The Washington times., 1917-09-22
BIG ITALIAN
AEROS MAKE
RECORD TRIP
TO CAPITAL
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master General not caring to beard
one of the grim-looking guards.
Reporters and petty officials fumed
with the army officers behind that
line of khaki, but no one got through
IT, except the Italian ambassador and
several members of his stan and the
Italian officers who were on hand to
witness the fnish OF the flight.
By IL o'clock, the crowd was be-
ginning to grow restless and IL scat
tered over the adjacent portions of
the park to rest until some sign Of
the coming flyers appeared in the sky.
Several false alarms, due to prowling
buEzards high in the blue above, start
ed the crowd in q mad race toward
the polo field, but It was 11:16 o'clock
before a single flyer was spotted by
the crowd, on to the southeast, to-
ward the War College.
BaIdiOH Lands.
This flyer swung gracefully to the
north, over the Bureau OF Engraving
and Printing. As he passed over the
Monument he seemed just exactly
twice as high as the glistening shaft,
but he was evidently up at least ], 200
feet. Over the White House Ellipse,
he suddenly veered to the west and
then swung in q great half-circle
toward the south again.
This was Baldioli, the Italian, with
Lieutenant Lane as q passenger. They
located the great, white cross on the
Polo Grounds and the thick, knotted
masses OF people. Then, with q
thunder of engines that shook the
leaves on the park trees and caused
an uneasy drumming in the ears OF
the waiting thousands, Baidioli
swooped up the half-mile length Of
the field.
He swept up and down and up
again, while the crowd watched, too
Hwed to cheer. AS the plane swung
down toward the earth for its land
ing, the passenger in the seat behind
the pilot suddenly waved his hand
to the crowd and broke the spell. The
cheers that burst forth were almost
deafeninE.
At exactly 11:23 o'clock the wheels
of BaldiolFs plane touched the Polo
Grounds, and a mechanician threw
himself on one wing as II went by.
This swung the plane in q half-circle
AID headed It back toward the grand
stand
Fliers Congratulated.
Here the pilot and Lieutenant Lane
alighted from the car, and received
the congratulations Of the American
and Italian officers grouped about
the machine 1t was only about five
minutes later when the Caproni ma
chine, and its load of notables which
was supposed to include Secretary
of the Interior Lane, was spotted
about 5000 feet above the river, pos
sibly as far down as Alexandria.
It divsd through the end of a
cloud and emerged again into the
sunlight In front of 1t was another
great cloud and into this went the
plane too. only TO emerge on the other
side, its motors audible to the crowd
for the first time.
At the great height OF 5000 feet, It
was impossible to tell whether the
plane was big or small, The crowd
could see its colors-red, white and
Ereen-on the under side OF the body.
but that was all, while It circled and
circled and circled, searcing for the
white cross on the ground that was
half a block long, but almost in
visible from that height.
SpIraIs To Lower Level.
Slowly 1t began to spiral down and
as it spiralIed to the 2,OO0-foot mark,
the crowd began 70 gain an idea of
its size. II had three propellors,
eacch driven by a gigantic 1T5-horsS-
power engine OF the latest type.
From its under plane, hoated the
dags Of America and Italy. And in
q hood, to the fore, were seated what
looked like = dozen men, all unrecog-
nizable in their fur coats and leather
helmets.
The roar Of the big Caproni ma
chine was deafening as IL took its
dive toward the ground TO land. II
roared down the polo field and stop
ped near the band stand. and out be-
gan to climb q queer assortment OF
human beings. who fought for a mo-
ment with stiff, cramped muscles, and
who thrashed their arms to restore
circulation.
But the crowd could not learn who
was in the new arrival Somehow or
other, the line of regulars hadn't
proved as grim and hInty as tiAdver-
tised itself, and here and there q civ
ilian had leaked through, while the
ll1G OF EudTuSr DAChco Up Dy IhelT or
ders, kept out those who really should
have been on the ground as a matter
of business and professional interest.
Nine Men On Plane.
Later on, a canvass OF the pas.
senger list revealed that the Ca
prom had brought from Norfolk. in
approximately two hours, a group
OF nine men. There were the two
pilots, Resnati and Tappi. OF the
Italian air service; H. +. Kubel, a
DR.. S. S. Stratton, of the
Bureau of Standards; DR.. w. L. Dur
land, chairman OF the advisory com
mittee for aeronsutics; W. d. Stout,
now with the council OF
national defense "a signal corps
photographer, and two mechanicians.
They received the congratulations
OF all present and the maneuvers over
the held were then ready to begin.