New-York tribune., 1910-06-03
HAMILTON DOES SOME
STARTLING AIR STUNTS
Most Remarkable Exhibition of
Trick Flying Ever Seen Here,
Aviators Say.
ANXIOUS FOR FLIGHT WEST
Harmon Tries to Fly to Green
witch, Conn, Across Sound,
but Has Accident and
Lands in Ditch Unhurt.

Lands IN Ditch Unhurt.
Charles K Hamilton, the aviator. ala
the kind of an act in the air at MineOla
yesterday that might have been ex-
rected from a trick bicycle rider on
summer roof garden.
He performed a succession Of antics
in his aeropIane that were said 10 be
only suggestions of what he will do when
he lets himself out To those who saw
the swoops. siides. darts. figure
eighting" and 'eross-country dashes a
description will seem inadequate
There were persons present yesterday
who believed that before Hamilton quit
for the day he would disrObe stand on
his head. throw away one plane at 4
time and come in on the carburetOrs
He did not do this. bat his work sug-
gested that some time he might.
Members of the Aero Club who have
seen everything in the way of flying said
that yesterdays exhibition by Mr.. Ham,
ilton was BY far the greatest aerial per-
formance ever seen in the East.
For about thirty minutes three aero
planes. driven by Hamilton. Captain
Thomas S. Baldwin and Clifford B. Har-
mon. were in the air at the same time
But Hamilton rose three times as hlgh
as the others and went twice as fast. He
dropped from an altitude Of six hundred
feet. front rudder pointed almost straight
To- earth. his motor turned on at full
speed. and just when the spectators were
BEGINNING to think they would see a sick
ening sight he changed the front rudder
and flew away again. having missed the
sround by only twenty feet
Other Flyers Inspired.
Mr.. Harmon. inspired apparently by
the young wonder from the West circled
the large field time and time again.
maintaining an altitude OF about three
hundred feet Then he flew across cOun-
try in the direction OF the Meadow Brook
Hunt Club. five miles away. and when
the outlines became very indistinct was
seen to descend rather suddenly He was
unable to come back. and az first il was
rumored that he was injured
Captain Baldwin caught the fever and
kept flying close to ground in his Red
Devil" making numerous circles over the
field and once endangerins the life Of
woman. hfty years old. who fell to her
knees. thus missing the machine by less
than three feet.
Hamilton had been literally capering
UP and down in the air and around his
two companions Harmon was flying IN
the machine that Paulhan exhibited AT
the Jamaica racetrack. He was half way
around the two-n1iIe course and two
hundred feet high when Hamilton first
started at 6:16 D. m Hamilton clung TO
his cigarette and nodded. The machine
was soon six hundred feet in the air.
The second time around he overlook
Harmon in the exact meaning Of the
word, as he was four hundred feet d.
rectIy above him. and in that aerial plane
! they. travelled for more than minute
II NAV have been horse that first put
! the spirit Of mischief into Hamilton's
mind OF probably 1t was the conscious
ness that the crowd would gasp again az
the sight Anyway. he made another al
most perpendicular dash toward the
meadow and the horse escaped by only a
few feet II seemed as if Hamilton
wanted to play tag and he swerved sud-
denly in the direction Of a man until then
rooted 20 the spot.
/ 4 few more times over the field. add
/ ing new adjective 20 each round trip.
and he flew over the telegraph wires
\ toward Garden City. came back again
and alighted for the second time ne
had been I'D on the first trip 9 minutes
! 10 2-5 seconds and on the second L
minutes p is seconds.
| Harmon had disappeared in the dis
tance a few minutes before Hamilton
7 made his second descent
/ How does she go?" Hamilton was
asked
shes going pretty good" he replied.
Where's Harmon
! we don't know He started for the
/ Meadow Brook Club"
/ Guess I'll go over TO HarmOn's shed
and borrow little Of his gasolene and
/ go and see if I can find him. ne said.
reaching for a cigarette. Mr.. Hamilton
carries a piece OF lighted punk in his
aeropIane TO assist him in consuming
cigarettes while in flight
Perfect Day for Flying.
There was no wind The sky was
blue above and gold where the sun was
setting. and it's rays threw yellow
tint over the green grass
A few minutes after { O'Clock Harnil-
ton flew TO Harmon's shed. borrowed
Harmon's gasolene. and with his BACK
I TO the sun SCARED high and travelled at
the rate of fifty miles an hour in search
of his friend No fancy aerial waltzins
now. He had mission which ne want
ed 10 perform before dark
He few straight toward the spot
where the crowd had pointed as Har-
mons landing place. His machine
being smaller than Harmon's was lost
70 view In FIVE minutes. The shadows
fell a few birds twittered. some eoun-
trv teams and wagons bumped dag
,naIIv across the field. Several hun
dred sutonlobilists stood peering toward
the east where the fascinating vision
Rad melted into a slate colOred cloud
There were no tidings for half an hour.
He's coming some one shouted
..Where?.' asked the tense throns'
cumming in the direction of the man
Who made the announcement
There he is. just above that white
cloud on the left. and 70 the right OF
that clump OF trees"
II might be bird the man saw. or