Sees Commercial Use of Flying Craft Soon

1916

Aviator Says Aeroplanes Will Be Used for Express and Mail Service Within Few Years.

"I expect to see aeroplanes in daily commercial use within two or three years. They will be used for high-class express and mail service and there will be no trouble of these machines crossing the ocean."

This was the statement made by Art Smith, 22 years old, champion "loop-the-loop" aviator, who is in a Chicago hospital for treatment of a leg which he injured in an accident in Japan.

Smith said he would not fly again himself, but that he planned to become interested in a $5,000,000 plant for the manufacture of aeroplanes in Japan.

"I think some of the aeroplanes in military use in Europe now can fly across the Atlantic," said Smith. One of the latest Curtiss machines in the British army has three motors and measures ninety feet from tip to tip of its wings. It is equipped with boats and can travel on water."

Smith has had a romantic and brilliant career as an aviator. He built his own aeroplane in Fort Wayne, Ind., when 16 years old. It was in this machine that he flew with his sweetheart to Hillsdale and was married. It was the first aeroplane elopement.

—The Saturday Blade, Chicago, Sept. 16, 1916, p. 9.

Teacher Refuses Tribute to Santa Claus

1910

By Samuel Parker of Chicago

During the recent holiday season a teacher in one of the Chicago public schools was subjected to not a little criticism for refusing to pay tribute to the Santa Claus myth, declaring it to be wrong morally to teach a child a falsehood or to tell the child anything as a truth which it would discover to be false later on.

Instead of being a target for thoughtless ridicule that teacher should command the respect of every teacher and parent who conscientiously regards the moral training of children. The holiest thing this side of heaven is the faith of a little child and he who carelessly or purposely abuses it perpetrates a wrong from which the abused child seldom fully recovers. If parents and friends would sidetrack the heathen myth and bestow their endearing gifts in their own names the dear children would be just as happy and escape the shock of falsehood and deception at the hands of those who ought to love them too well to expose them to such danger.


Romance of the Future

"Do you see that cloud? It was behind one just like that that I first kissed you." — Town and Country.

Orville Wright Is Aeroplane King

Printed Aug. 1909

Dayton Aviator Sets New Record for Endurance

Washington. — Flying 50 miles, which is more than double the distance across the English channel, Orville Wright, the American "king of the air," Tuesday at Fort Myer, broke the aeroplane endurance record, with Lieut. Frank P. Lahm, as a passenger. The machine was in the air one hour, 12 minutes and 40 seconds.

The former record was made last year by his brother Wilbur, joint inventor with him of the machine in which both achievements were performed, at Le Mans, France, with Prof. Painleve of the French institute as passenger. That flight was one hour, nine minutes and 31 seconds.

The cheering which heralded the setting of a new mark in the conquest of the air was led by President Taft in person, who was an intensely interested spectator throughout the flight, and who insisted at its conclusion upon personally congratulating the brothers upon their success. This success was all-important to the Wrights in that it completed the first of two crucial tests of their machine imposed upon them by the United States government — the so-called "endurance test," which required them to remain one hour continuously in the air with one passenger.


Attempt to Fly Across English Channel Fails

Dover, England. — Hubert Latham's second attempt to fly across the English channel ended disastrously Tuesday. Almost in the moment of victory his monoplane fluttered down into the sea two miles beyond the Admiralty pier, like a bird with a broken wing. Thousands of persons crowding the water front saw the fall and feared Latham was dead.

A flock of large and small craft raced to the scene of the disaster, and a pinnace from the British battleship Russell picked up the unlucky flyer and put him aboard the French torpedo boat destroyer Escopette. After a surgeon had attended to his injuries the destroyer brought Latham ashore and he was taken to the Lord Warden hotel. His face was bandaged and bleeding and his nose was broken. The machine, badly wrecked, was hoisted from the boat to the dock.

Author of "Flying Machine" Poem Sees First Airplane

Author of "Darius Green and His Flying Machine"

1910

John Townsend Trowbridge Wrote the Poem 40 Years Ago, and the Whole Country Laughed

Boston. — Among the thousands of persons who witnessed the recent aviation meet at Boston there was no more interesting spectator than John Townsend Trowbridge, author of the poem, "Darius Green and his Flying Machine," which made the whole country laugh 40 years ago.

Despite his advanced age, 83, Mr. Trowbridge journeyed from his home in Arlington, Mass., to this city in order to take his first look at a machine which had been his dream from boyhood — a machine which would fly. He was introduced to several of the aviators, among them Glen Curtiss, Grahame White, Wilbur White and others, and the old gentleman was immensely pleased to meet them.

When Mr. Trowbridge wrote about Darius Green, 40 years ago, no one of that time expected to see a flying machine that would fly. There were lots of machines that wouldn't, but the idea of usurping the realm of the birds carried something uncanny with it. The baleful results of experiments of those times were always looked upon, more or less, as deserved.

Speaking of the days of Darius Green, the poet says: "I never dreamed when I wrote that poem that such a thing as a flying machine was possible in my time. I never had the thought of actually seeing one. While I have never attempted to build one, I have followed the aeroplane development from the first, and it has always seemed to me that the greatest factor and the hardest to overcome would be the motive force.

"I have never known that there were such powerful motors, and motors so light, as they are now using. They were a revelation to me. I don't care to make any prophecies as to the future, but it seems to me that the large machine for carrying passengers is possible, and only a matter of time."

Want To Fly High

1910

Undoubtedly Most Fascinating Form of Air Navigation

London. — The most fascinating form of aviation is undoubtedly the high flight. One watches the machine rise from the ground and climb steadily an invisible stairway, winding round and round in wide spirals. From the size of a monster the vessel diminishes until it looks like an eagle, then a wild duck, then a pigeon, a blackbird, a lark, a bee, a fly, a midge — and so it finally disappears out sight; for men have now flown to over a mile, and it needs a strong glass and a clear atmosphere for a spectator to detect a machine at such stupendous heights.

One waits in amazement asking how the daring aviator will return safely to earth from the clouds. Suddenly the machine darts into sight, and it is seen plunging downward at an alarmingly steep angle. It is the vol plane, or dive, the most sensational of all aerial feats. Having climbed to his maximum, the aviator shuts off his engine and deliberately steers downward by the aid of the elevator.

He plunges through the aerial sea at terrific speed, but not at hundreds of miles an hour as some imaginative writers have put it. As the air resistance underneath the machine increases with the speed and the amount of surface presented to it by the planes, the vessel is automatically led back to its normal gliding angle, and the downward path becomes less steep. In order not to get too far away from his starting point the aviator thereupon makes another spiral at a gentle angle and then starts upon another plunge. Thus by a succession of these maneuvers he comes to a position from which he can make a final glide and reach the ground smoothly and without shock.

The world's record in high flying was broken by Brookins over Atlantic City, when he rose to the height of 6,200 feet. It took him 56 minutes to reach this point, or in other words he had to reach it by traveling over a distance of about 30 miles in a succession of long spirals, for his flight speed can be assumed to have been about 35 miles an hour all through. His descent was made in eight minutes and was composed of several high-speed dives and short spirals. Brookins used a Wright biplane.

The prettiest high flying is done by the monoplane, and at Rheims Latham, when he soared to 5,540 feet, afforded a splendid spectacle. Morane reached a height of 4,107 feet at Bournemouth and also gave a superb display. Captain Dickson is one of the most accomplished men at the vol plane, and he shows masterly skill and judgment. Mr. Drexel is also a very daring air climber, and in his descent from a height of 2,400 feet at Bournemouth he made a steep glide.

Tame Ducks Display Rare Homing Instinct

1920

Three Gift Birds Fly Thirty Miles to Former Owner's Farm

OMAHA, Nebraska — Sophus Neble presented three tame "wild" ducks to County Surveyor Lou Adams when Lou was out at the Neble farm south of Springfield. Lou brought them in his Buick to his home here and put them in the chicken house.

The next day Mrs. Adams turned them out in the yard. When Lou came home that evening he couldn't find the ducks. He searched high and low in the chicken house, but no ducks. Then he asked Mrs. Lou.

"Why, I turned them out in the yard," said she.

"Well, they're gone," said Lou. "We'll never see them again."

But he was half wrong. Gone, that ducks were, without a doubt. But that evening came a telephone call from the Neble farm.

"Your ducks are down here," was the message. "They arrived this morning and are in their old pens."

The ducks, by the mysterious sixth sense possessed by birds, had found their way from the Adams home in the midst of the city to the Neble farm, 30 miles away.

"I can't see why they didn't join the big flocks of ducks now flying north," said Lou. "But they didn't. They just went straight home, arriving there within an hour or two after their probably departure from my yard."

Woman May Fly Ocean

1914

Miss Ruth Bancroft Law and her brother, F. Rodman Law, are to try a flight across the Atlantic in a biplane. They expect to make the trip in July.

"The flight will be from Newfoundland to the Irish coast," said Miss Law today, "and I shall take my brother. I do not think there is the slightest doubt that we can do it. We shall carry no pontoons or boats, but under the wings of our machine we will have three floats of hollow tin, so in case of a fall the apparatus will float.

"Boats would be too heavy to carry, and in case we fell they would be of no use in the ocean. Then, again, by not carrying them we get away from just so much weight. We shall have to carry from 90 to 100 gallons of gasoline, and this will be enough for about 30 hours flying. We expect to make 100 miles an hour on our way across. Lord Northcliffe has offered a prize for the successful flight across the Atlantic, and we are after it."

Maud Muller and the Aeroplane (poetry)

1914

By Henry Howland

Maud Muller, on a summer's day,
Was in the meadow raking hay.

She always had enjoyed good health,
But had a hankering for wealth.

Her cheeks were red, her eyes were brown,
She longed to live in the far-off town.

She wished she might be richly dressed,
And circulate among the best.

The judge came sailing up the lane
Upon his nice new aeroplane.

Below him he beheld the maid,
And tried to stop, and swooped and swayed.

He ripped a top rail from the fence,
And talked as if he had no sense.

The engine got beyond control,
The judge lost his immortal soul.

Maud stood there with a sickly grin,
Until he hit her with a fin.

"My lord!" she yelled, and ducked away;
The judge lit on a pile of hay.

She hurried where the spring gushed up
And filled her little old tin cup.

At first she thought the judge was dead,
But she splashed the water on his head.

He looked upon his aeroplane
And said some things that gave Maud pain.

At last he rose and, with a frown,
He started for the distant town.

Then bringing himself to a halt,
He said, "This, girl, is all your fault.

"If you had not been raking here,
I'd have stayed in the atmosphere.

"You've cost me dear and spoiled my sport;
I'll fine you for contempt of court!"

He then went onward up the lane,
And Maud returned to work again.

She gazed upon his wrecked machine,
And said, "Alas, what might have been!

"Ah, well, in heaven we'll all have wings,
And not depend on such fool things!"

Flying Machine Balks, Comes Down

1906

Montgomery Aeroplane Comes Near Killing Aeronaut Wilkie

Oakland, Cal., Feb. 23. — An unsuccessful trial was made by Professor Montgomery's aeroplane at Idora park yesterday and it almost resulted in serious injury to David Wilkie, the aeronaut.

At the height of eighteen feet Professor Montgomery signaled to descend, but the aeroplane did not respond. Suddenly, however, it was seen to drop from its support and a shout went up from the spectators. For a single moment the aeroplane remained on even keel then it swerved sharply and began to fall in short circles. Clinging desperately to the framework of the airship Wilkie could be seen making frantic efforts to regain control of the machine and twice it seemed that he had succeeded. Like a wounded bird the aeroplane swept downward, twice righting itself, only to again plunge toward the earth.

The last time the machine floated on even keel it was within a short distance of the ground and to this fact Wilkie owes his life, for when the machine started again toward the ground it had but a few feet to fall. It struck with force enough to wreck the machine, but the aeronaut escaped with a bad gash on the nose and a number of painful bruises.

Teen Breaks Arm Five Times

1909

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — Forbidden by his parents to play football after he had broken his left arm three times in the game, 15-year-old William Eminger found that he could not even watch the game with safety to his delicate member. He was a spectator on the sidelines at a high school game and the team in a scrimmage fell over his chair. Eminger's arm was broken when one of the players landed on top of him. This makes the fifth time the arm has been broken. The only time football was not responsible Eminger broke it falling out of bed.


Love's Young Dream

LOS ANGELES, Cal. — When Levi Hall, who is of the impressionable age of eighty-nine years, went to call on Miss H. W. Coe, a fair and sprightly maiden of seventy-five summers, he was greatly surprised when John Moore, ninety years old, emerged from an adjoining room and began to belabor him with a stout hickory cane. Hall hurried from the home of his inamorata to the receiving hospital, and then to the police station, where he caused the arrest of his rival on a charge of battery. Hall does not believe that Miss Coe will think any the less of him because he retreated.


Makes High Flight Record

POTSDAM, Germany — Orville Wright, the American aviator, broke his own and all other records for high flying. He reached the unprecedented height of more than 1,600 feet, although an official measurement was not taken. He had a red-letter day in a double sense in his experience as an aviator, taking up Crown Prince Frederick William as a passenger and more than doubling the altitude record which he made recently over the same field.

Wrights Home This Week

After a Day Spent In New York They Will Proceed to Dayton.

New York, May 10.—Marked tributes of homage await Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton, O., when they arrive in New York Tuesday from Europe where their triumphs in aviation have been keenly watched by the world at large.

The stay of the brothers in New York will be of short duration—one day; but during the twenty-four hours they will be the figures of interest at several receptions and luncheons given by the Aero Club of America and the Automobile Club of America.

After a day spent In the metropolis the brothers will proceed to Dayton, their home city. There they will complete the aeroplane which is to be delivered to the government at Fort Myer, Va., next month.

--Warren Evening Mirror, Warren, Pennsylvania, May 10, 1909, page 7.