Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-01
BRAVES TALL BUILDINGS |
TO GIVE BROKERS THRILL
Upsets All Traditions by Narrowly
Grazing the Roofs. >
STARTS FROM NEW LONDON
Pauses in Journey Long Enough to
Play Franks With Passenger
Train-Carries Passenger
on Trip.

NEW YORK. July 1.-The most spec
tacular flight i'm the history OF American
aviation was ended at Governors Island
this morning by Harry N. Atwood. after
an unsuccessful attempt to circle the
Singer tower. almost grazing the roofs
of the craggy skyscrapers below. Nothing
SO daring has ever been attempted by any
aviator before. In France the Efei
Tower has been circled. but the banning
cross currents from the criss-cross of
canyons and cliffs of lower Manhattan
Island had hitherto daunted all American
aviators.
Atwood rose from New London at Ave
minutes past seven this morning. with
the intention of flying down the Con-
necticut shore and crossing Long Island
sound to the aviation field at Mineola-
When he got into the air he found his
motor humming so steadily and the air
currents so favorable that his confidence
grew and instead of crossing the sound
he turned inland of Mount Vernon.
lowered like a falcon to raconnoiter ana
headed for He'll Gate and the mouth Of
the East river.
Meant Instant Destruction.
Below him lay an interrupted stretch
Of rooftops. to touch any one OF which
would mean instant destruction. Before
him stretched the narrow and tortunus
course of the river crowded with tsaflc
and spanned by four lofty steel bridges.
AS IL playing with his perils. Atwood
crossed the river to Long Island City
near the Williamsburg bridge. turned
back to Manhattan Island. crossing the
river a second time. new over the city at
no great altitude to the lower end Of the
island, came close to circling the Singer
tower. DETECTED his course past Trinity
Church, and eastward south Of the Liber-
ty tower and the new Bankerg Trust
building to Wall street. and hovered in
smooth spirals for a moment over the
amazed curb brokers In Broad street be-
low.
Ignores Air Traditions.
The demonstration was as complete -
it lay in the power of human achieve
ment to make It. Hitherto 1t has been a
principle strictly held to by all aviators
that wherever there was a dangerous spot
to cross the higher one could rise the
safer. It had been calculated that for
every foot of drop a properly executed
volplane would carry the aeroplane for
ward three feet. Thus to glide safely
out of danger to a proper landing place 1t
was only necessary to rise high enough.
But Atwood made his turn OF the
Singer tower at q height OF 525 feet from
the street, a little more than eighty feet
below the pinnacle of the tower. and
barely above the Jagged Gothic roof of
the City Investment building, directly be-
low and beside the tower.
The fluttering flag at the top of the
tower showed there was wind blowing
of perhaps fifteen or twenty miles an
hour-not enough to bother Atwood In his
steady going Wright-Burgess biplane.
No Advance Notice.
Theatrical as was the start, II was pref
aced by no theatrical announcements
Only a few people in the city knew that
Atwood was on his way. and OF these
fewer understood that he intended to
cross and recross Manhattan Island
Everybody believed that he would take
safer. more prosaic path across Long
Island AS one broker said: He just
got up and did 1t.
Atwood's flight today 10 realty . CON
tinuation OF his fight yesterday from
Souantum Field. Boston. to New London.
where he cut fancy figures above tne
winning Harvard shell as II drew 70 the
finish line in the eight-oared varsity fece
His distance then was 1So miles. covered
in 2 hours and 10 minutes. Best prev1o1s
record was 100 miles, made Dy =
Parnalee "a Wright pupil. with AsuS
Foulots, L. S. A. as a passenger. Atwood
carried his mechanism for q companion
Yesterday, and repeated the feat today.
His distance this morning. estmafeo
from the map. IS l02 miles, ana his tssse
was 8 hours and 20 minutes.
Start at Bridgeport.
Rising from New London at 7:05. hs
passed over Bridgeport. Conn. at s:2S
1.5O0 feet in the air. At South Norwaik.
which he reached at 500. he was
well out over the sound. flying power
fully at an even level.
Between New Haven and Bridgeport.
where he was timed at S:5o moving
passenger train on the tracks of the New
York, New Haven and Hartford railroad
tjckIed his fancy, and, descending within
easy sight of the amazed passengers, ne
followed it, headed it, crossed the tracks
in front of the locomotive, and. repeating
his performance. made three complete
circles Of the train before he resumed his
southwestward course.
At Port Chester the aviator was stu
following the shore OF the sound at 9:O3.
Twelve minutes later he passed over
Larchmont, and II was here that his de-
termination to dare greater difficulties
first became evident. Pointing his planes
toward New York he started inland over
Mount Vernon and at 9:20 headed directly
for the th;ckly populoted Bronx. From
there on to the finish his flight was one
constant succession OF psrils spurned and
mastered.
Atwood was stif and cramped when he
climbed out of his machine. but cheerful
and brisk.
Ran Out Of Gasoline.
IT'S Q pity I had to land" hs said.
but I did After crossing the Williams
burg bridge I ran out Of gasoline and
landed In Long Island CITY m . vaoant
inf lehinA fha Rna tara Af Tn A9AuG1n