Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-26
CURT|SS SCORES
MARS FOR ACTION
Aviator Who Breaks San Fran
cisco Contract Must Act as
y Independent Filler
Especial to The Herald

SAN FRANCISCO Dec. 25.-There is
trouble among the brdmen. One OF
item with Ithe militant name of Mars
has left the i-ookery and has flown out
across the Pacific where the feeding
grounds are saiGl TO be better, ana there
is a great fussi1kg and fuming.
In other words, BUD Mars. who was
to have been the star attraction of the
Curtiss team at tho forthcoming avia-
tion meet at South san Francisco
aviation park, has dumped his con-
tract" and gone to Honolulu, where
he intends to start ora world tour,
He threw over his San Francisco con-
tract which was to have brought him
$4,000 and has gone to take up the hrst
stage of his flight around the world
a flight which he says means more
than $4,000.
Glenn II. Curtiss, through whom the
contract with the local aviation board
was made, asserts that Mars Has cast
discredit upon the Curtiss caimp by
failing to keep his agreement, and TO
show that all aviators do not regard
their word so lightly he will make a
great many extra concessions ln\ the
way of exhibitions and flights during
the meet here.
Mars before leaving for Honolulu
stated that he could not afford to miss
the engagement there, contract for
which had been made by his agent,
who had his power of attorney. The
contract which was to have brought
him here for the January meet was not
made directly, but through Curtiss.
and Mars claims that he only worked
on a percentage or leasing agreement
with the manufacturer-av
MAN Defends HIMSELF
Curtiss, claims Mars, could not hold
him here and - felt perfectly justl-
fed in accepting the more lucrative
agreement. He stated, however that
he would have preferred to have waited
until the end of the San Francisco
meet as he particularly wished to fly
here, but to do so he would have been
Cancelled in Honolulu and Radley, one
of the other CurtisS aViatOrS, would
have secured the engagement. Mars
left on the Wilhelmina, in company
with Captain Baldwin, the aeronaut,
and two mechanics, and the party Will
sail to the Orient from Honolulu.
+. T., ScotfOrd, chairman of the local
aviators' board, is indignant at the
manner of Mars departure, which he
characterizes as discreditable and tend
ing to reflect against the aviators as
a professional class. He claims that
these leasing agreements are supposed
to hold a man to the head of his camp
and that the contracts are made with
that understanding that these men are
to appear. He warmly praises Glenn
II. Curtiss for the stand he has taken
in the matter and states that the gem
erous concessions he has made, and
which the public will receive the ben
eft of, show that Curtiss is in no way
responsible for the failure of Mars to
appear at the local meet in January.
Curtiss is emphatic in his statement
in regard to the attractions which he
will offer to offset the on-appearance
of Mars, and says that all of the prom
ises made by him will be fulfilled by
other Curtiss aviators.
RELAY RACE Is PLANNED
McCurdy and Willard and Augustus
Post and a new Curtiss star, Robert
son, will appear here for the Curtiss
camp in the great relay race in which
compete with the Curtiss aviators
There will be a thriller entirely new
to aviators.
Curtiss' statement in regard to the
Mars desertion follows:
Mars, whom I taught to fly, will no
longer be connected with the Curtiss
camp. lie will act as an independent
aviator making his own contracts and
keeping them, let us hope. l will full
Mars with the San Francisco aviation
board More daring and possibly more
competent men will do all the things
Mars promised to do, and there is no
doubt that all worlds records will
be broken in January"
President F. r. ocotford and Lieut..
Paul w Beck, secretary Of the com
mittoe. have been enjoined from par
ticpating in their proposed goose hunt
until after the meet, the members of
the executive committee objecting to
their taking any chances of injury that
might interfere with the administra-
tion of the great exhibition. Glenn
Curtiss has promised in the event that
the Wright machines are not available
at the close of the meeting, to furnish
the hunters 18th two of his machines
for the trip. 1t was originally in
tended to take one Wright and one
Curtiss biplane.