Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-09-28
AVIATOR GIVES
EXHIBITION Of
AERIAL STUNTS
Aeroplane Exhibitions Big
Feature of the Malheur
County Parkway Be
Seen in Boise.
(Stan Correspondence

Ontario. Sept. 28.-Aviator Christie
ferson, who thrilled the big crowds this
week at the Malheur county fair, and
who will give some Of his aerial stunts
at the Canyon county fair at Caldwell
Friday and Saturday next week and
perhaps at the Boise Intermountain
fair the week following, gave a very
successful demonstration at the NAL
heur county fair Of dropping sacks Of
flour, in lieu of dynamite or some other
high explosive, upon an imaginary bat
tleship, in front of the crowded grand
stand. Six sacks of flour were thus
dropped from the aeroplane from a
considerable height, and each sack
struck the imaginary war vessel. The
aviator cut all sorts of capers with his
machine, over which he has almost
perfect control. He made two flights
each afternoon this week at the fair
grounds. Everybody present was
greatly pleased
eiplane Cost $5000
The machine used by Christoferson
cost $4,000 to build. 1t is the latest type
headless Curtiss biplane, is 80 feet six
inches wide and weighs 1000 pounds.
1t Is driven by 75-horsepower Curtiss
gasoline engine This engine Is re-
markable piece of mechanism and cost
$1,000 At the rear of the engine is a
TN foot propeller, which is driven at
the rate of 1909 to 1900 revolutions per
minute, which drives the aeroplane at
the rate of 60 to 10 miles per hour.
When starting to make a flight, the
machine runs ON the ground at the
rate of 35 miles per hour before going
into the air. This aeroplane carries
four gallons of water, ~ gallons Of gas
oline and five gallons of lubricating oil.
This biplane has 800 square feet of lift
ing surface. 1t is strongly built
throughout. Aviator Christoferson is
very courteous and each day at the
close Of the afternoon amusement pro-
gram at the fair ground he would in
vite those wishing to see his machine at
close range to come and inspect 1t,
and many people did 1t.
One of Christoferson's thrilling stunts
at Ontario was when he made a great
dip from height of 200 or more feet.
and came SO close to the ground that
he touched the outreached hand Of a
man standing In the center field In
front of the grandstand. Christoferson
is from San Diego, but makes Portland
his headquarters. lie has been an avi-
ator for two years. He got $1,000 from
the Malheur, county fair association for
making two flights each day for five
days.
Features Of ouekaroo Sports.
The wild horse race Thursday was
won by Bob Gavin of Star. Idaho Earl
Mccullough Of New Plymouth was Sec
ond; Walter -ledsull of Twin Falls,
third: Walter Shrimp of Willow Creek,
fourth.
The hound and hare chase was an in
teresting feature.
There were II wild horses used in
the wild horse race Thursday. Thirty
minutes elapsed after the first horse
was brought from the corral before
Manager Chapman gave the signal to
saddle up. Mcpherson was the first to
mount and get started off, but his
horse was q very bad one, and he was
among the very last to como under
the wire. Sgd Mccoy. the famous bull
dogger. couldn't get his horse on Its
feet long enough to saddle It, hence
never got mounted in this race. Hick
Lockett, one of Oregon's best buclSa-
roos. also had an extremely bad actor.
Hicks horse Jumped the fence into
center field the very first thing, and
IIick didn't come within q mile Of the
winner in this race.
The Weiser band of 20 pieces. in their
attractive oriental uniforms, proved to
be a splendid feature OF Thursdays big
program.
One Of the features Of the buckaroo
sports at the Malheur county fair was
the great bucking broncho riding by
Montana Kate, who is one of the best
women riders in the country.
Big Crowd Friday.
Another big crowd visited the fair
Friday. there being nearly as large a
crowd as on Thursday. The hare and