Evening star., 1911-08-20
WOOD SEES FL|ERS
Chief of Army Staff a Visitor
at College Park.
GO 1000 FEET IN AIR
Two Government Machines Brought
Out for Exhibition.
MULES GIVEN A SURPRISE
90 1000 FEET IN AIR
MULES GIVEN A SURPRISE
Resent Being Rounded Up by
Aviator Peck-Flight Planned
to Camp ordway.

The chief of the general staff had his
eye on the motors in the army aeroplanes
at College Park and they behaved in an
exemplary manner yesterday. Gen. Leon
ard Wood went out in an automobile
early in the afternoon, and in spite of
the fact that there was q sharp wind
and that the air was decidedly bumpy
near the ground, Lieut.. Arnold in the
Wright and Lieut.. Milling in the Burgess
Wright went up shortly after 4:3O
O'clock
Lieut. Milling was the first up at 4:3J
O'Clock and Lieut.. Arnold followed him
flve minutes later. Lieut.. Milling had
to alight on account Of little engine
trouble and then followed Lieut.. Arnold
into the air. Both began steady climb,
the Wright machine about 1000 feet
ahead, and they both continued to about
1900 feet. The machines behaved WELL
though the climb was rather slow. The
upper air was steady and by the time
the aviators were ready to come down
it had smoothed out considerably close
to the ground.
Stan Chief Satisfied.
Gen. Wood expressed himself as satis-
fed with the showing that both the ma
chimes and the aviators mad. He did
not stay after their return to earth, but
his going did not stop the flights. Both
the aviators then took on a passenger and
this gave the machines a decidedly Sc
verer climbing test. Lieut.. Arnold car
ried Lieut.. Kennedy, who is waiting for
instruction on the Curtiss machine. anl
Lieut. Milling took Lieut. kirkland, VINO
has already won his pilots license.
The climb Of Lieut. Arnold was the
III as~vl,A ~A,A l..
made at the park. They carried a baro-
graph and this registered 2.sOO feet when
they returned. There was little excite
ment as they came back to earth. for
Lieut.. Arnold did not cut off till they
were on the ground. and the machine
having no brakes he ran into one Of the
hangar doors. However, the spring OF the
door saved any damage and neither the
machine nor any one was hurt. Lieut..
Arnold explained afterward that he was
so stin with cold that he could not reach
the throttle cord. The worlds altitude
record for a passenger might easily have
been broken, for the mark set by Beatty
at Hampstead this month is only 3OV feet
higher than the machine climbed. but II
the record had been made it would not
have stood as official. for while Capt.
Chandler, the senior officer on the ground,
is a member OF the Aero Club Of Amer
lea, the barograph carried is not the type
the aero club requires when an official
record Is made.
Headed Toward Baltimore.
While Lieut.. Arnold and his passenger
were up Lieut.. Milling and Lieut. Kirt-
land disappeared in the direction Of Bal
timore. They were gone forty minutes,
and at the speed the machine makes must
have covered over half the distance. They
reached height OF 1900 feet on their
flight.
While they were gone Capt. Chandler,
who has been graduated to handling the
biplane alone practced risings and land
ings. He Is practically over the pupil
stage and probably will go for his pilots
license this week
If the weather conditions and the mo-
tors are favorable Monday morning the
two machines. under Arnold and Milling.
will start the flight to Frederick to visit
the National Guard encampment. This Is
the only cross-country flight that is con-
templated just now.
Leaves College Park.
The Rex-Smith machine will be sent
away Monday morning. 1t will start with
Paul Peck as the aviator and make its
first stop at Connaut Lake. Pa. After
that it will go to Evans Mills, N. Y. and
will finish out the remainder of the warm
weather at points in New York, Penn
sylvaria. Virginia, West Virginia and
Maryland. The machine will be accom-
panied by John Simmons and Theodore
O'Hagan as mechanics.
The Smith machine had received final
adjustment prior to its start in having
the tail stanchions shortened and the
engine moved a little forward for better
balance. Peck took it up late In the
afternoon and climbed to a height OF
about 1900 feet, though. as he carried no
barograph. his height had to be- merely
estimated. The machine seemed decid-
edly improved by the two changes made.
and was less tail-heavy than formerly.
Peck said that il handled very easily,
and its speed was certainly increased.
Aviator Herds Mules.
After the high climb Peck came down
and circled the big field half dozen
times, coming close to the ground. skim
ming the grass tops and shooting into
the air again without making a landing.
On the last round of the field he cer-
tainly established the first record ever
made for stock herding with an aero
plane There were three perfectly gen.
tlemanly and well conducted mules from
the government bunch that had wandered
ont on the field near the north end of
the line of hangars.
When Peck's aeroplane swept around |
the north end of the field he was but |
little higher than the mules back. They |
heard the buzz of the motor and beat 1t |
down the line OF tents and hangers for |
q quarter of a mile. the worst insulted |
and most astonished party OF mules in /
the government service. The aeroplane |
naturally overhauled them, and at the |
tirst opening they dashed off the field.
When a little later one OF the soldiers |
went to drive them out for nights /
grazing. they positively refused to go, and |
the last that was seen of them they were
niv,o n Ar0 ~ fbn atl-