The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1911-07-05
ATWOOD PROMISES
TO CONTINUE . HIS
! FLIGHT SATURDAY
Takes Girl Up in Exhibition
Il Today at Atlantic
City.
CONTINUED from First Page.)

his cross-country flights for a few
days with the consciousness that he
broke all American records for re-
naming in the air, the time being
i've hours and twenty minutes.
Not long after Atwood had announc-
ed his decision not to 1y, according
to an Atlantic City dispatch this
morning, the winds there freshed and
sttffened and atmospheric conditions
became not dissimilar to those which
handicapped him in the flight yester-
day. So he felt rather glad on the
whole that he was not on his way
to Washington.
As Crow Flies.
When Atwood does come here 1t will
not be by way of Philadelphia, but he
intends, he said this morning, to cut
the distance down 10 a minimum, and
sail here diagonally across country. To
go via Philadelphia or It's outskirts
would add an extra forty-hve miles, &C
cording to his estimate. Atwood made a
gallant fight against adversely yester-
day, and, although he disappointed
thousands of Westinghouse by not
reaching this city, he stirred all to adj
miration by his long and continuous
battle against adverse winds and de-
fective machinery. 1t was not so spec
tacular as flying over New York city
skyscrapers, but it was every bit as
dangerous.
Several times he was beaten back by
winds that averaged fifty miles an hour,
II not more. Describing this feature of
the flight, Atwood says:
so busy was kept fighting for head
way that I soon lost track Of time, the
result being that when / saw the Long
Branch boardwalk l thought I was at
Atlantic City and started to come down.
Inc natives saw me coming and gath
cred in great crowds to greet me. L
soon saw my mistake, however, and
proceeded without landing"
Makes Same Mistake.
Atwood has never been on the Jersey
coast and he had the idea of boardwalks
associated in his mind with Atlantic
City, not knowing that the plank mile
age along the Jersey coast almost
equals the shore length.
He made the same mistake at Asbury
Park and landed there, thinking he had
reached Atlantic City. AS soon as he
had found out that Atlantic City was
LOG miles to the south of him Atwood
rose again and began to fight the head
winds once more.
Although Atwood is not in Washing
ton today, one of his aeroplanes is. II
is a Burgess-Wrtght machine which
Atwood hopes to sell the United States
Government when he gets here. In an
ticipation of his coming the machine
was sent on to Washington. 1t made
prosaic entrance this morning in a
freight car.
Atwoods first stop for gasolene was
at Tuckerton. and the second at Venice
Park.
After leaving Tuckerton, Atwood had
a desperate battle up aloft. He himself
describes II as follows:
There was a strong wind when
reached Tuckerton, but 1 felt that 1
ought to chance a landing rather than
30 ahead with the little fuel 1 had
left, so l volplaned into a little clear
ing back of the Carleton Hotel.
Real Fight Begins.
when l went up again, the real |
fight began. The wind had increased |
TO the fury of a gale. l think it must |
have worked up to the velocity of flf-
ty miles an nour at times. l was oblig- |
ed to tack like ship at sea and |
drive back obliquely. l bumped the |
bumps, hurdleI up and down the air |
lanes anG did all the tricks they talk |
about
1T was a fight that made the trip |
over the Singer building last Saturday |
seem like playing tennis. There were |
times when l thought l would have to |
take advantage of a lull and land on |
the ocean. and trust to luck to be |
picked up.
Amy number of times the aeroplane |
hung absolutely motionless in the air
You can get an idea from this of Nv
But by maneuvering, squirmip
ing, flying far out over the oce
back again far in l finally fought
my way toward Atlantic City.
MY flight was simply a case of be-
ing blown all over the lots