The sun., 1908-07-29
AEROpLANE OFF TO BRIGHTON
ON 4 THEATRICAL TRUCK AFTER
MANY WORRIES AND DELAYS.

mission 10 Land II and by Clumsy Truck.
ften-May Take Fly Tomorrow.
Henri Farman's aeroplane, with which
the French aviator expects to break all the
American records and thus make his ma
chine the holder Of the worlds champion
ship, got here In crates yesterday morning
on board the steamship Kroonland of the
Red Star Line, which docked at the foot
Of yesey street before 8 O'Clock. At about
II o'clock Acting Secretary Of the Treasury
Beekman Winthrop went out for lunch in
Washington and didn't get back to his
| Office until O'Clock. A telegram authoriz-
| ing the customs officials here to permit the
aeroplane to land free Of duty had been
lying on Secretary Winthrop's desk await
ing his sigma all that time, and 1t was
| nearly 8 o'clock before word was sent from
| the Custom House to the Red Star Line pier
that the aeroplane could be unloaded
Aviator Farman. who had been waiting
| at the dock from the time the Kroonland
reached her pier. had been dancing around
while the aeroplane was tied up. worrying
for fear some new section OF the customs
laws had been found making 1t necessary
to deport an aeroplane that wasn't natural
ICED. A. X. McMechan, representing the
Aero Club. which is backing the visit Of the
aviator 10 this country. was equally trou-
bled about the delay.
Mr.. Farman and the others supposed
It was all fixed up to have the crates con-
tanning the aeroplanes hoisted OF the
Kroonland as soon as the vessel docked.
Augustus r. Post, on behalf Of the Aero
Club, had gone tolW Washingto on Monday
and persuaded Secretary Winthrop that
the machine was entitled to come into
port free OF duty as scientific instrument
exhibited by q professional scientist for
the encouragement Of science. This was
explained at the Custom House yesterday
morning when Mr.. McMechan tried to get
clearance papers. He was told that no
word had been received there regarding
admitting the aeroplane. and there was
1t was no small job to unload the four
| crates containing parts OF the flying ma
chine. Three boxes about twelve feet
long and five feet wide had been stored In
the hold Of the Kroonhnd: They held the
rudder. the motor and other parts Of the
machine. The apparatus to which the
planes were attached was packed In another
crate on the forward deck. This crate was
about hirty-iive feet long and six feet
| wide and was as carefully packed as II 1t
contained eggs. 1t cost $500 TO bring them
over.
The three smaller boxes were hoisted
out Of the hold by steam winches and swung
over on the first floor OF the pier. They
were easy TO handle and were wheeled
OF the dock into West street on hand trucks.
To remove the crate containing the planes
| q special derrick had to be rugged so as
to swing the huge box of onto the un-
covered end OF the dock. Ihls couldn't
be done until late In the forenoon. when
the tide fell because at high tide the steamer
oomed up above the pier floor like noun
tain. The tide was plenty low enough
before the aeroplane folks got permission
to unload II.
One result OF the delay was that it was
nearly Q o'clock before the forty foot the
atrical truck that had been engaged TO move
the thrty-fve foot crate to Brighton Beach
drove onto the pier. AT. farman was
and Mr.. Falman's two expert mechanicians,
Maurice Herbster and Alphonse Plockin,
who had made the trip with the aeroplane.
One Of them had his eye on the aeropiane
is to look after the motor, although he Is
one OF the most experienced kite makers
and fiers in Europe.
There were about q dozen husky youths
up alongside the aeroplsne. They jumped
on and lifted up the end Of the crate to see
how much it weighed. They set the crate
right down again without any orders.
1Itll break that truck right in two, said
Those two horses will be dead by the time
they get II to Brighton Beach.
Mr., Farman was assured that the Truck
would carry five tons. The aviator then
sought out the boss truckman and asked
him how be intended to load the crate onto
SITS q cinch for my gang" replied the
boss. They can eat thing like that
Gr. Farman looked puzzled over the
truckman's reply. because he isn't any too
familiar with the English spoken In West
street, but he and his two mechanics stepped
to one side to see what happened. The
boss truclman assorted his helpers around
the aeroplane with the intention OF sliding
the crate up skid onto the truck: They
had Just started to do 30 when Mr.. Farman
rushed up to the boss and said that 1t was
apparent that they didn't know the first
thing about loading an aeroplane. He spe.
gested that the delicate apparatus Wouldn't
stand the same kind of handling as the
atrcal backdrop.
The truokman spent about an hour at
various schemes for loading the crate and
finally Mr. Farman said the crate could be
rolled onto the truck. A dozen rollers
were showed under the crate, rope was
fastened around it and the horses hauled
IL up the skid. Mr.. ,FarmaD heaved a sigh
OF relief when the Job was done.
The last thing the mechanicians did be-
fore the big crate and the three smaller
crates left for Brighton Beach was to fasten
little tin tags into the knots on the rope
AROUND tne CTateb. lHe6e VtBb dIlnOuuC6u
that the contents Of the crate were bond.
which means that II anybody tampered with
the fastenngs until they were out by q
customs agent the Government would
make IL hot for that person. A bond OF
SiS, 900 has been posted to assure the Gov
ernment that the aeroplane will not stay
in the country.
The trucks containing the aeroplane
crates got to the old field betting shed on
the Brighton Beach racetrack so late last
night that II was decided not to get q GUS
toms agent out to cut the seal until this
morning. Mr.. Farman's mechanicans will
then start unpaoking the crates, The ap-
paratus will be we'll guarded all the time
Il Ia at the beach.
Mr.. Farman said that II would take him
most OF to-day and tomorrow to assemble
the parts OF the aeroplane and get the
machine properly keyed up. II Is not an
easy Job to get the small wires with which
the planes are fitted keyed up to perfect
pitch. but he said he expected to have 1t
done by tomorrow night.
1T might not be o bad idea for any one
who wants TO see the aerop lane work to
be in the vicinity Of the track at about $50
O'Clock Thursday night, said MIR. Farman.
IL the wind Is just right / will probably
make a trial fight at that time. 1t makes