The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-08-25
ALL EYES WERE
ON THE A|RSH|P
kNABENsHuE MADE A SUCCESS.
Full TRIP.
More Excitement in New York Than
Would Be Caused by Dog
Fight ELSEWHERE.


practically at standstill throughout
the greater part of the city this after
noon while several millions of eyes
were following Roy Knabenshue in his
airship as he circled Herald square.
Near the tent in Central Park from
which he made the ascent 10000 peo-
pie overpowered the police and tram
pied on each other in their eagerness
to follow his evolutions. Many were
badly bruised.
1t was exactly IL minutes after 2
when young Knabenshue, after ad-
justing his machine, waved his hand,
and, starting his motor, flew up to the
blue skies, amid the cheers of thou
sands who had congregated in the vi
cinity of Sixty-second street and Cen
trail Park.
After going straight up in the air for
a distance of fully 1900 feet, Knaben-
shue headed his machine north, and,
going a short distance in the face of
the wind, slowly but gracefully turned
his airship around and started toward
the Flatiron Building.
AS he started downtown the cry of
"Airship!" practically had business on
upper Broadway for the space of ten
minutes at a standstill. Everybody
rushed to their windows, into the
streets or up on to roofs to watch the
flight of the ship. The cars, cabs, wag
ons and all other vehicles stopped right
in the middle of the streets while their
drivers stood, open-mouthed, gazing
into the sky.
AS the ship approached near the Ho-
tel Cumberland some joker, who had
read that the aeronaut would throw out
checks of the value of 81 to 800,
dropped big bunch of blank paper,
cut into strips the size of checks, from
the roof of that hostelry, and as they
fioated to the street motormen, con-
ductors, drivers and pedestrians scram-
bled and fought with one another in
their mad desire to get one of the sup
posed checks.
Three or four of the people in the
mad crush were injured, while great
many had their hats broken and their
clothes torn.
The airship continued on its way
down toward the Flatiron building 1t
soon reached Twenty-third street, and,
despite the heavy wind which was
blowing at the time, gracefully turned
around and started on its return jour-
ney.
Because Of the strong wind against
which the ship was riding, Knaben-
shue suddenly turned off and proceed
ed east, and again turned toward the
north, and slowly, very slowly, fought
the ship onward, reaching distance
of about 5000 feet from the ground
He then began to nose his airship back
to the starting point
1t seemed, however, to those who
were watching the course of the ship
that every now and then the huge
cigar-shaped balloon would suddenly
turn off, and it was with a zigzag
course that the young inventor finally
brought his machine up right over the
large ball field in Central Park
Slowly he headed the ship downward,
and amid the cheers of fully 1900
people VINO packed the ball field, and
with whom the police were unable to
cope, landed in the middle of the field,
safe and sound. The cheers of the
crowd at this time were deafening.
The crowd broke and made for the
spot where tIe young inventor landed,
and, although the mounted policemen
drove their horses right into the
crowd it had no effect on them, and
they kept coming until in one grand
rush they swept policemen, park la
borers and mounted policemen out of
their path, and, reaching the young in
ventor, raised him high in the air and
carried him a short distance.
His attendants then met him and
towed the balloon to the tent at Sixty
second street, and only after it was put
away did the crowd disperse.
The balloon landed almost as lightly
as feather, Before the cage struck
the ground Mr.. Knabenshue jumped out
and the balloon came down easily.
There was not a scratch where she
struck.
a number Of aerial navigation ex-
perts, were present, Among them, were
Leo Stevens, Israel Ludlow and Capt.
LorenZen of the Illinois state militia.
While the airship was making its sue
cessful trip the apologies of pedestrians
were laughable. All looking in the air
it was, "oh, beg your pardon" or
Excuse me-" as pedestrians would
bump in to each other almost continu-
ally.
The streets and main avenues as far
south as Twenty-third street were
crowded with people, word seeming to
travel, even faster than the airship
that II was coming. Hotels were emp
tied, skyscrapers had many at the win
dows and scores on the roofs, and high
apartment houses were favorite van.
tage ground to watch the balloon.
The airship in its flight dipped sew