The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-09-30
AVIATOR LANDS IN
SPRINGFIELD
Brookins Completes His Trip From
Chicago to Illinois State Fair
With But One
Stop.
BROKE ALL RECORDS
Made the Longest Continuous Flight
in Aeroplane Ever Made in
This or Other
Countries.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.,, Sept 30.--Wal
ter R. Brookins, cloud explorer, ac-
complished flight that marks an
epoch in aviation In voyage
through the upper atmosphere, viewed
by gaping multitudes, he established
the first airline route In Illinois and
won the $4,000 prize offered by the
Record Herald.
In contest of speed with specia
train On the Illinois Central he gave
the state the most remarkable racing
spectacle 1t had ever seen. Like sea
| gull cleaving the air, he negotiated
! the 1877 miles between the metropolis
and the state capital at the average
rate OF thirty-three miles an hour
and broke into smithereens the rec
ords for long distance flying in a
heavier-than.air machine.
Flying In the teeth of a fifteen-mile
wind and buffeted by cross currents
that made the upper realms "choppy,
Brookins at times outdistanced the
racing special on the rails below and
i left 1t painting and groaning. His new
record for continuous long-distance
flights beats the remarkable air voy-
age of Curtiss down the Hudson from
4 Albany to New York by forty-six
miles. He punctured the records
; made in Europe, too, where aviators,
when trying to hang up long-dls-
/ lance mark, fly only in the hours wher
the wind Is not busy and spread their
flight over several days. He beat the
London Manchester record of Paulhan,
1872 miles, despite the fact that Paul
han took two days to perform his
feat.
Brooklps was disinclined to discuss
his trip, except to state that 1t had
been extremely pleasant, and that he
was ready to make the return trip
, to Chicago on ten minutes notice.
, at was cinch from the start" he
said. The machine was working
beautifully, and l knew l would get
through on time The fact that
dropped a wheel at Mount Pulaski
!, made 40 difference. In fact, l did not
! know that l had lost it until the ma
chine began humping over the ground
here at the fair grounds.
"I was accorded the most courteous
2 treatment by everybody, at the start
/. ing and finishing points and all along
the routes. The farmers where
d alighteG did everything they could
S tn assist me. 1t was hard going al
/ times. owing to the force of the wind
i which consumed my gasoline at
g rapid rate, ard | also encountered
man. sudden ercss-currents, whicf
j necessit ated rising or dropping rap
{ idly TO negotiate"
There was an insistent rumor or
the train to the effect that in Spring
field Brookins would meet the future
, Mrs Prookins, but he stoutly denied
this story.
"Naw,' he said, with considerable
i vigor nobody has any strings to m'
and nn,tody will get any.
Brockins is 2 modest wholesome
sort of youth and he tried to ge
u away from the attentions showered uI
on him Chiefly for this reason h
declined to enter into an EXTENDS
. conversation about the trip beyond tn
= statement that it had been delightful
= all the way; that there never was
u moment when he doubted Its success
and trat he was grateful to the pub
> lie fo~ it's hearty enthusiasm owe
y what he is pleased to style a very ol
: dinary and easy accomplishment
Brookins started from Chicago i
the morning at 9:15 and after eight
miles of continuous flight, stopped a
Gilman for gasoline. He was delaye
n at Gilman from 1880 a. M, unit
12:44 u. NJ, having made the first 8
- miles in two hours and fifteen mir
utes.
Leaving Gilman at 1874, he arrive
at Mount Pulaski at 1920, making tn
n eighty. eight miles of the second le
e. of the trip in two hours and thirty-si
minutes.
I'd Leaving Mount Pulaski at s:44, h
O. arrived in Springfield at 4;27, maxim
it the last twenty-four miles Of the tri
as in forty-three minutes
The total elapsed time was seve
hours and twelve minutes.
The actual time in flight was fiv
Ie hours and forty-four minutes and th
Or average speed was about thirty -thre
IN miles an hour.
ht Nearly 10000 people crowded int