Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 241, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 October 1910 — Saw Air Ships for First Time at Hawthorne Sunday. [ARTICLE]

Saw Air Ships for First Time at Hawthorne Sunday.

Several people who went to Chicago Sunday journeyed out to the old Hawthorne race track and saw the airship demonstration. While the start which one of the ships made to New York did not prove satisfactory to the aviators, owing to the fact that the pilot, Eugene Ely, was forced to descend when only about 9 miles from the starting point, owing to a clogged carbureter to the engine and a resultant mishap, from the spectators’ standpoint the demonstrations were'entirely successful. Three of the biplanes of the Curtiss manufacture figured In the events. One was driven by Williard and another by McCurdy. The latter made only a short flight, but Williard made two flights and soared-about in the sky like a buzzard, having perfect control of the machine. Ely led off with a trial flight which was very successful and when he started off a second time he set out directly for New York, hoping to reach South Bend before nightfall. The start was made shortly after 4 o’clock. He rose to a height of about 1,500 feet before he had gone a great distance and within 10 minutes the machine was out of sight. When it faded from view the machine was well in the sky and apparently moving at the rate of a mile a minute: But the trouble must have ensued at about this time, for the morning papers related that the aviator was forced to descend owing to trouble with the feed of gasoline for the engine. This was adjusted in about three minutes but when Ely went to ascend again the machine collided with a small rock, breaking off the front wheel and making it impractlble to continue the flight that night. He telephoned for aid and expected to continue the trip this Monday morning. He says that he will fly to New York if it takes a month. Apparently the aviators have perfect control of the machines and the flights were marvelous and awe-inspiring.