Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-07
R0DGERSLANDS
At PASADENA
LATE SUNDAY
Aviator Within Twenty-Five
Miles Of Coast After
Breaking All Records for
Long Distance Flights.


breaking trans-continental flight Of
4.231 miles yesterday, remtined In bed
until nearly noon today. He said there
would be no flights today 49,
Rodgers Is within twenty-five miles
of his goal in the transcontinental
aeroplane fight. He arrived here last
night from Banning, having crossed
some OF the highest peaks Of the
Sierra Madre mountains in the flight.
Last Day Full Of Thrills.
The fight Of the birdman Sunday
was full OF thrills for himself and hun
dreds Of thousands of persons who
gathered along the route, in this city
and at his terminal point.
The start was made at Banning,
where Rodgers spent Saturday night.
Just at noon and against heavy wind
the airship rose and pointed it's nose
toward the Pacific. The wind was al
most gale, and the aviator found it
necessary to force his engine to make
any headway.
He had covered only eight miles
when his engine began missing and he
was compelled to descend.
= A big crowd at Beaumont Witnessed
his first descent and surged about the
field during the hour it required to put
the machine in order. From there it
was straight sailing. The wind had
died down sufficiently not to interfere
with the working Of the engine and
the btrdman bowled along at express
rate speed to Pomona, when he again
alighted as precautionary measure.
Last Leg Sprint. l. -
s He found the machine in perfect or
der and at 1922 p. M, set out on the
last leg of his history-making journey.
It was exactly O'clock when the
first field glass among the thousands
OF watchers at the polo field atl Pas
adena spied the fyer and In another
two minutes the greatest aviation feat
Of the world was accomplished.
Rodgers was on the ground pulling
at big black cigar, the $500 miles OF
American continent behind him. u.
The crowd was upon Rodgers In a
and would have torn him to
pieces for souvenirs but for. q strong
guard Of special police. But the crowd
would not be denied, and after the first
mad enthusiasm had subsidized the
aviator held an impromptu reception,
shaking hands with hundreds who
passed by in line. At the conclusion
the airman was seized and carried tri.
upon the shoulders of re-
ception committee.
wife First to Greet Him.
But not until Mrs. Calbraith P. Rod
gers had greeted her husband. She
was the first to greet him when he
stepped from his seat in the aeroplane.
She had followed him all the way
from New York during the long jour-
ney, the special train keeping pace
with the flyer.
During his transcontinental fight
Rodgers landed in or passed through
ten states and flew approximately
1884 miles. He has met with eleven
accidents, and his machine was wreck
ed seven times.
He has lost nine days on account OF
these accidents and damaged machine,
been delayed five days on account OF
wind and rested up five days at differ
ent points enroute. -E
g. Four Days Trip. "
New York, Nov. 6.-Calbraith P,
Rodgers, the aviator, started from this
city forty-nine days ago on what was
to prove his record making trip. In
a Wright biplane he rose from the
Bay race track at 4:25 p.
M, September II, and arrived at Pasa-
dena at 4:10 p. M, Sunday. He left
behind him at Marshall, Mo-. on Octo-
Der 10, broken. worlds record for a
cross country flight, having then tray
eled 1893 miles as against the record
Of 1886 miles previously made by
Harry N. Atwood. Rodgers mileage
over the Atwood record kept piling up
day by day until yesterday he had
It by a total of 1855 miles.
Figured from his actual flying time
Of three days, ten hours and four min
utes in TRAVELLING 4,231 miles, his rate
Of speed was 51.39 miles an hour.