The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1910-01-11

the 10000 spectators were watching
the slow flight of two dirigible ball
oons at Aviation Park this afternoon.
Louis Paulhan, the noted French
aviator, threw the great throng into
frenzy of enthusiasm and excitement
by a spectacular flight in a Far.nan
biplane. Rising, now dipping, now
veering and turning with the grace OF
bird, then suddenly dashing for the
ground and scattering group Of ofic-
ials like hawk about to alight on a
brood of chickens, Paulhan gave re-
markable exhibition and was accorded
a tremendous ovation.
Again and again the French aviator
thrilled the immense crowd with his
daring flights giving little heed to
rules, regulations or official course;
racing with dirigible, swooping down
| upon the grandstand and clearing 1t
by but few feet, until his aeroplane
seemed like thing of life. This, the
first day of the big aviation meet, was
given over to preliminary trial flights
to give the aviators and aeronauts a
chance to shake down their machines.
Curtiss had given an exhibition in a
new and untried machine in which
later Clifford Harmon made some
short flights. Charles E. Willard IN
the Curtiss No. / had already made a
successful flight and several times
Roy Knabenchue and Lincoln Beachey
had assembled in two small dirigibles
and Unanswered their craft but moth
ing to thrill the spectators occurred un-
til Paulhan unexpectedly sailed into
the game.
Frenehma,. Suddenly Appears.
Beachey and Knabenshue were
plotting their dirigibles around the
course when the daring Frenchman
appeared suddenly out of a gully hid
den from the view Of the grandstand,
circled the course three times, shot out
across the country, came back over the
grandstand and alighted in the center
of the field.
In two later flights he gave an ex-
hibition of remarkable. control over his
machine, gracefully making sharp
turns, now dipping almost to the
ground to scatter in flight group OF
officials gathered in the fields; again
sl1imming the grandstand only a few
feet above the heads of the spectators,
ascending, descending and, finally ap-
proching from the rear the tent that
housed his aeroplane, just clearing the
-op and alighting within 100 feet of its
entrance.
Paulflan was given a demonstration
such as is seldom witnessed at a pub
lie gathering in this country. Men
shoarse, while wom-
en- applauded and waved handker-
chiefs and the Frenchman, elated by
the furore he had created, pranced
gaily into his tent.
The day opened with weather con-
ditions suspicious for the initial con-
tests of the bird men" The sun
shone brightly and there was but the
semblance of a breeze from the east.
Before the forenoon had waned the
sky became overcast with clouds and
there was a suspicion of coming damp
ness in the atmosphere. The wind
veered to he west, finally, blowing
strongly-an unfavorable condition,
the aviators said
The throng began gathering early at
aviation camp. Throughout the fore
noon hours train after train, running
on a five minute schedule, poured in
it's addition to the crowd until long
before the time for the first event to
be called, the official returns gave 90
900 as the number that had passed
through the gates
At the camp all was life and hustle.
Strung along the roadway skirting the
main drive at the west of the field, the
concessions of the "PIaisance" did
thriving business. In the tents that
housed the aerOnefs and dirigibles,
forces of men were busy preparing for
the afternoons events. Fully a thous-
and automobiles were parked in the
quarters reserved for motor cars From
the rising ground on which the avia
ton camp structures are perched, a
splendid view could be had of San
Gabriel valley, stretching to the dis
tant foothills of the Sierra Madre, with
the city of Los Angeles. 13 miles
away plainly outlined
Curtiss Flies First.
Promptly at 1 o'clock Glenn II. Cur
tiss was out upon the starting stretch