The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1910-11-05

Through With Flying For the Mere
Sport of it-When the Wrghts Were
"Cranks."
Among those witnessing the flying at
Belmont park, New York, Is man
who used to be one Of the editors or
an Ohio newspaper. According to his
own confession, his conscience has
been giving him some painful twinges
ever since he saw the first aeroplane
go up the other day.
"When the Wright brothers were
making their first experiments with
flying out at Dayton everybody got the
notion that they We're couple or
cranks," he said. "After the first story
or two which described what they were
doing Ohio newspapers outside of Day
ton declined to pay any attention to
them. :.
"The Dayton correspondents used to
be very active in sending out stuff,
but our Office, like many others, got
tired of receiving it. 1t got so that
standing orders We're issued i'm our
OLhGt uSdlhSL plLhtllE thih6 apVot
the Wrights. When story came in
about what they were doing it went
to the wastebasket.
"The city editor when he received a
Wright story would shout, Another
Wright yarn" and then the office would
give whoop and crowd about as with
an impressive gesture the story was
nj xxrar
not as much as ten years ago either"
Everything few high at the big avia-
tion meet, even lunch counter prices.
A man strolled up to the edge of one
costly lunch counter and rested his
elbow ON the oilcloth.
Look here" said he ''Do yoa scale
anything as low as 20 cents?'
"Yep," replied the gentlemanly at
tendant "pork and beans"
Lead me out an orderw exclaimed
the customer.
A small platter was produced in a
moment, and as it slid toward him the
man who wanted food bent his scruti-
ny upon it. He surveyed it carefully
and then, looking the attendant straight
between the eyes, spoke as follows:
"Here, here! Come across! l or
dered complete dozen Of beans.
You're three shyv'
A lot of the aviators know what
| they are up against in the matter of
| danger. Radley was asked whether
he expected to fly.
81 can't say really, you know" an
swered the Englishman. "l've long
| since got over flying for the sport OF
| the thing. It's a bit of a tragedy-a
| fiight-isn't it?''
"Why can't they cheat about how
high they go?' asked one of the sweet
things on the lawn.
Because the barograph won't let
them," said the sage with her.
"Well, I'd take piece of ice up
with me and hold it against the fool
ish thing"
"But the barograph doesn't register
the cold," her informer explained; 'it's
just affected by pressure"
"Then," said she finally, I'D press
the piece of ice against itv'
Here is some of the comment over
heard one evening when Hoxsey and
tombstone, two of the Wright fiiers,
were fading out Of sight in the twi.
light:
whats become of the Heavenly
Twins?"
"Guess they have gone up to light
the stars
Just at that minute out popped q
tiny star just above the place where
Johnstone's biplane had disappeared
Then came another. then a group
finally the Little Dipper. About al
the stars that are visible this time OF
the year We're out by the time the ri
val aviators reached the ground.
hurried over to Ralph Johnstone wheI
he slid to earth after his long climl
into the cloudless evening sky.
"What kept you so long?" they ask
) ed.
"Well, I waited to make sure tina
.. Arch Hoxsey wasn't going any high
er, and then l waited little longer 70
good luck. At that / beat him to tn
ground"
did you climb higher than Hox
sey" was the next query.
"Well, If his barograph says / didn'
then I'll never trust a barOgrapl
again."
As matter Of fact, the judges fig
ured out that Hoxsey's fight 0vertor
ped Johnstone's by 420 feet, but John
stone did not know that at the time.