The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-09-12
FOWLER STARTS
ON AIR CRUISE
Leaves San Francisco In Attempt to
Reach New York City by
Means OF an Aero
plane.
: 12e MILES FIRST DAY
Ocean to Ocean Flight Begins With a
Kiss From Mother and
Cheers From tho
Crowd.

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 1s-witha
the steady trade winds of the Pacific
at his back Robert f. Fowler the
! 1rst aviator to attempt trans-con-
tinent flight, sped up the fertile Sao-
ramento valley and landed at 6:38
o'clock last evening at the foot of the
/ white ramparts of the Sierras, the
conquest of whose summit may prove
the ultimate test of the success or
failure for his attempt But with a
brief halt at Sacramento for oil and
/ gasoline, he drove his biplane high
over the rolling foothills and landed
without a single untoward incident
at Auburn. Calf, 1876 miles from his
starting point.
Fowlers mother was the last to
speak to him here. She kissed him
goodbye and bade him God bless
you" just before the aviator rose
from the stadium in Golden Cato
Park at l:3T p. m. Sweeping in a
circle over the Pacific his air craft
swung like compass needle until
his forward planes we're notched in
the gap in the snow line of the Siera
ras through which he hopes to pass.
Then with the cheers of thousands
billowing UP to him he sped over
I. the city, skinned over the fighting
masts of cruisers at anchor in the
bay, with a hand wave of greeting
and hummed steadily over the trail
first worn by the western argonauts
: of 40.
Over Berkeley, Suisun, Cannons and
Elmira, he sped, flying with the same
steadiness that marked his start.
> The watches that checked his prog
ress, showed that he was making a
!. steady forty-fve miles an hour pace
9 from which he never varied
q AS he swept high over the dome of
the state capitol at Sacramento, roar
= from the thousands massed in Agri-
). cultural Park directed him to his
q landing place. After a daring spiral,
, he settled easily to the ground, pulled
4 the cotton from his ears and shouted:
a We'll, I'm here boys; what time is
( it,"
q He had covered the 80 miles of the
A. first leg of his journey in exactly two
4 hours
s. 1T was a great trip" he said u
II had not the slightest engine trouble
1t and the feel of the air. even in the
Carquinez Straits was perfect"
He announced that he would con
h &c
chanicians who had followed him In
L a special train fought their way
through the mob about the machine
Is and prepared for the continuation Of
the journey.
At 5:55 p. N. he took his place In
the driving seat signalled to his me
j. chanics and was off to the eastward
is crowd of distinguished persons
Of gathered at the stadium in San Fran
b. cisco's big park to bid Fowler BOZ
IS voyage" Representative Of the
Of army and navy greeted him and afte1
'e a trial fight, his biplane was chris
e. tened with bottle Of seawater from
the Pacific ocean.
= His mothers kiss was not the orr
= :, one implanted on his lips, before h'
= started on his hazardous journey. Al
y he passed close to the ropes that heit
back the crowd from his machine,
pretty and impetnous miss threw he
arms about the aviator's neck ant
D kissed him feryently Before he cou'
break away women had pinned
!. votes for women" badge on tn
breast of his leather coat.
Fowler continued to wear the sui
~ fragette badge as he rose. Fowler e1
!, poets to make the trans-continenta
y, trip in &c days. He will leave Auburn
"a early this morning, cross the bach
~ hone of the Sierras, through tn
treacherous gusts Of the Truckee Pas
- and land for the night at Reno
o. AS scheduled he will make stops q
Flko. New Salt Lake City, Grange
and Cheyenne Wyo.; North Platte
Neb.. Omaha, Rocl, Island, Chicago
!, Fort Wayne, indianapolis and Pitts
., burg. Buffalo, Albany and New Yorl
ao ,lo He will follow the tracks of the Soutl
~ ern Pacific, Union Pacific route of tn
~ Chicago and Northwestern railway t
40 Chicago. He is accompanied by
~ snecial train which carries full sta
=, of mechanicians and parts of thre
:. complete biplanes.