The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-02-02
IIIi1.ITffT NFAp nIIRAA RllaIlREDS DROWNED !;
Brave Ayialor Compelled % Descend.
S:ate H0l
ren Miles ffren Havana 4 I.

teit inl1eS ~ iStu - a.e s.'e
TIE AIR 4 / Man GIVEN OUT
Flies ats the Rate 5of s Fifty Miles n les. an
/ Honr-start From Key West,
Ia, and When Near ;El1s His g Goal y Had Had
to Light in the Water.
After a week OF ne-ye-racking
anxiety, Aviator ]. "a. 2. Nc Curdy IN
Il Curtiss biplane, started on his
! much 7heralde led flight from Key West
to Havana at 1882 o'clock Monday
morning. At Key West a; light
breeze was blowing and the SET; zen; & was y q:
smooth. Similar reports cam n e e'.,Il' 5oy :!
wireless from Havana, and McCurcy,
whose patience had nearly been ex-
hausted by a week Of anxious wait
ing. quickly decided ito make the
4 fig hit. ~ $.
Early Monday morning orders rs;
were were issued toasthe government boats
at Key West; and they Immediately
took their positions ten miles apart
When word came by wireless from
the torpedo boat destroyer .Roe5that
the boats were all ready for him 7 4
! *McCurdy got ready to make the
aight. Every brace and wire Of the tn
Sbiplane had been thoroughly tested.
The motor had been tuned up ano
amid q silence that was almost OPP
f,1lpressive, McCurdy took his position
d 5iion the aeroplane. The engine was
started an assistant gave the pro-
reller couple OF twists.
q q. McCurdy listened moment to the
soundk,of the motor and then raised.
4 his hand as signal to the men hold
i ing the machine to let go. Swiftly
I the aeroplane ran along the smooth =
ground for about one hundred ieet.
Then easily and gracefully 1T rose
\ from the earth and McCurGy com
Imenced to mount to the sky. sAs 81 he
left the ground the assembled crowd
gave mighty cheer. McCurdy
waved his hand and was OF on the
{ most difficult trip over the sea that
has even been attempted y; j. 5s: v.
with tremendous velocity the
great white-winged plane shot 'ol cut
over the smooth waters. lAnxiously a.
the crowd gathered on the shore,
watched the machine asst grew
! smaller and smaller and faded from
sight. Anxious1y they waited for'she
first 5news&by wireless, and when the
dispatch came that he had passed
the third boat, thirty miles from
shore and was flying smoothly, an
other mighty cheer was given.
While the last details were being
looked after MrC Curdy stood about
calmly smoking "a pipe. He I, looked e
SScsool and confdent. At 6:45 the ma ma
! chine was rolled into place, and five
minutes after the big steam whistle
z at the ice factory woke up the town WI
with tremendous blast, and almost
Z the entire population rushed through
!. the streets for the starting point. 1t
s Is estimated that fully a 10, 900 peo-
sfple saw the start. Mayor Fogarty,
with the entire police force, had
& great difficulty in keeping an open
( SPACE of 500 feet SO that "a start
could be made. 5Ss ss
4 II. B. Nc Curdy took his place in the ma
chire, an assistant oiled the pro-
$5peller and then gave it a number Of
whirls. Four men held the mac hine
while McCurdy tested the motor by
starting and stopping it. E McC1rdy
adjusted his headgear, his assistant
whirled the propeller, the motor was
started and the machine was on at
: fast gait, running along the
ground. It ran nearly the length Of
s the. oDsn space and then arose In the
Z air toward the east.
McCurdy first circled over the har-
Dor at an elevation Of 500 feet. He
made a second circle at an elevation
of over / 1000 feet, and at 1882 the
lag dropped and McCurdy crossed
the liue over the wireless station,
goln34- at the rate Of nearly sixty
miles an hour. In ten minutes ne
was out Of sight over Sand Key, ten
miles away. Before starting NC
cu-dy put on life-buoy and care
fully inspected the pontoons which
: lad been attached to the machine to
keep it afloat in case he had TO de-
scend to the water.
The flight is for a prize of $4,000
offered by The Havana Post, and
$4,000 appropriated by the Havana
City Council. AS soon as the avia-
tor had disappeared from view, the
crowd rushed about the wireless sta
tion and awaited reports by wire
less. When the news came that he
had passed the third station Wig
orously cheer went up. AS the mo-
ments flew and no further reports
came. the crowd grew anxious, and
gathered about the cable Office to
wait for reports from Havana.
When news of the start had been
flashed to the waiting boats. placei
ten miles apart, everybody was on
ou+1ook officers on deck and sailors