Omaha daily bee., 1911-09-18
MOTHER RoUsEs HIN IN HOTEL
Joins Volunteer Brigade and Does
Valiant Work.
THIRD ENTRANT INTO RACE
C. P, Rodgers Starts from New York,
Reaching Middletown.
WARD IS STALLED AT owEGo
viii Probably Be Ready for
Journey some Time Dur
ing Today.

COLFAH. Cal. Sept. 11-One man is
dead. another hovers between life and
death, with both legs broken. as a conse-
quenoe of his heroism, and a third is
missing as the result of a fire probably
OF ,ncendiary origin which broke out
here early this morning on the third floor
Of the Mountain View hotel and consumed
| a considerable portion of the town be-
fore it finally burned itself out The
financial loss is about $4,000
/ The blaze was finally conquered by
volunteers composed OF practically the
entire population. In the front ranks was
Aviator Robert G. Fowler, who is pre-
pairing 10 scale the high Sierrss tomor-
row on the third leg Of his transconti-
mental aeroplane trip.
John Wesley Dougger. a guest of the
hotel, failed TO awake and was burned to
death. Henry Hurst may be fatally in
jured An unidentified man is missing
Hurst was in front of the building when
the blaze broke out. He rushed into the
burning building and pulled guests out
of bed on the second and third floors
Believing all were out of danger, Hurst
started for the stairs, to find then en-
lveloped in flames
He ran tethe front Of the building and
plunged - the sidewalk twenty-five feet
below He was picked up with both legs
broken.
Aviator Fowler was awakened by his
mother in his room at the hotel shortly
after the fire broke out, and, dressing
quickly. Joined the fighters.
New Contestant starts.
NEW YORK, Sept. 17-C. P. Rodgers,
third aviator to start on the transconti-
mental flight for the Hearst prize, rose
from the race track at Sheepshead Bay
this afternoon, swept in wide circle
over the grounds and then headed north
west until his white-wlnged flyer merged
into bank of clouds over the Jersey
meadows and disappeared. He drove a
/ Wright biplane and carried messages
from Mayor Gaynor to the mayor of San
Francisco, and from the commanders OF
the eastern division of the army and navy
Ito the commanders on the Pacific coast,
i Flying over New York City. Rodgers
crossed Broadway at a height of 5000
feet and covered the mile from that point
across the river in less than a minute
He was going as steadily as a clock when
he SCARED over the city and evidently
was not bothered by the air holes" that
have troubled other avlators.
At 6:07 he was reported passing over
Campbell Hall junction, sixty-six miles
from the start, headed for MiddletoWn
The aeroplane looked almost like a toy
at the starting grounds, as 1t measured
only thirty-eight feet from tip TO tip
while the aviator stands six feet four
and weighs 1872 pounds.
Reaches MiddIetOwn.
MIDDLETOWN, N. Y. Sept. 17.-Aftel
an initial flight of about eighty mile.
in his proposed aerial voyage from New
York to the Pacific coast, c. P. Rodgers
the aviator. reached this city and landed
at Sis o'clock this evening He had GOV,
cred the distance from the sheepshead
Bay race track in one hour and fifty
, three minutes
Rodgers might have made better time
had he not mistaken the Erie and Jersey
line at Grey Court for that OF the Fri,
and followed the tracks OF the formel
7 road for some distance
Despite his detour, Rodgers beat int
the city by two minutes a special trai1
which had followed him from the time h
: began crossing Jersey City He viii
spend the night here and make an earl,
morning start
Another Delay for Ward.
osWEGO, N z, Sept l7-James ]
! Ward coast to coast flyer. did not star
! from here today because of delay in re
, ceiving a new motor, which he had or
, dered. The motor is here tonight anC
; Ward expects to have 1t placed in tn,
monoplane early tomorrow. He theI
will attempt to fly TO Buffalo ls7 mile
west of here. He will follow the Fri
tracks The aeroplane damaged IN yes
terday's accident has been repaired an,
except for the motor, was ready 70
. flight today shortly after noon.