The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-07-31
AVIATION NOT
DIFFICULT TASK
Given a Good Machine Under
Favorable Conditions the
Rest Is Easy.
THIS is OPINION or
CHARLES X. HAMILTON
Expects to Fly Between New
York and st. Louis for
$4,000 Prize.
BY Leased Wire TO The Tribune.


NEW YORK, July 30 When
start on the aeropIane flight between
New York and ST. Louis with an eye to
winning the $4,000 prize. [ want the
trip over the aerial highway to be like
that Of railroad express train travel
ing on the ground. There must be NO
fuss. The hour and minute of starting
will be made known, and promptly the
air line express will depart on its jour
ney of 1000 miles to be completed with
in 100 hours"
This is the way Charles X Hamilton
says he wants 10 make the race for the
big prize.
''The more I know of the great op-
portunity given to aviators 10 prove
that the aeroplanc has come to stay,
said Hamilton, "the more | wonder If
everybody realizes what will be the
most important feature about the New
York to ST. Louis flight.
"It won't be anything wonderful for
aeroplanes to travel one thousand miles
and do 1t in 100 hours. The real test
will be to meet and overcome all obsta-
cles, especially the weather. For this
reason | would not like to have exactly
deal weather conditions when ! at
tempt it because L do rot want to have
II said that il was an easy feat. At the
same time | would not wish for the
other eXtreme-verv bad weather CON
dtions. The test for the aeroplane is
to prove that it does not have 10 stick
TO the ground and wait until we have
conquered the air before we can make
intercity flights,
Not Such Hard Work.
"People think there is a great deal
more to aviation work than there real
ly is. 1t has been exaggerated. / don Z
see why. 1T is soaring great many
men and probably keeping others from
becoming good aviators.
"First of all, / have not determined
TO make my start from st. Louis. Be-
fore ] really decide whether I shall
come eastward by the northern route or
by the southern course, | am personally
going to make a tonr OF inspection.
81 will take train and 20 over the
northern route TO st. Louis, spending
two days carefully scrutinizing every
mile of the distance. [ will make this
cause [ believe thai the better way to
flv between cities is to follow the path
laid out by the big railroads.
'.Now as 10 the weather conditions.
| should prefer to start some time dur
ing Indian summer. That is the most
beautiful part of the year and as n rule
aviators will find that ten hours out
of twenty-four are suitable for flying.
] shall be prepared to take advantage
Of these ten hours every day. If I
find ] can have good weather at night,
] will make flights by night, / am
going to equip my aeroplane with a
searchlight so that I can pick out the
railroad tracks while travelling Mt
night.
Can Fly in Night Time.
eyes. I have made trips at night
time. At Nashville, Tenn, used the
searchlight on my biplane and had no
difficulty in picking out my landing
places. Another thing. rain will not
delay me In my trip. | convinced
prominent army officer of the useful
ness Of the aeroplane by making a
flight in quite heavy rain.
''I have heard talk of the young avi-
long flight. Well. ] want TO say that
in my mind it is more the ability of the
machine to stand the strain that should
cause concern. Take automobile racers
who drive their machines in the twenty
four hour races, they have TO keep their
nerve up on high tension all the time
Personally I do not think ] could sleep
until / finished the task l set out to
accomplish.
So / am more desirous Of having a
machine that will hold out than TO
think Of my own ability.
'fIn my New York to st. Louis flight
] will use a special wire that will have
1000 and 5000 pounds tension strength.
Aviators always have more or less wire
trouble, That has been one of the
difficulties. 1t was due TO a wire break
ing that De la Grange, the famous
French aviator. lost his life. His ma
chine collapsed and fell like a brick.
You see the wire neutralizes the yibra.
rlon and strains. Heretofore 7 have
used wire that registered 500 to 1000
pounds tension