The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-05-20

In the Curtisy hangar, the young
trail blazer, after porting carefully
over weather charts, played with
stray kitten. he donncd mis- tying
suit about 1880 a. IN. five minutes
fore boarding the plane, he smilingiy
remarked to Chief Abraham Skid.
more Of the Nassau county police:
"When enter the cockpit, it's like
going into the death chamber. When
l get to Paris it will be like getting
n pardon from the governor"
Thousands Sec the H0p.off
A crowd which started assembling
by twos and thrces before midnight
and swelling to thousands at day
light, saw the hop-off. Lindbcrgh
was frequently cheercd. He was
given cheer when, he appeared at
his hangar, another when he crawled
into the plane and again AS he start
ed down the field and then climbed
into the uir. He did not hear the
last one.
The on-loOkcrs were more excited
than Lindbcrgh. He was cool
enough, or he would not have been
able to leave the ground. He ate
little before the start but that was
not because he was nervous, he ex-
planned. He just was not hungry.
And in spite Of the fact that he
has not had full quota of sleep
! since he has been waiting for u
chance to fly away, he was wide
awake when he left. Paris, he said,
is a good place in which to sleep.
Two Planes Left behind
Lindbcrgh, who had waited n week
ut Garden City for the weather to
clear sufficiently to give him what
he considered Il chance to make the
non stop flight to Paris, left beh ind
two planes groomcd for New York to
Paris flights. The America is not
ready and will probably not be able
to start this week even IL the spon-
sors and commander desired. From
the first, the sponsors have stressed
that the proposed flight is scientific
and will not be made Il race in any
sense by the America
The Rail- ca monoplanc Column
bus is said to be ready to 20 II it's
owners agree on a crew, and emerge
.ic.ors ~ BroOkiyn court acton
| scheduled for this afternoon in
which Lloyd W. Bcrtaud. selected
with Clarence D. Chambcrlin to pilot
the plane. seeks to restrain the Col
umbia Aircraft corporation and
Charles A. Levine from sending the
plane to Paris with another naviga-
tor in Bcrtaud's scat.
Steals March on Rivals
by his unheraldcd departure,
Lindbcrgh stole march on his
rivals, the Bcllanca plane and Com
mander Richard E. Byrd.
The Bellanca plane is being held
on the ground by an injunction, is
sued to Lloyd Bcrtaud, deposed navi-
gator, against Charles A. Levine,
managing director Of the Columbia
Aircraft company.
Commander Byrd and his crew
still have some tests to make before
they will be ready to hop off. In
| addison to this, one of the three
engines of Byrd's Fokker monoplane
developed valve trouble yesterday,
forcing curtailment Of Il test flight.
The Americas preparation to act
as an escort for the. Spirit Of St.
Louis were disarrangcd by. the un-
expected departure of CAPTAIN
Lindbcrgh. Commander Byrd came
down to find how long he should
stand by to escort the young Mis-
sourian, and Lindbergh dashed away
before the big Fokker plane could
get into the air again.
Began Flying in 1922
Conquest of the air first became
a serious thought to Charles A.
l.indbergh in 1922, when he aban-
doned farming on the estate Of his
! father, the late Congressman Charles
A. Lindbergh, near Little Falls, Min
nesota, and entered the air service.
Progress marked his study, and he
became lieutenant, captain, and a
pilot in the air mail service. Twice
after becoming flyer he returned
to Little Falls, and when his father
died in May, 1924, scattered his ashes
from q plane over the old home farm
near Melrose. This he did in ac-
cordance with wish Of his parent.
Born in 1902 in Detroit, Michigan,
where his mother resides, Captain
Lindbergh is the only son Of the sec
ond Mrs. Lindbergh. The family
home at that time was in Little Falls.
A Natural Mechanic
IN 1918 ne was graduated from
Little Falls high school. and entered
the University of Wisconsin to
study engineering. Remaining at
the institution but a wear or two. he
returned to take up farming. While
his father engaged in poiit.cal ac.,v-
tiles, the younger Lindbergh and his
mother lived on the farm, where he
was fond of stock and skillful in
handling machinery. according to
Carl Bolander, Little Falls real cs-
tate man and a close friend Of the
family.
Residents who know him at Little
Falls recall exploits Of daring with
a motorcycle. which was his mount
before he forsook il for an air craft
He was generally known, however,
as reserved youth and deep
thinker.