New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-25


hand at the cadets and turned across
the river toward Cold Spring
Atwood's gasolene- was low by that
time. and nc had to make landing
soon 10 refill his tanks. lie maneuVred
around Garrison and Cold Spring for
probably another ten minutes. looking
for a vacant field sizeable enough TO &C
commodate his machine and give him
plenty Of runway for the rise afterward.
Finally he spied what looked to him
like the ideal landing place-a field with
out trees or fences, but ii was right up
on the crest of Bakers Mountain. just
out from Cold Spring.
Lands on Bakers Mountain.
Fyewitncsses Of this part Of Atwood's
fight described it as comparable only
e. the soarings of. huge bird. He
circled around and around, making great
upward spirals over the Hudson until
he attained an altitude of something
more than thousand feet, and then
slid toward the crest Of Bakers Noun
tain. on which he landed.
eager farmers hurried up TO see the bird
man. and one Of them came in an auto
mobile. He had gasoleno 10 spare, even
if he had to coast down the mountain
road to town. he said. and Atwood filled
his tanks. The avistors own description
OF his getaway from Bakers Mountain
shows something new in cross country
flying.
ut was so high above the river" said
Atwood and such a fine place to rise
from that I didn't need TO point her up
at all. Just turned on the power. got
up speed. and after lifting her mere
few feet off the ground shot her straight
ahead on a horizontal line, and within
a few seconds / was soaring out over
the river at an altitude OF nearly a
thousand feet"
The impetus Of that start carried the
flyer down the next twenty seven miles
in twenty-five minutes. Long before
that he had passed Rhinecliff. the point
at which he had assured himself of a
new worlds record. and every added
mile Of his st. Louis New York trip was
putting that record to a point which
dificult to surpass.
Before that, also. Atwood had treated
the citizens of Poughkeepsie to a spec
tacle of flying which almost carried
their combined breaths out of their
bodies. From Castleton to Poughkeep-
rln holt nd
statement, the trip was simply I'M
sventful"
Felt Like Going to Sleep.
II was going along so quietly and
smoothly" he explained, that 1 felt like
going 10 sleep"
Coming down 10 the Poughkeepsie
Bridge, Atwood saw that it was lined
with n great crowd and he determined
20 give them something to remember
him by. something in the way of thrill.
He pointed his machine up into the air.
about a mile north OF the bridge, until
nc got up TO about eight hundred feet,
then sailed along as if he were going
10 fly over the bridge until he got to
>
With the crowd already craning their
necks in upward staring, he turned sud
denly down. pointing his machine almost
vertically for the surface Of the Hud-
son, and apparently going straight
n Tor the water just to the north OF the big
u hrldge. Then. when he had them wild
y with excitement another twist Of the
wrist at the fitting lever. and the crowd
saw Atwood flying directly below them,
under the span of the bridge. 1t was so
surprisingly daring that the crowd did
not begin 10 cheer its appreciation until
the flyer was half a mile away to the
south
His landing in this village of Upper
Nyack was another thriller accumulated
by the great speed at which he APP
proaehed-a speed which con,inced the
villagers that he had no intention Of
stopping before he reached Now York.
Sightseeing over the river valley, as he
appeared TO he doing, Atwood was
tempted by the Tappan Zee. and sacri-
need some Of his speeding time 20 sheer
across from the east to the west shore
81 the famous Hudson River inland sea.
The country on the west shore evidently
looked good 10 him also, for he continued
his explcrs ton over the steep clifflike
sides Of the Nvack shore and when
Hook Mountain raised its precipitous
we'll before him he lifted his plane lazily
md cleared the crest by less than fifty
feet
Scarcely had he done so when he heard
IN. SNAP ~ the broken connecting rod.
and realized that nc must drop. lie
scanned the country for suitable land
ing place and finding none that seemed
right for his purposes he settled on what
appeared to be the best he could get.
That was steep hillside on the Davis
farm Just on the northern edge Of Upper
Nysck. and Atwood landed skilfully
about halfway up that incline. with the
head Of his machine pointing mp tho
grade
Nearly Slid Down Hill.
The force Of his landing carried the BIZ
plane along the ground, up the grade for
E matter Of thirty yards or so, and so
steep was the hill that it had no sooner
stopped than il began 10 roll backward
down the hill again. Atwood jumped
snd grabbed the front framework, and
in 2 few seconds willing helpers arrived
His problem in attempting to rise from
his present resting place here IS no light