Evening star., 1911-08-25
LAST "HOP" OF JOURNEY
MADE WITHOUT MISHAP
Takes Advantage Of Favorable
Weather for Start.
MACHINE OUT OF POCKET
Cutting Of Trees Enabled Aviator
to Get Away From Nyack
Without Encountering Ex-
pected Difficulties.

NEW YORK, August as
Atwood landed at Governors Is
land at 2:38 o'clock.
Atwood passed the Singer
building, lower Manhattan, at
a:33 o'clock.
Atwood passed Grants tomb
at 2 az o'clock.
Atwood crossed the city line
at 2:1s, passing Spuyten Duyvil
at that time.
NYACK. n. Y, August 25-Harry n.
Atwood. the aviator. started on his flight
for New York at 1:53. From the spot
where his machine had been moved to
during the morning he rose, headed
north. circled once over the river and
flew at high speed in the direction of
New York. The ascent was not made
without mishap. however, for a moment
before as the mechanics were tuning up
the engine the aviator had to leap for
safety from flames which broke out in
his gasoline dripping pan.
He smothered the fire with his coat, as
sisted by his manager. A. Leo Stevens.
smiled, remounted the machine, and gave
the word. A few moments later he was
in the air.
Five minutes before the start Atwood
received the following telegram from j.
Walter Lissberger. who has charge of
the arrangements in New York:
Cannot get Sheepshead Bay track.
Raining hard here. Wait for big crowd
tomorrow"
The aviator made no comment. but with
a look of disappointment. completed his
preparations for flight.
Had Favorable Winds.
A steady southeast breeze made con-
I,ditions ideal for Atwood to take wing out
Of the meadow where he was forced to
land yesterday on account Of engine trou-
BILE when within twenty-five miles of New
York city.
The engine was repaired during the
night and nothing remains for Atwood
| but to fly down the river and land at
Sheepshead Bay race track. Atwood
said this morning that he would not fly
to Boston.
Intermittent morning rains developed
into heavy downpour at IL o'clock. II
| this keeps up Atwood will be unable to
get away, but the aviator says he would
venture in lighter rain. He remains at
| the hotel, while a crowd Of several hun
dred stands in the rain about his ma
chine, many women and children nnoing
shelter under the sheds over nearby nay
stacks.
Clearing Aviator's Path.
More trouble developed for Atwood
near noon when the storm cleared ana
the wind suddenly veered around to the
north In order to get the aeroplane Out
| of the trap and make 1t possible to take
wing woodsmen began to cut down sew
| eral trees SO that the machine could De
taken to nearby meadow, where 1t
would be easier to make the start. AT
wood said he hoped to get away tate
| today.
II was found that after one tree had
been chopped down that the aeroplane
could he removed by careful handling, to
a nearby meadow. Fifty men volunteer
cd to carry the machine and 1t was lifted
over a four-foot fence, carried over a
roadway, again lifted over clumps OF
underbrush and brambles and then to an
open field, where 1t was set down 3Oo
Yards from where the aeroplane landed
Yesterday. Atwood said at l O'Clock that
he might make his start at any time.
Atwood was a tired man when he went
TO bed last night after flying from Castle
ton Nevertheless the young Bostonian
rose early today and by half-past eight
was at the little clearing on the side OF
Hook mountain, where the accident 10
his engine forced him to land yesterday
and frustrated his ambition to complete
the flight from st. Louis to New York In
eleven days.
Machine in a Pocket.
Atwood said that even IL he got his BIZ
plane off the ground this morning he did
not intend to continue the flight to New
York until later in the day. His main
anxiety was to extricate himself from
the pocket where the exigencies OF his
plight forced him to land shortly before
noon yesterday.
When Atwood returned to the hotei Tor
breakfast after inspecting his biplane he
said that the damaged engine had been
repaired and that the weather and the
physical difficulties surrounding his land
in@ Mace were now the only factors in
the situation. The aviator did not spend
long at table, for he found the wind to
his liking, and feared that any minute
II might veer to an unfavorable quarter:
when a light rain began to fall he said
thai this would not keep him from at
tempting a flight II other conditions were
favorable.
The field where the record-breaking
aeronlane rested was a center OF attrac-
tion all night A crowd watched the ma
chinists VINO passed back and forth
through the gloom, carrying lanterns and
tinkering with the broken machinery.
n was nearly dawn when they pro-
nounced everything shipshape. and when
Atwood visited the place before break
fast he indorsed their report.
Atwood was delighted when he OBJ
served that the wind was true and steady
from the southeast.
HIf the wind holds in this direction