The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-05-30

into the distance. When it reached
height estimated at 500 feet it
seemed for a moment to hold level
pace and then to rise again to fur
Their levels. Perhaps TOO feet would
be a conservative estimate. Certainly
Curttss was flying at height which
he had never attempted before In his
life. In three minutes he was min
ute speck In the distance. In seven
minutes he vanished from sight. The
whole performance was over in a
twinkling.
Race With Train
With the signal that Curtiss was
off. the special train, five cars and
a locomotive. cumbersome now By
comparison. gathered impetus and
sought TO follow. But so quickly mao
he qown that for 81 miles southwark
the locomotive, though running near
,y a mile to the minute. remained
laxgard AT 1926. however. the train
came abreast OF the aeroplane and
thence 60 New York City those en-
board kept the aviator in sight But
as he did not reckon with curves OF
track. reduced speed through towns
and switches. the man above man
tanned O substantial lead.
Swiftly town and countryside reel
ed by. Catskill was passed at TAI,
with the aeroplane q thousand feet
above the Hudson. At sos he was
still flying high and veering we'll to-
ward the west bank OF the river The
exhaust OF his engine could be plainly
heard by those below. For six miles
Il drew attention to his coming and
cheers arose fran shore and beat
AT sos. IS minutes after the start.
he scared past Rhtneciiff Ferry, 81
miles from Albany. Here there IL a
turn in the river. and CurtIss turned
again to the west, passing overland
to shorten his course. Staatsourg
marked tne sixtieth mile point anc
he had covered this distance in So,
minutes. ~
With Staatsburg behind, the giant
bridge spanning the river at p. ugh
keepsie icomed ahead. The bridge
itself Is 212 feet high, but Cursiss
topped in by 500. Thence he turned
n bird settled softly in the he'd three
miles south of Poughkeepsie a. y IS.
He had flown ~ miles from Albany
in So minutes
oilinx OF the BIRD.
The landing place known as fne
Gill Meadows had previously been
selected, but because of last weeks
postponements Curtfss was not ex-
pected this morning. and thors was
no gasoline and oil awaiting him. But
fortunately two automobile tourists
happened by and were eager TO sup
ply him with the needed fuel and oil.
His tanks had been fiiied with ten
gallons OF gasoline before he left Al
bany Examination showed that
three gallons remained. enough 10
Z, IA ~ y1 70, Point
Curtiss was taking no chances ans
the timely arrival of the autoao-
bilists with supplies saved the day.
Fire alarm bells were rung as tho
aviator neared PoughkeepSie. but his
progress was so rapid that but few
people had a chance TO reach u point
or vantage On the Gill Meadows
n little group sighted him coming in
the distance and GENT up cheer
From above he saw them as black
specks and was thus guided to his
landing place. Coming down grace
fully. his machine struck grassy
knoll, trundled along for thirty or
foftY-fest. then came tn n stop,--
The Final Dash.
The special train meanwhile brought
his wife. who rushed from the ear
climbed valiantly over the hills from,
the railroad track and hurried to
her husbands side. She greeted him
jubilantly while the crowd cheered
again.
With tanks refilled and every wire
and screw tested. Curtiss took his seat
for the Anal dash to New York. The
biplane ran along the meadows for
about two hundred feet. then shot
from the ground with nose pointed
toward the river. In a moment more
the craft was again over the Hudson
a ri C,Yrff~s turpad his coursa south