Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-06-14
AVERAGE SPEED NEARLY
SIS MILES AN HOUR
Aviator Wins Prize Offered by Two
Newspapers, Making Trip In Twelve
Hours-Speciai Train Conveys Mem
bers of Family Along Route Who
Watch the Daring Feat.
CRy Associated Press.)

n ffdHllltOH dlOSt HUM 0ONtiH .
Island in an aerOplane this morning
and sped, without a break, SS miles
to Philadelphia in remarkable
cross country flight, under the aus
pices of the New York Times and
the Philadelphia Public Ledger. He
made the trip in one hour and 81
minutes, leaving Governors Island at
1:35 and landing at Philadelphia al
1886.
Alighting at Aviation Field he de
!ivered letters from Governor Hughes
and Mayor GaynOr to Governor
Stuart and Mayor Reyburn. accepted
messages of congratulation from them
10 bear in return and started for
New York again with only a brief
intermission for food, fuel and oil.
He had flown approximately 20 miles
of his return journey when a sluggish
motor drove him to descend in 4
swamp near South Amboy, n. j., at
1855 p. IN.
Breaks Curtiss' Record.
The propeller was broken in land
ing, but after repairs had been made
Hamilton resumed his flight at GA
and landed at Governors Island at
6:39. Thus the return trip was made
IN one hour and So minutes at an es-
timated average speed of 1896 miles
an hour, which breaks the record
made in the Curtiss fight from
Albany tc New York
That Hamilton did not make the re-
turn trip as easily as the outgoing
trip, was due only to haste. He neg
lected to clean his spark plugs; thew
fOuled, the engine baked. and he had
TO come down on the banks of the
Rarintan river, two miles above
South Amboy.
Curtiss still holds the official re-
cord for speed, but Hamilton today
took up all American records for cross
country distance and duration and,
using his own figures for the return
journey. his average speed per mile
established a new figure. The acct
dent TO the propeller in the Jersey
swamp was a second mishap of the
kind during the day. but he secured
a new propeller and. with a new set
of spark plug. the aviator was able
TO finish within twelve hours, al
though "a hours were allowed in the
terms of his contract.
Precise Landing.
During the whOle of his first lap
Hamilton never varied more than two
minutes from his time card and came
down on the handkerchief laid to mark
his landing spot with the precision of
homing pigeon settling on its
perch.
II is an interesting coinci ience that
Hamilton won his prize with the same
tiplane that won the spe trophy
Tor eileen n. Curtiss at Rheims last
year and that he was driven by the
same propeller with which Curtiss
recently made his historic fight from
Albany to New York. Hamilton over
came today obstacles OF geographic
and set backs of luck that no other
sviatOr has ever conquered He flew
% miles over the salt water with no
protection but three inner tubes Of
bicycle tires wrapped around his
waist. He took chances on roof tops.
bridges and moving trains that have
never been even thought of before.
let alone propellers. With a missing
tute propeliers. he still Kept going
suu tphfNHt Ms fcSDiutlOn DrOuEnt It's
cwn reward
Special Train Makes Trip.
The weather was ideal for fight. As
Hamilton wheeled his aeropiane from
b IT'S tent on Governors Island. a spe-
cial train chartered by the New
York Times and the Philadelphia
Public Ledger. and carrying his moth
cd. his wife. his chief mechanician.
Al5crt G. Doty and Mrs. Doty. stood
on siding Of the Pennsylvania terni.
mai in Jersey City waiting for the
word 10 start.
Al 1:25 Hamilton was on. One
minute and half later the word Of
his start had fayhcd 10 the Penn.
sylvania TERMINAL in Jersey City and
the special train was after him. Ham
ilfon's route to Elizabeth. where IL
was hoped the train would meet him.
lay for Is miles over tho waters Of
me lower harbor and the Kill Won
kuli behind Staten Island-two mile 3
farther than the distance 70 Elizabeth
from Jersey City BY rail.
IL Seen From Train.
No sirht 81 an acrODlsne al Eliza
beth. No siEbt 81 one al South Eliza.
beth. But a. Railway. 1915 miles out
BY rail- the enEincr glimpsd some.