Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 133, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 June 1910 — Flying Machines May Soon Be As Common Sights as Automobiles. [ARTICLE]

Flying Machines May Soon Be As Common Sights as Automobiles.

Monticello Democrat. Every one of adult age can remember well when automobiles were, as scarce as the proverbial “hens teeth” and when visitors to Chicago from country towns like Monticello. Delphi and Renssolaer would spend hours on Michigan Avenue watching for an occasional auto to come puffing along. In those days Bob Million’s little home made machine was the only one in all this region, and was the wonder and admiration of all who witnessed its wonderful bursts of speed. That was only a short time ago, and look at the numberless autos now. More numerous than buggies*- werS twenty-five years ago. And the wonderful speed attained. Seventy-five to one hundred miles an hour under ordinarily favorable circumstances seems, almost incredible; and the man venturing to predict this ten years ago would have < been considered “loony” to say the least.

Will the flying machine be the next thriller? It Seems hardly possible that It will ever become as common a sight as the auto; but who can tell? That the air craft is destined in a very short time to become a familiar sight about the centers of population seems certain.

Just last week Glenn H. Curtis made a successful flight from Albany to stew York, 137 miles, in about two and one half hours, and received a purse of SIO,OOO offered by the New York World for the feat. Now it is proposed to offer a purse of $25,000 for a flight from New York to Chicago, a distance of about 960 miles'; and aviators assert that the trip will be made in the near future. Monticello lies on almost a direct line from Indianapolis to Chicago and it is almost certain as any future events can be, that at'no distant day, possibly yet this summer, we shall witness the passing of the aeroplanes from the speedway at our own State Capital to the city on the lake.