The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1911-08-19
CHICAGO PEOPLE
ARE AVIATION MAD
Hundreds Of Thousands See
Flights on Lake Front.
Tom sopwIth Carries of Four Prize.
In a Day-orvllle Wright VIII
Fly-Repe Simon, French.
man, Is Angry.

nN 6ACaN ANiaAAOh hittN - VA ~ A~s
swing in Chicago
Down on the lake front $4,000 spec
tators witnesses bair-raising "neck-to
neck" races in which huge biplanesl
swept around the aerodrome in closer
finish runs than in many a Derby.
They saw ]. V. Martin. former Har-
ward professor. make new worlds
record for alighting and witnessed
Tom Sopwith break an American rec.
ord for passenger carrying and win
5000, only 10 have his new record
knocked galley west later by w. c..
Beatty
Sopwith. the kings own" proved
the great prize winner OF the day, ny.
ing OF with Ave rewards, totaling
1920. The Britisher's easiest money
came when he won 5000 for climbing
500 feet in four minutes.
For the first time in the history Of
aviation, an aviator in hydro-plane
went to the assistant OF a feellow-air-
man who had plunged with his ma
chine into the water.
McCurdys biplane became an
aerial torch and thrilled 100000
spectators when II got tangled In the
wires on the north end OF the Grant
park aviation course. The machine
was set afire by its own gasoline be-
coming ignited.
The aviator fell 100 feet, but was
not injured. The burning aeroplane
furnished the most spectacular sight
ever seen at an aviation meet.
The accident occurred just in front
| OF the Chicago Yacht club. McCurdy.
who catapulted out OF his biplane
when II struck telegraph wires, was
picked up by the official automobile
ambulance He protested that he was
not injured. but was rushed TO the
emergency hospital on the field
These two were only half the acct
dents that awed and thrilled one OF
the greatest crowds ever gathered to
watch the feats OF airmen.
Demonstrating for the first time the
usefulness OF an airship as n life-saver
Hugh A. Robinson steered his Curtiss
hydro aeroplane down 70 Lake Michi.
gans surface when Rene Simon fell In
his monoplane and offered 10 take hin
: aboard the air-water machine A pro
sale boat without wings came along
however, end wrested from Simon and
Robinson the distinction OF being tho
, first rescued and rescuer In an airshlI
life-saving feat.
, Slmon's spectacular fall into tn,
lake followed soon after the burning
OF ]. A. d. McCurdy's biplane ir tn,
air. The McCurdy accident, beside,
imperiling his life. endangered thou
1 sands OF spectators In the free seati
{ by leaving dangling near them mum
Der OF Give" electric wires.
}, After Simons fall into the water
{ Lee Hammond young Baldwin flyer
c repeated the Frenchm SIS perfor
I nance He also was rescued by
boat The hydro-aeroplane was read
J 20 10 TO his assistance. but, beinI
{ cheated once, Il remained away whel
d It's pilot saw the unwinged craft skim
a ming around the drenched machin
). with the aviator cllnging to It.
e Earle T. Ovington was the fourt
J. aviator TO suffer an accident II
smashed n wing OF his plane agains
n pylon at the north eend OF the feel
D while banking.
The thousands on the lake from
saw other thrilling things besides tn
e accidents The altitude performance
OF several aviators eclipsed anythin
seen at the meet thus far and kept IN
r vast throng In the last hour of IN
g days programme.
r The spiral dips OF the high flyers
!, descending just before the close OF III
meet for the day also furnished thrill
Beatty. who beat the altitude recor
OF the meet and won the daily alt
% tude prize. dropped at alarming spec
part OF the 100 feet that he reache
> I'm the air.
D. A. L. Welsh. In n Wright blplan
20 set the record for duration by r,
W naming In the air three hours and
III half
IS Less than seven minutes benin
~ Welsh In length OF time In the a
e was G, p. Rodgers; also I'm Wrigl
es biplane. who now ranks first in tot
re duration for the three days.
10 Landing In front OF the Judge
~ stand In Grant park. where tho int
national aviation meet is in progress
Henry Nelson Atwood finished dri
ing his Burgess blplane from ST Lou
20 Chicago.
\, This was concluded the flrst day
his ST. Louis Chicago-New York figt
by which he hopes to make ne
worlds record