The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-05-31

her husbands side. She greeted him
while the crowd eheered
again.
Over Cadets and Convicts
With tanks reflled and every wire
and screw tested Curtiss took his seat
for the final dash to New York. The
bi-plane ran along the meadows for
about two hundred feet, then shot
from the ground with nose pointed to-
ward the river. In a moment more the
craft was again over the Hudson and
Curtiss turned his course south and
was soon lost to view. Exactly one
hour had been consumed at Pough-
keepsie. for he arrived at 1925 and de-
parted at 9:26 on the dot. He passed
the United States Military Academy at
West Point at 1902. Officers and ca
diets looked upward and sent cheer
Of guns.
At Storm King the most sensational
incident Of the trip occurred.
He was flying at this point. a thous-
and feet. he estimates. when a shifty
wind caused the machine to drop and
tilt. Never once losing control, how
ever, he continued southwark, passing
in turn Peekskill, Ossining. where Sing
Sing prison is situated, and Dobbs
Ferry. Yonkers was reached at 1880
and he was flying about level with the
palisades, 800 to 500 feet up. Here
Curtiss got his first glimpse of the
Metropolitan tower. 1t doomed far
ahead like a giant needle and Curtiss
knew he was nearing the upper limits
OF New York city
The Home Stretch
Out Of the haze that lay in the bend
of the river at Yonkers he shot into
the view of thousands who were wait
ing his coming along the upper reaches
Of Riverside drive and on the roofs Of
the big apartment houses on Washing
ton Heights, New York city. A mere
speck at first, the little aeroplane look
ed not unlike a gull floating with rig
i'd wings on the breast of a gale. The
motor was chugging steadily and send
ing the craft along toward its goal at a
ifty-mile an hour gait.
Rounding the big tutting nose OF
Alpine on the Jersey side opposite
Yonkers, Curtiss drove his machine
across the river toward the east side
Of the stream and Rugged the New
York shore
The crowds along the shore cheered
and waved hats and handkerchiefs and
the sharp, shrill screeches Of the whis-
ties of the small pleasure boats Joined
with the more sonorous ones of the
larger craft in giving a hearty in in
harmonious welcome.
On past Riverdale, flying straight
as an arrow and swiftly came the
aeroplane. 1t was abreast New York
11$x 0r1x ha
upper end Of Manhattan Island. Bar
ring some unlocked for accident it
seemed now that Curtiss must win the
$4,000 prize. Suddenly, when Curtiss
had reached a point midway between
Spuyten Duyvil creek. which separates
Manhattan Island from the Borough of
the Bronx, and Washington Point, the
speed Of the bi-plane slackened per-
ceptibly and the machine dropped until
| it seemed that it would almost touch
the water. Then it came about pref
ti1y, pointing upward and headed up
the river The spectators were nom
plussed. Many Of them believed the
machinery had gone wrong and that
Curtiss had lost his race.
! $4,000 Prize Is Won
But Curtiss. had they known, was as
|
any stage of the flight and he waved
his hand assuringly. While passing
Spuyten Duyvil he had seen, half q
mile inland, a broad expanse of green
sward, the sphere end of Manhattan
Island. To win the prize it was neces-
lsary only to land in Manhattan proper
and there was the chance without risk
of the flight to Governors Island or the
battery, thirteen miles away.
| Therefore, when again he came
abreast of the mouth of the creek after
his puzzling turn backward, Curtiss
threw his steering wheel about sharply
glided above a railroad drawbridge and
foated lazily inland, with the propeller
barely turning. He Unanswered a bit
carefully. then alighted without mis-
hap on the stretch Of green which had
caught his eye. He had flown from
Albany to Manhattan in two hours and
lthirty-two minutes and the $4,000
was his.
! Jumping lightly from his machine
the aviator inspected his motor and
finding everything intact he sought g
telephone and informed the World that
he had arrived and claimed the award
He Gets the Money
Although he had won, weather condi-
tions were so propitious and he was
feeling so gratified at success that Cur
tiss decided to give the city another
view of his machine and at 1877 M
shot away again for Governors Island
It was during this part of the trip tina
lhe received the noisiest greeting. HI
came down the river at an elevation
Of more than 800 feet, while harbol
craft shrieked their greetings. New:
of his progress spread quickly through
out the city. Hundreds rushed to thu
water front from every block and roof
became black with humanity.
The greatest jam was at the bat
ltery.
Down the river and into the uppe
bay he sailed as lightly and steadil!
as q swallow. Nearing Governors Is
land he began to descend, while cheer
floated up from the officers and mel
who watched his approach.
He landed easily on stretch OF new
made land in front of the shed II
which the aeroplanes were housed dur
ing the Hudson-Fulton celebration
Dismounting without further ado h
resigned his craft to soldiers who vol
unteered to push it into the shed an
received congratulations of Maj. Ger
Howe, L. S. A, commander of the De
partment of the East, and other Off
GERS.
Refreshments were served in Corbi
Hall and Curtiss briefly related his ex
periences. Mrs. Curtiss who ha