New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-09
Mrs. Sauf1ey First Woman
to Soar in Air Boat
Above Skyscrapers.
PLAYS LEAP FROG
WITH RIVER BRIDGES
Flies Entire Length of Island,
Controlling Plane Herself
in Test of Device.

yesterday from an altitude Of three
thousand feet. She was the first wom-
an to get a peep at this city from just
that point Of view.
The woman was Mrs. Helen 0Tear
Ssufey, wife Of Lieutenant r. c. Sauf
ley, supervisor of aeroplsne construc-
tion for the navy. The lieutenant has
teen at the navy yard for several
weeks making tests OF the Sperry gyro-
scope. Yesterday was the last day Of
his experimental flights. and he was
SC wek satisfied with the safety Of the
device that he acceded TO his wife's
suggestion that she make the oonclud-
ing test.
Mrs. SauAey is only twenty-five years
old, but she is no novice at going up
in aeroplanes. Her husband made some
sensational flights, and she has accom-
panied him on many of them.
Felt No Anxiety for Her.
Therefore he had no particular ,anx-
iety in letting her take q trip over the
rivers and harbors and skyscrapers of
New York. She went up with Law
renee Sperry, the twenty two year-old
son Of Elmer Sperry, inventor of the
stabiizer. starting from the navy yard
basin about 4 o'clock in wo-passen-
ger Curtiss flying boat.
The route took them, after a circle
over Williamsburg like homing pig
con searching for its direction, down
the East River. under Manhattan and
Brooklyn bridges and on around the
toe of Manhattan TO the Battery. From
there. with Mrs. Sauhey handling the
controls, q shoot was made over Gov
~ ,nbt doup Tho Mar
rows.
"She had full control of running the
machine" Mr.. Sperry said, "and did 1t
like a veteran. She changed direction
and altitude at will. OF course, the
stabilizcr maintained the equilibrium
OF the machine, but she was doing the
running"
From the Narrows a turn back was
made to the Statue of Liberty. and
there Mrs. Sauhey brought the great
bird down in & long swoop to about the
level of the goddess head and made
two circles around the statue.
Flew Over WoOlworth Tower.
"Thcn came the most wonderful part
of the whole trip" Mrs. Sauf1ey said.
Eve went from the Statue Of Liberty
10 the centre Of Manhattan Island. We
went right over the tower of the Wool
worth Building. 1t seemed to be try
ing 10 reach up to where we were
From there the course led straight up
Manhattan Island until the Harlem
River was reached. Over the Harlem
River the young pilot executed the most
spectacular maneuvre of the fight.
"She put the machine through what
we call the 360-degree spiral" Mr..
Sperry said. THAT is, she banked the
machine and made a complete descend
ing circle. volplaning all the time with
out power and ending up at an altitude
many hundred feet lower than that Of
the start The tests yesterday were
designed especially 20 try the stabilizer
in voiplaning. It worked perfectly"
After this evolution, the fight fol-
lowed the Harlem River to the East
River, and along that over the Queens
boro and Williamsburg bridges, back to
a landing on the water at the navy yard
basin.
at was the most delightful expert
ence have ever had" Mrs. Saufey said
at the Hotel Montague, Brooklyn. last
night. 81 have been up many times
before. so, Of course, that wasn't new
10 me. but never was in full control OF
a machine before. And, of course,
never made such a wonderful fight as
over all the great buildings Of New
York.
Thinks Stabili,er Marvellous.
81 think the Sperry stabilizer is mar
vellous. If my husband doesn't make a
favorable report on it to the govern
ment | will make one of my own about
it,"
You can decide for yourself whether
that would be minority or majority
report. Mrs. Saufey is Southern girl,
from Frankfort, KY. She is pretty, so
that whatever you call 1T, her report
ought to carry considerable weight. She
has been married TO Lieutenant Sauhey
three years.
She was dressed yesterday in her
ordinary street clothes, as the decision
to make the fight was made on the
impulse and there was no time Tor
nrenaration. 1t came after her husband
returned from the last flight of his
tests filled with enthusiasm over the
way the machine behaved.
The only concession she MADE 10
aeroplane convention was to put on
pair of flying goggles TO save her eyes
from the rush of cold air In the hlgh
attitudes. She slipped raincoat over
her heavy coat, as the upper heights
lacked misty She suffered consider
able discomfort, she said. from the cold
but was too interested in what she was
doing and seeing really to mind that.
The whole fight took half an hour'
end the distance covered was about
tb;rtv-fye miles. The wind was squally
and the air was filled with "holes," as
the ayiators say. But all of these were
only added features of interest.
The only woman to make hlgnt pre-
viously over New York Bay was harriet
Quimby, who later met ner DEAN "hiae
The city. combining her fights to the