The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-06-14
From New York to Phil
adelphia and Return
He Scars in
Aeroplane.
L u
ROUND TRIP is
MADE w THIN
TWELVE HOURS
In Epochal Journey He Over
comes Obstacles Never Before
Attempted by Any Aviator and
Wins Fortune as Reward oa
His Daring - Special Train
Bearing Devoted Wife and
Mother Follow Speck in Sky.
Keeping Him in Sight Most of
Way.

Way.
New York, June 1s.-Charles X.
Hamilton nrose from Governors Ii.
innd in an neroplanc this morning and
sped without Il break cIghty-eiHht
miles To Philadelphia In a remnrlkn-
bie cross-country flight under tho
auspices OF the New York Times and
the philadelphia Public Ledger. Ha
made the trip In one hour and dfty-
one minutes, leaving Governors Is
lnnd at 8 :33 and landing Mt Philadel-
| phia Mt 0 $50.
| AiightinE at Aviation Field, he do
Itycred letters from Governor Hughes
| and Mayor Gaynor to Governor Stuart
and Mayor Reyburn, accepted mes
snges of congratuIation from them to
bear In return, and stnrted for New
York again with only brief intermis-
sion for food, fuel nnd oil.
He had flown approximately seventy
miles Of his return journey when
sluggish motor drove hin, to descend
In a swamp near South Amboy, N. j.,
| mt 1866 z. NJ. The propeller was
broken there in landing, but after re-
pairs had been made, Hamilton re-
snmed his flight at 8:20 anu landed Mt
Governors Island at 6:38. Thus the
thirty-six minutes, ut an estimated
average speed of 54.96 miles 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
1 trip was duo only To an omission OF
haste He neglected to clean his spark
plugs; they fouled, the engine baked.
and he had to come down on the
banks OF the Raritan River, two miles
above South Amboy.
Records Arc Smashed.
Curtiss still holds the official record
| for speed, but Hamilton to-day took
| 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 accident TO the propeller In the
Jersey swamp was the second mishap
of the kind during, the day, but he So
cured new propeller, and with a new
set Of spark plugs the aviator was
able to finish within twelve hours, al
though twenty-four hours were all
lowed in the terms OF his contract.
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
q homing pigeon settling on its perch.
1t is an interesting coincidence that
Hamilton won his honors to-day with
the same biplane that won the inter-
national speed trophy for Glen II. Cur-
tiss at Rheims last year. and that ha
was driven by the same propeller with
which Curtiss recently made his his
toric flight from Albany to New York.
Hamilton overcame to-day obstacleA
of geography and setbacks of lucle
that no other aviator has ever con-
quered He flew thrty-two miles over
the salt water with no protection bun
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 at
tempted. With missing engine and
twice compelled to substitute pro-
| pellers. he still kept going, and to-
| night his resolution brought Its own
| reward
Ideal for Flight.
The weather was ideal for flight. AS
Hamilton wheeled his aeroplane from
its tent on Governors Island, q spe-
cial train chartered by the New York
Times and Philadelphia Public Led
ger and carrying his mother. his wife.
his chief mechanics, Albert G, Doty, and
Mrs. Doty, stood on a siding OF the
Pennsylvania terminal in Jersey City
waiting for the word.
.'All aboard,p cried the CONDUCTOR
and at 7:la sharp the special stirred
gently and came to q sudden stop
again. 1t was a false start. Hamil-
ton had attempted to rise, and after a
brief run over the sands of Governorg
Island had abruptly halted. much to
the mystiiica tion of his gallery. What
had happened was this: the sands
Were soft from tho rains and the BIZ
plane, In running on narrow tires.
sank deep. In sinking, one of the
wheels kicked up the end OF hid
den stick. which came into violent
collision with the whiriing propeller.
A long splinter four inches vida
was torn out of one of the blades, and
tho aviator had to shut off his en-
gine, Then followed necessary delay
in fitting the propeller used by Curttss
in his flight from Albany to NewsYork.
Start IL Made
At 7:S5 Hamilton was off again. One
minute and half later tho word OF
his start had flashed 70 the Pepnsyl-
vania terminal IN Jersey City, and
the special train was after him, Ham
ilton's route to lzabeth, where II
was hoped the train would meet him,
Hamilton's route to Elizabeth, where
1T was hoped the train would meet
waters of the lower harbor and the
XIII Won Kull, behind staten Island
two miles farther than the distance To
Elizabeth from Jersey City by rail-.
No sight OF an aeroplane at Eliza
beth No sight OF one at South Eliza
bath. But AT Railway, 1914 miles out
by rail, the engineer gltmpssd some