Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-09-14
JIMMY WARD
 LOST HIS WAY FOLLOWS RAILROAD TRACKS ONHY TO FIND THAT EACH ONE
 WAS THE WRONG ONE COVERED % MILES
 MILES
COVERED =!
Reached Patterson N. l., Says He Will Re Away Again at Daylight
 Today.

New York, Sept. 13--James j. Ward the first aviator to start from East to West in the trans-continental air race for the $50,oo0 prize offered by William Randolph Hearst, came to earth safely this evening at 6:25 o'clock in Lanbert's Lane on the eX- treme Western edge of Patterson, N. J. He was only about 20 or 25 miles away from his starting point on Gov ernors Island, where he had taken 9:0S o'clock in the morning. Yet he had flown practically all day. He had one of the queerest experiences q eross-eountry airman ever encounter ed. He had been lost in the air, led astfay again and again by the vast maze of railroad tracks, leading out ter another, hoping 10 find those of the Erie Railroad, which were to guide him to MiddletoWn, N Y., and thence to Buffalo But every line he followed as-Wrong.
 His off-hand opinion when he alighted at dusk was that he had tra veled between 150 and 200 miles to gain the petty twenty or so w ! which he will be credited. But he slnished the d4ey i'll splendid shape, there was nothing whatever the matter Wjth his machine. He alighted in an ideal spot for another getaway and his last words before turning in for the night at the Manhattan Hotel in Patterson were that he would be off again at daylight-set at last upon the right road, and would cover at least 225 miles tomorrow
 The darkness of Tuesday descended upon Jimmy Ward and his three me- chanicians still working on his spick and span Curtiss biplane, which nestl- ed in the hangar on Governors Is- land. Not more than sixty feet away brooded Harry H. Atwood's big Wright machine. Compared with the big biplane flown by Atwood the Cur tiss was as dragon fly to a great moth. Much remained to be done about Wards machine. Dawn found the men, again at work. Ward ar rived at 6:45. With him was his pret- ty wife, attired in rose colored pole hat and blue coat; Isaac Bloom, Wards manager; Arthur Herbert, Ed ward Jacobs and few other friends. There was no nervousness about the party. Even little Mrs. Ward was without a tremor
 'eI know Jimmy is alright. When We get past Chicago l am to go up with him." she declared very stoutly. Ward himself appeared to be jubilant. He had his eyes fastened on the Battery Park weather It showed the wind to be out of the Northwest. At that time the wind was hardly more than ten miles an hour, not sufficient to
 
 office buildings. "I'm as fit as a fid. dle," said the young man. Not !, thing wrong"
 The aeroplane was not ready when Ward and his party arrived. The ma chinists were still tinkering.
 The route of the first stage of the Io o1o of he Erie railroad to Buffa'o and the rail- road company was doing all in its power to aid them. The flyer had become for the day, a part of the Erie passenger train schedule. Orders were given to all operators, track men, signal tower operators, super intendants and dispatchers to repor the progress of the flyer as they would their fastest express train.
 "He hopes to make the first des- cent at Middletown, 68 miles away, said Bloom There new supply 0 gasoline will be taken on and tn jump will be made to Susquehanna Pa. !" Mir. Bloom said this and Ware nodded; the one thing they had for gotten is that Eastern New, Jerse, is a gridiron and it would daze al Fagle to follow any line of track there, General Frederick Dent Grant }; his staff; Colonel Cecil, coast com : mandant, officers and the ladies Q