The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1920-08-03
LYON OF NJ 'DERM|TT
TELLS ABOUT PLANE

During the heyday OF the National
gold mine in Humboldt county some
dozen years ago when they were TAX
ing the yellow metal out in chunks
sometimes exceeding $4,000 in value.
j. NJ f"Poe'D Lyon achieved consid-
cradle Of reputation as deputy sher-
iff and peace officer of the roaring
camp at National. He now conducts
a garage at McDermitt, says the Ga
zette. His place of business is novel
for one reason, because its front
door in in Nevada and the rear is
in Oregon. This garage, also, is a
hundred miles from a railroad. and
is frequently most welcome oasis
10 the autoists crossing the desert
from Winnemucca to Boise.
Lyon and his son, Arthur, were in
Reno Monday The latter probably
will remain for some slight surgical
treatment, while the father returned
homeward last night. They came in
an automobile. The Humboldt man
gave most interesting account of
the arrival of the first airplane at
McDermitt. He says Ralph Mont
eomery. one of the proprietors of the
Orevada hotel (also on the line) with
four or five associates, Clipped in"
$3.50 to induce the airship man, who
was giving exhibitions at Winnie
mucca, to make the trip over the an
cient trail from the county seat of
Humboldt to the old Indian fort-a
trail which is yet being traversed by
siXteen-horse outfits" for the trans
portation of freight, REQUIRING six
days to make the one-way trip. The
airship. leaving Winnemueca Sunday
morning, week ago, with copies of
The Silver State. made the trip in
fifty-five minutes.
Lyon declared that inhabitants of
NcDermitt received the airplane with
/. Utmost nthusiasm-much as they
hold horseraces at the border settle
ment-and demanded trial rides, to a
man. Ralph Montgomery and another
passenger were aloft within fifteen
minutes after the arrival of the air
plane. he says. and more than twenty
trips were made with passengers be-
fore nightfall-all at charge OF ten
dollars per head.
Lyon and his wife and three chill
dren took the novel ride. not all at
once, however. because. as the garage
man explained the matter, they con-
cluded it would be unwise to take the
chance of leaving the children without
proper protectors in case the novel
craft, with father and mother aboard,
should do a tail-spin, or a nOse-dive
or a volpane into the ocean, or some
other unorthodox stunt they had read
of.
While her husband returned with
his machine for another load of pas
sengers to the race-track landing
field, Mrs. F. r. Sprague. wife of the
pioneer banker of McDermitt, begged
place in the airshlp in advance OF ner
turn. because Mr.. Sprague had coun-
seled against her going up. The lat
ter returned just in time to see his
wife soaring away in the direction
in which heaven is supposed to be
located, and he held hands with him
self until her safe return.
Every ascent and landing was made
without jar, according to Lyon, and
now McDermitt is solidly "for" the
machine, which brings the community
within an hour of a railroad.
Little Joe" Ugarizza, manager of
the Jaca Commercial Company at Nc
Dermitt, has announced his intention
of having a plane as soon as first
class one may be obtained.