The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-11-06
STORY OF RODGERS FLIGHT
His Life often in Peril Since Leaving
New York on Sept. II

New York on Sept. II
With his descent at Pasadena,
suburb OF Los Angeles, Cal, yester-
day, Calbraith P. Rodgers, has end
ed the first coast to coast aeroplane
flight and established the greatest
cross country record in the history
of aviation. Rodgers started from
Sheepshead bay race track, New
York, for the Pacific coast on Sept.
II, and has covered 1920 miles which
more than doubles the previous
worlds record of 1865 miles, made
by Harry N. Atwood in his st. Lou
is to New York fight. His journey
to the coast was full of accidents in
which his life was endangered sew
eral times, and weather conditions
and delays prevented him from win
ming the William Il. Hearst prize of
$4,000, for which he originally start
ed as a competitor
The Hearst prize was withdrawn
when the time limit expired on Oo-
tober 10, and after Rodgers had
reached Marshall, Mo-, 1898 miles
from New York The conditions I'M
der which the prize was offered pro
vided that the flight must be made
in 80 days and that it must be com
pleted within one year after the Of
fering of the prize which was 0cto-
Der TO- 1910. Despite the withdrawal
of the prize, Rodgers continued his
trip to the coast, the distinction of
being the first to cross the United
States in an aeroplane being the on.
ly incentive, his only financial re-
ward consisting of the purses re-
ceived at country fairs along the
route
In his trip across the continent,
Rodgers made several flights of over
200 miles a day. He covered the
greatest number of miles on October
IA, when he few from Kansas City
to Vanita, Okla, ESQ miles. The
fight was made with stops at Moran
and Russell Creek where he took on
supply OF gasoline and oil. His
longest flight without a stop was
made on November 3, when he flew
from Stovall to Imperial Junction,
CAL 1873 miles.
Rodgers is one of the tallest avia-
tors in the world, standing feet 4
inches in height He is a member
of the New York Yacht club, played
on. the Colombia and Virginia Univer-
sity football teams and made a mo.
tor cycle trip from Buffalo to New
York in one day. He won the dura.
ton prize during the Chicago avia-
| ton meet in August and was the
third entrant in the transcontinental
aeroplane race for the Hearst prize.
The other entrants were Robert G.
Fowler and James Ward. Fowler
left Golden Gate Park, San Francis.
CO. Sept. II, and up to November /,
had reached Tucson, Ariz., where he
met Rodgers for the first time Ward
began his fight from Governors Is.
land, on September IA and gave W
his journey to the coast when his
biplane was wrecked at Elmira on
September %.
Rodgers started on his long flight
on Sept II from Sheepshead Bay at
i:25 p. m, and made his first stop
at Middletown at 6:1S p. m, cover.
ing the so miles in l hour and So
seconds.
In many of the Western towns Rod
gers had been greatly disturbed by
having the people gathered in the
landing places picked out for him
making IL difficult for him to land
The lack Of police protection al
Phoenix and with the people scatter
ed all over the landing place, pre-
vented him from making his landing
and he was compelled to fly to an
other part OF the town. He took on
a supply OF gasoline and oil and
started of once more, landing at Sto
vail. los miles from Phoenix. STOW
ALL tank station, proved to be the
best landing place he had encounter
ed since leaving New York, and II
was the first time he made a landing
where people did not spring up and
crowd around the machine The vii
lagos In that part of the country are
about 100 miles apart. and as he
landed in desert, alongside the rail
road tracks, not person appeared t.
greet him.
Rodgers decided to make Coltor
on Nov. 3. and from there fly to Lo.
Angeles and end his transcontinenta
flight, as II is on the coast He lei
Stovall on November 3, but had I,
make a landing at Imperial junction
Cal, because Of motor trouble. Tn.
distance between Stovall and lmper
ial Junction is 1873 miles and he GOV
cred the distance In 1875 minutes. Il
was also the longest single fight h,
has made without having to make
landing for gasoline. His arrival a
Imperial Junction left him 167 mile
to 30 to reach Los Angeles. On Sat
urday he reached Banning, 100 mile
nearer his goal, and II was from
there that he few yesterday to IN,
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