New-York tribune., 1912-02-14
A|RMEN SKIM UNDER
AND OVER BIG BRIDGES
AeropIaneS Fit Like Great Sea-
guIIS Around New York
Harbor.
ONE PLANE LANDS IN PARK
Coffyn and Beatty Cause Thou
sands to Look Both Down
and Up to Follow
Them.

In6m.
A New Yorker needed to do no more
than tilt his head yesterday if he wished
10 see an aeroplane. Two aViators
visited the city, and in their flights they
travelled over large part OF Brooklyn
and Manhattan. Frank Coffyn, in
hydroplane, rose from the water in front
of the Battery breakwater, and after
spinning a mile up the North River
turned in his course and, rounding the
lower end of Manhattan, raced first
above and then below the Manhattan
and Brooklyn bridges.
George w. Beatty came over from
Nassau Boulevard, Long Island, and
after landing in Flushing 10 make re-
pairs he crossed the East River and
went as far north as 95th street. Find
ing flying pretty cold business, he landed
in Central Park.
Both aviators made their flights about
the same time. and as Beatty's visit was
q wholly unexpected one Il was believed
for a time that Coffyn had broken all
the speed records of the air. He left tie
Battery at 430 o'clock. and not more
than two minutes later the watchers at
Pier A were informed over the telephone
that an aeroplane was crossing Central
Park.
"Coffyn is travelling at a speed Of 10
miles an hour" exclaimed an aerial en-
thuSast after a rapid bit of mental
arithmetic. He has shattered every
speed record of the world"
Ten minutes later Coffyn disclaimed
the honors conferred upon him by ad-
mltting that ne had not been even within
hailing distance Of the park.
Coffyn made his landing on the waters
of the bay, and thus avoided the per-
plexities which beset his fellow aviator.
Beatty. one thousand feet above the city.
felt cold and numb, and started to circle
DOWN. ard toward the green splotch
which he recognized as Central Park.
When half way down he suddenly re-
membered that he had no permit to land !
in the park. Although he was at this
time low enough to discern plainly the !
Keep off the grass" signs, he did not |
turn back but decided that it would be
better TO risk the penalties of the law
than the dangers of the cold wind
He brought his machine to rest near |
the East Drive, at point opposite 95th
street. Lieutenant Barnes, Of the Ar
senal police station. vas waiting to
receive him.
is It all right for me to land herer'
asked the aviator.
Have you a permit?" said the police
man.
Beatty admitted that he lacked such a
paper. Perhaps It was an accident and
YOU fell in hera," said the Iieuten-
ant. eager TO suggest a way out of the
difficulty. but the aviator felt bound to
confess that It was no more than the
cold which forced his descent
The policeman, In perplexity as TO what
course he should adopt in treating the
case OF the trespasser from the sky, and
what should be done with the stranded
machine, telephoned to the Arsenal po-
Ice station. Captain Carson looked over
the records and found a solution OF the
difficulty under the head OF ~Taxicabs"
The captain says that your case is
Just like that Of a taxicab chauffeur
whose machine has broken down" re-
ported the lieutenant He says hen
overlook your landing In the park with
out a permit. and you needn't get back
in tho air right of. He says you can
leave the machine In the park for the
night"
And thus It was that Aviator Beatty
stepped on the grass and yet avoided
arrest
At the very time that Beatty became
involved IN the legal intricacies OF an
airmans rights, Coffyn was skipping
over the waters of the upper harbor in
his hydroplane. Rising first to the tops
OF the waves and then lifting clear Of
the water, he climbed UP to a height Of
FIVE hundred feet and raced a mile UP the
North River. Coming back at a higher
level, he skirted the lower end Of Man
haitian Island. and flew over the Brook
lyn Bridge at a height Of 1900 feet
Continuing his fight he crossed Man
haitian Bridge, and circled the Brooklyn
navy yard. AS he completed his turn he
turned the nose OF the machine toward
the river, and shot down until he was
within a hundred feet OF the water before
he turned his planes
He went under the Manhattan bridge
and did not miss the structure by more
than fifteen feet. The pleasure Of fright
eninx the foot passengers did not COM
pensate him for the danger. and In pass
ing under the Brooklyn bridge ne al
lowed himself more leeway. After
Circling Governors Island he headed for
his raft. at Pier A and the Battery.
A Staten Island ferryboat blundered
in front of him as he was about to take
the water. and It looked for an instant
as II his hydroplane would crash against
the side OF the boat. With quick tilt
Of the planes he sent the machine on an
upward course and hoped over the OBJ
struction like a runner clearing a high
hurdle. Coffyn ended his flight with the
prettiest sort Of landing. for the hydro
plane took the water without raising as
much as q ripple.
The aviator had intended to take some
moving pictures during his night, but
broke the camera Just before his start.
He viii cover the same course to-mor-
row In hopes Of making the films.
crowd Of several hundred persons
watched his fight from the Battery, and
thousands Raw his machine az he