The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-09-25
The Passage Of the Alps by George
Chavez.


As GEORGE CHAvEZ was born in Paris,
the French can justly claim him a.
n countryrnan. The intrepid youth =
flight across the Alps IN an a"roplanc
suggests when he Is called Peruvian
the condor, that Andcan bird with a
wing swcop of twelve feet. which HUM-
BoLpT saw sailing above the cleaning
white como Of ChImborazn AZ a height 81
more than 3.OH0 feet To the friars and
tourists upon Simplnn Kuhn who saw
the airship resolve itself out ~ the blue
and spread its planes with diminishing
distances, u must have looked lik" a
great bird of the mountains. As the
place Of birth determines natIonalltviln
most cases, CRAVE should be- regarded
A. a Frenchman. and France, which il
gloriouslv associated with "A memorable
massage 81 the Alps more than a hun
dred wears ago. will not be likely 10
Weld To Peru the honor Of possessing
the first aeronaut who brnyed the pcris
of the Alpine submits and CULTS and
actually ilew in a heavier than air ma
chime over the great range from swift
cortland into Italian territory.
In our judgment the feat 40 far tran
s,anded IN, heroic courage anything
previously done hv the man who flies
that II must be- regarded with something
lk. awe Tn" passage II the English
Channel was a simple and easy per-
Torrance by comparison, and the risks
~ that sea flight are scarcely worth
calculating now On the Channel shore
the rate and direction If tho wind. Il
thereisany.may assure quick and safe
crossing II the acrDplane Is taut and trim
and the operator efficient. No chart IT
the air j. needed, and fall into the
sea win probably not be tragic. But
GEORGE CHAVEZ could have no conccp-
ton 81 the dangers ~ gusts and cross
currents he might first encounter in
working his frail craft spirnlly 10 tho
heights Of the Simplon Pass and having
roached tho necessary altitude b" must
sweap swiftly over n waste II CraG- and
ADVISES whore death would inevitably
claim him # the motor failed and his
aernplane fell like wounded bird.
wing over wing. Little u known about
tho upper air strata. and II may never
be po~-bl. 10 Indicate them on a chart
Certainly vnungstcr 81 - who re-
ceived his pilots license six month,
ago could have had but mere notion
of tho air movements ~ high attitudes.
He was committing himself to capri
Ci0us element when he rosn upward
from Brirg and headed toward tho Pass
4 rISh of wind from a gorge and ha
might have been whirlcd about like n
leaf and dashed IN the earth. Nor could
Ice know whether be- would bc able 10
stand the tremendous ~ rain ~ balancing
his planes and directing 'hr fabric in a
cold ~ we'll ~ an "rratic atmo=phrro
with death apparently waiting for him
bclOW. To su"cc'-d IN such n desperate
y"nturr a man must have no merry -, and
- devoid We should say. Of imagina-
ton. "" must b. a machine like tho
ContrnpriUr iu which h" l. seated. II il
the Young men Who hoI thor iiycs
cneap That 30 'ur-,' anna nag things
and they must tempt them for glory,
o. well - Tor rnon"y, or they would
never be dom"
Fate was Kind % daring GEoHGt
CHavEZ, II Ntt." rough ID tu,nbliro
him IN the earih y ~. moment nC H..
umph. Itwa- -'urnr.l,l. rhi- no.-ar.
If tho Alps by r,sn pc ir. condor o.,
she albatrOss H!cs, hut m a machine