Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-31
CURTISS TELLS STORY
OF HIS DARING FLIGHT
Aviator in Peril More Than Once
During His Journey from
Albany to New York

NEW YORK, May 30.-Glenn II
Curtiss' own story of his flight from
Albany to New York is as follows:
My feelings at the start? All
wanted or throught of at the moment
was to get started at the most favor
able time. We had taken every pos
sible precaution and once started,
found myself going we'll and flying
high and strong. | rose Immediately
to a height of about 700 feet, and
kept at that average most of the way.
It's a hard thing to tell just what
height you are travelling at. l could
tell much better from the ground than
from UP above
Presently | found a wire vibrating.
1t was supporting one of the controls
and if it had broken, as might we'll
have happened through friction in vi
bration, the consequences might have
been disastrous. However, l watched
it closely, and it held out.
My sensations in flying so high and
over the water? Well, 1 don't know
just what my sensations were. | was
too busy to have any. AT Poughkeep-
sic | was a little afraid that i'm land
ing i might misjudge my distance.
Landing from such a height is quite
a stunt, and remember l was going
90 miles an hour 1 had to get very
close to the ground before shutting
off the power, when a nasty bump
might be disastrous, and if | were to
shut off the power too high up / might
get a nasty drop and ruin the ma
chine. So it is a ticklish matter that
takes up all mans energy and at
tention.
"One thing l noticed particularly.
The engine ] have has no muffier and
it makes so much noise that | couldn't
hear the whistles blowing, though l
could see the steam. When I landed at
Poughkeepsie I was deaf or nearly so,
for a while, and a great humming and
buzzing in my ears.
AT Storm King, where l had been
warned of treacherous air currents, l
WAS nearly upset. Without warning,
my machine took a sudden plunge
downward and sideWard. l dropped
with her thirty or forty feet, and [
assure you it is not a pleasant sensa-
ton. It's just like dropping that far
in an elevator shaft. BY quick effort
managed to regain my equilibrium
and dropped to a lower level
About the time I passed West Point
began to experience some anxiety
about my supply of lubricating oil.
My indicator showed the oil to be
falling i'm the tank, and as | proceed
ed the gauge sank lower and lower
with astonishing rapidity.
by the time l reached Yonkers my
oil tank was practically empty. The
automatic engine pump that supplies
It seemed to be working overtime, and
found it unnecessary to use the foot
pump for a little while. | had hoped
10 go right over Governors island but
then the question arose, can l reach
New York at all? Lubricating oil is
essential to these high powered en-
5nes, just as essential as gasoline.
at was with a sense of relief that
found myself passing over the city
limits for I knew then l had won the
)rize. The landing at Spuytendyvil |
vas an unusual one, for there was but
/ short slope and I had to jump out |
# the machine and grip her to pre-
-ent her running back down into the
reek.
Il got some lubricating oil from an
automobile and before much of a crowd |
ould gather | was ready to start again. |
Governors island was my destina- |
ion and l saw no reason for not MAX |
ng it. l found a small plate on top |
# the slope | had alghted upon, and |
,ot the machine up there, and sent |
Ter along until she went over the edge
nd rose in the air after a drop of |
everal feet.
"And right here let me say that this
experience shows the possibilities of
tarting an aeroplane. With my ma
hine, light as it is. I have to get up a
peed of 45 miles an hour before she
iill rise Now it is hard to find a
pot whore one can run along on the
avel for the necessary distance, and
hat was my difficulty in finding
uitable landing place at Poughkeep-
lie. But 1 showed by the start at
that one can get away
'ithout trouble from a small plateau
there is any other drop at the edge.
hus one takes the ascending rise easi-
z, on the wing as it were. 1 hoped
might be able to start from the top
f a tall building that way, or a pre-
ared platform at any rate. But that
mere conjecture, except that my
Sperience opened my eyes to the pos
bilities.
Down towards the Statue of Lib
'ty some currents of air struck me
hich required all my energy in ma
ipulating the controls, but I got safe
past that, and then, after the hill
des, the bluff highlands the tree
,vercd farms at POughkeepsie, I can
ssure you the big sandy place at Gov
'nor's island looked very welcome.
Il felt relieved and glad that went