The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-07-09

aboard who had volunteered to- help
'ut; a newspaper friend Of the airman
lad telephoned TO Mr.. Woodruff from
I.eonia that I,ewkowicz had landed in a
lungmire which looked "a green and
nard a. a billiard cloth from ON high
nut which proved to be so soft that one
iiad to hop along fast to keep from sink
ing in it.
grocer OF I.eonia had horse and
Nagon TO rent and these wore engaged by
l.ewkuw icz to haul the parts of his dis
inantled machine and his engine to he
.tored temporarily in the groCCr's barn.
Lew kowicz was making his second trip
from the meadows to the barn when some
one in the circle who had seen tho airnan
aliGht and had hurried to surround the
TUT chine tipped away lighted cigarette.
The cigarette landed in some gosolcne
soaked grass and n small fire started
Tho flames got TO parts Of the aerOplane
which had been taken on and were lying
about and set fire TO them. The fire was.
stamped out before serious damage had
oeen done to the Blrrot
II didn't know much about these Jersey
meadows. but they looked 80 beautiful
from above" said the aviator in the Tea
neck Inn last evening. that thought the
ground was solid. line gine my surprise
when ! landed in grass nine fe"t high end
my wheels stuck fast in the mud and
water The next thing knew my zero.
plane turned complete somersaul' and
was pinned under IL Not caring to be
drowned in such fashion ! showed my
fist through the canvas of one OF the
wings and crawled out.
Il walked through he swamp to road
and a passing auto took me to Ieonia,
where I phoned to Garden City to ict the
folks know ] had not been killed and 10
explain my delay. Among the first TO
reach Leonia in search Of me was Count
De Villier. who with my wife and Miss
Augusta Mohr had been keeping track Of
me In his auto. We returned 10 the aero
plane and removed the Anzani engine,
which was placed i'm l.conia barn
The engine was not injured. but IN"
body of the GeroplGnC was broken IN
several places While We were away on"
of the curious crowd threw a lighted
match or light, cigarette stub near the
aeroplane and tho gasolene caught fire,
burning up one ofLny blades.
Crowds OF men. women and children
insisted on shaking my hands and cxtcnd-
ing their congratulations upon my ,scapc
from death, but they were more alarmed
than I was. When my wheels landed the
tail Of the aeroplane swung overhead and
gave me bump on the head that made
mo see stars. Things are not always
what they seem at an altitude of 5000 feet
but IL is a great joke on me-.
Lewkowicz learned to fly at NJ Bl riot s
Nassau Boulevard aviation colony about
q month ago. Until yesterday his flights
have not been prJtra"ted ones His
equipment for carrying fuel is limited and
40 II has happened during the three flights
he has made near New York. including
his spin Of yesterday. that his engine has
gone dead each time and ho has been COM
PEELED to volplena to earth
When he frat came TO Nassau Boule-
ward he had his monOplane, but no en-
gine for il. Mr.. Woodruff hustled about
to dig up the very necessary engine.
taking Iewkowicz's word for IL that he
could hy. He could. The first day he
started out with his untried AnZani EN-
Rine he skated about in the air like a
waterbug crazy with the heat on a mill
pond but managed To get up about l. .0OO
feet above Garden City Estates. Then
his engine stopped and he started to take
a rap at the earth. When just above a
paved street lined with trees in the Gar
den City Estates he clipped the top Of n
tree-which usually is considered bad
stun and therefore isn't done and took
the trees extreme tip with him to the
pavement
But he landed all right Mr. Woodruff
hastened to him in an automobile. Lew
kowicz was standing beside his un-
damaged machine holding the treetop
which he had winged and brought to the
street with him.
well. l guess the crowd around here
who say I'm crazy think | can fly now,
he said happily Everybody says I'm a
damn fool around the aerodrome. and
80 / made damn fool of mvself just now
to prove to them that I'm all right