The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-15
Eng|ishman Pays Flying Visit to War Department In
 His AerOp|ane
FLIES THROUGH NARROW
 STREET IN ASCENDING
Machines in Attempts to Fly After His Trip Up Penn
 syIvania Avenue

Washington. October 14.-1n q narrow street, upon precise spot, after an aerial flight of more than six miles across the city, Claude Grahame- White, the English aviator, today dropped his aeroplane at the side door of the White House.
 On the way thither, at height of near ly 500 feet, he circled the dome of the capitol and passed the lofty Washington monument on level with the apex. He landed between the great building of the state, war and navy departments and the low structure of the executive offices in a space where the slightest deviation from his course would have impaled him upon the spikes of the iron fence around the White House grounds at his right or smashed him against the granite wall at his left.
 The airship struck the asphalt paved street squarely in the middle and rolled 200 feet farther up the stone and iron hedged lane In as straight a line as an automobile could have moved.
 President Taft was not "at home" to receive his unexpected caller from tho air, but Admiral George Dewey was there to grasp the hand of the daring aviator and 10 offer congratulations.
 q am proud to welcome you.'' ex- claimed the hero of Manila bay, with en- thusiasm. Other high officials of the army and navy, including Acting Secre- tary of War Oliver and Major General Wood crowded about the aviator and added their words of commendation.
 White Badly Shaken
 An hour later MT White again ascend ed from the spot where he had landed and returned to his starting point. tho Benning race track, without a nishap- Later in the day, while giving exhibition flights, he had two accidents which re- suited in slight damage 10 his two aero planes. Fortunately, however. the ayi- ator escaped unhurt
 White started shortly after Ii o'clock in the forenoon. He rose to a height of 800 feet by, circing about the grounds. and then darted away toward the city. six miles distant
 Making his objective point the towering Washington monument. the airman. upon reaching that point, turned his machine northward and sailed directly over the White House. He then sailed directly to- ward Executive avenue, and with quick descent brought the bipla to the pave ment. The flight had occupied only 10 minutes.
 After paying a formal call upon Bri- gadier General Allen. White was invited
  and navy at nearby club. In an hour he was back again.
 After walking through the narrow street to look over the ground to see how the air currents were he jumped into the seat of his aeroplane, the motor started and the biplane darted forward straight away through the narrow channel. The ma- chine rose off the pavement quickly and by the time it had reached the middle of the block was 20 feet in the air. By the time he had reached the end of the block he had risen to a height of 90 feet and cleared the tops of trees in satety. He directed his course toward the Wash ington monument and then over the city back to Benning, landing safely within the enclosure at the place from which he had started.
 Exhibition Flight
 Later in the day while giving an exhi- biton flight at Benning, White met with an accident in which his. Earman bI- plane. the one in which he had made the flight to the war department earlier, was damaged He had gone up a distance Of 200 feet when pipe between his motor and the gasoline tank became detached. The motor stopped and he was compelled to employ gliding tactics in maneuver to reach the ground in safety.
 As he neared the ground a. breeze caught the biplane and tilted 1t so that the left bottom plane struck the ground. There was a crush and the frame work was badly broken White succeeded in keeping his seat and was not injured. New parts were brought on to the heid and the aviator hopes to have the ma chine In shape tomorrow for the prize flight in which he will attempt to cap ture the American distance record.
 An hour later he started to make an exhibition in his Bleriot monoplane- The motor was started and before the mono plane had risen more than few feet from the ground the stiff breeze caught 1t and the machine crashed through the inner fence.
 White was badly shaken up but sus- tained no other injury. After a brief rest he pluckily set to work repairing his machines In order to make a flight to- morrow.