The Red Cloud chief., 1911-12-14

radius Of hundreds OF miles. The
hotels were packed from cellar to
garrett. Private houses had nc trou.
Bile in renting rooms and furnishing
meals. The good people of that village
reaped a harvest that year. They have
been reaping ever since, but less and
less Is time goes or With the Influx
Of SO many strangers, ali come for
the same purpose, the natives gradual.
ly ceased to become excited them.
selves In witnessing the excitement OF
those strangers. soon the inhabit-
ants assumed an air something weary.
like-sOrt of "A bored demeanor. as 1t
were.
And SO II has gone for three years.
It Is a great privilege for the stranger
to mingle personally with these ma.
tlves who have actually ridden aero
planes and have had such wonderful
expcriences--In their minds.
After listening awhile to these tales
the stranger goes to the aerodrome
field. There he finds a half dozen me-
working at an acceptance repairing
rents in canvas. testing the engine, re.
placing ribs. These men are looked
upon with awe. You see. they make
aeroplanes. You watch them from the
outside. The %aeroplane Is In a bnrn.
like building with Il huge door that
slides just like a barn door, and this is
open as the men work. Perhaps you
may. In your eagerness, step inside to
get a better view Of what that fellow
Is doing with the soldering pot, but
they don't notice you. They don't even
notice you when they step on your
feet. They have a very peculiar habit,
these men OF stepping on your feet.
Since 1908 hundreds and hundreds
Of flights. varying from 90 feet to sew.
eral miles, have been made at Ham.
mondsport. and so today the native
pays little or no attention to flights.
If he Bee an aeroplane flying ahead
Of his he may follow 1t with his eyes
until either he or the machipe turns.
II he has to turn around to follow Its
fiight-well. he simply wouldn't turn.
A%eroplanes to him are like automo
biles on. Broadway to a New Yorker,
Three years ago the native eagerly
picked up his daily paper and scanned
1t for a Hammondsport date line.
Now %aer0plane news appears not to
interest him. Whereas he used to
tramp four miles almost daily to the
original aerodrome field, now he sci.
dom, II ever. goes to the new field
located right In the ~village-unless q
game OF baseball Is to be played. The
diamond Is on the aerodrome field.
The young men OF the village play
baseball while Curtiss or some other
aviator. is circling over the field, and
no errors are made through a fielder
having his eye on the acceptance.
Dick Brown will tell you that once
Aviator McCurdy. who some time
plays center on q Hammondsport
team, played that position In an aero.
plane and made four put-outs and
two assists out of six chances.
Millions Of people would deem 1t q
great boon to get just a glimpse Of an
aeroplane In flight. Thousands and
thousands have gone great distances
and spent much money to witness
flights. and he who came back from
one and told about 1t to his fellow
citizens was looked up to. But the
Hammondsport ~inhabitant doesn't
turn his head. But they're proud Of
Curtiss.
When Curtiss evolved the aeroplane
with which he has been SO successful
he interested DR.. Alexander Graham
Bell. Of Bell Telephone fame, who
spends large sums Of money for exper.
iments. but who closes his purse when
the experiments have reached a sue.
cessful stage and the matter takes on
a commercial aspect. Then the Aero
Experimental association was formed.
The aeroplane with which Mr.. Cur.
tiss few down the Hudson to New
York, and the n which he few last
summer from Cleveland and return
are practically of the same make as
the June Bug, built In 1908 and one OF
the first made.
The immediate surroundings oil the
aerodrome building. which houses the
aeroplanes with which Mr.. Curtiss
broke many records and made his LONG.
est flights, are commonplace enough.
A dozen lows roam the fields. With
these cows the story is also old. The
noises made by the engine and whir.
ring Of the propeller no longer Gauss
them to lift their heads. As said be-
fore, the building itself is a barn.
like structure. implanted. Weeds grow
abundantly. The men 60 about their
work OF making and repairing aero
planes much ~ do others at digging
potatoes--wtth no thought. seeming.
". that they are engaged In building
objects that now hold the attention
OF the whole world.