Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-05-31
AVIATOR CURTISS TELLS STORY
OF HIS DEATH-DEFYING FLIGHT
FROM ALBANY TO NEW YORK
Sailing 1877 Miles in 2 Hours
and 50 Minutes, Daring Aer-
onaut Ran With Death to
Win Prize of $4,000
WAS ALMOST UPSET
IN PERIL0US SAIL

hany TO New York. a distance OF III
miles. IN 2 hours and g. minutes, winning
a prize OF $4,000 offered by the New
York World. today tells the following
story Of his flight:
NY feelings AZ the start7 An I want
Cd or thought OF az the moment was 70
get started at the most favorable time.
We had taken every possible precaution'
ana once started I found myself going
well and flying high and strong rose
Immediately to e height OF about 100 feet
and kept at that average most or the
way. II Is a hard thing to tell just what
height you are travelling at / could tell
much better from the ground than from
above.
CLOSE TO DEATH
.sPreseutly I found 8 wire vibrating.
T. was supporting one OF the controls.
and II IL had broken in two. as might
wall have happened through friction IN
vibration. the consequences might naFs
nsen disastrous. However, I watched IL
closely and II held out
NV sensations in flying so high and
over the water9 Well, I don't know
tust what my sensations were. was
too busy to have any. At Poughkeepsie
~as a little afraid that In landing l
might misjudge my distance LANDING
from such a height is quite stunt ana
remember that was going at 80 miles an
49, had to get very close to the
~-ound before shutting on the power
whan a nasty bump might be disastrous
a. n were to shut or the power TOO
hg1h m I might get q nasty bump ana
rain the machine. So IL Is a uckhsn
matter that takes up all mans energy
and attention
r zone thing noticed parucuiarE.
the engine ] use has no mufner ana
-akes 40 much noise that couiu lot
go whistles blowing, though / could
So the smoke Ny ears became 50 40
cns+oued to the noise that when 1 land
ed at Poughkeepsie 1 was just dear, OF
nearly 40. for awhile. and had a hum
ming and buzzing In my ears
WAS NEARLY UPSET
at Storm King mountain, where 1 nao
-eeen warned OF treacherous air currents
I was nearly upset Witnout "aIhns
nv machine took q sudden plunge down.
xTsrd and sideward. I dropped with her
ABOUT 30 or 40 feet. and I assure you Il Is
rot a pleasant sensation It's just IKE
dronuinK that far IN an elevator smart
a. Won can Imagine the feeling / mean
Nv outct efforts managed to regain my
eouiitbrturn and dropped 70 q lower level
about the time / passed west rom,
began to experience some anxiety about
NV supuly Of lubricating oil. Ny indi-
cator showed the oil 10 be falling IN
the tank and as proceeded the gauge
sank lower and lower with astonishing
.sBy the time I reached Yonkers ny
oil tank was practically empty. The au-
tomato engine pump that supplies II
seemed 10 be working overtime ana
had found IL unnecessary 70 use the foot
pump for a little while had hoped
10 20 right on TO Governors island, but
than the question arose: Can reach New
York at ell. Lubricating oil is essential
to these high-powered engines. Just as
essential as gasoline.
JUMPED FROM SHIP.
TT was with a sense OF relief that
found myself passing over the city limits.
for I knew then that / had won the
prize. The landing at Cpuytenduyvil was
an unusual one. for there was but 8
short slope. ard had to jump out OF
the machine and grab her TO prevent
her running back down into the creek.
IT got some lubricating oil from an
automobile and before much Of a crowd
could gather I was ready 20 start OF
again Governor's island was my destina-
ing f. found q small plateau on the top
OF the slope / had stopped on. and I
got the machine up there and started
away without much difficulty. ran her
along until she Just went over the edge
and rose In the air altar q drop OF sew
eraI feet
-And right here let me say that this
experience shows the possibilities OF
starting an ssropIsne. With my machine
Hight as II Is. I have 10 get up a speed
Of q miles an hour before she will rise
Now IL IL hard 20 find a spot wliere
one can run along on the level for the
necessary distance. and that was my
difficulty In finding a suitable landing
place a. Pougtkeepsie. But showed BY
Get away without trouble from q small
plateau II there Il q nice drop at the
edge
BRINGS NEW IDEA.
Thus one takes the ascending rise
easily, on the wing as IL were. Perhaps
one might be able to start from the
top OF a tall building that way or from
q prepared platform. at any rate Bur
that Is mere conjecture. except that my
experience Of today opened my eyes to
the possibilities.
Down toward the statue OF fbertv
some currents OF air struck me which
required all my energy in manipulating
the controls, but / got safely past that
and thereafter the hiIlsides. the bIur,
highlands. the tree covered farms AT
Poughkeepsie-I can assure you that the
big sandy place at Governors island
looked very welcome.
Then / felt relieved and glad that r
went over. I was not a bit excited"
Curtiss' marvellous feat OF aviation II
flying from Albany to New York yester-
oay-iI miles in I52 minutes-compeIIed
the attention OF the entire world TODAY
The flight from the state capital To Cow
ernOr's island just off the battery breaks
all speed records in aviation distance con-
tests.
CURTISS RESTS QUIETLY.
Mr.. Curtiss rested quietly at his hotel
today. He made il clear that he believed
that still greater feats in flying would
be accomplished.
Two stops were made en- route, the first
at Poughkeepsie and the second at In
wood, where the official landing was
made. The aviator remained at Inwood
over an hour. and then proceeded 10
Governors island Between Albany and
Inwood the biplane. the smallest that has
ever figured in the greater aviation con-
tests, made an average speed of 81 .O6
oozxnUxQ- on PAGE <zzz1