The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-07-01
FLIES TO GOTHAM
marry n. Atwood Carrying His
Mechanician With Him
makes AIR Trip From New Lon
don to New York.
CKOSSES RIVER TWICE
Futs Rings Around a Moving
Passenger Train.
Goes Around the Singer Tower
Below the Pinnacle.

New York, July 1.-One of the most
spectacular flights of American avia-
tion was ended at Governors island
this morning by Harry N. Atwood.
with a wonderful circle about the.
Singer tower, almost grazing the roofs
of the craggy sky scrapers below.
Nothing so daring has ever been at
tempted by any aviator before. In
France the Eiffel tower has been cir
cled, but the battling cross currents
from canyons and cliffs of lower Man
haitian island had hitherto daunted all
American aviators.
Atwood rose from New London at
five minutes past seven this morning
with the intention of flying down the
Connecticut shore and crossing Long
Island sound to the aviation field at
Mineola. When he got into the air
he found his motor humming so stead
lily and the air currents so favorable
that his confidence grew and, instead
OF crossing the sound, he turned in
land off Mount Vernon, lowered like
q falcon to reconnoiter and headed
for Hell Gate and the mouth of the
East river
Below the aviator lay an uninter-
rupted stretch Of roof tops, to touch
any one Of which would mean instant
death. Below him stretched the mar
row and tortuous river spanned by
tour lofty bridges. As if playing with
his perils Atwood crossed the river
to Long Island City near the Williams
burg bridge, turned back to Manhat-
tan island, crossing the river a second
time, flew over the city at no great
altitude to the lower end of the island
circled the Singer tower, DETECTED his
course past Trinity church and east
ward south of the Liberty tower and
| the new Bankers Trust building to
4 Wall street and hovered in smooth
spirals for a moment over the amazed
curb brokers in Broad street, below.
Around Singer Tower.
Hitherto it has been a principle
strictly held to by all aviators that
whenever there was a dangerous spot
to cross, the higher one could rise the
safer But Atwood made his turn Of
the Singer tower at a height of 525
feet from the street, a little more than
80 feet below the pinnacle of the tow
er and barely above the jagged gothic
roof of the City Investment building.
directly below and beside the tower.
The fluttering flag at the ton of the
tower showed there was a wind blow
ing of perhaps Is or 20 miles an hour
mot enough to bother Atwood in his
steady going Wright-B Burgess biplane.
Atwood's flight today is really a.
continuation of his flight yesterday
from Squantum Field, Boston. to New
London. His distance then was 1875
miles, covered in 2 hours and 10 min
utes. The best previous record was
t106 miles made by P. c. Parmaiee,
a Wright pupil, with Lieut.. Foulois.
Z. S. A, as a passenger.
Atwood carried his mechanicfan
for companion yesterday and re-
peated the feat today. His distance
this morning estimated from the map
is 122 miles and his time was 8 hours
and 90 minutes.
At Bridgeport, Atwood descended
within easy sight of the amazed pas
sengers of a moving train, crossed the
tracks in front of the locomotive and
repeating his performance, made three
complete circles of the train before hs
resumed his southwark course.
says Public was Mistaken.
It's a pity 1 had to land" said Az
wood, "but [ did. After crossing tbs
Williamsburg bridge I ran out of gas
in a vacant lot behind some gas tanks
to take on two gallons There wc-a
very few people there to see me and
L suppose most of the city thought ]
had made an uninterrupted flight. This
fact that / did not would have some
lean record.
People on the street may nave
thought I circled the Singer tower but
that's another mistake.
'I attempted it but a gust Of wind
caught me just as 1 was rounding g
corner and buffetted me backward n
rude1y that did not dare push tha at.
: You tell me everybody thought !
Z carried Fred Fleet, me mechanician
[ with me. That's still another mistake
I flew alone.
MY average speed, estimated
roughly, at SIS miles an hour"