The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-06-16
Hamilton Makes Round Trip
BetweenNew York and
Philadelphia
MISHAP ON WAY BACK
Aviator Followed BY Special Train
Broke Long Distance Record for
AerOplane Flights BY Covering 1876
Miles With But Two StOps-Carried
Messages Between the Two Cities
Came Down Once in Swamp.

hhcs WIN Dut lNO StVpS-tdrTicu
Messages Between the Two Cities
Came Down Once in swamp.
New York, June 13.-Charles X.
Hamilton arose from Governors Is
land in an areoplane this morning
and spead without break SS
miles to Philadelphia In a remarkable
cross-country flight under the aus
uices of the New York Times and the
Philadelphia Public Ledger. He
made the trip in one hour and fifty
one minutes, leaving Governors Is
land at 1885 and landing at Phila-
delphia at 1926.
Alighting at Aviation field he de-
livered letters from Governor Hughes
and Mayor Gaynor to Governor Stu
art and Mayor Reyburn, accepted
messages of ccSgratulation from
them to bear in return. and started
for New York again with one brief
ltermission for food, fuel and oil. He
lad flown approximately seventy
miles of his return journey when a
sluggish motor drove him to descend
in a swamp near South Amboy, n. j.,
at 12:55 p. m. The propeller was
broken there in landing but after re-
pairs had been made, Hamilton re-
sumed his flight at 6;20 and landed
at Governors Island at 6:39. Thus
the return trip was made in one hour
and thirty six minutes, at an estimat-
ed average speed of 54.96 miles an
hour, which breaks the record made
in the Curtiss flight from Albany to
New York
That Hamilton did not make the re-
turn trip as easily as the outgoing
trip, was due only to an omission Of
haste In his hurry to get away, he
neglected to clean mis- spark plugs;
they fouled, the engine baked, and
he mad to come down on the banks
of the Raritan river, two miles above
South Amboy.
Curtiss still holds the official re-
= cord for speed. but Hamilton today
took all foreign records for cross
country distance and duration, and in
using his own figures for the return
journey, his average speed per mile
established new figure The acci-
dent to the propeller in the Jersey
swamp was the second mishap of the
kind during the day, but telephone
call to Governors island brought a
new one by automobile, with new
set of spark plugs and the aviator
was able to finish within the twelve
hours although twenty four hours
were allowed in the terms of his con-
tract.
The weather was ideal for the flight
the air being laden with just enough
moisture to give the propeller good
thrust. The flight was followed tc
Philadelphia and almost back to New
York by a special train chartered by
the New York Times and the Phila-
delphia Public Ledger, carrying Ham
ilton's mother, his wife, his chic
mechanic, Albert c. Doty, and Mrs
Doty.
On the first attempt at start this
morning Hamilton, after q brief ruI
over the sands on Governors Island
abruptly halted. The sands We're sof
from the rains and the biplane in run
ming on narrow tires, sank in deepl!
and one of the wheels kicked up thu
end of a hidden stick, which came int
violent collision with the whirlinl
propeller A long splinter four in
ches wide was torn our or one of tn
blades and the aviator had to shu
off his engine. Then followed neces
sary delay in fitting the propelle
used by Curtiss in his fight from Al
bany to New York. Fortunately tn
ACurtiss machine was still on the Is
- land where it had landed.
At 1886 Hamilton was of again
this time without mishap, The wor,
was Immediately flashed to the Penn
sylvania terminal in Jersey City an
the special train was after him.
The first point of critical interes
was New Brunswick, with the Rarl
tan river to cross, and city to Il
over, and with the possibilities of in
stant death that brick and morta
mean to the aviator who must max
an unexpected descent. Hamilto
rose "a little but held his unslacl
ened speed straight across the heal
OF the town
Hamilton himself was barely Wis
BILE aloft When the train ran ahea
of him and then slowed down to Il
him catch up, the incessant musketr
fire OF his motor could be heard fain
1y. 1t seemed a little irregular, b,
nobody guessed the truth until Han
ilton told it to his mechanic.
When he was fifteen hundred fe
above the waters of the Kill Va
Kull, one OF his eight cylinders wei
back on him and never picked l
again for his whole journey.
The train was nearing Trenton ar
Hamilton began to mount higher ar
higher. Here was the worst spot