The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-08-06

try any speeding on the last leg of the
trip,
trenton. and / saw the rain wetting the
! streets of North Philadelphia. ahead of
me. just as l came down the Delaware
! from Burlington. II was case Of ste piping
smack into the wet. like taking the high
dive. One minute ! was dry and tidy,
next minute tho rain was drenching me
| and my goggles were smeared.
1T GOT 80 dark was afraid the people
wouldn't see me. so just as l crossed the
river from North Philadelphia ! dropped
from 500 to about 500 feet. Then / saw
the flags on the Ginbel store, and made
for them. That all there was To It,"
GETTING READY TO START.
New York was ready for the air race
| conditions seemed perfect. The flag
on the Singer tower tapped languidly
| in gentle south breeze and the smoke
OF tugs bound up the bay clung idly to the
Five of the chief aviators Of the Curtiss
| camp were at quarters on the west side
! OF Governors Island waiting for the
mechanics to get the three aeroplanes
| in tune The men chosen to make the
trip to Philadelphia were Charles X D..
Hamilton. the red headed aviator who
flew TO Philadelphia and back year
ago; Hugh Robinson. one Of the newer
men in the Curtiss outfit. and Lincoln
Beachey. who learned to fly only last
! December and got along so fast in his
lessons that he wac put in charge Of the
Curtiss aviation school at Pinehurst n c..
! last spring
Eugene Ely and Bud Mars we're on
hand also. hut neither expected to go
| into the air Elv had been on a vaca-
| tion and was hastily recalled by Glenn
Curtiss to serve as possible substitute
Yesterday. Gene Ely is the man who
set new record in aviation last Janu
Pennsylvania at San Francisco and then
flying back to shore. Bud Mars in still
stiff, from his tumble at Erie Pa. three
weeks ago. He was on hand merely as "A
| bystander.
| HAMILTON NOT ANXIOUS TO PLY
II was clear from tho beginning that
| Hamilton was not anxious 10 race He
was fitted out with an aeroplane fresh
from the Curtiss shops at Hammonds-
port The new machine did not appeal
| TO him and the wind. which was freshen-
ing as the morning wore on. made him
believe that a trip aloft in an untried car
would be hazardous
! BY IL o'clock T.. 7. Moore who was in
charge Of the race for Glenn Curtiss. told
the operator at Gimbels that the race
would start IN half an hour. He believed
it would, for the Curtiss mechanics de
clared that the machines were tuned up
, to the last pitch.
But Moore didn't know about the gaso-
lene, When the time came to charge the
tanks of Hamilton's machine it was found
that the petrol was five gallons shy
Swift inquiry was made among the army
men on the island and the answer came
back that not drop was to be had from
the army stores. because there wasn't
any. That meant that somebody had to
go over to Manhattan and get another
can.
| Word was sent 10 Gimbels that the race
must be post poned. A blue flag was run
|up in place of the white pennant on the
store flagstaff and the crowds in Broad
way learned that the racers wouldn't
start for at least an hour.
| THE BULL PUP AND THE MOTOR
! When the crowd, composed of army men
and others who came from New York to
see the start Of the race, saw that things
were of for n time they slipped away
They were recalled by the spittering Of
Robinson motor. Sergt. Lees Boston
bull pup heard the racket also and came
running up to put stop to it.
| The dog made dash at the whirlng
propeller, The great fan almost blew him
off his feet, but he stuck to it, barking.
For n minute it looked as though Sergt
Lees dog was going TO meet the same
fate as that which overlook the pup which
attacked Atwood's machine at Atlantic
INny' SerRt. Lee uioii IKE IT.
re oiNe9 az the dog, landed race down
IN me SAND ana rolled over. Inc dog was
irlSntened on ana me sergeant sent MN
I" M quarters uhuer gnaru. H..
Robinson was merely tuning up his
motor and had no intention then Of going
INTO the ar. bnt ny O'Clock iAncoIn
h"achey got INTO ms seat ana siEnineu
that ne was about TO tryPut the machine,
re Nnaue an easy ascent, cirnung low 10
Siat .he PhoIoEralhers co,'io snap nun
IN tne iasi round ne hoscd OUT over me
C.s ana snol GOV II over ire oeck o, a
staten Island ierryDoat; ,,,, me p0a' =
Whistles tooten sharp lhanKs. 20 II
again, ana beachey tiited ms inaohihe
peTIlous.y close 10 the upper oeck' ,u.
ne niane hn easy hhuihe anu Tn,,o
ms mechanics turned the aerop'ahe
ne SoniMen!e9 on me "eather'