The Washington herald., 1921-01-19
Kept Doors
OF 8 Mayors
Veteran Policeman Holds
Unique Place in History
of NeLD York.
By RAYMOND G. CARROLL.

NEW YORK, Jan. 1S.-IntimateIy
to know eight mayors OF New York
has been the remarkable experience
Of Lieut.. William Kennel. of the po-
lice department. who has just been
transferred to the chief inspectors
ONCE at headquarters. He began as
majOr-domO of the mayors ONCE
back in 1895 during the administrs-
ton Of the late Mayor William L
Strong.
An athlete of fine appearance,
possessing exceptional tact and
speaking German. Italian. Yiddish
and French, as well as political
United States. Lieut.. Bill" became
indispensable for the job Of guard
ing the outer doors of the chief
executive at City Hail.
Served Continually.
In that capacity he successfully
served as his hair whitened, Mayors
Robert a. Van Wyck, Seth Low,
George &. Mcclellan. William j..
Gaynor, Ardolph L. Kline. John, Pur-
roy Mitchell and John p. Haylan. No
notable from a foreign shore Wis
ited city hall who did not pass along
the courtesy lane Kennel paved into
the mayors inner chambers. His
memory of faces and names is
astounding, and his acquaintance
list is the longest probably in the
entire country. He saved many of
the mayors from cranks, and the
secret of Official life he holds in his
keeping would fill volumes
Ten months ago his health failed,
and he was removed to the Mount
Sinai Hospital for a serious opera
ton from which he has not recov-
cred His wife told the writer this
afternoon over the phone he was
still very weak and that his trans
fer, away from the mayors once
she understood, was made because
of his long fitness. Lieut.. Bill"
is only one of the unsung heroes to
be found in any great city.
Explain BaIIoeninE.
"A balloon is simply a floating
elevator" remarked c. Augustus
Post today at the Aero Club, where
the subject of talk is exclusively
balloons since the marooning Of
the three navy aeronauts in the
frozen wilds Of Ontario after an
soO-mile drift from their starting
point at Rockaway. He added
Like an automobile, a balloon can
/ he EtParal in -
Its directions under control are
on different plane to the dimen-
siohs of space-instead of right and
lett, they are up and down"
Alan r. Hawley, who. with Mr..
Post, some years ago did a 1,lT3-
mile balloon drift from st. Louis
into Canada. said: ITO steer up
ward, you toss out sandbags. To
steer downward, you open a valve
OF the globular bag and let some
gas escape"
Both Hawley and Post have be-
| come fresh -ceriters of interest be-
cause of the similarity of their ex-
iperience to that Of the navy men.
They explained that the chief dan
ger of ballooning is in the descent,
when the grapnel sometimes trails
over the ground at ten or twenty
miles an hour, Jerking the balloon
violently until at length some OBJ
struction, such as the bank of a
stream or the roots of a tree, af-
fords frm hold.
The life OF a modern gasbag in
the air is two days and two nights.
The adding OF right and left steera-
gibility to the balloon is attatned
in the dirigible. AS the ballocnist
talked at the Aero Club, the air
plane experts stood around in at
titudes of amused disinterest. Such
is the measure of the, keen rivalry
between heavier-thsn-air folk and
those who study the air currents
for their thrills.
(oopvrirht 1871 pxblic Ledser Col