The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-10-08
AVIATOR BRINGS
] MONEY TO FAIR
Directors Agree That Johnstonc's
Flights Were Real Top
Line Attraction.
--------------
.LoUP THE LOOP NEXT YEAR
Thousands OF People Go Daily to
Fair Simply to See
Aeroplane.
.LoUP THE LOOP NEXT YEAR

AerOplane.
II expect to come back next year
and 'loup the loop said Aviator Ralph
tombstone yesterday afternoon. In re-
spouse to remark of Director j. r.
Anderson. of the Virginia State Fair
Association, who expressed the hope
that the fair would again he able to
secure such successful flights In the
hands of SO capable an aviator.
Mr. Johnstone explained that he was
not Joking; that he and Walter Brook
ms and other Wright avlators had al
ready stood their machines on end In
the air, and that almost the next step
would be for one more daring than
the rest to complete an entire somer.
sau1t in the air. With little more
motive power, and a gosd, strong
nerve, tombstone believes 1t can be
done, and some bright day when the
weather looks Just right, and he feels
In condition, he Is going to try It.
Top Line Attraction.
Director Anderson said yesterday
that the aeroplane this year, in sharp
contrast to the experience last year.
had been decidedly the top line at
traction OF the fair.
II do not mean to say that 1t has
made the fair" he explained. Two
have had good fair In other respects.
But the flights Johnstone has made
have been the unique feature of this
fair, and have caused 1t to be heralded
far and wide. They have caused talk
all over the State and the people have
poured out as never before I believe
It accounts In large measure for the
increased attendance, especially on
Richmond day."
Other directors of the fair. including
President Henry Fairfax, were equally
as enthusiastic over the flights. Ihe
wonderful stunts done on Monday az
ternoon and the unusually successful
pictures published in The Times-Dls-
patch on Tuesday and Wednesday. with
accounts of what was being done,
brought out not only the usual crowd
of talr visitors. but thousands who usu-
ally do not attend such exhibitions.
Everybody Enthused.
Even here in Richmond crowds Oh
people who affect hlase air and rather
laugh at those who show any enthusi
asm, forgot their cue and went out to
see a heavier than-air machine cavort
through space with a 1,oo0-pound mo-
tor and a 16o-pound man. To many 1t
had been revolutionized, and that john
stone and his hackers have set aside
the laws of gravitation. Farmers who
came to see sheep and horses and farm
implements have remained to get an
other sight of the bird man. who will
go up twice to-day Clerks and en-
ployes of a thousand business houses
In Richmond are counting on the half
holiday to-day to enable them to rush
out in time to see two flights and a
race for one admission. From cities
and towns all over Virginia business
men, who are accustomed to ignore an
agricultural and Industrial fair are
coming into Richmond this morning to
see real aviator operate a real aero
plane
Ralph Johnstone spent most of yes
tcrday on the Fair Grounds, hoping that
the clouds would break away and en-
able him to make the exhibition flight
called for In his contract When the
evening came 1t was not actually rain
ing, but the crowd which had ventured
out had drifted away from the grounds
chilled and tired from the cold and rain
AT a conference held IN President Henry
FairfaX's office tombstone offered to-
fly. He said that all his machine need
ed was little tuning up of the wires
and that he didn't mind the chance of
ducking In some stray cloud.
Decide to Defer 1t.
number of directors conferred, and
in view of the small attendance and
the Indictment afternoon, decided to
postpone the flight to to-day at 2
o'clock. Johnstone's last word to Pres
ident Henry Fairfax as he left the con-
ference was that he would fly twice to-
day. rain or shine. In anything short
n pl1 ha ,,o, ~ IL,
exhibition flights at and O'Clock,
and the race with motor car will fol-
low at o'clock, provided the mud Is
not too deep on the race track for the
motor car to get around
The mud doesn't bother me-" said
tombstone. ct makes the landing
soft, l am not afraid of getting wet,
and Will go up to-day in anything
short of dangerous wind rain o,
shine"
To Fly In ST. Louis.
tombstone leaves tonight over the
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway for st.
Louis, where he will take part on Mon
day In the aviation meet. for which a
large number of valuable prizes have
been offered. His machine is to be
loaded on special railway car to- NOR
row and taken to New York CITY toll
be entered in the Belmont Park meet.
Mr. Jackson will go to St Louis with
Mr. tombstone.
President Fairfax and a half-dozen
directors of the fair took Mr.. John
stone yesterday afternoon for a tour
of some of the more important exhibit
ton buildings. He was especially in
terested in the singing of the negroes /
in the tobacco exhibit of the Il. A. PAT
terson Tobacco Company. A dozen or
more of the type from which Polk |
Miller has recruited his singers sang
old plantation songs for some time,
the band concert and the exhibition OF
automatic pianos being suspended, that