starting point.
Reaching the park, K~nabenShue
steered the ship over the trees to the
ball ground. AS he came down 1t
looked as if he would land on top of
the trees, but by deft manipulation he
guided his ship upward again until he
had passed them. Then he descended
slowly and gracefully to q knoll, on
which the ship landed.
As it came down every In the
street rushed for the ball ground. The
200 bluecoats who had been sent to
the park were helpless units in the
sea OF humanity. AS K~nabenshue de-
scended he vas greeted with round
after round of cheers, and men and
women fairly mobbed him in their Ell
forts to shake his hands. Before the
police could interfere the crowd had
pushed the navigator back on the
framework of the ship. Then, lifting
- ~ +bo;r chonldorS fhnv nc rripd him