The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-27
100000 SEE PAIR
WED IN AIRPLANE
Wireless Telephone and Re.
producers Make Ceremony
Audible to Throngs..
THRILLS AT FIELD DAY
Police Guido Previous Efforts
in Programme Presented
Before Vast Crowd.


One out of every sixteen persons In
the city Of New York went to Sleeps
head Bay Speedway yesterday afternoon
for the police games. And between two
OF the best straphangers' battles the Is.
r. T. ever staged the vast. crowd. nearly
100000, sat through thrilling after
noon OF Rpectacles which ran the full
gamut In their appeal to the emotions.
There was the mock blood and the
real thunder OF battle well ehammed.
there were the titillating antics OF
hundred clowns, there was the dare
deviltry of such horseinanship as only
the men OF the mounted squad can ex-
habit and the newer daredeviltry OF
darling, roaring airplnnes from which
leaped men In parachutes, and there was
the unbelievable speed of a half dozen
racing automobiles swirling about the
board track to a new worlds record for
ten miles. Then there was the thrill
that came at the performances OF two
hundred of the city's best athletes IN
the field and track events and In the
gymnastic drills OF the police training
school and the perilous dive of old Capt
Speedy from his hundred foot mast into
a four foot tank Of water.
Anthem Thrills Throngs.
These were the things that raised the
hair. But there were others that raised
the heart For instance. when Mines.
Rosa and Carmelia Ponselle of the Met
ropolitan stood IN front of Nahan
Franko's orchestra singing THE Star
Spangled Banner and dozen bands,
q trained chorus of 1000 and the whole
vast assemblage Of more than quarter
OF million Joined in 1t, 1t would have
been Rolshevik indeed who failed to
stand at attention, raise his hat and
thrill at the vast and laundering vol
ume of song.
But these were Just the ordinary thrills
of such a carnival as only the greatest OF
cities could give. The great thrill OF
the day was the sentimental. 1t was the
wedding of Lieut.. George Burgess of the
Army Air Service to Miss Millie X.
shaeffer of Brooklyn. performed by wire
less telephone while the bride and BRIDE
groom. the minister and the NEST man,
SCARED In aifpiares 1900 feet above the
crowd and the crowd, by an ingenious
arrangement Of repeaters and mega
phones, heard tho words of the prayers
and the responses.
OF course, not all the crowd heard 1t.
but many hundreds did. Probably as
many pes,sons heard the. responses as
hear them at an ordinary wedding. This
wedding followed precedent in only one
Respectable brides responses were IN
audible But Lieut.. Burgess and the
bride were sure they had been given
when they were brought blushing, both
of them, to permit Gov. Smith to be the
first to congratulate them and to i'm
plant a fatherly kiss on the brides cheek.
The crowd felt pretty sure 1t was all
right, anyway, for the voice OF the
Rev Alexander Wouters of the Edge
wood Dutch Reformed Church came
clear as a bell through the ether and
over the megaphone circuits at the end
OF the ceremony saying:
IT pronounce you man and wife,"
It was the brides third ascent in an
airplane. She had tried 1t on Wednes-
day and again this morning when a
full rehearsal of the ceremony was held
at the Speedway. At that she was dis
tinctly nervous. CARRIED in pretty
costume OF pink tulle she sat with her
mother and about forty members OF her
own and the bridegroom's family until
Just before the time for the ceremony.
Added to the usual nervousness of the
bride was the strain of sitting for
several hours as the cynosure of the
thousands Of eyes which passed before
her place in the grand stand. Though
she was alternately pale and flushed
and though she bit her lip, she stood up
bravely and walked steadily and grace
fully to a waiting automobile when the
time came.
Maid OF Honor BaIks.
She was accompanied by the bride.
groom and by the maid OF honor-anc
at the last minute the maid of honol
decided that the air was not for hel
and refused to ride aloft with Col. Archie
Miller, commanding officer of the Ions
Island fields, who offered her his plane
and his pilots skill. She witnessed
the ceremony from place beside the
brides mother in the grand stand, 6
pair of telephone receivers glued to hei
ears and her eyes glued to the three
little specks high among the fleec,
clouds.
AS for the bridegroom-Lieut,B Burgess
Yesterday smashed all records for nerve
Though he was compelled by fortune
TO serve his two years In the army or
this side of the water. exploits will
Boche machine. gun nests which hav'
earned d. s. C.s and things are In
significant before what he did yester
day. He drove his plane. married hi
wife, and brought her safely back Z
earth again He even slipped the rinl
on her finger. leaning far back int
the after cockpit where she sat. at thu
proper time
The ceremony, as read by the Rev
DIR. W0uterS, would prOpaDly De nIurSl
cally unacceptable had 1t been takeI
down in shorthand but ii was all there
First the listeners amid the husheC
throng heard his strong voice intone Z
prayer ending with a profound amen
Then. almost ludicrously, the GROVE
heard the mysterious voice take OF
tone OF intimate worry.
Hello, hello, hello" II said. George
George, GeorgeI Do you hear me?"
For a moment no answer came. Their
again:
'Georgev 70 almost peremptorily
George, I'm asking II you can hear me.
20, yes, DOCTOR came the surprised
answer 81 hear you perfectly" and bet
were even as to whether Georges alb
straction was caused by flying or marry
ing at that particular moment.
"You viii now make your VOWS" tn,
minister went on. DO you hear me
Hello, hello, hello!"
Orchestra Escorts Them.
Eyes, all right. DOCTOR" replied tn,
groom, but even 1900 feet in the air h,
was not to get of as informally as that
His hearty yes was soon recorded II
response TO tine minister's grave query
.Do you take Mile for your Lawful
wife till death shall you part?" AS re
corded, the bride replied too. though hei
voice did not carry over the tenuous cir
cults of the. other.
When they descended TO earth again