The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-09-30

Walter Brooklns, In his asroplane,
will tomorrow race Barney Old
field In his Benz car at the state
Fair Grounds. The men are
scheduled TO race five miles, Old
field giving 6rookins a handicap
OF one mile. Today the young
aviator. fatioued by the wearing
tension OF the long flight from
Chicago, kept out Of sight.
SPRINGFIELD, ILL.,. Sept 9o-Avia-
tor Walter Brookins alighted grace
fully with his aeroplane In the State
Fair grounds at 4:27 .. m. yesterday.
seven hours, four minutes out from
Chicago. after having sailed his
Wright biplane the ls7 miles with
two stops.
He descended at Gilman. H., 10
miles from Chicago. at 1850 a. m.
and at Mt Pulaski. III, 16S miles from
Chicago at 1870 D. m. The first stop
was for water, oil and gasoline; the
second for supplies and because his
pump had broken and the engine be-
came hot.
The railroad distance from the start
in Chicago 10 Springfield Is ls7 miles.
His official starting time was s:l5 a.
m. The longest sustained flight was
from Gilman to Mt. Pulaski. So miles.
Beats Hamilton's Record.
Brookins thus broke Charles X.
Hamilton's record for sustained cross
country flight Of So miles from New
York TO Philadelphia. He also made
the longest cross-country continued
flight in America and thereby won the
$4,000 prize offered by the Chicago
Record-Herald.
In both places where the aviator
alighted, vast throngs gathered. Farm
ers, tradesmen and residents rushed
from their fields. shops and homes TO
see what an aeroplane looked like at
short range.
AS Brookins swept out OF the field
at Mt. Pulaski one OF the small rub
ber-tired wheels on which he rolls In
making Roadway before arising.
struck a hummock ana was wrenched
OF. Brookins, not knowing OF the &C.
cident, rose 1900 feet, and. heading
for Springfield. swirled away, leaving
the Illinois Central special train iar
behind.
Locomotives Len Behind.
This was the second railroad loco
motive that the aviator had left far
behind In a fair race Engineer w.
F. Burt. who made the first attempt
to defeat the air craft, had TO give up
the attempt at Clinton, Ill.
Brookins reached the state fair
grounds eight minutes before the spe-
cial train reached the Springfield sta
ton. three and a half miles short Oh
the fair grounds. The actual nying
time was Ave hours "A minutes Tor
the 1877 miles, an average OF So miles
an hour.
Brookins found some difficulty In
alighting because OF the inadequate
police provision at the fair grounos'
and although he arrived over the
grounds at 4:22, II was five minutes
before he could land.
The crowd surged about him. threat
ening TO crush the machine, til DE-
had to make a personal appeal 10 get
the throng back.
When those on the special train
reached the aeroplane. nearly haii an
hour after the aviator landed, ne saiu
where Lave you been all the time!
I got here and have been waiting 10
lunch with you as l promised You
have kept me waiting half an hour.
Asked about the flight, he said:
why. IL was nothing only staying
I'D. that's all. II merely took more
time and that's about the only diner
ence from a practice flight. l knew |
could make II.
cit was one OF the prettiest flights
ever made. The country between
Chicago and here is delightful. Every
where I was flying low enough-and
went as low as 800 feet several times
Il could see the people staring up az
me from every acre almost. mere
must have been three-fourths OF
million looking at me.
my arms are tired and 1t was quite
a strain because I had to watch all
the while, but am good for the same
thing right now. II necessary.
Wilbur Wright Jubiiant.
Wilbur Wright's first comment was
"As the woman says, I told you So
After the aeroplane had been stored
away. Mr.. Wright added: There was
never a time when l felt he would
not make II. or course there was a
strong wind right In his face, most OF
the way. so that he had TO use much
more gasoline and oil than he other
wise would. and this caused the first
stop.
cit was the broken pump, however.
heating up his engine that made II
necessary for him to alight at Mt.
Pulaski. Otherwise he would have
gone the whole distance to Springfield
from Gilman.
The machine will go for any dis
lance; the only difference between
this and a practice fight Is that the
operator has to work longer He few
| better the farther he went, because
he had used up more gasoline and
the machine was lighter.
Il think this has shown conclusive
| ly that the aeroplane IL a. successful
navigator OF the air. and those who
/ h.