Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1910-01-25
AVIATOR FLIES
"a MILES; SCARS
HIGH OVER SEA
Hamilton Breaks Worlds
Record for Distance
Above Water
CROSSES INTOMEXICO
Makes Journey Without
Accident = Ends with
Moonlight Trip
CROSSES INTOMEXICO

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 24.-Charles K.
Hamilton flew in his Curtiss biplane
across the border line of the United
States into Mexico and over the an
cient Mexican city of Tia Juana today.
surprising the inhabitants of that
sleepy little place into unusual life,
and then flew back to the polo field
at the Coronado Country club without
stop. He was gone from the field
forty minutes and Travelled thirty-four
miles. For the greater part of the time
he was over the Pacific ocean at a
height of 200 feet.
Not satisfied with furnishing this
sensation today, the aviator made a
flight by moonlight over the ocean,
staying up for three and half min
utes and alighting on the field in the
deep shadows that had settled below
the sky line.
Both of these flights may be said to
establish pew records for Hamilton
flew farther over the water than did
Bleriot in his fight over the English
channel, and he made the first fight
ever recorded where both start and
finish were in semi-darkness.
Slight Disaster
Hamilton's first flight of the day re-
suited in a slight disaster. At 3:15 p.
m. he went up while strong wind was
blowing, and after zigzagging over the
field for three minutes and while he
was attempting to alight in the center
of the field, sudden gust caught him
just as he struck the ground, causing
the machine to bound for ten feet. One
of the rear wheels was crushed and
two ribs on the lower plane were
broken.
After an hour of tinkering Hamilton
had the machine repaired, and at All
he was off for Old Mexico. Thousands
Of people in San Diego city watched
him wing his way over the wide ex-
panse of blue water, flying steadier
than the gull flies, while automobiles
raced over the boulevard that extends
along the ocean shore on the narrow
strip of land from Coronado to Point
of Rocks, trying to keep him in sight.
Dusk was gthering when Hamilton
again alighted on the field, but the big
throng was still there to welcome him
back, and when he said that he was
going up again as soon as the moon
rose, many came over to his tent to
dissuade him.
Files in Moonlight
But Hamilton did not heed their pro-
testations and at 6:03 he left the
ground and made an indescribably
beautiful picture as he scared to a
height of 200 feet against the dark
background of the distant mountains,
and then came suddenly against the
brighter blue of the sky in which a
great round moon sailed with him.
Tomorrow morning if conditions are
favorable. Hamilton will try for the
altitude record of the world.
Discussing his worlds glide record
made late yesterday at Coronado field,
Charles K. Hamilton today said:
I'm Los Angeles I had to take a
chance on a glide when my propeller
shaft broke, and the experience taught
me something, 1 know now that I can
glide safely to earth from any height
L CO."
This is in direct contradiction to the
belief generally held by Curtiss and
others that death awaited the avia-
tor whose engine stopped while he was
any distance from the earth. Hamil-
tin yesterday made two glides, the
first of some 300 feet and the second
of 575 feet, the latter being officially
designated as a worlds record by H.
Law. Twining, president of the Aero
club of California, whose presence here
is for the purpose of making official
any records Hamilton may make.
L. F. Walsh whose monoplane
crashed into the fence yesterday has
decided to construct a biplane, in
which, he says, he can fly successfully.