The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-11-15
Test Made from Cruiser Bir-
 mingham to Shore Is Bet ter Than Anticipated
NAv|Es OF WORLD MUST
 REVISE PLAN OF ACTION
Aviator Ely Flies Away From War ship Without Hitch and Makes Five Miles at Rate of
 Mile Minute

Fort Monroe, Va, November H. Aerial navigation proved today that 1t is a factor which must be dealt with in the naval tactics of the worlds fu ture if the successful flights made by Eugene B. Ely in a Curtiss biplane from the deck of the cruiser Birming ham can be taken as a criterion. From Hampton Roads, the scene 45 years ago of another epoch in the history of na- val warfare, when an ironclad proved its superiority over the former type of lighting vessel, the aviator today flew across the lower end of Chesapeake i Bay, landing on the opposite side from this fort. In weather conditions un- favorable for flying, the daring bird man shortly after o'clock this aft ernoon. glided from the platform erect ed on the front of the big black cruiser, swooped like an immense bird of prey until he touched the water, then rose rapidly into the misty air of the lower bay and was off in the direction of the broad Atlantic.
 Five minutes after having taken his sudden farewell of the Birmingham he was lost speck on the eastern hor- izon and had landed safely on Will loughby Spit. The impact with which the big machine struck the water after It's 37 foot drop from the front of the cruiser caused one of the propeller blades to be Jagged as though coarse saw had gone along the edge and a small piece was split from the blade. But not for an instant was the speed of the aeroplane 1essened and 1t dart ed away with express train rapidity on it's victorious flight.
 Fog and River Interfere
 Intermittent rain throughout the day several small hail showers and continuous fog almost compelled the aviator to postpone his flight. But he was determined to prove, as he said, after the flight, that he could accom- plish more than had been expected or him.
 Furthermore, he did not wait for the Birmingham to get into motion, which would have added to his momentum and have been a great help to him; but seiz- ing an opportune moment between show CTS, he was off before those who were on the ship with him and on the other ves- sels stationed at various points near by to follow and assist him in case of need were aware that he was ready for his wonderful flight, the first of it's kind the world has ever known.
 
 fly safely from a ship, and after having done this, asserted with emphasis that 1t would be an easy matter for an aero- plane to alight on a vessel either while athe latter was moving or stationary \ Naval experts who witnessed the flight ! expressed their belief that the navies of the world in the future must take the aeroplane into consideration when map ping out plans of action.
 Better Than Antfcinated
 Capt. Washington I. Chambers, who has been detailed by the navy department as chairman of board for aeronautical in- vestigation. declared that the flight was more than he had anticipated, and he is confident that the time is near when all &scout cruisers will be equipped with a number of aeroplanes. They would not | be for battleship use, he explained, but for scout duty in connection with the ] work of the scout cruisers of the navy
 When MT. Ely flew with such ease from standing ship" he said, 'it showed beyond doubt that his task would have been much simpler if the Birrning- ham had been moving" Starting out from the Norfolk navy yard at Ii 80 o'clock this morning on the Birmingham, closely followed by the two torpedo boat destroyers, Roe and Terry, and by the torpedo boats Bailey and stringham. 1t was fully four hours later before MT. Elys machine was working to his full satisfaction.
 The machine in which he flew was the one in which Glenn H. Curtiss sailed down through the air channels of the Hudson river valley from Albany to New York. It had seen two previous cross-water flights, one over Lake Erie from Euclid Beach to Cedar Point and back, distance of 70 miles, the other by MT. Curtiss himself over the Atlantic ocean off Atlantic City, when 1t covered ofn nf mi
 Flight of Nearly Five Miles
 The distance which MT. Ely flew today was nearly five miles, The Birmingham was lying in the roads only a quarter of a rpile from the Hotel Chamberlain, but in making his flight to Willoughby Spit, he flew in a curve, so that, while the exact distance could not be determined 1t vas believed he covered almost five miles. It was 3:16 o'clock when he took to the air; five minutes later he was safe or the solid soil of Virginia few miles north of Norfolk. MT. Ely, after being brought back on launch and placed aboard the cruised, said he was not fond of the water but he had con ouered his fears long enough to remain over 1t in fog and accomplish his pur- pose. When he struck the water on driv- ing off the S3-foot platform erected on the bow of the Birmingham, salt water dashed into his face and goggles so that
 
 he could not see for several minutes in which direction he was going. He had planned to take somewhat different course from that which he actually took anc little farther north. The great est height he attained was estimated at about 500 feet. His striking the water, he said afterwards, was due to slight rniscalculation. He had planned before he left the Incline on the Birmingham 10 drop near the water so as to get the mo- mertum which he wanted to carry him upwards: but he overreached the mark slightly.
 Will Fly at Norfolk
 Mr. Ely went back to Norfolk imme- tliately after the flight and when weather conditions are favorable will attempt a flight over the city. The following day he is away to show his prowess of the air in flight he will give at Raleigh.
 It is understood that MT. Ely by his flight today has won ss00 priss offered