The Washington herald., 1911-08-06

Continued from Page One.
starting point. the boy aviator was at
height of from 900 to 2.s0O feet.
BIadensburx Road Followed.
The machine had no sooner passed out
OF sight at College Park before Peck
and his aeroplane were visible to the
straining eyes Of Washington spectators,
wondering at the flight. Peck followed
the Bladensburg road until he reached
! Fifteenth street and Maryland avenue
northeast.
He then dropped his aeroplane to a
| height of about 200 feet, and travelled
at a speed Of fifty-five miles an hour
down Maryland avenue to the Capitol.
| Then, as though wishing to prove he
was the possessor OF the instinct that
keeps a bird from harm, Peck, who has
been regarded by aviators as an ANA
teur dropped and circled over the Capl-
tol at a height of about 15O feet.
When he had reached Fifteenth
street, near the Treasury Building.
Peck rose to 500 feet and made for the
Monument Expecting to see him cir
Gle high above the shaft, spectators
were not prepared to see him shave
the sides of the Monument. and cut of
his engines. The noise from the ma
chine ceased, and suddenly the aero
plane shot downward at sharp angle.
Peck for the first time was to try any
real fancy work" He descended rap
idly, and at the same time turned
his aeroplane TO follow the angles of
the Monument walls.
JOY Ride Is Surprise.
When he had fallen half the distance
of the Monument Peck seemed salts
fed with the two circles he had made,
and again turned on full speed. To the
surprise OF his friends. who were wait
ing in the polo grounds, he headed
straight for Fort Myer, the machine
travelling so fast that he had reached
far over in Virginia before his maneu-
yer was realized.
Ending the JOY ride into Virginia.
Peck turned for Potomac Park, at first
with the machine at full speed. and
then slowly cutting off the engines.
Approaching the park from the west,
he descended, stopped the engines, and
glided smoothly to perfect landing.
When attendants at the park had
stopped the heavy aeroplane, and Peck
had arisen stiffly from the seat. the
spectators cheered, and the young bird
man. was soon in the midst Of shout
ing group OF Temporarily mad enthus-
lasts.
Rex Smith, the designer and owner OF
the aeroplane, led the little group of
aviation experts who had cause to be
glad Peck was taken to the band
stand, where, for the first time. Smith
and his assistants were able to talk
OF the trip, which to them meant the
success they had believd the machine
would finally gain.
Peck Surprises Watchers.
few of the fortunate. who had seen
Peck land, pointed him out, and imme-
diately expressions of surprise were
heard. for Peck was not the popular
conception of the successful aviator. He
was seen to be a quiet, almost timid
looking young man, just twenty-one
years old, dressed simply in a tailor
made suit, with a cap and eyeglasses.
With the care that is bestowed by
mother on her child. the aviators and
the rest of those in charge of the aero
plane, tied ropes to the machine and
the Potomac Park band stand. and then
more firmly bound the machine with
stakes-and additional ropes. AS final
against harm, the mechnical
bird. with its delete mechanism, was
covered almost completely with heavy
canvas.
Late last night the crowd was re-
duced to three men who will guard the
machine until the return flight is made
this afternoon. Smith expects to reach
Potomac Park about o'clock this aft
ernoon, when he will prepare for the
trip.
The progress Of the latest Rex Smith |