Tensas gazette., 1909-10-08
They FLY over new YORK
Attraction at Hudson-Fulton
Ceremonies.
AER0PLANE Flights Are MADE
Passed Entirely Around Great EN-.
blem of Liberty Dirigible Race
Rather a Fiasco. Large
Crowds Attracted.

New York.-With lull in the gen.
eral Hudson-Fulton ceremonies, the
eyes of all New York and her million
visitors last week were turned to-
ward Governors island, where the
aeroplane flights were held, and to-
ward Fulton Flight Square, the start
ing point of the New York-Albany
race.
Curtiss was the first to leave the
earth. and at time when dawn had
hardly broken. He spent the night
on Governors island, and at o'clock
rose. but only for brief flight. =
Two hours later, Wright made his
first ascent, encircling Governors is
land and remaining in the air for sew
en- minutes. After an hours rest,
Wright again went aloft, this time re-
naming in the air for six minutes
and thirty seconds, attaining a speed
estimated at so miles an hour, and
with a glorious sweep out over the
bay, passing entirely around the great
emblem of Liberty on Bedloe's island,
to the northwest.
Not content with the spectacular
feats, Wright made third flight be-
fore crowd of 10000 persons, who,
by that time, had assembled on the
island, attracted by the news of his
earlier ascents.
He did not attempt to fly over the
water, nor did he go to any great
height, but executed two complete
circles in the air, then made an excel
lent landing, while the crowd, incl1d-
ing his rival, Curtiss, commented on
the ease with which ne manipulated
his craft.
In all three of his flights, the
Wright machine showed greater speed
than that of Curtiss, but the Curtiss
flier seemed to keep its equilibrium
better, and remained on an even keel.
Wright, In fact, met with one slight
mishap In his first fight when a wing
tip struck the ground on landing and
considerably Jared his machine.
The start of the dirigible race to
Albany was rather a fiasco. Tomlin-
son was the first to start on the trip,
which he hoped he would end at AL
bany. He got away at 11.36, and
headed north on the easterly side of
the Hudson. Baldwin arose at 1852.
shot out directly over the middle Of
the Hudson and began travelling to-
ward the state capital. In few mo-
ments he was lost to view in the
slight mist which hung over the river,
but in his elevated seat he was being
bothered by cros,s-air currents. A
puff of wind snapped one Of his rud-
der ropes, and he was forced to be-
gin his descension to the water, $50
feet off the Jersey shore.
Capt. Baldwin threw out drag nets
and sailors from the battleship Rhode
Island, New Jersey and North Caroli-
ma, swarmed to his rescue in launch
es. They seized the drag nets and
managed to hold up the balloon so
that only the motor was wet. Baldwin
slung himself into a boat without
getting wet.
Meantime Tomlinson, at a height
OF about 300 feet, had been going
northward overland when both his
gasoline and oil tanks began leaking.
Fearing an explosion he was forced
to come to earth. This feat he ac-
complished without mishap. Tomlin-
son was found sitting calmly In his
seat trying to stop the flow of oil and
gasoline from their leaks. He was
greatly put out that the leaks should
have caused him to abandon such a
good start toward the $4,000 tro-
rhy.