Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-09-20
FAIR SOCIETY STARTS
SUIT FOR DAMAGES
Against Curtiss Company for
Violation of Contract
Other Matters of Interest Concerning
Last Weeks Meeting of the
Grant County Fair.

Except for the great disappointm ent
to the society and the patrons Of the
fair, caused by the failure of the
Curtiss Exhibition Company to fulfill
its promises and provide the aeroplane
flights guaranteed in it's contract, the
Both annual fair for the Grant County
Agricultural Society last week was
a successful one,
The attendance was large, the ex.
hibits good in most departments-in
some unusually. so, the free attrac-
tions entertaining and the weather.
with the exception of a little
threatening period on Thursday morn
ing, all that could be desired. The
stellar attraction, of course, was to
have been the aeroplane flights, and
the socitey, as we'll as the citizens Of
Lancaster, most keenly regret the
failure of the exhibition company to
live up to its contract
The Herald published last week
the telegram received by the society
on Tuesday evening from the Curtiss
Company, stating that aviator Eugene
Gould would start from Hammonds
port, (which is situated in the western
part of New York state), with his
machine, Wednesday morning, and
would arrive IN Lancaster Thursday
noon. While this was far from what
had been guaranteed in the contract.
it was belived that it would provide
one or more flights late Thursday
afternoon and a number of them on
Friday.
GOULD COULDN'T COME
Later the society was informed by
wire from New York that it would
be impossible for Gould to reach here
at the time stated, and that they
could send G. G. Wittmer here on
Thursday from Milwaukee. where he
was booked. along with Lincoln
Beachey another of the company s
avlators, to make aeroplane flights at
the state fair.
Feeling that they we're being duped
and grossly deceived, the fair officials
had County Chairman W. j. Brennan
and District Attorney Geo. B.
Clementson proceed to Milwaukee on
Thursday afternoon to attach what
property they could find, belonging to
the Curtiss company as the com
mencement of an action against them
for damages They were assisted in
their proceedings by Attorney F. A.
Geiger of Milwaukee, an eminent
member of the Milwaukee County
bal, who has represented the society
there since the Lancaster men return.
ed home.
ATTACHED BEACHEY'S MACHINE
They promptly sliced Beachey s
machine, but found that Wittmer
had passed them at Madison. or his
way to Lancaster with his machine.
They we're told also that while
Beachey had made a number of sue
cessful flights each day Wittmer had
been unable to fly, claiming that his
machine was disabled and that he was
awaiting some necessary parts with
which to repair it. Also that Witt
mer had stated that he had received
instructions to come on to Lancaster
with his crippled machine and make
q bluff at carrying out the contract,
but that it might be several days be-
fore the machine could be put in
flying condition, and at best it would
take i've or six hours to put it to-
gether here.
STATE FAIR TOOK RISKS.
The story of the seizure made at
Milwaukee on Friday was briefly told
in the following account, which ap
peared in the Milwaukee Sentinel on
Saturday.
''When Lincoln Beachey, Curtiss,
aviator, leaves the ground in front of
the state fair park grandstand on
Saturday to try for an altitude record
and special prize Of 81, 600 he will
be flying under unusual circum-
stances.
His machine. in which he has
performed daredevil feats during the
week for state fair visitors, was at
tached Friday afternoon by Sheriff
Arnold, for the Grant County Agri
cultural society, as part of the pro-
ceedings in damage suit for $40, 600
brought against the Curtss Exhibit
tion company of New York.
BOARD IS RESPONSIBLE.
Every time the machine leaves
the ground on Saturday the state fair
board will be responsible to the
sheriff for its safe return
Tho suit GRAVY ont of contract