New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-06-15

claimant for aerial laurels had ever
been witnessed until now, ana they
awaited with mingled feelings to see If
| he would escape -unscathea
Over a Skyscraper Now
| Having regained control of his airship,
owens made his precarious way over the
top of the Postal Telegraph Building,
and lowered for second over the Post
office Then, finding that he was getting
too close to earth. Owens dropped an
| other bag of yellow sand, sendlng MS air
craft soaring aloft once more. he then
| turned the prov of his balloon toward
! the North River. as if headed back for
the starting place, and those In the
streets heaved signs Of disappointment
! for they took it for granted lhat the
| aeronaut was going to leave tnem
| They were thrilled anew moment
| later. however, when owens descrioed
sweeping. graceful seml-circie' srauuaily
| coming closer to the roofs of the build
| ings. and headed uptown. AS II 10 prove
| to those who watched his erratlc night
| that he was absolute master OF the STU
alton, Owens headed his dirigioie direct
| ~ over the roof of building at Broad
way and Chambers street
| After taking this last hurdle owens
| found himself over the northwestern end
of City Hall Park, now SO close to the
ground that the black smoke from ms
| exhaust blew in eddes about the tower
of the City Hail. while the yellow gas
| bag almost scraped against the Flagstaff
on it's crest AS the airship careened
| this way and that, like drunken man,
the crowd watching below sWayed In
silent sympathy.
Owens glanced downward as he nov
cred over the mark, and seemed TO be
looking for a good spot in which to
alight After making preliminary
turn about the City Hall he flashed over
the roof of the county courthouse, where
| justices, court attendants and others
were gathered. AS if he were the skip
per of an ocean liner, owens then tossed
overheard length of rope, as If seeking
an anchorage.
| In an instant some of the more ex-
citable youths on the roof of the court
house in Chambers street, had grasped
| the rope and given it a mighty tug.
That caused the airship to descend sud
denly, and before Owens could yell in
protest the balloon had bumped the
roof and rebounded into the air. Luck
| lily for Owens the rope gave way under
| the strain, but not before the frail net
work of the frame had buckled in the
middle.
In Desperate Straits Now.
Owens now realized that he was in
desperate straits, and he ran along the
narrow supporting beam at the side Of
his craft and hastily dumped out an
other bag of sand. The effect en- the
airship was magical and it shot upward
again into the blue above it.
Although he had escaped the momen-
tary dangers of the network of buildings
about Park Row. Owens soon realized
that he was still in a bad plight. The
collision with the courthouse had put his
motor almost out of the running, and
his airship was drifting in the air cur
rents like a rudderless vessel on the
| ocean. Owens knew that his only saliva
ton lay in finding clear space in which
to land before a contrary wind took him
out to sea.
He managed to face the airship toward
the Long Island shore for he calculated
on finding some less densely populated
spot in that direction By constantly
throwing out more ballast Owens was
able to clear the Brooklyn Bridge.
though he came perilously near hitting
| one of the towers with his gas bag He
then allowed the dirigible to drift on the
air currents in the direction of Brooklyn
while he made frantic attempts to repair
mis- motor
He knew that even if he dropped in
the river it was preferable to descending
among tall buildings with CONSEQUENT
danger of demolition by stone walls. and
he thought that if he could repair the
motor he might still be triumphant.
few minutes, however sufficed to
show him that the motor was injured
beyond hope of Immediate repair. and
as he was by this time above the low
rooted houses at Gates and Nostrand
avenues, in Brooklyn, he decided that
his best course was to bring his fight
to an end right there. With that deter
mination he climbed into the frame
work and loosened the gas valve. In an
instant the yellow tube began to -crinkle
end fatten, and the balloon Iurched
down, with broken spirit and dying
breath
Swimming the. roofs of several houses
Owens finally landed with a crash in
large maple tree in front of No 39,
Gates avenue Hardly had the noise of
his descent died away when the street
was alive with people. all shouting ad-
vice and commands. Owens, perched in
the branches of the tree refused to de-
sert his ship until a truck company an
sWered call. The firemen ran up-lad-
ders and made theI airship fast Then
Owens descended. AS he reached the
ground after his tempestuous flight his
manager, who had followed in an auto
mobile, gave him a drink and a cigar
The machine was then loaded on a
wagon and taken back to New JERSEY.
accompanied by Owens.
The young aerOnaut was cool still
when surrounded by wondering men and
boys, and said he would fly Manhattan