The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1910-06-17
is COMPELLED
TO DESCEND
RamIIton'S Motor Goes Wrong
While Crossing New Jersey
MAKES A WONDERFUL FLIGHT

Travels From New York to PhIadeI =
phia on Schedule Time and Almost
Completes Return Trip When Spark
Plugs Cause Explosions to Miss
Greatest Feat Ever Performed by an
American Aviator
New York, June 14.-The first all
line express to Philadelphia by the
upper route went through on sched-
ule time to a minute, but on his re-
turn trip Hamilton seemed to lose his
way, or at least to mistake his direc-
ton, and turned southeast at Metu-
chen toward Princes bay. The spe-
cial train that was following him lost
sight of him few minutes later at
Menlo Park and there was no further
news Of him until the telegraph wires
brought the brief Hamilton
stuck In the swamps at Perth Am
boy"
He had flown approximately seventy
lulICo vi Ills ECluIu "u6n Lu0
motors condition drove him to
descend. The propeller was broken
in landing, but, after repairs had
been made, Hamilton resumed his
flight at 6:2O, and landed at Govern
or's island at 6:39.
Thus the return trip was made in
l hour and sc minutes, at an esti-
mated average speed of 81 SO miles an
hour, which breaks the record made
by Curtiss' flight from Albany to New
York.
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.
Nevertheless, the first leg of the trip
was in every way a most remarkable
success.
Hamilton travelled over the eighty
six miles from Governors island to
the aviation field at North Penn juno
zion in 1 hour SO minutes. At Phila-
delphia he stopped two hours and
seven minutes for gasolene and oil
and rising again, hurried ahead of the
special train which had become
tangled in the railway yards.
For thirty-fve miles the train
chased him at a speed sometimes |
reaching seventy-five miles an hour
before it caught up with him just af-
ter passing Lawrence and finally came |
abreast of him two miles beyond |
Princeton Junction, forty miles out.
1t was noticed that his engine was /
coughing irregularly and when he
turned off from the tracks at Metu-
chen, sailing low over the treetops,
1t was feared that he might have
thought it necessary to seek a land
ing place.
Hamilton was soon surrounded by
crowd of interested spectators when
he landed on the south shore of the
Raritan river half way between Sayre-
Vile and South Amboy. He said as
he was flying over Metuchen his en-
CINE began TO miss explosions 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 frequent
", however, that he decided it was
wiser to descend. Noting a big
stretch of meadow on the south shore
he made for 1t and dropped easily.
Fhe ground was softer than 1t looked
and he came down IN mud ankle deep.
While New York was waiting for
definite word of him a score of idle
reports were circulated in regard to
him. telling different stories of his
condition and HIS aeroplane.
This is the greatest feat ever per-
ormed by an American aviator-fol-
owing an exact timetable in a long
shows the value of the
.eroplane in the future of transporta-
ion. Under perfect control, the aero
,lane was driven with the precision
Il train.