The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-08-09
HAS FINE FLIGHT,
BUT LOSES TRAIN
AVIATOR G. MARVIN WOOD SAYS
VIZ MAS BROKEN ALL PREyI-
oJs RECoRDs.
LOST IN THE. CLOUDS
But FoR This WOULD HAVE DIS
TANcEp PENNSYLVANIA FLYER
AND WON THE MOST Ex-
CITING RACE.
LOST IN THE CLOUDS

tenant MHltnE. 4. = a. anu Hlauc
within the year in Texas. was 224
miles without stopping the engine
Who'd figures ne covered PSI miies
Wood did not follow exactly the
program he had laid out for himself
az racing 4 PENNSYLVANIA railroad
flyer from New York 10 Washington
He made a brave start from Hemp
stead l. l., but got lost in the foks
Of lower New York bay. and although
ne followed with reasonable accuracy
the route NJ the Pennsylvania rallroad
line from New York 10 Baltimore, he
never un-c sighted his pacemaker,
According 10 the original plan OF
the aight. Wood should have made ms
initial landing on the parade grounds
at Fort Myer. Virginia about ~
O'Clock thls morning. He became (
confused by the maze Of tracks Of the
PENNSYLVANIA, Baltimore and OH" ana
the Western Maryland leading south
and west from Baltimore. and, miss
ing washington altogether, landed AT
Gaiihersrurg Md. twenty eight miles
north Of This city. at 8 81 A NJ ne
had been in the air continually Tor
four hours and forty~nve minutes COW
serine an aAi line distance Of something
over 200 miles His claim 10 having
traversed 2S7 miles is open 10 furthef
analysis.
Hits Clouds and Loses Train.
Wood faAde the start from a point
between Hampstead and Garden CITY
Mt 4:gS o'clock this morning me
PENNSYLVANIA special train bearing
Woods friends, the newspaper re-
porters and members If the Aero Gun
Of America left Jersey CITY te"
minutes later When the Blue Blrd
made her take-off at Garden city the
clouds were hanging low and Few
hundred feet from the earth the
rn0nopIane ran into n formation or
nasty. fnsEv character Fearing I'M
der the adverse conditions 10 rlsk a
ffght across the skyscraper section OF
Manhattan. Wood Veered SOUTHWARK
y rraaSigg over Cpnev Island, the lower
bay and staten Island toward the
mainland. The car roofs of the Penn
sylvanja special had been white
washed % make them easy Of identln-
catsonr but at the d!stance--Wood was
living more than "a mile above Inc
eartlf~-h was unable To PICK oP the
train
shortly after o'clock the Blue
Bird called over the Delaware river
+ between Trenton and Philadelphia.
me stream appearing as a duh blue
white ribbon 10 the aviator's eyes. 10
me south. Philadelphia showed ii
broad brick red block on the land
scape.e
Az ths day advanced this atmosphere
cleared materially and from ms tn1Ie
high elevation the aviator had pan
Drama. spread beneath him ef ala.
meter from horizon 10 horizon OF
aearly zoe miles.
The greatest attitude obtained by
Wood in the course of his flight was
1850 feet
~ Sis hts Baltimore.
baltimore. another duh red blur on
he laasd scape. with the blue waters 81
ne Chesapeake stretching 10 the
southWard from IT, was sighted AZ
Fac AT sac. having passed over the
monumental city Wood lost himself
ana tht Blue Bi-i. The Pennsylvania
-allroaa tunnels under Baltimore
principally and for this reason wood
waa anable ~ pick up his peace
maker at this point. The train ana
he monoplane were there at lhei
iame time.
On the west side Of Baltimore the
railways spread out like sticks OF a
IAN aud here IL was that WOOD eVl-
aentlv- picked up the Cockeysviile
sraDch Of the Penusyiva MIA, which
.l1ns aue west whereas the main line
rans rue southwark. Al any rate,
ne got about four points OF his pro"
per cam pass Just after leaving BAL
imore The result If this error ana
Ame aione prevented the aviator ifoHn
accommodating exactly what ne started
rat TO- d.. Although the air had
cleared materially In the course Of
X ferfrurv il WAS not clear enough
tor him TO sight Washington from the
western outskirts Of Baltimore. The
airing distance between the two
titles Il but little more than thirty
miles and on a perfectly clear day
Wood might have seen the Washington
monument,
AL CIV rate having taken course
100 far 10 northward Of his proper
direction. he kept on and after hav-
lng Travelled IN q trnahe,J e Nv aee or
Ing travelled more than forty miles
without sight or sign of his destina~
lion no came to the conclusion that
before exhausttng his supply Of pa
troll hE mad best descend
Dropping 10 earth by easy gradients
the Blue Bird alighted on a field Of
wheat stubhle about mile north OF
r;aithersburg, Md At the home OF the
farmer who owned the field the aNia-
tor found telephone and soon got
into connection with Washington.
The start from Galthersburg Tor
Fort Mver was made at b;24 CLOCK.
The Blue Bird assembled to a height If
nearly the mile and then sped In a
southeasterly direction straight for the
landing place At 5:44 the watchers
on the Fort Myer parade ground de
scribed the big dragon fly Wood APP
preached the parade ground AT the
full height az his blight Then At the
rnrfhNnrd edge shut Oft his engine and
volplanded In a wide eclipse, turning
riomay To the left Al "A height OF
about coo feet he started the engine
again. ascending slightly but maintain
Z fYYg ire curvEs- He approached the
parade ground second time at a
height less than 1000 feet. volplaned
again and curved once more TO the
left. At the end Of hts second circle
Wood brought the Blue Bird TO IA
point directly north Of the parade
ground and about / 900 feet from the
earth. From here the descent was
raade In line so straight that the
rnonoplane appeared az though run
ming upon a toboggan track With
the engine shut of and just the faint
est wfirr from the propeller. the Blue
Eird sped toward the broad grass plot
ROT the parade ground. 1T was no
fncre fnan zoe feet Iva the air at tht
u northward edge OF the parade ground
Twoe hundred and fifty yards from
NJ this point there had been fixed on tn,
III sward ~ cross of white muslin witt
arms 4khtecn feet In length. straigh
u Ut fhsaMhe Blue Bird sped and Wooe
MI IN "A M two Y{tti6 wheels tan ffar