The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-30

and uas wen . SuhbeF q Prizes.
One dav twenty years aEO . yOnnEuisg
,b was known around HammondaooFt.
- \ a. Glennis Cirtiaa traded an old
w. uullsy. an iron whealbaToW that
void not wheel. and some other aasorlai
uir. for a broken backed bicycle with
r..r.rps and onlv half a handlshaF Though
I., 10 not know Il. on that day be launched
himself In IN" strange career Of aviation
ami hv that trade he achieved tho frat
.rra t1vpri becoming one % the WOrld'n
bet Known living men.
Uu tho decrspit frame 81 that very
h.yc'e Hr later rugged a strange Con-
tarton that snoTisd and spOutad flame.
,r, propelled tho wheels Though he was
burned nv gasoline tiare-ups aud lifted
from, hs seat nv more than ons explosion.
ms voungsisr persisted in doing some
thing mat cvcrybodv elsa IN town thought
20 bs insane. Ia the eRd he achieved
A perfect motor cycle. and that aocom-
unshci &c was hut a short step for him
'n turn his ingenuity 10 building and
making navigable a vehicle that wOuld
carry him through tho air
Glenn Hammond CNFlss was born Ia
The own which gave him hs middle name
a lutte more than thirty years ago. lie
has not vet acquired that degree % fame
uhnch makes an inquisitivs work. want
o. NOW just what kind Of toys he PLAYED
With when he was a baby and what were
the fostering Influences 81 his early en-
,irunmsnt Al that is known ~ the
aviator. who Is not prone 10 talk about
himself IL that when he vas a very young
rnv he hogan 10 sell newspapers aud il
vas while he was still peddling papers
that he bought that bicycle and tinkered
Il into q self-propelling machine.
His triumphs with tho bicycle led him
INTO experiments with gas engines
before he was ~. lie wanted To perfect
motorcycle He built a small shop
h-hind his fathers house and there he
eEpsrimented until Ia the end he had
turned out a machine which was prAo-
teal and which had a strong commercial
appeal The tool shed he had originally
tilted 40 grew into a factory. the factory
expanded and before he was thirty years
old Curtiss had made himself comfort
ably well ~ through the manufacture
Of motorcycles.
MOTORCYCLES EACER
He was q devotes ~ untorcyCls racing
Several times he had narrow escapes
from serious injury in competitions on
circular courses and once he broke the
worlds record for speed by going a mile
m ~ seconds in the saddle of we 81 he
rscinR motorcycles down on Ormond
Reach in Florida. No human being had
ever gone faster under any manner ~
propulsion.
Asa manufacturer Il compact gasolene
engines Curtiss came IA be hooked upon
- an expert when experiments with
drRible balloons were being tried In
Europe and this country ten years ago
several persons with airships 70 be pro-
r"IIcd came to Curiisss Hammondsport
factory 10 confer with HIM upon modifi-
cations u the GasOlene motor for balloon
purposes Curtiss hegaL % enter into
competition with santos Dumout and
ether foreign aviators in the manufac-
lure ~ lightweight aerUnauticai motors
His interest IN aerunautics increased
a. he came moro aud more into touch
Nth Americans who we're trying n solve
The problem % fight with thu lighter
than air machine. Ne built tho motor
that was installed in Baldwins California
arrow. the dirigible which was accepted
nv the United States Government after
lengthy trials at Fort Myer. Va. Curii@a
himself handled the motors in some Of
the army tests.
FIRsT AEROFLANE WORK.
In the winter ~ 1911 DR.. Alexander
Graham Bill. the inventor 81 the Bill
telephone. who had hcen making expert
msnts With various types Of gliding ma-
chimes At his laboratory IN Paddock
Nova Scotia moved his shops down to
Hammondsport and Interested CuFtiss
M designing a new and sHtrcmely light
motor Tor uss in an aeroplane. The COM
r1s II DR.. Rsll brought other enthusiasts
90 the town and before many months
me Aerial Experiment Association ap
feared ~ a now factor in the field p
" Baldwin. J. n. D. McCurdy, Charles
4 Marley. who had collabOratsd with
the late Prof langley in his experiments
srd 4. " Herring we're others Who we're
asaociated With Dr. Bell and young Curtiss
M the society. The Government later
arranged % have Lieut.. T. r. Selfridge.
sho vas killed in one Of the Wright ma
cnInss az Fort MyeF last year attend
ne .ssts and cooperate with tho expert
rertara
d. Rells idea Of a practical aerOplans
and hose of Glenn Curtiss differed. While
ne former adhered 10 HE own idea Of a
t@'rahedral wing structure which would
10 slower but steadisr in flight, Curtiss
sent ahead evolving q biplans somewhat
after he pattern Of the Wright brothers
raohlu" II would not be correct TO
sav that ths type Of ssrOplans hiC upon
~ '-a HammOndspOrt experiment sta
rHr which has nov come 10 he known
.. 'r" Curtss biplans. was exclusively
'Ir'sss invention. In fact In a suit
rr"IRnr Nv Augustus VI. Herring last
December against Curtiss Tor q division
d" fr- ovation prizes Curtiss had won
M t.r0u" Herring aet up the claim that
many II tho features Of the Curtiss b.
f.ar- sore u his own invention. Her
.ag himself had received by the will
~ Young enthusiast who died last year.
MATTHIAS Arnot u Elmira. privilege to
.1"Torats with his own ideas HOms
I-aflr-- ln asroplane construction which
Nrgo' had perfected after years Of secret
NV nd Experiment.
In- .nmrosits ~ the ideas ~ Curtisa
trt Ilr.rrR ihs two living men. and 81