The Washington times., 1910-06-14
Big Air Craft Plays Tag
With SkyScrapers and
Bumps ChimneyS.
LANDING IS MADE
AMONG LIVE WIRES
Frank Owens, Escaping Dozen
Deaths, Finally Rescued by
LInemen IN Brooklyn.

NEW YORK. June 14.-Robert Owens.
a boy aeronaut. set all lower New York
in futter OF excitement and drew sew
eraI hundred thousands Of people from
the buildings 10 the streets TO-DAY By
sailing from Newark, y J., across the
Hudson and over the New York sky
serapers 10 Brooklyn in a big dirigibls
airship-
Owens. apparently. tried TO land di-
rectIy in City Hall Park. As he hover
ed over the big city buildings, thous-
ands Aocked 10 the park to await hts
( descent. But the wind was too strong
( for the aeronaut and he got into dif-
! fculues
He started 20 descend upou the roof Of
the city court building. struck a chin
! ney and smashed tEe understructure OF
I balloon IN sight Of the thousands who
watched him. breathIess. Owens threw
out his anchor as he started TO rise
again He smashed his propeller rod
and then in an effort TO descend. he be
[ san 20 let the gas out OF the balloon
Then he cfansad his mind about &C.
q scending. closed ne gas valve ane
hauled in his anchor
Carried By Wind.
T The wind then carried the daring aero
naut se-eraI hundred feet above the
city court building and the dlrigible
started toward Brooklyn. The sirshiD
swerved toward the Brooklyn bridge. be
f gan 20 descend again almost 70 a level
with me roadway. nearly stuck the
F New York tower Of the bridge, and then
started Broozfynward again as he light
ened his load Of ballast The last New
Workers saw Of the big cigar-shsped baI-
. loon was as il sailed over Brooklyn
Heights
+ The airship took a southeasterly
. course in its sight oyer Brooklyn. sag
. ging periIousIy low and narrowly avoid
f ing several Of the higher business
/ buIidivgs and steeples, Fl passed over
I The crowds IN the streets that followed
Z its course noticed that u was slowly
but surely dropping and finally at Gates
and NCsrrand avenues, Il h3d come
down so close 10 earth that the
4 branches OF a tree hit the gas bag a
blow that landed IL IN tangle OF cleo
tric wires directly over the roadway
Warned By Crowd.
. Owens started 10 grab one OF the
wires TO free the car when a warning
veil went up from the crowd PracJi-
4 calIv everyone Of the wires was Tive"
and the aeronaut and his craft were
in instant danger Of destruction For
tuuateIy the metal work OF the under
+ structure OF the car did not cross any
two Of them. Cautioned by the crowd
. Owens remained quietly in the car IN
I'll an alarm was sent in for the fire
. men and in less than half an hour
from the time his balloon struck they
had arrived with ladders, taken him %
the ground unharmed, and got tne
. wreck Of the dirlgIble 10 the street
Owens started his sight from the
/ outskirts of Newark He had made
. a successful preliminary fight from
{ EpIIeEiIln 10 PaSSalC and return us
fsnce Of about i've miles. and his ma
I chine appeared TO be in perfect shape
( for the flight across the Hudson and
l over New York owens intended 10
land in CITY Hail Park. and deliver 70
/ NTavo~ GavnOr a letter from Mayor
] Feiding OF Newark The start from
T Newark was made AT le-l2 a. m and
/ the trip was made with Sreat speed
I until the craft came 10 Erief IN at
I tempting the City Hall Park landing.
Has Had Thrilling Career.
Although z mere DDN owen mas IdA
a thrilling career as an aeronaUt, IN
( Guiding half a dozen narrow escapes
from death in attempting dare devil
fcats. IN 1895 he dropped from
! balloon at a height Of 1900 feet with
/ three parachutes at Southport, n. Y
during a firemen's fair He fell sew
( cral hundred feet before raising the
\ first parachute
( Soaring with this q while - drop
Ded il and fell like a bullet until t.
I second opened. and then repeated the
Z performance with the third On this
last was a trapeZe on which he was
! to perform while descending The
Z last parachute collapsed and Owen
was hurled earthward at terrific
u speed. landing on soft earth near
i railroad track He was unconscious
Z when found but no bones were brOk-
en- and in a few days he was again
thrilling thousands with his aerial
on July 81. Of last year, Owen made
a fight In his dirigible over Bslti-
more and when his engine refused 70
I work made a spectacular landing on
the roof OF the gas cOmpany's build
ing there He readiuSte6 his engine
and resumed his flight.
on June ne narrowly escaped cleo
trocutiOn when his gas bag sprank
a leak over Newark and he fell
among trolley wires and had 10 re-
main until he was rescued, very mual
ss he was TODAY.
owen Is twenty-one years old and
has been an aeronaut since ne was
sixJeen. His home IS in Belleviile,