Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1911-09-07


He Flew From Boston to New Lon.
don, Conn.-Later Made Trip to
New York and Washington.
Harry n. Atwood, the Boston avia-
tor who made an air journey from
Missouri to the Atlantic coast, Is a
graduate of the Massachusetts Insti-
tute Of Technology. He first came
into the aerial limelight on June 80
last, when he electrified spectators of
the Harvard-Yale crew race on the
Thames river. New London. by a Sc
ries OF daring evolutions performed in
the air way above the river.
On that day Atwood few from
Squantum. Mass, to New London and
fame, a distance Of lOS miles, In just
two hours. The young bird man had
then been flying only eight weeks.
Then followed AtwOod's thrilling air
voyage from New London to Cover
nors island. n distance Of 145 miles.
which he covered in two hours and
forty seven minutes Of actual flight at
an average Of fifty-two miles an hour.
to try for the regular pilots license
issued by the Aero Club Of America.
After taking Captain Il. 8. Madden OF
the army for trip over the bay and
circling Miss Liberty with Lieutenant
John $. Tickle as a passenger Atwood
began his trial for the license. He
made one successful flight. cutting the
figures eight required In the Aero club
rules and performing other evolutions
successfully On his second flight.
however, his motor stopped ut height
of 1000 feet from the ground. The
young air man volplaned easily to
earth, but landed too far away from
Flight to Atlantic City.
That day Atwood had talk with
Granville NJ. Hunt. representative of
the chamber OF commerce. Washing
to attempt flight to Washington on
July 4. Accordingly. at $50 o'clock on
the next morning, Atwood left Gov
errors island to fly to the capital. He
was forced to make three stops on
account Of the strong wind, the first
at Asbury Park. the second at Tucker
ton, where he restocked his fuel tank.
and the third at Venice Park. Atlantic
City. He proceeded to the Atlantic
City beach, landing at 2:3O p. m.
1t was on July I at Atlantic City
that AtwoOd's machine suffered its
first serious mishap At $40 p. IN.
Atwood started his engine going on
the beach. In the passenger seat was
Charles X. Hamilton. n fellow aviator
who planned to accompany Atwood
The blades Of the propeller had scarce
~ begun to turn when Il large bull
dog rushed toward the machine. bark
ing. There was Il miXup in which the
dog, struck by the whirling blades.
was killed and tossed into the crowd
The blade which had done the tossing
however, was found to be cracked
This defect Atwood tried To remedy
by winding wire about the fracture"
but later when he flew oceanward the
split blade caused the machine To
become unmanagcnble, and Atwood
and Hamilton were tumblcd into the
surf, being rescued with more or less
difficulty.
ON July he again essaycd flight
toward Washington. this time in Ham
ilton's biplane. Hamilton again ac-
companied him. They had risen to "A
height of seventy feet above the avia-
ton field when something went wrong
and the machine crashed to the ground.
breaking the propellers and smashing
things up generally The two bird men,
however, escaped unhurt 1t was not
until July 10 that Atwood and Hamil-
ton arrived in Baltimore. They landed
at field nine miles east of the city
after flight OF 1iS miles In four hours
and thirty minutes This established n
new American record for Il long dis
lance flight with passenger. The
highest altitude reached on this trip
was 100 feet
At Washington.
On July II Atwood reached College
Park, near Washington, at $50 a. IN.
In Hamilton's biplane. Here he bnr-
rOwed machine from army aviators
to complete the trip to Washington
He had no more than left the aviation
field, however, than the aeroplane
dropped n distance Of 100 feet to the
ground Atwood got Off without in
l.