New Ulm review., 1913-07-23
Thousands View
Airship Flights
Fine Weather Enables Ward
To Give Splendid Ex-
hibition.
Auto and Biplane in Exciting
Race Twice About
Racetrack.

Three thousand feet above the
staring, spell-bound spectators, soar
ing straight away into the blue sky
Of perfect July day, Jimmie Ward,
the "Boy Aviator" made the third
of his scheduled flights Sunday af-
ternoon. 1t was on this flight that
Ward flew nearly to St. George to
the north following the Minnesota
river and, circling to the south, flew
over Herman's Heights and turned
above Summit Avenue and returned
to the Fair Grounds, having been
gone only short quarter of an hour.
The events of Sunday were as
complete success as the ones
scheduled for Saturday were fail
ure. Perfect aviation weather which
was at the same time perfect auto
mobiling weather brought out all the
machines in the city and scores from
the surrounding cities and farms.
The grandstand was filled and hund-
reds of baseball fans crowded the
field near the diamond to watch New
Ulm dish out Is to 5 defeat to the
husky lads from Lamberton. The
Fair Management reports q paid ad-
mission crowd numbering nearly two
thousand adults. AS on Saturday,
however, the greater number of the
spectators allowed their neighbors to
pay their price of admission, being
content to get the thrills of the
flight without in any way contribut-
ing to the financial success. Fully
twenty-five hundred persons lined up
outside the fence instead of inside
and proceeded to get something for
nothing.
Saturday less than one hundred
persons paid admission to the
grounds but there were five times as
many outside looking in, evidently
afraid of the biplane and not dar-
ing to take the risk of it's falling on
them and flattening their purses to
the extent Of half a dollar. The mon
ey was therefore refunded to those who
had paid admission, all agreeing that
Ward did the right thing in refusing
to risk his life for people who were
not willing to pay for a decent burial
for him. Sundays crowd in meas
ure redeemed the situation, but New
Ulm will certainly receive consider
able free advertising as a town of
tight-wads.
Four flights in all were made by
Ward during which he made what is
known to the profession as Fright
angle banks" and cleft angle banks"
in other words turns both to right
and left, something not all aviators
can accomplish. In the first flight
Ward encircled the field twice, rising
to height of 200 feet and volplaned
gently to earth, stopping within fifty
feet of the place Of starting. In the
second flight he gave an exhibition
of fancy flying, short spiral turns
and figure eights. The fourth and
last flight was race between the
biplane and Ed. Larson Of the auto
firm of Larson & Stone. Mr.. Lar
son reports a speed of forty y-nine
miles an hour, but as the biplane
flies between sixty-fve and seventy
miles per hour, Mr.. Ward was con-
siderably in the lead the second time
about the track in spite of the big
dust raised by the little grey car.
The machine used by Ward is val
ued at $4,000. 1t is an S-cylinder,
60 h. p. Curtiss Biplane, into the
construction of which Ward has in
corporated certain of his own i'm
provements. At close range it looks
like frail thing to venture into the
airy heavens with. 1t consists of
two main horizontal planes between
which is placed the motor. The stays
~ a. o1x, %xu1 foI
bles and the braces of spruce as is
the propeller. A "tail" consisting Of
two small planes set at right angles
to each other and to the sustaining
planes forms the rudder of the ship.
The planes consist of a light rectan-
gular frame covered with a sort of
light weight coil CLOTH" This is all
that appears to the casual observer
save the little seat in front of the |
motor, several small pneumatic tired |
wheels under the body for running |
along the ground and the big purring
sound of the powerful engine that
fills the air as the ascent is made.
When interviewed by a Review re-
porter, Mr.. Ward modestly owned up
to a bare twenty-one years. He is
a slight, boyish-appearing fellow who
has been following his line Of endea-
vor for five years. The machine ne
had here was the one in which ne
flew from New York to Chicago on
his coast to coast flight. When ask
ed about sensations Ward said that
going up in the forty-foot steps the
makes when going rapidly
upwards is like riding in swiftly
elevator. His next flights
will be made d. Mankato next Sat-
urday and Sunday and after that ne
will fly at various fairs all over the
He came here from Wor-
thington where he made an ascent OF
$500 feet. The field here, lying as it
does, between two hills, is hard one
10 fly over, the unequal currents OF !