New-York tribune., 1910-07-14
HAM|[ TON IN A SMASH-UP
Aviator Bruised Trying Out COL
Iege Students Biplane.
SPEAKS OF CURTISS'S SUIT
Saws He Will Set Up Counter
Claims-Plans for Interna-
tional Tournament.

Garden City. Long Island. July 1S.-Per-
haps the day of the month had something
10 do with it At any rate, the usual
startling success and good luck that attend
the flights of Charles X Hamilton, the
aviator. were not with him tonight, and
instead he came 20 grief on the Hampstead
plains tonight In an attempt to try out the
Ing hiplane Of his friend, Phillip w
Wilcox.
Probably the 1act that Hamilton had not
succeeded in raising the machine from the
ground after e run of several hundred feet
saved him from serious injury when the
supporting structure buckled from the
strain of the humping trucks on the uneven
field and threw the little aviator forward
from his seat into a mass of splntered
woodwork, propeller and twisted wires
Several hundred persons rushed to the
wreck across the field, expecting to flnd
the aeroraut badly injured, but he calmly
cxtricated himself and was surveying the
sad disaster with expressions of sympathy
for his young friend wilcox, who was
among the first 10 reach him. Hamilton
llmped a little on his way back 10 the
sneds from bruise on the knee, where
piece OF the damaged propeller struck
him. but otherwise he was uninjured-
; Z
Hamilton said. and il will fly all right
vet There was plenty of power TO carry
Two men. but something went wrong with
the supporting structure and the machine
would not respond TO my efforts 10
steer It,
Several Days for Repairs.
That was some consolation to Wilcox,
who is senior in Columbia University
n
ing the bipIane He and his father, DR..
Wilcox, had dotted on Hamilton's kindly
offer TO try out the machine yesterday, and
they were there with a number of friends
with the one hope thsr they might see the
the aeroplane get into the air The injury
to the machine was noT bad. however, and
mechanics removed the engine and carried
the planes back TO the sheds for repairs,
which can be made in two or three days
While The crowd was standing in the
field about the crippled wilcox machine
Captain Thomas Baldwin swooped near
the heads of those on the edge in the Cur
tiss biplane-perhaps Just to remind the
New Britain aviator that he and Mr.. Cur
tiss should not have fallen out-and then
made a spectacular flight of five laps
around the mile and quarter field In
6n average time of 1:31. Captain Bald
1ust before dusk He kept within thirty
feet of the ground in all Of them He Of
fered 20 let Hamilton use his machine, but
Hamilton declined with the comment that
Il was not good policy 10 force his streak
Of poor luck
Hamilton announced. however, that he
would go up to-day at the aerodrome in
CAPTAIN Baldwin's biplane with passen-
ger.
Frank Van Anden had his biplane run
out last night and his mechanic cut the
grass with il for half an hour, as did
George Russell in his Curtiss machine
Han1ilton's Counterclainls.
Hamilton was not inclined yesterday to
talk about the differences between him and
Glenn II Curtiss which have resulted in
Curtiss serving papers on Hamilton IN an
action 10 recover $500. which Curtiss al
1eges Hamilton owes him in unpaid royal
ties.
7 shall file an answer in the suit through
nv Ia wver. Israel Ludlow. in a few days
Hamilton said yesterday, and shall set UP
counter claims for comnissions which
Curtiss agreed TO pay me and have not
received
Hamilton said he was figuring on the
matter and could not say yet what the
counter claims would be
II was pointed out by Hamilton man
.eer that Hamilton had quit Mr. Curtiss
e. Atlantic City when the latter refused
n le+ him fv in competition for the nifty
mile & 600 speed prize at the aviation meet
by the sea
.,C,,r-tiss did not give Hamilton square
deal at Atlantic City or on the Alhany-to-
New York flight" said Hamiltons man
eger Yesterday. -Curtiss sent for Hamil-
ton TO come 10 Atlantic City 10 do the
greater part of the flying, as we under
stood. and when We arrived sil that Curtiss
would let Hamilton DO was 10 ny one day
,7rovided he would not compete with Curtss
for the 5000 speed prize for fifty-mile
fight Hamilton was cut out of $1,000 IN
,,rizes which he might have had at At
1antic CITY. and decided 10 quit Curtiss
end fv for himself Hamilton considers
that under the circumstances he has been
released from the Curtiss contract
C,1,rtiss said yesterday that he still con-
s5dered Hamilton under contract with him
and expected Hamilton to fulfil the con-
tract.
Building Racing Machines.
Bot, Hamilton and Curtiss are building
r,ev- machines for the speed contests at the
International aviation tournament TO be
bald here next fall. Hamilton said yester-
dav that he expected his machine would
he ready 10 Try out in about three weeks
He expected 10 develop !, speed Of from
seveY4v TO eighty miles hour and keep
- I'D for several hours # necessary, he
said
Elaborate plans are now in progress for
the international aviation tournament to
be held at Garden City this fall from Oc-
tober 10 10 g, inclusive a fund of $4,000