The sun., 1919-09-30
BRAGG ESTABLISHES
SEAPIANE RECORD
Millionaire Sportsman, With
Passenger, Drives Machine
Up 10000 Feet.

Caleb s. Bragg, the millionaire sports
man who deserted automobile racing
several years ago for the faster speed
and greater thrills of airplanes, drove
n Looming hydromonoplane yesterday
at Manhasset Bay, L. l.. to a height OF
10000 feet, about four miles, and estab-
lished an official worlds record for sea-
planes.
The record is more remarkable for the
fact that 1t was made with a passenger,
Cole Younger of the American Flying
Club, and without the aid OF oxygen for
The men or any special preparation of
the machine The record is. of course, far
below that 1850 feet flight made re-
Gently by Roland Rohlfs in a Curtiss
Wasp triplane, a land machine. but the
experts OF the American Flying Club
who viewed 1t, including Lieut.. James b.
Taylor, Jr., formerly a naval test pilot.
agreed that 1t was an unusual achieve
ment for an airplane whose other ele-
ment is water.
Only a few members of the American
Flying Club, Grover c. Looming, de-
signer OF the plane, ard newspaper men
knew yesterday afternoon that the fight
was to be attempted, and not more than
twenty or thirty persons gathered at
Mr.. Braggs hangar at Port Washing
ton to watch the flight. The only in
dication that an attempt was to be made
to soar into the sky was the taking
aboard the trim seaplane OF three baro-
graphs to measure the height attained.
CIoudless and Almost No Wind.
The sky was absolutely cloudless and
there was practically no wind stirring
when Mr.. Bragg and his observer, Mr.
Younger. clined into the hydromono-
wore ordinary flying clothes supple
mented in Mr.. Bragg's case with a
leather coat. After few minutes tun-
ing up of the powerful 500 horsepower
Hispano-SuiZa motor the "ship" was
lowered down a marine railway into
the water. At 5:17 she started taxing
across the pllcid water. After a very
short squirt with her two pontoons plough
ing through and then sliding along the
surface of the water while white spray
dashed high over the gray body and
single wing, the electromagnetic
mounted into the air.
The minute she took off the pilot put
her to her task of climbing, and she
scared up and gradually faded to
speck over the Sound. In the thirteen
minutes in which she was visible to the
watchers she described a great triangle
in the air and then vanished into the
void over the sinking sun.
After almost an hour of watching a
keen eyed mechanic picked out a tiny
black speck in the sky coming from the
east. AS the plane glided downward
another black speck came into view
and crossed the path of the rapidly drop
ping monoplane. The second speck was
speedily identified as DE Haviland BIZ
plane by the watching experts, although
to the unskilled observers II was merely
black speck. The biplane cut few
aerial capers as II TO entice the de-
sCendingi monoplane to frolic, but the
gray winged seaplane kept steadily
downward She dropped into the water
an hour and two minutes after the start.
Her gasolene supply was almost ex
hausted, for only thirty gallons was car
ried the amount necessary to carry her
to her destination without hindering her
climbing powers by too great weight.
Otherwise she might have shown her tail
TO the sportive biplane, for although sea-
and-air craft are generally slower than
the land machines. the monoplane has
developed 131 miles an hour In tests.
Confirmed by Paragraphs.
mo wind, no clouds. no cold. about
20, 900 feet in fifty minutes" was the
report made by Mr.. Bragg, and his
observer and the Paragraphs bore him
out The day had been perfect for the
flight, and nothing untoward occurred
as the seaplane mounted to four miles
above the earth. The Paragraphs were
taken over by Mr.. Younger, Lieut.. Tay-
lor and Frank Vernon, the committee
sent by the American Flying Club.
The record will be homologated later
after the Paragraphs have been officially
tested. II is only $500 feet less than
the land record for a machine carrying
two people, which was established Sep
tember 6 last at Dayton, Ohio. by Major
r. w. Schroeder in lie Pere biplane.
The former seaplane record. as far as
is known-13, 800 feet-was established
by Mr.. Bragg himself at Manhasset In
F.. b. A. flying boat In March, 1917.
Mr. Bragg later served during the war
as chief test pilot for the army at Nc
Cook Field, Dayton. where he had the
rank OF Captain. After the war he re-
turned to seaplane flying at his private
hangar at Port Washington.
The hydromonoplane used yesterday
is practically the same machine as the
Iyoening monoplane, but is mounted on
two long pontoons instead of the wheels
| Of land craft. 1t has a wing spread of
as feet and is rs feet over all In length.
Empty II weighs l,750 pounds, and It
will carry a useful load OF 1000 pounds.
In addition TO the thirty gallons of
! gasolene the plane carried yesterday
! three gallons OF oil, 100 pounds OF water
and the two flyers. a total weight OF
about go pounds.
The electromagnetic is owned by the
navy. and will be used for scouting with
the fleet. Its great speed. faster than
any other seaplane here, or abroad as
well as its climbing ability makes II a
very valuable addition to the naval de-
fensIve and offensive weapons. The OBJ
server. who sits In the rear. operates a
machine gun In time Of war.