The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-01-16
CURTISS BIPLANES
VISIT BAMBERC
AIR SQUADRON SPEND NIGHT IN
THIS CITY.
Bamberg's First Sight
of Big Airplanes
Mapping Country for Aerial Mail
Routes. - One Machine is
Wrecked on Return Trip.

After weeks of anxious waiting, the
people of the city were treated Wed
nesday afternoon to the sight of
three airplanes, the first aerial visit
Bamberg has ever experienced. The
] planes arrived about four o'clock on
| Wednesday, two of them being at an
altitude on arrival Of 1000 feet and
the other at 1900 feet. For some
| fifteen minutes the planes circled
! gracefully over the city, giving the
folks an opportunity to witness some
aerial stunts. 1t was intended for
the planes to land at he baseball
park, but the aviators found that the
park was too small to admit of a-safe
landing, and some difficulty was ex-
| perienced before a suitable location
could be found to alight. One of
the machines landed at the old race
track, but as the landing was found
to be bad, the other two sought an
other landing, finally settling down
in a field near Mr.. G.. Frank Bam-
berg's home.
The airplane squadron was in
charge of Lieut.. T. w. Symons, the
| other aviators being: Lieut.. G. V.
| Kelley, Lieut.. G.. A. Mann, Lieut.. H.
| A. Boggs, Lieut.. w. j. Welsh, and
| Sergeant George Biddle. Lieut..
Boggs is a native Carolinian, being
a Charlestonian. All of the others
are natives of other States.
The machines are Curtiss biplanes.
They were %enroute from Souther
Field. Americas, Ca, to Charleston,
via Macon, Ga. Stops were made at
Macon, Augusta, Aiken and Bam-
berg. The trip from Souther Field
aviation station, a distance of 23O
miles to Bamberg, was made in 210
minutes, flying time.
The purpose of the trip was to
map the country for landing fields
and possible locations for airdromes
for transcontinental aerial mail
routes.
The plane piloted by Lieuts. Boggs
and Kelley found difficulty in max
ing a landing here, the ground being
found too soft. The aviators asked
The Herald to express their thanks
to the Carlisle boys for their valua-
BILE assistance in ~extricating the
ship.
Lieut.. Welsh talked in a most in
t~eresting manner of the great work
in which he is engaged. He told
The Herald that the work being done
by, the Souther Field aviation sta
ton in mapping this section of the
country for airplane mail routes is
in cooperation with 40 other SINH
lar stations distributed throughout
the United States. When the work
of mapping the country is completed
a composite report will be made, and
this report will contain invaluable
information for the future aeronaut-
ical development of the country. A
notable fact in connection with the
aviation station at Souther Field is
that since being put in operation in
May, 1918, Lieut.. Welsh said, only
one accident has occurred resulting
in a fatality.
The trip to Bamberg was made at
an average altitude of 1000 @eet.
Mayor Rentz, Lieut.. Welsh stated,
has offered every cooperation on the
part of Bamberg in establishing a
suitable landing field here.
Asked what we're the possibilities
of an airdrome and aviation landing
being established in Bamberg, Lieut..
Welsh stated that he could merely
say that the squadron was ordered
to stop in Bamberg and investigate
the aerial possibilities of the town,
but he added that the fact that they
were ordered to stop here showed
that it was entirely possible that such
a station might be established. The
only cooperation on the part of the
town would be, he said, to enlarge
the baseball park sufficiently to make
a safe landing.
All of the visiting aviators were
enthusiastic in their praises of the
hospitality of the people of the city,
by whom they were entertained We'd
nesday night and Thursday morning
during their stay in Bamberg.
Arrive in Charleston.