The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1910-06-16
HAMILTON FLIES
FROM NEW YORK
TO PHILADELPHIA
AVIATOR MAKES EIGHTY EIGHT
MILES IN 10 MINUTES IN
HIS BIPLANE.
RACES WITH EXPRESS TRAIN.
Daring Flight Is Longest City-to-City
Trip Ever Made by Fly
ing Machine.
RACES WITH EXPRESS TRAIN
LANDS SAFELY AT DESTINATION.

NEW YORK, June 13.-The first air,
line express to Philadelphia by the upper
route went through on schedule time to
a minute. but on his return trip Charles
*. Hamilton seemed to miss his way,
and turned southeast at Metuchcn to.
ward Princes bay. The special train
that was following him lost sight of him
4 few minutes later at Menlo park,
and there was no further news of him
until the telegraph wires brought the
brief news: Hamilton stuck in the
swamps at Perth Amboy.'
Fuller advices later established the fact
that Hamilton had landed on the south
shore of the Raritan river two miles
above Perth Amboy. His descent was
deliberate and he was not hurt. nor did
it appear at first sight that his aerOplane
was damaged
Shy One Cylinder.
The fact is that Hamilton had made
his journey from Governors island to
Philadelphia with but seven cylinders
working His eighth cylinder went out
of commission when he was at height
of 1900 feet above the harbor. Neyerthe-
less the first leg of the trip was in every
way a most remarkable success. Hamil-
ton Travelled the eighty eight miles from
Governors island to the aviation field at
North Penn Junction in ! hour and %
minutes.
lie left Governors Island at 1886 and
alighted ut 9.26. At Philadelphia he
stopped two hours and seven minutes
for food, gasoline and oil, and rising
again at IL :33, hurried ahead of the
special train which had become tangled
in the railroad yards.
For thirtytive miles the train chased
him at a speed sometimes reaching sew
enty-fve miles an hour, before it caught
up with him just after passing Lawrence
and finally came abreast of HIM two
miles beyond Princeton Junction, forty
miles out. 1t was noticed then that
his engine was coughing irregularly and
when he turned off from the tracks at
Metuchen sailing low over the tree tops,
it was then feared he might have
thought it necessary to seek landing
place.
Engine Misses Fire.
Hamilton was surrounded bysa crowd
of interested spectators when he landed
on the south shore of Raritan river half
way between Sayreville and South Am
boy? He said that as he was flying over
Metncheu his engine began to miss ex-
pIosions badly. Realizing that something
was wrong with his spark plugs and
thinking to make New York before the
engine gave out completely, he started
down the Raritan river to make a short
cut across Perth Amboy.
Hamilton's motor missed explosions so
frequently, however, that he decided il
was wiser to descend. Noting big
stretch of meadow on the south shore
he made for it and dropped easily. The
ground was softer than it looked ana
he came down in mud ankle deep. He
said, however, that with his spark plugs
properly renewed he expected to have no
difficulty in reascendng.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, June ID
With dull, leaden sky overhead,
Charles *. Hamilton. the young aviator
who has achieved worldwide fam, in
less than a year, today made the most
daring flight Of his career travelling III
his bipiane from Governors island, y.
y, to a point of the outskirts of phla-
delphia, distance of eghty-six miles in
lib minutes, unofficial time.
The flight was made under the au-
spices of the New York Times and the
Philadelphia Ledger.
The total round trip distance is the
longest city-to-city flight ever made by
an aviator. exceeding the record flights of
CurtisS and Paulhan.
Hamilton's flight was spectacular from
start to finish and his arrival ut Phila-
delphia was the signal for an enthusi-
aHtic uelhoiStIdtlph ny vast 'IoNuh VI
people.
He started from Governors Island, y.
Y, at 80 a. m, and landed at phlu-
delphia at OBS Il. N.
The speed of the flight was ut an nv
erage per mile of one minute and 10 sec
onds, or about forty-siX miles an hour.
Keeps Up with Train.
A feature of the wonderful achieve
ment of the modest young operator was
the ease with which he picked up and
followed "a train on the Pennsylvania
travelling almost with lightning speed.
According to his programme he flew
from Governors Island to South Eliza
beth. n. j., where the train was await
town after town along the lone reported
the amazing fact that the train had
passed with Hamilton flying directly
over it."
. Occasionally with the probable desire
to give variety TO his journey, he di-
verged a little. At Princeton, for in
stance. he went over near the old col
ege town so that the students and grad
yates gathered for commencement week
might have a chance TO see him.
At the aviation field, four miles north
east from the center Of the city as the
crow flies. tremendous crowd awaited
tho arrival of the daring air man. An
almost ideal landing cushion, composed
If tall grass growing out Of soft ground
had been selected. The field lies to the
north of the Pennsylvania tracks near
North Penn Junction and it was sur
rounded by 800 policemen to keep back
the crowd. All the mills in the ne!ghbor-
hood were shut down. and that section
of the city took holiday.
The crowd began gathering at 6 n. m,
and practically waited for news of Ham
lton's start Finally the S gnal tags
erected on tall pole told Of Hamilton )
leaving Governors Island.