Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-10-03
Captain Cadet Lands Safely Near
RIVaPV|eW After PeP||ous
Flight In UnnaRage.
able Craft.
ACCIDENT CAusE0 BY ASSISTANT
Guide Rope Was Tangled, and When
the Aeronaut Stopped to straightcn
1t Out His Machine Struck Corner
of Inside Inn and Smashed the Pro-
peler and Steering Gear. Leaving
Navigator Helpless.

Seated upon the frame work OF the
smallest airship in the void, Cap
tain Eugene Godet, the French aero
naut, was blown from the Exposition
grounds yesterday afternoon and car.
ricd over about six miles of water,
crossing Hampton Roads and striking
Hampton Roads and striking the
Peninsula share line near Hampton.
With his rndder gone and propellri.
sm'rshed, the young aeronaut was
compelled To sit helplessly upon his
machine during the perilous flight
over the Roads, but he seems to have
been mt ease throughout the expe,-
fence, and when he left here for the
Exposition abont 10 O'Clock last night
he was none the worse for an adven-
tnre which would have resulted in the
death of Il more fearful and nervous
individual.
-'----'- Didn't Want TO injure Engine.
1T was the most enjoyable trim OF
my life,' said Captain Godet to Daily
Press reporter at Pier A last night.
after the captain had landed with his
machine near Riverview and had beon
driven nto this city in n wagon. When
asked If he was scared during the
TRIP, he laughed and replied. "Not Mt
al. The trouble of taking the ma
cnine lack to the Exposition was
about the only thing that worried
me-"
me aeronant said that he would
nave lowered the machine to the wa.
ter instead of allowing il to be blown
across the Roads, but that he was
ARA d of injuring his engine.''
me flight of the airship over Hamp.
Ton and Rivervicw created con.
siderable excitement among those who
saw it.
Captain Godet's Story.
Starting at $3.50 o'clock yesterday
afternoon on an exhibition trim. Can.
tain Godet had made n very success
full flight around the Exposition
grounds and was preparing to alight
when the accident occurred. When no
attempted to throw out his guide
rope to the ground, so that his helper
there would guide the machine TO the
proper place during the decent, the
aeronaut found that the rope had be-
come tangled in the machine through
an error OF his helper, Bud Meyers.
In order to let the rope down, Captain
Godet mad to leave the machine to
take care of itself, and the uncon-
trolled ship struck a corner OF the
Inside Inn, breaking the steering gear
and the propellers and making it i'm
possible to control the airship in any
way.
Helper Swan for Rope.
AT the time OF the accident, the
guide rope had not been let out its
fI1l 1, s,l H.
captain did not dare leave the ma
chinery again to finish lowering the
line, no one was able to capture the
vessel before it started on its flight
across Hampton Roads Just as the
vessel started out over thu water,
however, the rope became loose, and
Bud Meyers seeing this jumped into
the water and made desperate but
futile effort to secure the end of the
line and haul the airship back to land.
Yelled to His Helpers.
Not in the least daunted by the
prospects of n cold bath in the Roads,
the plucky navigator yelled instruc-
tions to his other helper, h. ]. Dallas.
to get another SET of propellcrs and
ruddcr and to follow the airship by
boat.
Soon after passing out over the
water. the airship began to descend
toward the water and Captain Godet
threw out his ballast. causing the ma
chine to rise about five hundred feet.
Caught ON the stiff southerly breeze
blowing across the. Roads, the airsbip
rapidly drifted toward the lower end
of the Peninsula. At one time during
the fight. it looked as il he might
have chance OF being picked up by
n steamer in the Roads, but those on
the vessel were unsuccessful in their
many efforts to secure the ships guide
rope and the airship continued its
unobstructed journey.
Gasoline Thrown Into Water.
Having let out some gas in order
to hiring his ship down near the
steamer, Captain Godet found 1t nee
essary to rice once before to prevent
the machine from striking the water,
and he threw his gasoline can into
the water, causing the ship to rise