The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-07-05
AVIATOR BATTLES
WITH COAST GALE
Atwood Has Thrilling Trip
from New York to At
lantic City
PLANE is TOSSED
BY HEAVY WIND
Several Times He is Blown
from Course and Mar
roWly Escapes Over
turning

ATLANTIC CITY, n. j., July A.
Atlantic City's half million Fourth of
July population greeted Harry \. At
wood. of Boston. the latest areo SEN
sseto1, as the hereof t4aa-aa4, and
cheered when he landed on the beach
In front of the Marlborough Blen-
helm at 2:30 after flight from Gov
ernor's Island and FIVE hours IN the
air.
The second leg of hts flight to
Washington will not pc made until
to- morrow.
The young aviator had thrilling
experience with strong gale during
his entire trip and was rorced to de-
scend three times to take on gaso
line. His original supply was soon
exhausted In battling with the wind.
His ear drums were deadened by
the constant whirl of his engine and
he was unable TO hear distinctly until
he had rested half an hour at the
Marlborough.
Il was blown all over the lots"
was his first words in describing his
trip and his sensations. II am at
tempting To follow the coast line as
much as possible, bat several times
was blown from that course. There
were other times when the wind fair
iy stopped my Roadway, ieaving me
suspended in rnidair and not moving
a foot for several minutes. Again
the wind would ve+ar and toss the
plane about dangerously These wind
shifts We're rather startling until
grew used 10 them.
Plane Performs Well.
eng ines and tfas.-g4a44A ..seif
could not have performed better, hut
the fight with the wind exhausted my
gasoline supply as / neared the out
skirts Of Asbury Park. Up until then
l had maintained "A travelling aIti-
tude of about 1000 feet. / selplaned
to an open lot in Asbury. after cir
cling about the town fu !. spiral de-
scent Here I took on Ave gallons
/ OF gasoline.
AT 1915 l again mounted into
the air and made down the coast to
Barnegate, AS l passed the shore
towns usually dipped down to a 500
/ foot level and waved to the crowds
/ Reaching Barnegate. / took a more
direct route for this city. Even when
! got over the land again, expert
eneed difficulty with the gale. There
were new air currents here, too. but
4 / got along fairly well until ! near
ed Tuckerton. My gasoline supply
had again given out. With the wind
making landing dangerous. l was
forced to chance descent at 1915.
Borrowing five gallons of gasoline
from an automobile, I jumped into
the air once more.
"1t was this. run from Tuckerton
70 the outskirts Of Atlantic City that
proved the most dangerous. The wind
had increased force and seemed 10
gain speed with each minute.
Had Hard Trip.
1T was almost o'clock hsfora 7
got over the Meadows near Atlantic
1t-ity ana / 'pI'robbaly covered forty
miles in making the distance OF sew
enteen miles.
r. THE wind was mos, trearhefAyus
when I swung in over Venice Park.
in Atlantic Ctty's suburbs. Air
pumps and air holes were encoun
tered and then my gasoline became
exhausted, | was almost catapulted
from my seat by n SUDDEN gust while
90 feet In the air. The plane all
but overturned and when effected
a landing struck with considerable
force. The machine was under
damaged, bit this was my narrow
est escape.
Taking on five gallons OF gaso
lime, I assembled and few down over
the beach. l would like. to start on
to Washington tonight. but my trip
has tira,3 me- tao nsueta.a
Atwood expressed keen disappoint-
ment over the failure Of the National
Aero officials to award him a pilots
license altar his flights yesterday He
will be the guest OF the local Aero
Club over night He made short
flight with a passenger this evening
and gave the crowd along the beach
q few thrills.