The La Jara chronicle., 1910-02-04
Daring French Aviator
Gave Fine Exhibition

zero and in a driving snowstorm,
louis Pauihan redeemed his failure
of yesterday this afternoon by sailing
he thin air of Colorado as gracefully
Us the eagles that live within her
hills. His first attempt was failure
but the little Frenchman climbed
DOWN off his machine, said some
Thing in French that had 1t been
translated might have meant an aw-
!ul swear word and then climbed
back and gave the motor lever a
rank that started the motor at a rate
not yet equalled before. In a mo
ment his machine began to glide, for
1t IS on wheels, and the motion of
The motor propeller drives it on the
ground until it attains a speed suffi-
cient to lift it off the earth. The
wheels stuck to the ground for about
i25 feet and then began to leave the
earth and a moment later the machine
had cleared the fence and was circ,ing
he mile track He reached an ati-
1ude OF about fifty feet and sailed
'ound and round the enclosure where
so many speed records of horses have
been made. As he sailed, he dipped
first one way. then the other. then
up and down, cross cutting the track
circling the trees around the track,
arC,rd again and then as gracefully
As the snowflakes that were his part
ners in the air, did he glide to the
srass covered snowcapped section
near the tent in which his machines
are housed.
1t was a wonderful demonstration
and the = 800 people who braved the
elements and disappointments of yes
lerday to again put up the price OF
admission. forgot the wet slush in
which they were standing, the cold
Of the afternoon and the unpleasant
ness of a bleak February day and
cheered themselves hoarse while the
Frenchman, who ten minutes before
had sworn in French at his machine,
tipped his hat and told one of his
managers to announce that in thirty
minutes he would fly again. Camp
fires were built with boards torn off
uhe fences and the crowd patiently
waited Promptly at the end of thirty
minutes the corduroy suited foreigner
again appeared and climbing into
he seat of his machine, touched a
lever and a few seconds later away
he went.
Thirty minutes later he returned to
the starting point. Durina those
rbirty minutes he circled the track
rime and again, went over the south
.rn portion of Denver, and then re
turning to the pace of starting he
started for the hills. He crossed the
Platte, gracefully arose to height
that would allow him to clear the
highlands of the west and disap-
peared toward the foothi Is around
Golden Just how far he went is
not known. He was out of sight sew
raj minutes and the people began
to get anxious, but presently Jpeck
became visible in the sky and a lit
lie later the swanlike machine was
near enough so that the form of the
daring aviator could be seen handling
I''t ~ ~ =. Ait NshS pNi 20 w. 49,
in the air ard a quarter CT mi e
away. The lines of the machine and
himself were silhouetted against the
gray sky, for it had stopped showing,
and the entire picture was one as
though visitor from some foreign
planet had swept through the clouds
towards the earth. His machine was
tilted at such an angle that 1t re-
sembled sea gull dropping to the
crest of the waves in an effort to
claw a fish as the wheels underneath
present the appearance of huge
curved claws. Nearer it came,
gracefully missing the edge of the
cliff to the west and as beautifully
gliding down over the trees and
grandstand. the starters pavilion,
and to a pcint within ten feet OF
where he left thirty minutes before.
Then the crowd did go mad. 1t
overran the fences and grasped the
aviator's hand and gave him gen
uine reception. He took off his cap
and said something in French which
translated meant: Il will beat it to
morrow" For after the defeat OF
yesterday. the Frenchman agreed tc
stay over one more day and give
another exhibition of aviation.