New-York tribune., 1910-06-07
RIDES IN A MERE TRAIN |
Hamilton Looks Over Route Be-
tween Here and Philadelphia.
CONFIDENT OF HIS SUCCESS
Expects to Make Round Trip
from Van Cortlandt Park
in Five Hours.

Charles X Hamilton, the summer yellow
bird man who sails and gyrates through
the air in his aeroplane. with convolution.
as eccentric as those OF that little song
ster, oomplacently rode to Philadelphia and
back yesterday in a mere train of cars.
He made the trip on terra firma to look
over the ground along the Pennsylvania
Railroad tracks. which he intends TO fol-
low on his flight from Van Cortlandt Park
TO the Quaker city on Saturday
When ne had safely landed back ar the
Hotel Astor last night he remarked upon
the uneventful journey of the day. with
perhaps a little feeling of disgust at
the comparatively slow and uninteresting
method of modern travel by rail- but said
be was pretty well satisfied with the look
OF things along the line for his aerial trip
There are some hard places to get
over he said, Fifteen or twenty mile
stretches without a respectable landing
place, but If the motor holds out 1 shall go
through on scheduled time II I have to
make any landings on the way for reasons
Unforeseen 1 won't offer any excuses It
will only mean that I couldn't do it. and
that is all"
Mr.. Hamilton added. however. that it was
his intention to establish a new world s
record for 'Cross-country fight. both in
time and distance. and double far enough
on his aerial path before landing within the
limits Of Philadelphia to beat Paulhan's
distance of III miles on the first leg of his
flight from London TO Manchester.
The aviator was loath to admit that there
was any great danger in making the pro-
posed trip by the air route, but he figured
that the parts OF the journey where it
iSh ba r7aoe+ b1A T.r5
be during the first stage down the Hudson
River and until he had SKINNED over the
buildings of lower Manhattan and the
Pennsylvania terminal and reached the
Jersey meadows and again in passing over
the city of Trenton. where there were
many more buildings to drop on than open
lots. His biplane is not fitted with pom
toons or a canoe, so that II things on high
would be that his air craft would not float
and he would have to swim for It. That
would be a distressing situation. he said.
The only landing place in Philadelphia
which appealed to the bird-man was an
open lot just across the four-rntle radius
from the City Hall, and this was selected
TO be the resting place before he attempts
the return trip The lot is some 500 yards
long and 60 wide, and lies near and par
allel to the railroad tracks, A young
growth of wheat from six TO eight inches
high covers II. The aviator seemed to think
that coming through the wheat would not
be an obstacle.
A special train chartered by The New
York Times" and The Philadelphia Public
Ledger will leave the Pennsylvania station
at Jersey city when Hamilton comes in
sight and endeavor TO keep up with him all
will be made i'm FIVE hours. with start
from Van Cortlandt Park about a. m, ar
riving In Philadelphia about 1O:30 o'clock
The return trip will be started with a view
to reaching Manhattan again toward the
end Of the afternoon.
A schedule Of the exact time that the
aviator expects to pass over the various
towns and cities along the route will be
given out later IN the week. Hamilton
said last night that the time at
the various points could be told with al
most as much accuracy as train time and
that the aviator would fly according to
barring accidents.
Another tour of inspection will be made
by Hamilton during the week to familiarize
himself more thoroughly with the lay Of
the land.
Harry Block, of St. Joseph, Mo. repre-
senting the Retail Merchants Association
Of that city, met Hamilton here last night
With view TO arranging fight from ST.
Louis to st. Joseph. a distance of about
three hundred miles across the state.