Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1911-09-18
MAKES ANOTHER FLIGHT
Lieut.. Rodgers Navy's Bird Man
On The Wing in His Biplane
From Havre de Grace to
Annapolis
LANDS AT HANGAR
After Paving Visit to His Mother Who
Wants Him to Give Up Flying
Lieut.. EllysOn Expected With
His HydropIane

his nydr0plane
Reaching the aviation field across
the Severn just before noon yesterday
in his Wright biplane, Lieut.. John
Rodgers completed the most notable
flight that has yet taken place in this
vicinity, and by all odds the most
successful that a Navy aviator has
yet undertaken. Starting at seven
teen minutes to eleven from Havre
de Grace, he completed the distance,
fifty-two miles in an airline, in Just
one hour and ten minutes, frequently
making more than a mile minute.
The flight was as notable for the
great altituds attained as it was for
the high average speed. Several
times height of 5000 feet was reach
ed and the machine generally travelled
at greater than 1000 feet. At the
greater attitudes, Lieutenant Rodgers
found it quite cold, or "a little
chilly" as he expressed it, though he
had prepared for it by wearing heavy
underwear, shoes and gloves.
Though the distance between the
two places is put at fifty-two miles in
a straight line, Lieutenant Rodgers
travelled much more than this. He
exhibited some dipping, rising and
swift turning just after he started
and just before he landed, and also
some time was taken in changes of
level and in making necessary turns.
| Altogether, there can be no doubt
that at least a mile a minute was
maintained in straight travelling.
The wind was light and in some de-
gree favored the aviator. The course
was several miles inland from tho
Chesapeake Bay as rule, but follow
ed the general course of the bay shore
after the Pennsylvania railroad tracks
had been followed for a few miles out
| of Havre de Grace. The Patapsco
| river was crossed near Fort Howard.
| Anne Arundel county being entered
| near Hawkins Point. Lieut.. Rodgers
then crossed above the Magothy river
and Mill creek, and after crossing
the Severn river and circling above
| Annapolis, returned to a point above
the aviation field and reached the
ground in series of graceful circles
and dips.
For time it looked as if Lieutenant
Rodgers was lookig for proper place
to land, the ground in the vicinity of
the new hangar having recently been
filled in, and being quite soft. How
ever, a suitable place was picked out,
| after several dips and rises, and a
beautiful landing was made. Lieu
tenant Rodgers was given assistance
in bringing his machine into the ham
1 H.
er of the grounds, and others who
gathered quickly when it was seen
that his intention was to land at that
point.
This evening the machine is locked
up in the new hangar which has
| been constructed across the Severn
river from the Naval Academy, and
which will, in the future, be the
| starting point for the experiments
designed to cover the whole field of
the adatpability of air craft to ma
val uses. The building is practi-
cally completed and can house three
of the machines. There are besides
tool rooms and offices.
The hangar and aviation field are at
Greenberry Point, which extends into
the Chesapeake Bay, and marks the
northern entrance of Annapolis har-
Dor and the mouth of the Severn river.
1t is less than mile from the Naval
| Academy by water, but several miles
by the road which crosses the Severn
river bridge and winds around.
Though much out of the way, it is
anticipated that most of the flights
will be conducted in such a way as to
enable persons at Annapolis and the
Naval Academy to see them, and fre-
quent landings will be made on the
Academy parade grounds.
When Lieutenant Rodgers was first
seen in the air, he was easily 1000
feet high, and appeared to be coming
from westerly direction, indicating
that he had not followed the shore line
closely. 1t was just about the time
| good Annapolitans were going to
church, and many delayed to watch
his movements in the air. From An
napolis, the machine was only visible
a short time, but in that period some
beautiful circles and dips were exc
cuted. People here are intensely in
terested in the work of Rodgers and
gratified at his success. He was a
football player and oarsman before he
graduated in 1903 from the Naval
Academy, and won many friends By
his unconquerable gameness in both
lines of sport. He is thought to be
just the man to attain success alone
line where pluck and coolness are
the prime requisites.
Special interest is taken in yes ter
days flight from the fact that Rodg
ers connected by his aerial trip tn.
home of his boyhood, Havre d,
Grace, and the place where he hac
received his training in preparation
for the naval service. Both places
were naturally full of interest to him
J Lieutenant Rodgers left by trair
. yesterday afternoon. He will go t,
New York on matters connected wit
his aviation work, and is expecting t
. return Tomorrow. He anticipate