Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-23

continued From First PaRe.)
on May 81, 1878, is now called by the
Chamber of Commerce "the cradle of
aviation" because Of what CurtisS and
his associates did there.
At the age OF Is he started q bicycle
shop, as did those other pioneers of
American aviation, the Wright brothers,
and from that went into bicycle racing.
He sought some means to make them
go faster, but there were no engines
that would meet the demand, so Cur
tiss decided to make one.
Used Can for Carburetor.
With a tomato can for q carburetor,
ne built his FIRST motor bicycle in
1901. He continued to experiment with
lightweight motors and evolved his ia
nous V-type motor, departure in de-
sign reflected In the radial airplane en-
glnes OF today. In 1902 he won the
New York State road race, competing
with the best riders of two continents.
In 1904 he set q speed record at Or
mond Beach, Fla, OF 10 miles in 8
minutes and 81 seconds and in 1906,
over the same course, travelled faster
than any man ever had before, mile
In rs 2-5 seconds, or at the rate of ap-
proximately 140 miles an hour. That
record stood for years.
His fame spread and drew the atten-
ton OF the late Maj. Thomas Scott
Baldwin, builder and operator OF bal
looms. In 1904 the two men met In
Hammondsport and installed a Curtiss
motor IN Baldwin's balloon, the Cali
fornia Arrow. With this machine they
made circular flight to Oakland, Cali.
In August, 1904. first to fly that way.
From that time on the name of Cur
tiss has been as closely linked with air.
plane as horse with buggy, ship with
sea.
DR.. Alexander Graham Bell, inventor
OF the. telephone, commissioned Curtiss
| to build motor for man-carrying
kite. Mrs. Bell joined with him In
financing what was called the Aerial
Experiment Association. Gliders were
| experimental with a for time, and
then the men turned their attention to
/ powered airpianes.
| First Flight In 1898.
Lieut.. Thomas Selfridge, one OF the
associates, was responsible for the first
machine, known as the Red Wing
which made its first flight March IL
1908, over ice-covered Lake Keuka, near
Hammondsport.
| Curtiss, in his turn, demonstrated q
plane he called the June Bug. He used
less wing spread, higher powered mo-
| JOT, SIIdu IlOt lLOhtdl IubdCAo ~ CdNAA
wing tip, forerunner of the present day
ailerons.
The Scientific American had Offered
a prize for the airplane that first would
fly a kilometer at an announced, ON
cially observed test. CurtiSs accepted
the challenge and set July 4, 1908, Al
the date, at the old race track near
Hammondsport. The magazine reported
the fight as follows:
THE instant II was released the aero
plane shot forward with constantly in.
creasing velocity. It required only /:
seconds and distance OF 100 feet be-
fore the machine rose into the air. Al
he approached the end of the track, Mr.
@. H. Curtiss, the aviator, steered hi
machine to the left in order to pas
around the vineyard. The machine KEEP
rising. 1t sped rapidly on at heigh
of some 20 feet. AS it neared the I'm
ishing post 1t dropped to a height OF !!
feet, and then continued onward, max
ing q wide sweep to the left. The dis
lance traversed was easily a MILE"
The experimental group built anothe
successful machine then disbanded
Curtiss kept on He put floats on tn,
June Bug and called 1t the Loon.
Established California Camp.
He worked and labored, tested. tor,
up. built anew. In 1911 he established
camp at North Island, near San Diego
, Calf, and with Lieut. Ellyson of tn
! Navy and Capt. Beck Of the Army. Sc