EARLY
AIRPORTS
ARKANSAS
CITY, KANSAS
First came the balloons...
Emporia News, June 25, 1869.
BALLOON ASCENSION. We are informed that
arrangements have been made to send up a large balloon on the evening of the
celebration—July 3rd. The balloon has been ordered.
[EDITORIAL
PAGE: THE FOURTH AT WINFIELD.]
Winfield Courier, July 10, 1873.
RECAP: Grand march at 11 a.m., with at
least 2,500 in march to the speakers’ stand. Rev. Lowery invoked blessing;
Byron A. Snow read Declaration of American Independence; John B. Fairbank,
Esq., delivered oration. After lunch: address by D. C. Scull, speech by Hon.
James McDermott, benediction by Rev. J. B. Parmalee. March again taken up. Late
in the evening a balloon ascension took place.
Funny thing: fireworks not mentioned.
Second came the “flying machines.”
Arkansas City Traveler, July 30, 1971.
Airplane
Ascension!
This was a big event of 1910 in Arkansas
City. It took place in the old Ball Park at Madison and F Street, and was
attended by a great crowd, which was anxious to see the much-talked about
“flying machine” in action.
They came in carriages, buggies, in
lumber wagons, on bicycles, a-horseback, and a-foot. They watched with bated
breath—the women in huge hats loaded with plumes and flowers that perched on
pompadours, puffed hair and braided coils; the little girls in patent slippers,
black lisle-thread hose, braids and hair ribbons; small boys squirming and
jumping about in knickerbockers, ribbed black full-length hose and suspenders,
men clad in hard detachable linen collars, suspenders plus sleeve garters,
vests without coats, button shoes and peg top pants. They came, and watched the
fragile plane sputter, flutter, then ascend, circle, then descend. Then they
left, rather silently—feeling perhaps (and rightly) that their world would
never be the same.
[This
foregoing article was found by Mrs. Quinton Budd in an early Traveler. At the
time she found the article, she was head librarian of the Arkansas City Public
Library.]
[Note: Scattered throughout “flying”
articles are notes that I wrote to Bill Bottorff some years ago. MAW]
Bill: Kay started gathering some of the
facts he had obtained for “Aircraft and Arkansas City”...a file he later for
some reason deleted from computer. I found the hard copy! Later I realized that
much given below came from Saturday, December 31, 1921, issue of
Traveler...which quoted a New York A. P. article. You will probably want to
skip this first write-up! MAW
Arkansas City Traveler, Saturday, December 31, 1921.
When Wilbur Wright, in a heavier than air
machine, flew 852 feet at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903, that feat was
pronounced one of the marvels of the century. The whole world rang with the
accomplishment.
In 1906 A. Santos Dumont covered 720 feet
in the first flight ever made in Europe.
The early development of the American
Flying Service rested entirely with the Signal Corps, which had, on December
23, 1907, issued specifications for a man-carrying aeroplane that would be
capable of remaining in the air for one hour without landing. These conditions
were fulfilled the following summer by a Wright biplane fitted with a 35
h.p. engine, and the machine was duly purchased.
In 1908, five years after Wright’s
original flight, he still held the world’s record with seventy seven miles made
in two hours, twenty minutes, and twenty three seconds at Anvours, France.
In 1909 Henry Farman had gained the
flying honors for France with a flight of 137 miles in four hours, six minutes,
25 seconds.
In 1910 Arkansas City had its first airplane
land. It lit at the baseball field at the southeast corner of F Street and
Madison Avenue.
By 1915 less than one million dollars was
appropriated by Congress for military aeronautics, and the Flying Service
remained a subsidiary branch of the Signal Corps, known as the Aviation
Section, which had been established by Act of Congress on July 18, 1914.
On April 6, 1917, when the United States
declared war on Germany, the establishment of the Aviation Section comprised 65
officers, 1,120 enlisted men, two small flying fields (Mineola and San Diego),
and less than 300 very second-rate training aeroplanes. Most of the American
service aeroplanes produced during the war were of British or French design,
with the minor alterations the fitting of the Liberty engine necessitated, if
such was fitted.
During 1917: American aircraft industry
produced almost exclusively training aero-planes. Among these:
1. Curtiss J.N. 4 (models B, C, and D).
2. Standard J.1 (for primary training).
3. Curtiss J.N. H. (Hispano-Suiza)
two-seater.
4. Thomas-Morse S.4 (B. and C.).
5. Standard E.1 single-seaters for
advanced training.
Fields.
Some 30 flying fields were created for
the training of aviators, and large numbers of Allied (especially French)
specialists in military aeronautics were drawn upon for establishing the Flying
Service on a thoroughly up-to-date foundation.
Standardizing three types of service
machines.
1. D.H. 4
2. Bristol F.2 B
3. Spad de chasse
These planes were all modified to allow
the fitting of a standardized aero engine, which was to be built in 4, 6, 8,
and 12 cyl. models.
Liberty Engines—Orders Placed August 1917
With Following Firms.
1. Packard Motor Car Co.—6,000 engines.
2. Lincoln Motors Co.—6,000 engines.
3. Ford Motor Co.—5,000 engines.
4. Nordyke and Marmon—3,000 engines.
5. General Motors Corp.—2,000 engines.
6. Trego Motors Corp.—500 engines.
Total: 22,500 engines.
D.H. 4 and Bristol F. 2B: 12 cyl., 400
h.p. model.
Spad: 8 cyl., 225 h.p. model.
Liberty 12 Engine.
By the time the Armistice was signed,
13,396 of these engines had been delivered; the output for October, 1918, alone
having reached 4,200.
On April 24, 1918, the Aviation Section
was separated from the Signal Corps and re-named “Air Service.”
Beginning early in 1919, standardized Air
Service machines were to be built; but war ended before production was
underway. All orders were deleted, but some had been shipped before December
27, 1918. A total of 4,587 were shipped.
There were in operation on the front 39
aero squadrons, distributed as follows.
Pursuit: 20
Night bombardment: 1
Day bombardment: 6
Army Observation: 5
Daytime Observation Corp: 12
Night Observation: 1
[ABOVE DOES NOT COMPUTE: COME UP WITH
TOTAL OF 45???]
Enemy aeroplanes brought down by American
aviators included 491 confirmed and 354 unconfirmed, a total of 845; while 82
enemy observation balloons were reported as destroyed, of which 57 were
confirmed. The Air Service lost, on the other hand, only 271 aeroplanes and 45
observation balloons, thus showing its marked superiority over the enemy.
The number of aeroplanes, by type,
received from all sources by the American Expeditionary Force between September
12, 1917, and November 16, 1918, was as follows.
Pursuit for service: 3,337
Pursuit for schools: 90
Observation for service: 3,421
Observation for schools: 664
Day bombing for service: 421
Day bombing for schools: 85
Night reconnaissance: 31
Other planes received included—
Training planes: 2,285
Experimental planes: 30
Miscellaneous: 108
Total: 10,472
Eight different schools under American
control were established in France and designed for training 3,800 officers and
11,700 men. A total of 159 officers and soldiers were killed in training.
Casualties at the front included 19 killed, 103 wounded, 200 missing, 27
prisoners, and 3 interned, making a total of 442.
The total strength of the Division of
Military Aeronautics, Air Service, on November 11, 1918:18,688 officers, 5,775
cadets, and 133,644 soldiers. At that date the Air Service had trained 8,933
reserve military aviators at home, and about 2,300 had been trained in France,
Great Britain, and Italy.
The personnel of the Bureau of Aircraft
Production, Air Service, comprised 32,520 officers and soldiers.
The ground establishments of the Air
Service in the United States comprised 40 flying fields, 8 balloon fields, 3
radio schools, 3 photography schools, 5 schools of military aeronautics, and 14
aircraft depots.
Standard Aircraft Corporation.
Had factories at Elizabeth and
Plainfield, New Jersey. This was the second largest American aeronautical
construction firm in 1919. It had produced during the war a great variety of
machines. Among these is the first postal aeroplane distinctly designed for
this purpose, and various numbers of standard JR-1 single seater Biplane
training machines and Dh-4a, which was a two-seater fighter.
FOLLOWING
ITEMS APPEARED IN THE ARKANSAS CITY DAILY TRAVELER.
ARTICLE
TAKEN FROM THE WICHITA EAGLE, SUNDAY, AUGUST 4, 1996, WHICH APPEARED ON
PAGE 26A.
[PICTURE OF AIRPLANE WITH WINGS FOLDED.
CAPTION STATES:
“Albin
K. Longren’s 1921 fold-wing airplane, the wings of which could be positioned
for flight in about 30 seconds.”
TOPEKA AVIATION PIONEER IS
NEARLY FORGOTTEN NOW.
Retired minister wants to see Albin K.
Longren’s flying machine take flight again.
By
John Hanna.
Associated
Press.
TOPEKA. A small crowd gathered in a
farmer’s field on the outskirts of the Oakland neighborhood in the northeast
part of town. A stunt pilot was going to test Albin K. Longren’s newest flying
machine, built in the old woolen mill nearby.
At that time, in 1921, this plane was
really something. It had a clean fuselage made of vulcanized fiber, and a pilot
and passenger could sit side by side on a buff leather seat.
But its wings represented the biggest
innovation. If you removed a set of metal pins on each side, you could fold
them back along the body, so that the machine would fit in your garage.
The pilot, J. Hodgins Smith, took off and
executed spins and barrel rolls, doing everything, it seemed, except straight
flying. After he landed, he said, “That is the best machine I ever saw.”
Had Longren been a better businessman, he
might have become as famous as aviation pioneers Clyde Cessna or Walter Beech,
and Topeka might be a center of light aircraft manufacturing. Instead, he and his
“flivver” were all but forgotten for years.
Now, the Rev. Richard Taylor, a retired
Methodist minister and history buff, hopes to see Longren’s fold-wing flyer
take to the air again. The 75th anniversary of its first flight is Tuesday.
“This thing was revolutionary,” Taylor
said. “He thought this could be the plane for the ranch man, the traveling
salesman, the doctor.”
Taylor wants to find and restore a
Longren fold-wing plane, or even build a replica if he can find the money. He
plans to put together a guide so that people can see the places where Longren
built and flew his aircraft.
The minister, the former head of the
state’s leading temperance and anti-gambling group, has spent nearly two
decades researching Longren’s life. He has compiled a book of clippings and
pictures about the aviator, which he sells for $10—the cost of producing it. He
has applied to the state Aviation Hall of Fame to get Longren’s name included.
He has scheduled a historical pageant for
2 p.m., Aug. 10, at Hetrick Hangar at Billard Airport, with local residents
taking on the roles of people who were present on Aug. 6, 1921, or who figured
prominently in other episodes of Longren’s life. Billard is near the field
where Longren flew his fold-wing.
Taylor also plans to put up a sign
southeast of Topeka, near the spot Longren flew his first plane—and completed
the first successful flight of a Kansas plane in the state—on September 2,
1911.
Two buildings in which he manufactured
airplanes still stand. If you look closely enough at one, four blocks north of
the Statehouse, you can still see his name stenciled above the top windows. The
second is the woolen mill—now a warehouse—on the outskirts of Oakland.
Taylor suspects the ruts left by
Longren’s fold-wings are in the field near Billard Airport, but soybeans grow
there now. The Longren house still stands, within walking distance, occupied by
another family.
Longren built the fold-wing because he
thought one of the biggest problems for owners of light aircraft was storing
them. With the metal pins in place, the plane’s wingspan was nearly 28 feet.
With the wings folded back, the plane was less than 10 feet wide.
Despite its innovations—which included a
small door so that people wouldn’t have to climb into the fuselage—Longren’s
aircraft company went bankrupt. Taylor suspects it did so because Longren did
not have a relative or a friend who could handle the business end, as Cessna
and Beech did.
“He was the engineer; he was the
dreamer,” Taylor said.
Born in 1882, Longren grew up in Leonardville,
a small town 19 miles northwest of Manhattan. Contemporary accounts of his
aviation activities suggest he dreamed of flying as a boy after watching hawks
soar overhead.
By 1910, he and his brother, E. J.,
worked as mechanics and car salesmen in Clay Center and were members of what
would become the Kansas Air National Guard. Both had a natural aptitude for
engineering, even though neither had taken more than a correspondence course.
By chance, the two brothers came to
Topeka in June 1910 to help control the crowds at an air show. The pilot, J. C.
Mars, wrecked his plane, and the Longren brothers helped fix it. They decided
to build their own.
Both brothers were pilots, and Albin
would keep E. J. informed of later projects. They built that first plane,
Topeka I, later known as the Dixie Flyer, in a building near downtown. It had
two wings, a single seat, and a great deal of wire.
In September, after six weeks, it was
ready.
Albin Longren took off from Aviation
Hill, then southeast of Topeka. The spot is not marked today, but Taylor’s
research indicates it was near where Lake Shawnee is now.
Albin Longren kept a scrapbook, and in
it, he wrote, “I had never sat in any other airplane, or received any
instructions from anyone experienced in flying. The plane was also an unknown
quantity, because its balance and airworthiness was a big question.”
That flight ended safely, but he wasn’t
so lucky in later flights.
In August 1913, he started a flight
southeast of Topeka and clipped a giant cottonwood tree. He was unhurt; his
friends found him standing by his fallen craft, “cool and collected,” as one
newspaper account put it.
Two years later, he broke his leg and
suffered internal injuries when he crashed a new model near Abilene. He
recovered, and so did the plane, which now hangs in the Kansas Museum of
History.
Albin Longren left Topeka in 1926, worked
for other companies, including Cessna, and ended up in California working as an
engineer. He died there in 1950 but is buried in Leonardville.
Taylor believes Albin Longren’s work
deserves to be remembered.
“I think he was Leonardo da Vinci
reborn,” Taylor said.
[END
OF LONGREN ARTICLE.]
Bill...among notes I made from material
at Winfield Museum:
Winfield Courier, Circa Friday, July 20, 1973.
Little
Stories.
Karl Conner states that he was present
when the first airplane landed in Winfield. The location was between 9th and
14th streets east of the Country Club road on the Hiatt place. there were no
buildings there then, Conner states.
The plane was built by Alvin [Albin] K.
Longren of Rago, Kansas, north of Harper. It was shipped in and reassembled, as
it only had a 2½ gallon gas tank.
The plane was patterned after those made
by the Glen Martin Co. They charged 50 cents just to go in to watch the plane
fly.
NEW
DATA UNCOVERED RECENTLY RELATIVE TO GOVERNMENT FLYERS MAPPING OUT A MAIL ROUTE
FOR THE GOVERNMENT...[July 1, 1993...MAW]
Interesting facts are brought out in the
Hughes airplane report which was published in Arkansas City on November 12,
1918. For instance, the Packard company and the Lincoln Motor company each have
contracts for 6,000 Liberty motors. The Ford company has a contract for 5,000
motors. On each of these machines a profit of about $1,075 will be realized. It
is shown that the cost of producing a Liberty motor is about $3,200, hence the
profit is at the rate of 33-1/3 percent.
In commenting on the report Attorney
General Gregory insists that such profits are not excessive when it is
considered that “60 percent or more of them must be paid to the government as
income and excess profits taxes.” In the frequent communications of large
private profits that have emanated from this administration, we have failed to
note that mitigating statement. But how easy it is for a cabinet officer to
find means for whitewashing the questionable acts of his administration.
Bill, here is where I took up with
flyers’ story...
Arkansas City Traveler, November 12, 1918.
THE
BIG CELEBRATION HERE
Peace Jubilee in
Arkansas City Lasted Many Hours
With One Or Two Exceptions
the Affair Was Pleasant and
There
Were No Serious Accidents.
The peace celebration held in Arkansas
City on November 11, which lasted from three o’clock in the morning until
nearly midnight last night, was without doubt the largest affair of the kind or
any other kind ever held here. From early morning until late at night the noise
was almost unbearable, but everyone was rejoicing to such an extent that they
all enjoyed the noise. The parade lasted nearly all day and was participated in
by many owners of automobiles and other rigs, the vehicles being decorated
with flags and bunting, and everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy the affair.
The Santa Fe office force started the
ball rolling about 9 o’clock in the morning when they marched through Summit
street, and very soon others joined in the demonstration, while in the
afternoon there was one continual parade up and down Summit street.
In compliance with the mayor’s
proclamation for business houses to close to make the affair a real holiday,
all of the stores closed their doors at noon and, with one or two exceptions
later in the day, they remained closed for the big celebration. There were no
accidents during the day, with the exception of several auto collisions, in
which there was no damage done. During the jam at different times several autos
ran together, but fortunately there was no one injured, at least the police and
state guards report no serious accidents of any kind.
The official parade booked for 7 o’clock
in the evening, started ahead of time and soon after dark the crowd on the
streets were larger than ever seen on any other occasion in Arkansas City. The
procession was headed by the Santa Fe laborers from the different departments
and nearly all of them carried torches, which made a splendid picture after
night. The local carpenters union joined in the parade with a large crowd of
men, and Maple City with a nice crowd of Red Cross women workers, also
participated. Several lodges also took part in the parade and the Arkansas City
military band, under Professor Hatley, also the drum corps of this city, took
part in the affair, and the band furnished music for the closing program of the
evening, which was an open air dance on East Fifth avenue.
For this occasion the avenue east of
Summit street for one block was roped off and sawdust placed on the pavement.
The crowd of young folks, who participated in the dance, enjoyed themselves
until a late hour.
One of the unpleasant features of the
day’s celebration was the fact that Lieutenant Wilbur (Pete) Hill, who had
charge of the state guards, was compelled on account of numerous complaints to
call upon Fred Bower, the meat market man of South Summit street, and ask him
to close his place of business. This was late at night, about 10 o’clock
according to Mr. Hill, when he called upon Mr. Bower, who was in the shop at
the time. Mr. Hill was accompanied by Sergeant Smith and Policeman Randol.
Lieutenant Hill says that he asked Mr. Bower to close his place as he had
received numerous complaints about his transacting business when everything
was supposed to be closed. At that time Mr. Bower said all right, and there was
no argument about the matter, but the shop was closed immediately. Later in the
evening, someone at present unknown to the officers, daubed yellow paint over
the front of Mr. Bower’s market.
Mayor Hunt, who issued the closing
proclamation in the morning, found K. Weller Daniels, in his place of business
on East Fifth avenue, transacting business early in the evening, and he
instructed him to close up the music store. It is said that the place was
closed after the mayor had given the order to the proprietor. Other parties
first reported the Daniels incident to Mr. Hunt.
Arkansas City Daily Traveler, Friday, November 15, 1918.
Lieut. Wilbur (Pete) Hill received a
letter, on Nov. 15, 1918, announcing that his cousin, Eliza Denny, was killed
Oct. 1 in action overseas.
Lieut. Hill has also received word from
Geo. Smith, who had been first lieutenant of the Kansas state guards in
Arkansas City. Lieut. Smith is now at Camp McArthur, Texas, saying that he
arrived all right and was assigned to his company. He has been given his
equipment but has not yet received his clothing. Lt. Smith thinks he will be
retained at Camp McArthur for some time yet.
At
Marine Flying Field.
Ed Wilkinson wrote Nov. 18 from the
Marine Flying Field, Miami, Florida, that he is progressing in learning
aviation in the army, but he fears he will not get to go to France on account
of the signing of the armistice terms. Ed tried to break into the war several
months ago by enlisting in the British Royal Flying corps, but his nationality
was discovered and on account of not being an Englishman, he was dropped. Later
he succeeded in getting into the American Marine aviation branch and he has
been in this service since last August. He was stationed at the navy yards at
Charleston for a long time. Edward is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Wilkinson,
who formerly conducted the Windsor hotel. They live at Wellington now, but all
the family have numerous friends in this city.
AVIATORS
UP IN THE AIR
Many of Them Are Undecided
What to Do Since Fighting is Over
Paris, Nov. 26—What will become of the
aviators now that the fighting has ended?
Commercial aviation doubtlessly will be
extended greatly, but it is a question whether it will present sufficient
attraction to the men who have taken up aviation for the distinction to be won
in air fighting. The Aero club of France up to the present, has issued 16,000
pilot licenses, and hundreds of military pilots have not taken out the Aero
club’s license to which they are entitled.
Inquiry among the French aces shows the
majority are too young to be worrying about the next phase of life, although
some hope that civilian aviation will offer satisfactory careers.
Lieutenant Rena Fonck, the ace of aces,
with 75 official victories, has not yet decided what he will do, but may remain
in the army. Sub-Lieutenant Nungesser, with 44 victories, has decided to quit
the army. He has received many offers and may go to the United States.
Lieutenant Lemaitre, after leading 135
bombing expeditions, will be in charge of an aero transport undertaking.
A young lieutenant barely of age, who has
won 14 victories, says: “All I know is that I will not continue my law
studies.”
Sub-Lieutenant Bourjade, with 26
successes, probably will have the least difficulty in returning to civilian
life. He is a priest and will resume his clerical duties.
FLYING
SCHOOL WILL CLOSE
Chanute Field Has
Been An Unusually Busy Place
Chanute Field, Rantoul, Ill., Dec. 4—With
a record of having graduated 475 flyers and several thousand mechanics in the
18 months of its existence, many of whom performed active service on the French
and Italian battle fronts, Chanute Field will soon be closed as an instruction
school for army aviators. A small detachment will be left in charge to guard
the government’s property, valued at several millions of dollars.
Officers in charge of the flying field
are proud of the work done and the results accomplished.
Chanute Field was established in May,
1917, through the efforts of William Wheat and other citizens of Rantoul, Ill.
Work of converting the 640 acres of fertile farm land into an army flying field
consumed several months. The first students to arrive were the 10th aero
squadron from Kelly Field, Texas, on July 7, 1917. Two days later 30 members of
the 16th aero squadron from Osburne Field, Chicago, reported for duty.
Actual instructions in flying began July
12 and during the summer 125 students were graduated and given commissions as
lieutenants.
Flying continued until early in December
when the advanced students and a number of aeroplanes were transferred to
southern camps to continue their work. Throughout the winter months a school
for beginners was kept open at Rantoul.
Practical instruction in flying was
resumed February 10, 1918, and continued until late this fall with from three
to five squadrons in attendance.
The aero squadrons stationed at the field
since it opened were the 10th, 16th, 38th, 39th, 112th, 152nd, 163rd, 173rd,
174th, 203rd, 210th, 267th, 268th, 287th, 288th, 831st, and 832nd.
AIRMEN
MAY STOP HERE
[From Traveler...dates not given.]
Mayor Hunt Names a
Committee to Work on the Proposition
Mayor C. N. Hunt received, on December 5,
1918, a letter from the Aerial League of America, of which Rear Admiral Robert
E. Peary is president, and Woodrow Wilson, commander in chief. This letter
makes it assured that this city has a splendid chance for serious consideration
as one of the landing places for the great new mail service.
Mayor Hunt has named the following
committee to cooperate with the government and will consider aeronautic plans
for this city. The committee is as follows:
E. L. McDowell, chairman, Carl Kinslow,
J. S. Younkin, H. S. Collinson, Forest Howard, Jay Fairclo, Ralph Oldroyd, Dr.
C. H. House, George S. Hartley, Max Coulter, Robert M. Davis, Alfred Sowden,
Harry Lightstone, Vern Thompson, Frank McKeever, J. R. Burford, Dr. R. L.
Baker, Charles Masters, Doug Wilson, and J. R. Lantz.
MAY
STOP AT ARKANSAS CITY
Springfield, Mo., Dec. 9—Three army
airplanes from Scott Field, Belleville, Ill., which arrived in Springfield
yesterday, left at noon today for Tulsa, Okla. The aviators are surveying a
route proposed for an aerial highway, which is advocated by army fliers of
various flying fields. The party will return Wednesday or Thursday. The flight
so far has been made without serious mishap.
Writes An Interesting
Letter to His Folks From France
France,
Nov. 7, 1918.
Dear Ones:—Will type you a few lines this
evening as it has been some time since I have written to you, and I know that
you are always anxious to hear from me. You know when a person neglects writing
for some time it seems to be the custom to give some alibi, so that being true,
I shall be obliged to do so. Never-the-less, I have been quite busy and have
also been on the move considerably; I have been on duty away from my
organization for over a month and just joined them again a few days ago, and I
assure you that I was more than glad to return to the good regiment, although I
had a very long and tiresome trip.
However, the monotony of the trip was
broken by a two days’ stop over in Paris, and from there I was also traveling
one and a half days to my destination, which I reached without mishap. In Paris
I had a very nice and interesting trip, visiting many places of interest. One
of which was the largest church that was shelled on Good Friday by the long
range gun of the dirty Hun, and killing eighty five people. I also went through
the Notre Dame and my guide explained everything of interest to me as he could
speak English quite well, and was a man of fifty-one years of age and had lived
in the great city of Paris as many. Paris has the most wonderful works of art I
have ever seen. There are quite a number of Americans in Paris, but all that I
saw wore the uniform of the army, navy, Red Cross, or Y. M. C. A., and I wish
to state that everyone wearing the uniform looked the part of a neat and smart
appearing American, their conduct was worth commenting on.
In Paris I saw perhaps one hundred
captured airplanes of all descriptions and several hundred guns of all calibre,
field pieces, machine guns, tanks, balloons—both observation and scouting, and
very much other captured war material. Well, I left Paris at night after some
difficulty getting my baggage transferred, as traveling in France is anything
but delightful. After traveling all night I arrived at a certain place near the
front about six o’clock in the morning. I say near the front for it was about
fifteen miles from the front. However, that is not considered near the front. I
remained for about an hour and a half and then continued my trip to the place
where I am now located, but will only be here a very short time as you know the
army is on the move toward Berlin, but the dirty Hun is in the lead, and I am
glad to be back with my regiment. The big guns are hammering tonight and the
flash from the guns and boom, boom is quite thrilling. But I don’t think it
will be a great long time until it will all be over, and then there will still
remain work for everyone of us over here.
It is certainly muddy here and the mud is
very much like gumbo, it sticks to our boots like wax. But why growl at the
mud, we are here for but one purpose, and every man is striving to do his bit
to succeed in that one purpose, and then return to dear old America. I have
read in some of the papers that some people have the impression that a great
many Americans will remain over here and marry French girls. I am inclined to
believe that they are wrong, far wrong, and after the war is over and the
troops have returned home, I believe the word “many” in that case will be
replaced by the word “few.”
I received a Traveler today and
was certainly glad to get it, although it was dated September 19th. I spent
some time reading it as it contained many names of persons I know. I hope to
receive the Traveler quite often now. Of course, we are quite busy, but
we find time to read letters and a home paper even if we have got to fold them
up and stick them down in our pockets and carry them around with us for some
time.
I received the appointment at adjutant
battalion as soon as I arrived here, and I am fine and dandy and getting along
the same. By the way, there are two French officers sitting here about ten feet
from me and they have just received a French newspaper, and by the way they are
talking in French, I think the war must be over. I hear quite often from dear
Lela and she always gives me the news from all the folks. Believe me, I will
certainly be glad when the time comes for the return home. Well, I think I
shall investigate and find out what the excitement is with the two French
officers, so dear ones will say good night for this time, hoping to hear from
you soon, and hoping that this will find all well. Give my best regards to all.
Worlds of love. From a loving son.—Roy Branstetter, First Lieutenant 38th Inf.,
American E. F., France.
BRANSTETTER
MENTIONED HERE BECAUSE HE WAS LATER RECRUITING OFFICER FOR THE KANSAS NATIONAL
GUARD IN ARKANSAS CITY.
FLEW
HERE FROM WACO, TEXAS
Army Airmen are Mapping Out
Aerial Highway Across Country
Arkansas City has the best Landing
Place They Had Seen on The Trip
One
of The Pilots Declared.
Two airplanes from Richfield, Waco, Texas,
dropped in on Arkansas City, Saturday evening, December 21, 1918, at 5 o’clock,
encircling the city in the air for fifteen or twenty minutes before landing;
meanwhile pulling off various stunts in the air, including the tail spin, loop
the loop, and others that only the fliers themselves know what they are. It was
very interesting entertainment for a large number of people who saw them.
One of the machines landed on the alfalfa
field directly across Kansas Avenue at the end of North Summit street, which
was declared by one of the pilots to be the best landing field they had
encountered since they left Waco, Texas. He said a big white cross ought to be
put there so that aviators would know it was a good place to land. NOTE - This
land is on the east side of the road and was owned by the Land and Power
Company which was headed by A. A. Newman at that time. RKW.
The other ship landed two miles east, on
Madison avenue, on the McGee farm.
The Chamber of Commerce will look after
this suggestion, Secretary Heffelfinger promised. The visiting airmen told the
secretary that Arkansas City can get an exhibition flight, if it wants one,
giving the name of the proper official to write to; and Secretary Heffelfinger
has already acted on this tip.
The party was put up at the Fifth Avenue
Hotel by the Chamber of Commerce. It was composed of Lieutenants B. R. Jacobi
and J. H. Smith, pilots; Lieutenant E. G. Bahl, publicity officer, and Walter
Hines, mechanic. They were exceptionally pleasant young men and expressed their
warm appreciation of the accommodations extended to them here. Sergeant Hines visited in the city with
Miss Wilson, his fiancé, a daughter of Sam Wilson, a foreman of the
construction of the grain tanks at the New Era Mill. He notified her when they
were going to arrive here.
They left Waco, Texas, Saturday morning
at 7:30 o’clock, covering the 400 miles to this city by 5 o’clock in the
evening. They flew here from Oklahoma City in one hour and a half. These
machines will fly at the rate of 75 miles an hour and at an altitude of ----?
feet. They flew as low as 800 feet while encircling this city to pick out a
landing place. From their enthusiastic conversation about Arkansas City, it was
evident they will put it on the aerial route. One of the pilots said it took 15
gallons of gasoline for one of the machines from Oklahoma City here.
Both planes were 8 cylinder Curtiss
Training Biplanes of the JDN 4 type with 90 horsepower Curtiss engines. The
engines alone cost the Government $3,000, the planes complete, $8,000. The
normal speed of these planes is 70 to 80 miles per hour. At the close of the
war the Government had on hand 5,779 Curtiss training planes with Curtiss
engines, and 2,500 advanced training planes equipped with the famous
Hispano-Suiza motors.
During the war 17,000 cadets were turned
out from the ground schools or the schools of military aeronautics, and 8,800
army aviators have received commissions.
Sergeant Walter Hines, while in the city,
delivered a message to Mrs. O. I. Stewart, of 126 North Second street, from her
son, Robert, who is located at Waco. The message was that her son had been
granted a ten days furlough and would be home Sunday. Sergeant Hines phoned the
message to Mrs. Stewart Saturday evening from Sollitt & Swarts’ drug store.
Robert came home and had a pleasant visit with his mother and his brother, J.
H. Stewart. Robert has not been home for a year and a half, before the present
visit.
Upon their arrival in the city the state
guards were called out to guard the ships overnight. Lieutenant Wilbur (Pete)
Hill, who completed a course of flying at Dewey Field several months ago, was
in charge of the guards. On account of his technical knowledge of airplanes,
the two airplanes were looked after in splendid shape. In fact, Lieut. Hill
knew more about the engines than the visiting airmen, they said. He had the
manifolds drained and covered up the machines. So pleased with the way their
machines were handled under his direction were the aviators that one of them
took Lieut. Hill on a flight over the city before they left. All the air stunts
were pulled off to the great enjoyment of Lt. Hill, who had been through them
himself and knew how to appreciate the experience.
The aviators left at 10:30 o’clock for
Fredonia where they had orders to remain for five days. They thought they might
go on to Omaha from there or return to Waco. If they return by way of Arkansas
City, they will send a message in advance so the people can turn out to welcome
them. They will visit at Fredonia with relatives of Lieut. Smith.
There was a big crowd present to see them
off from this city.
Lieut. Bahl gave the following
information to a Traveler reporter.
In compliance with a special order from
Major General Kenley of Washington, D. C., received at Rich Field, Waco,
Monday, December 16, Major John G. Whitesides ordered two airplanes to start
Wednesday morning, having Fredonia, Kansas, as their destination. This trip is
of a most important nature, inasmuch as it has for its purpose the development
of aerial routes and the gathering of important data on weather conditions,
landing fields, etc. Major John G. Whitesides is taking a special interest in
this trip, and thinks that the data obtained will be of the utmost value to the
war department. Rich Field, located at Waco, in the central part of Texas,
offers a most advantageous point from which to start aerial mail mapping trips.
By courses laid out radiating from Rich Field, the entire south-central and
western districts of the United States may be mapped with the view to
determining the best routes possible over which aerial mail may be carried.
This is one of the first expeditions of
this nature. The ships will pass through the following cities: Dallas, Ardmore,
Oklahoma City, Guthrie, Arkansas City, and Fredonia. The men detailed to do
this work are Lieutenant E. G. Bahl, publicity officer, and Sergeant Walter
Hines, mechanic.”
Lieutenant
Musselman Home
Lieutenant Beachy Musselman, who is a son
of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Musselman of North Second street, was home from California.
He returned Tuesday night, December 24th. He has been located at Mather flying
field, near Sacramento, California, and he received his commission there.
Lieutenant Musselman has been discharged from the service until called again.
He plans to continue his education at Kansas University.
WILL
SELL AIRPLANES
Government Calls
For Bids To Be In By February 1.
Secretary John B. Heffelfinger, of the
Chamber of Commerce, is in receipt of a communication from the office of the
director of military aeronautics, supply section, salvage branch, at
Washington, D. C., announcing the sale of airplanes and motors by the
government. Those interested in this sale are requested to call upon Mr.
Heffelfinger for further particulars. Bids on these machines are to be opened
at 11 a.m., February 1, 1919. Each bid must be accompanied by a certified check
for 20 percent of the amount of the bid and must be sent sealed. The schedule
of property includes 1,600 airplanes, 2 seated biplanes with Curtiss 90 h. p.
motor (the kind of planes seen in this city a few days ago), 200 Hispano Suiza,
150 h. p. motor, ten 2 seated biplanes with the Thomas 135 h. p. motor, and
2,000 4 cylinder motors without planes. Delivery is to be made and accepted
within 90 days from date of bid. Further particulars to be furnished upon
request from J. B. Heffelfinger at the office of the Chamber of Commerce here.
Snow
Stops Aviators
Kansas City, Jan. 2—Because of the snow,
Lieut. Samuel Yarborough and Sergeant J. H. Sims, mapping aerial mail routes
between this city and St. Louis and over Kansas, were unable to start for Scott
Field, Belleville, Ill., today. Repairs to their plane also had to be made and
it was thought possible their flight might be resumed tomorrow.
LAND
AT NEWMAN FIELD.
Same Two Aeroplanes Here
Two Weeks Ago This Afternoon.
The same two airships that were here a
couple of weeks ago, landed at Newman field, just across Kansas avenue,
from the north end of Summit street, Saturday afternoon, January 4, 1919, about
3:20 o’clock, on their way back to Rich Field, Waco, Texas.
In the two Curtiss training biplanes of
the JDN-4 type, with 90 horsepower Curtiss eight cylinder engines each, were
the pilots—Lieutenants B. R. Jacobi and J. H. Smith; Lieutenant E. G. Bahl,
publicity officer; and Sergeant Walter Hines, mechanic, it was reported.
The aviators encircled the city before
landing, flying at a very low altitude, skimming over the tops of buildings and
houses. When they landed here before, they declared that the Newman field
was the best landing place they had seen on their trip from Waco, Texas, and
that they intended to call it to the attention of the government officials
making out the aerial mail highway. These flyers are picking out the best
landing places, and they were enthusiastic about this field, suggesting that a
big white cross be placed there to guide airmen in picking a place to light.
Sergeant Hines notified his fiancé, Miss
Gertrude Wilson, daughter of Sam Wilson, a foreman of the construction company
on the New Era Milling grain elevators, that they were going to arrive here
this afternoon.
Arkansas City Traveler, January 15, 1919.
THE
VALE-HILL NEW HOME
Popular Auto Service Firm
Is Located In New Dye Building
Although located in the basement of the
new building erected by C. B. Dye at 500 South Summit street in automobile row,
the Vale-Hill new repair shop has an entrance that is on a level with the
street and causes no inconvenience to the car drivers. Their new shop is
completely equipped to handle all repair work and the part of the new building
occupied by them was designed especially for this purpose. It is fire-proof and
modern in every detail.
New machinery will be installed by this
enterprising firm to handle their rapidly increasing business more promptly and
more satisfactorily to them and their customers.
The Vale-Hill partnership has prospered
from the beginning, and their success is attributed to the fact that they give
unexcelled service because they are their own mechanics and not the smallest
thing is slighted in their work on an automobile. The shop will be open day and
night.
About
our New Home.
This building was designated and erected
especially for automobile work. The entire basement, which we occupy, was
designed after our suggestions. The entire building is positively fire proof
and is thoroughly accessible from all points. An especially built elevator for
the carrying of even the heaviest truck is one of the big features.
REAR ENTRANCE on the level with the
street—positively no trouble getting in and out with cars.
NEW EQUIPMENT, new machinery, lathes,
drills, press, modern equipment, etc., are now on the freight car coming this
way. When installed our shop will be second to none in Southern Kansas.
Equipment plus experience and an untiring desire to do the best work—should
attract your business to us.
Note: Arthur G. Hill, partner in the
Vale-Hill Garage is a brother of Lieut. Wilbur (Pete) Hill. RKW.
Arkansas City Traveler, January 22, 1919.
Lesh Oils and Gasoline Are
Highly Recommended by Aviators.
Recently when two government aviators
flew to Arkansas City, mapping out the new aerial mail highway, they purchased
Lesh gasoline and oils for their motors. On their return to this city they
sought out the Lesh plant for replenishment in gasoline and oils, declaring
that these high grade products had given their motors a kick they had not had
before. They praised the Lesh products highly, and announced that they would
pass the good word along to other aviators who were coming this way. It takes an
exceptionally high grade of gasoline to hit the ball in an airplane, one of the
aviators said, and he found the Lesh gasoline delivered the goods.
[AD:
LESH OILS AND GASOLINE.]
Arkansas City Traveler, January 22, 1919.
No doubt you knew they were mapping out
an aeroplane mail route for the United States Government and this city has a
mighty good chance of having aero-mail delivery here within a short time.
But You Didn’t Know That
While You Were Admiring Them Flying
About the City That They Were
Using Lesh Gasoline and Lesh Oils
in
those wonderful large engines. Lieut. Smith, in charge of the flyers, said Lesh
Gasoline and Lesh Oil gives the proper kick to the airplane engines and that he
would pass the magic word, “Lesh Gasoline and Oil” to all flyers that come this
way.
Arkansas City Traveler, January 29, 1919.
TRADERS
STATE BANK SUED.
Sued for $10,500 for
Failure to Honor Check of Arthur G. Hill.
Arthur G. Hill of Arkansas City, a member
of the firm of Vale-Hill Auto Repair shop of that city, filed suit in district
court Monday against the Traders State Bank of that city asking judgment for
$10,500. The plaintiff alleges said defendant refused to honor a check given by
Hill to the Standard Oil company for $16.77 for a barrel of oil to be used by
the said firm, which is a partnership existing between W. F. Vale and Arthur G.
Hill. Though plaintiffs have been partners in business since July 1918, they
did not keep a partnership account or fund; but each partner kept his own
account and payments for materials made by either partner. Mr. Hill claims in
said petition that he paid for the oil with his own personal check and had
sufficient funds on deposit in bank of the said defendant to cover the check.
Thereby, the refusal of the bank to pay it dishonored the check, which was
wrongful, and Hill and partnership were injured in business reputation and
credit with the Standard Oil company, and the company withdrew its offer of
credit.
Hill asks for a judgment of $5,000
personal injuries which were wrongful, willful, and malicious and $5,000 for
judgment as a partnership injury and $500 attorney fees, making a total of
$10,500 for damages sustained.—Winfield Courier.
Arkansas City Traveler, DATE UNKNOWN.
Government Seeks
Information For Air Postal Service Here
The Chamber of Commerce is in receipt
(May 21, 1919) of a request from the war department (air service) to furnish
information to aid in planning a national aerial mail, passenger, and
merchandise service. They propose to lease or purchase a landing field near the
city, size 500 x 1,500 feet, which should have a hard surface and not be
surrounded by trees or other objects. This field should be as near to the
post-office as practicable and so located as to provide good transportation
facilities between the field and the post-office.
Aircraft has advanced to such a stage of
perfection that there is nothing to prevent a rapid development and
organization of a complete aerial service throughout the United States provided
a sufficient number of men can be secured and trained to operate it.
Such service is already established in
the east and there seems to be no good reason why Arkansas City should not be
on one of the first routes established in the west. The Chamber of Commerce
wants information regarding prices for lease or purchase of such a tract; also
suggestions from readers as to where the field should be located and any other
information which can be used in support of the argument to place Arkansas City
on such an aerial route.
All communications should be addressed to
R. E. Hughes, chairman of the traffic committee, for consideration and recommendation.
ARKANSAS
CITY ON AIR MAP
Government Map Shows
This is An Ideal Landing Place
The current Aerial Age magazine
shows a map of the military aerial routes of the United States, and Arkansas
City is on the map as having a field suitable for landing and securing
supplies. This is a big advertisement for this city, and the birdmen who flew
through here last winter from Waco, Texas, to Fredonia, put this city on the
map. The splendid treatment accorded them by the state guards, under charge of
Lieut. Wilbur (Pete) Hill, had a lot to do with getting this city on this
important aerial map. Lieut. Hill has had experience in flying and he is an
expert in handling airplane engines. He put Arkansas City in good with the
visiting military aviators, and as a result this city is now on the official
aerial routes of the government.
Roy
Hume is Home
Roy Hume has returned from Camp Funston,
having been discharged from the army service on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 1919. He has
been located at Kelley Field, San Antonio, Texas, for many months. He has been
a valuable man in the mechanical department of the aviation corps; but now as
the war is over, he is glad to be released and to get back to his home in
Arkansas City. In a few days Mr. Hume will resume his duties in the Security
National bank, where he was employed before entering the service.
TWENTY
SIX HUN SCALPS
Hanging at Eddie
Rickenbacker’s Famous Auto Racer, Belt
American Ace of Aces Is Back in the United
States With a Phenomenal Record.
His
Achievements.
New York, Feb. 14—Eddie Rickenbacker,
former racing star, returned on the steamship “Adriatic” today as Captain
Rickenbacker and as an American Ace, with twenty-six Hun planes to his credit
in the short period of seven months that he was on the American front in
France. He comes home with more planes than any other aviator in the American
service, his closest rival being the late Lufberry, shot down in France some
months ago and who had eighteen to his credit.
Captain Rickenbacker left his squadron,
the 94th, of which he was commander, and which squadron was the leading
American one with sixty-nine Hun planes, the day after Christmas and is
proceeding to Washington, D. C., on military orders.
It is not known whether he will remain
permanently in this country or not. His squadron was, because of its fine work,
beginning the Chateau Thierry show in July and continuing up to the armistice,
Nov. 11, selected to accompany the army of occupation to Coblenz, Germany, a
very coveted honor for any squadron.
Captain Rickenbacker, or Eddie, or Rick,
as we still prefer to call him, had a truly meteoric career in the war. He was
ordered to the front as an aviator on April 14, 1918, and got his first Hun on
April 29. It was from that date up to November that he won the very highest
honor that could come to an American aviator. He chalked up more victories than
any of our flyers in the Lafayette squadron, which had over three years’ experience
in France. He proved himself as fearless a fighter against Boche as he was
racing driver on our speedways. In flying he was more fortunate. He had
machines, a Nieuport and a Spad, that he could not break up. In his old racing
days on Indianapolis and other speedways, he ran the wheels off his cars,
burning out bearings, and put himself out of the winning.
In aviation his record has been 100
percent perfect. He has never crashed a single machine. In training he never
once broke up a plane, not even breaking a wing or a tail.
His fighting record has been as
wonderful. He brought down eighteen Boche planes with his Spad fighter. He
never had to have a new rudder or elevator put on. Even the 220 h.p.
Hispano-Suiza engine lasted him for 120 hours, although the average life of
these engines in fighting service was nine hours on the American front.
Once Rick was caught in a dog fight: that
is what the show is called when eight or ten Boches attack three or four allied
planes. Rick had been out nearly the limit of two hours and fifteen minutes,
for which his Nieuport carried gasoline, when the dog fight started. He
finished the scrap, getting one Hun, and then made across the front line
trenches for home. Before he reached the line, his engine oil was exhausted, the
bearings seized, and he was just able to glide across No Man’s Land and make a
forced landing between rows of barbed wire in an open field. But his pilotship
was so expert that even here he did not crash his machine. He tore the tail
skid off, but did not crash the landing gear. It was necessary to take the
wings off before the plane could be removed to the squadron.
Rick is accompanied to America by two
aces from his 94th squadron: one is Major Meissner of Brooklyn, with eight
victories to his credit, and the other is Captain Douglas Campbell of Mt.
Hamilton, Colorado, who brought down seven Boches as his official record. Both
are reporting to aviation headquarters at Washington with Captain Rickenbacker.
When Rick left his famous 94th at Coblenz
the day after Christmas, he left it in charge of Reed Chambers, who, before
going to the war, was the Cadillac agent at Memphis, Tennessee. Chambers is now
Captain Chambers, with seven victories on the official record.
Some of Rick’s other fighting 94th’s had
previous connections with the motor industry, and some were boys fresh from
unfinished courses in college.
Samuel Kays, with four Boche victims, was
the Ford agent at Columbus, Mississippi. He is still with the squadron at
Coblenz.
Weird Cook, Anderson, Indiana, was one of
the college graduates, a mere lad from school, yet he had six victories when
Nov. 11 ended the show.
An unfortunate member of the 94th was
Hamilton Coolidge of Boston, who was shot down when he had eight Huns on his
official score.
The squadron, although officially made up
of twenty-five planes, was in service composed of twenty four, with about
twenty pilots. They all flew Spads, type XIII, fitted with Hispano-Suiza
engines. The Spad is France’s best single-seated scout fighter, and has a
flying speed of 135 miles per hour, with a driving speed as high as 300 miles
per hour. All American fighting scouts used the Spad machine during the last
few months. Previous to that many of them used Nieuport scouts, also French
machines, using a rotary air-cooled engine. There were not so recent a fighting
creation as the Spad.
Joe Dawson, Denver, Colorado, no relation
to the old race driver, was another fighting member of the 94th and has six
Boches to his record.
THE
LIBERTY MOTOR.
Develops More Power for
Weight Than Any Other Motor.
The Buick Bulletin, a monthly magazine
put out by the Buick Motor company, this month (March 1919) carried a story on
the Liberty motor. It also has several photographs showing the new motor. The
article in part said:
Prior to the coming of the Liberty motor,
America was anything but a leader in the aeroplane field in spite of the fact
that the aeroplane is really an American invention. But today the Liberty motor
stands upon its record, made under the most difficult service conditions, as
the world’s premier aeroplane motor and is so acknowledged, even in Europe.
The Liberty motor is purely an American
product. It was designed by a committee composed of some of the leading motor
designers of America, after a careful investigation of the leading types of
aeroplane motors used in European countries.
The Service required of an aeroplane
motor is very severe. It is running under full load all the time, and to ensure
the safety of the occupants of the plane, it must be efficient and dependable
in every respect.
The question of power in relation to
weight is a particularly important one, because all aeroplanes are so much
heavier than the medium through which they travel. And the Liberty motor
delivers more power to its weight than any other aeroplane motor ever built.
Yet it has been necessary to sacrifice
strength in the construction of this motor—in fact, it was impossible to do so,
because strength was essential to safety.
The committee, as previously stated, was
formed of some of the men who were connected with various companies building
internal combustion motors of several different types. Yet when it came to a
question of building the Liberty motor, they agreed upon the Valve-in-head
principle of design as the one that would give the combination of power,
strength, and dependability.
Engines
For Education
Washington, March 14—The senate has
passed an amendment authorizing the loan of aviation engines and aircraft
material to educational institutions. Two of these such institutions, including
the college of the city of New York, have requested the war department to lend
them Liberty engines for the use of students. The war department is willing to
do this but has not had the authority. By this amendment the war department has
authority to make such loans at its own discretion.
MAY
DROP BOMBS ON A. C.
Victory Loan Airplanes
To Fly From New York To Dallas
Efforts are being made by V. E.
Creighton, chairman of Cowley county’s Liberty Loan drive, to secure a
demonstration and landing here by the flock of airplanes that will fly from New
York City to Dallas, Texas, dropping literature for the Victory Liberty Loan
campaign which begins April 21st. The aviators will pass through Wichita and
Oklahoma City, and Arkansas City is sure to be on their route.
When two army aviators flew through
Arkansas City this winter, landing here, they described the field north of
Kansas avenue on the east side of the Interurban line, as being the best
and smoothest landing place they had encountered between Waco, Texas, and this
city. They suggested at that time that a white cross be placed there,
indicating to airmen that it was a landing place. This will probably be done
before the Victory loan machines start on their advertising trip. Quite a number
of persons in Arkansas City are writing to C. L. Davison at Wichita asking him
to persuade the aviators to give an exhibition flight and landing in this
city.
SELF
FLYING, LANDING PLANES.
But Ability to Leave and
Land in Small Places More Important.
As to Size of Future Commercial
Planes, C. H. Day says the Machines
Most
Used Will Carry 1 to 12.
New York, March 21.—That it is not only
quite feasible to produce an airplane that will be inherently stable and
virtually fly itself until its fuel is exhausted, but one that will even land
itself, was one of the surprising statements made recently at the aeronautical
meeting of the Society of Automotive Engineers, held in conjunction with the
Aeronautical Show. About 450 members and guests attended the two sessions, and
listened to papers by officers prominent in the army and navy air services.
The statement with regard to a
self-landing plane was made by C. H. Day, chief engineer of the Standard
Aircraft Corp., Elizabeth, New Jersey. After reviewing the history of the
heavier-than-air machines and crediting the first experiments to a Taranto
philosopher by the name of Archytas who lived about 400 B. C., Day launched
into “The Commercial Future of Airplane from the Engineer’s Standpoint.”
Easily
Learn to Fly.
“A great deal of attention has been given
to devices to increase the stability of the airplane, with an idea that this
will greatly increase its safety,” he said. “I do not believe that the
development of such devices will greatly enhance the future of the airplane.
The ease with which pilots have learned to fly existing training machines would
certainly indicate that the stability of these airplanes is sufficient for
present needs, and investigation will show that the majority of accidents have
been due either to collisions in the air or bad landings, and not through any
inability of the pilots to control the actions of the machine.”
“The stability of these machines can be
increased to almost any extent desired at very little sacrifice of efficiency.
In fact, it is perfectly feasible for any aeronautical engineer to design a
machine of any type with the surfaces proportioned and arranged so that the
machine will be self-righting under all conditions: will not tail spin unless
forced into it, and will come out of the tail spin of its own accord.”
Will
Fly Alone Indefinitely.
“By fixing the rudder on such a machine,
it will fly almost indefinitely with all controls released, and in case of
motor stoppage will assume a natural gliding angle until it reaches ground.
With good air conditions it would even make a safe landing, if the ground were
suitable. . . . While riding as a passenger in such a machine, three years ago,
I personally saw all these things demonstrated in flight.
“To my mind, the most important
development for the future will be that which will enable airplanes to land in
extremely small fields, or literally in a man’s back yard. And this must be
obtained at not too great a sacrifice of high speed. At the present time, the
load carried on an airplane which has sufficient reserve power for safe flying
is about 20 lb. per horse power, and a speed range of from 40 to 90 m. p. h. is
now obtainable with this loading. It would, therefore, seem that the future
airplane should maintain a speed of 90 miles an hour, speed being one of the
main advantages of the airplane over other means of travel.”
Must
Get Into Small Fields.
“At the same time we must consider the
advantages of low landing speeds to get into small fields; we should not forget
that it is also necessary to leave these fields. It would, therefore, be highly
advantageous to develop machines which will gain their normal flying speed with
a short run, and have a high climb at low speeds of advance.
“In getting out of small fields, climb
per distance and climb per time is the improved factor. The development of
improved airfoils will better this condition, as well as that of low landing
speeds. Once we have secured this much desired ability to get in and out of
small fields, the safety and usefulness of the airplane, from a commercial
standpoint, will be increased enormously. Not only will we be able to reach
high points that are now available near cities, but we can fly over congested
or mountainous districts with perfect safety.
“As to the size of the future commercial
airplane, it is my opinion that the machines most used will be those carrying
passengers or corresponding loads of mail or express, but for certain purposes
we may expect to see airplanes of a size far beyond our present dreams.”
12-Passenger
Machines the Best.
“However, machines beyond the capacity of
twelve passengers become somewhat unwieldy and expensive of operation.
“As to the particular type of airplane to
be used for commercial purposes, the tractor would seem to be the most
advantageous. Inasmuch as safety is of the greatest importance and most wrecks
occur in landing, pilots and passengers should be located well to the rear of
the center of gravity so that the heavier parts of the machine, such as engine,
etc., may reach the ground first, as they are more capable of absorbing the
shocks than is the human being.
“It would also appear that the
multi-engine machine will not only add to the safety of the machine but also
reduce the likelihood of breakage, thus reducing the cost of upkeep. For small
passenger carrying machines, twin engines are extremely advantageous, as it is
then possible to design a tractor type of airplane which will be perfectly
clean and avoid the objectionable oil which drips back into the pilot’s face
in a single-engine tractor type. Maneuvering on the ground also becomes much
easier.”
Ladisias d’Orcy, in presenting “The Case
for the Airship,” offered as his opinion that “airships should mainly be
employed in trans-continental and trans-oceanic traffic, while airplanes could
be used for feeding the airship terminals with passengers. In this way, the
airship would compete with the steamship and the airplane with the railroad
train. The saving of time in either case would amount to at least 50 percent.” In
his opinion, the lighter-than-air machine is far superior to the airplane for
passenger carrying over considerable distances because of the increased safety
and the possibility of providing comforts for the passengers.
Remainder of the papers
were largely of a technical nature and included “Development of Military
Airplanes During the War,” by Lieut. Col. V. E. Clark, U. S. A.; “Naval
Air-ships by Commander J. C. Hunnaker, U. S. N.; “Aerial Combat at St. Mihiel,”
by Brig. Gen. William Mitchell, A. S., A. E. F., and “Aircraft Radiators,” by
Archibald Black, U. S. N.
Arkansas City Traveler, June 11, 1919.
Secure
Landing Field.
R. E. Hughes, chairman of the traffic
committee of the Chamber of Commerce, has notified Lieut. Roy Branstetter of
the local recruiting office, that the chamber has secured the tract of land one
mile north of the city for a landing place for the three government airplanes
which it is proposed to send here to stimulate recruiting. The grounds is the
Land & Power company’s farm where the planes landed last winter. The field
is 1,320 x 2,640 feet. A large white cross will be put there to mark the
landing place.
Arkansas City Traveler, June 13, 1919.
May
Buy an Aeroplane.
Ex Lt. Wilbur “Pete” Hill planned to go
to Blackwell this afternoon to inspect a Curtiss aeroplane which belonged to
the late Ira Bidwell, flier, of that city. The machine was damaged when Bidwell
was taking off and swerved in his course to avoid striking the crowd which
closed in on him. Mr. Hill is an experienced mechanic and flier and he believed
he could repair the machine so that he could use it in flights here and other
places. It is to be hoped he secures the airplane so that the people of this
city and surrounding territory will get to see some thrilling exhibitions in
the air like the people of Blackwell, Ponca City, and other neighboring towns
are seeing.
Arkansas City Traveler, June ??, 1919.
GROUND
FOR AIRPLANES
Proposed Landing
Place Is Located Just North of City
Following is a copy of the letter sent,
June 20, 1919, by R. E. Hughes, chairman of the traffic committee of the
Chamber of Commerce, to Sergt. Roy Branstetter, who is in charge of the local
U. S. recruiting station, which is in relation to the landing field for
government airplanes that are to be sent here soon:
Sergt. Roy Branstetter, U. S. Army
Recruiting Station, Arkansas City, Kansas:
Dear
Sir:—We have made arrangements for you to use a tract of land about one mile
north of the center of the city temporarily for the planes which will visit
here about the last of this month.
Note: He does not refer to this field
as previously being used by the flyers. RKW
This field is 1320 feet x 2640 feet, and
part of it is in alfalfa and part in wheat at the present time. The wheat
covers an area of about 700 x 2640 feet and is the nearest to the city. This
wheat will be out within the next twelve or fifteen days and the Chamber of
Commerce will provide a white cross to mark the landing.
If you desire to use the whole tract and
will give us a few days advance notice, the alfalfa can be cut and gotten out
of the way. The parties owning this field, however, would object to having the
white cross marked with lime on this alfalfa field but would be agreeable to
marking it with cheese cloth provided it was only to be used two or three days.
This committee assures you that any
assistance you need from the Chamber of Commerce will be gladly furnished.
Arkansas City Traveler, June 21, 1919.
AIRPLANES
FOR VICTORY DAY
U. S. Recruiting
Office Receives Word to This Effect
Other Features Are Now Being Planned for
Soldiers and Sailors Here on June 26
Next
Week.
Through the efforts of Sergeant Roy
Branstetter, of the local recruiting office for the United States army and air
service, assisted by J. R. Burford of the amusement committee and Frank Jencks
of the advertising committee for the soldiers and sailors home-coming in Arkansas City,
Thursday, June 26, the plan to have government airplanes here on that day for
exhibition has been carried to a successful end. This morning Mr. Branstetter
received a communication from Col. C. E. Ide, who is the colonel of field
artillery of the district recruiting office at Wichita, stating that if he
would see to it that the landing field was marked with a large white cross, he
would have one, two, or perhaps three planes here for that day to take part in
the big victory celebration. These government airplanes reached Wichita today
and they will be used there in exhibition flights, in order to stimulate
recruiting for the air service.
R. E. Hughes, head of the traffic
department of the local chamber of commerce, will see to it that the ground is
marked as requested. The landing field, which has already been secured, is
one mile north of the center of the city, on the Land & Power Co. land, where
the government planes landed last winter. It is just north of the new base ball
park.
This will be a big feature for the
Victory day and it will no doubt attract many out-of-town people here that day,
who will also have a chance to visit the returned soldier boys.
In connection with the air service
recruiting, Mr. Branstetter has received the following notice:
“All applicants who are accepted for
enlistment in the air service will either be given a ride from your station to
Wichita, or will be given a ride in a plane before they leave this
station.”
“Any civilian who obtains a total of five
applicants for the air service will be given a free ride, if they so desire.”
The following notice has been received at
the local station.
“Up until July 10th only, you are
authorized to accept applicants for enlistment in any organization camp, post,
or station, located within 500 miles of your station.”
Word comes from the Wichita station that
Lieut. Colonel Fred Lemon of the 140th Infantry, company I, Second Kansas
National Guards, of Hutchinson, now located at Camp Funston, may be secured to
make a short talk here that day. This matter has been placed in the hands of
the speakers committee, headed by Dr. R. Claude Young.
The committee has arranged for a merry go
round, a Ferris wheel, and other amusing features at Wilson park for the day of
celebration, June 26.
The women’s committee is also very busy
at present and they have announced that the dancing platform at Paris park will
be open Thursday night to help furnish a social time for the soldier boys. The
ladies of the Community service council will have this part of the
entertainment in charge.
The soliciting committee reports vary
favorably from yesterday’s work, but the ladies state that they have heard many
complaints on account of the date set by the committee. These women are in no
way responsible for the date, as the original committee voted on the date and
the majority ruled in fixing it on June 26.
The community service council ladies are
glad to be of assistance in any way possible, and they expect to have the
required $1,000 by tonight. Mrs. C. N. Hunt states that her assistants are
heartily in sympathy with the movement and they will do all they can to carry
out the plans of the committee in charge.
Arkansas City Traveler, June ??, 1919.
STAGE ALL SET FOR A
WELCOME TO OUR HEROES
A Big
Program for Celebration Thursday.
EXHIBITION
IN AIR
Huge
Spread at Wilson Park At Noon.
PARADE
IN MORNING
Baseball Game in Afternoon
Between Ponca City and Giants.
Nationally
Famed Talkers.
Arkansas City and Cowley county will show
appreciation for the heroic service rendered by their sons in the world war in
a welcoming celebration which will be held here Thursday, June 26, 1919.
The program has been completed and a
record breaking attendance is expected, for it will be the greatest event in
the history of the county.
All returned soldiers, sailors, and
marines, and men and women who served in any capacity for the government during
the war, are invited to accept the hospitality and appreciation of a grateful
people on that day. All the fighting men or those who wore uniforms in the war,
are requested to wear their army togs for the celebration. True, most of them
have discarded their uniforms for civilian clothes, but they are expected to
don the khaki or blue again for this occasion.
Distinguished service crosses will be
given by Arkansas City to all who served from this locality.
Following the monster parade from the
Newman store to Wilson park at 10 o’clock, the roll will be called and
decoration of the heroes of the war with medals will take place. This promises
to be the most interesting number on the program. Relatives and friends will
extend congratulations to the men who answered the call of their country and served
it so magnificently. Some of the gallant boys who went from here to war did not
return. Little white crosses mark their resting place in France, and they are
not forgotten. Medals for them will be given to relatives to keep.
How
They Acted in Battle
A tremendously interesting feature of the
program will be a talk by Col. John O’Connor of Winfield, if it is possible for
him to be here. Col. O’Connor had charge of the 137th regiment, which is
composed entirely of Kansas men, a large number of them from this locality. He
was promoted from a major to lieutenant colonel in France. He served on the
battle front with Cowley county boys and he can give an intimate account of
their gallantry in action. It will be a talk to the home folks about the home
boys by a home man. Col. O’Connor is a good speaker and he will bring an
interesting message to Cowley County people about their own boys who served in
the 137th. Col. O’Connor was captain of the old national guards, Company H, at
Winfield for a number of years.
At 12 o’clock a big spread will be served
to the men in uniform at Wilson park, free, followed by a keen musical program,
sandwiched by notable speakers.
Flying
Stunts in Afternoon
Lieut. G. H. McNeil of the government
recruiting service at Wichita, will give exhibition flights at 2:45 from the
aviation field north of the ball park.
The ball game between Ponca City and
Arkansas City, at Athletic park at 3:30 o’clock, will be free to all men in uniform.
After supper a band concert will be given
followed by a grand ball in the Elks hall and the park.
The parade will start at 10 o’clock sharp
from the Newman building, at the corner of Summit street and Adams avenue,
proceeding north to Chestnut avenue, thence west to First street and north to
the park.
The soldiers, sailors, and marines will
form on East Adams avenue; Red Cross units on West Adams avenue; headed by
overseas Red Cross and Y. M. C. A. workers, consisting of W. L. Cunningham, A.
H. Denton, Wm. Bunnell, and C. T. Main. Mrs. W. D. MacAllister will have charge
of the Red Cross division. Members of the junior Red Cross organization, in
charge of Prof. Funk, will wear white and carry flags. Then will come the state
guards, Community Service council, and other organizations of the city. The
Municipal band will be divided into units and interspersed in the procession.
The program for the celebration follows:
10 a.m.—Grand Parade—from Newman building
to Wilson park.
11 a.m.—Roll-call and decoration of
heroes of the world war.
12 noon—Dinner free to all soldiers and
sailors in uniform.
(a)—prayer by the Rev. D. Everett Smith.
(b)—music by the orchestra.
1 p.m.—After-dinner program:
(a)—Vocal solo, Miss Dolly Varner,
(“America for Me.” Henry Van Dyke).
(b)—Addresses by Col. Fred Lemon, of
Hutchinson, and Chaplain Inzer of Alabama.
(c)—Selection by orchestra.
(d)—Vocal solo by Mrs. George Sayles.
(“When Pershing’s Men Go Marching
Into Picardy.” James Rogers).
2:45 p.m.—Aeroplane flight.
3:30 p.m.—Ball game at Athletic park.
Admission free to all men in uniform.
(a)—Home team versus Ponca City team.
8:45 p.m.—Evening program:
(a)—Band Concert.
(b)—Grand ball.
TWO
MORE RECRUITS
One Boy Joins Aero
Service and Will Get Free Ride
Sergt. Roy Branstetter, of the local
recruiting service, has signed up two more men for the service on June 24th.
John Hamilton of Arkansas City, age 18, who is a son of Mrs. Lou Hamilton of
this city, enlisted for service in the Quartermaster’s corps. He has served a
previous enlistment in the army.
Everett Pond, of Uncas, Okla., enlisted
in the aerial service, expressing a preference for Philippine duty. Under the
new ruling in regard to enlistment in the air service, he will be entitled to a
ride in an airship before being sent to camp. He will probably get his ride in
the airplane in Wichita.
Both of these recruits left yesterday for
Wichita, en route to Fort Logan, Colorado.
Arkansas City Daily Traveler, Wednesday, June 25, 1919.
BIG
CELEBRATION TOMORROW
Everything Is Now in
Readiness for Soldiers Home-Coming
Parade Will Start at 10 O’clock and
Then the Dinner at Park—Airplane
and
Then the Ball Game
Tomorrow morning at ten o’clock will
start Arkansas City’s first honor celebration for the soldier and sailor boys
of the late war. The program starts promptly at ten o’clock with the grand
parade of soldiers, sailors, members of the S. A. T. C., Merchant Marine, and
any division which participated in any manner with the government as uniformed
men in the late war service.
At a meeting last evening of the
executive committee, which is looking after the entertainment and program, a
resolution was passed asking every industry and line of business in this city
that employs one or more soldier or sailor boys, or any other person who by
reason of service should participate in the parade to see that they are
relieved of work Thursday all day and instructed to participate in the program
which has been prepared for them. Today a committee has been engaged in making
a personal appeal to the industries and places of business to see that their
men take part and to allow them wages for the day off.
The parade will form at Adams and Summit
street with the soldiers and sailors forming on East Adams avenue and the Red
Cross and allied war workers on West Adams avenue. State Guards, Community
Service Council, and other organizations will follow. The parade will march
north on Summit street to Chestnut avenue, thence west to First street, thence
north to the park where the first number on the program will be the roll call
of soldiers and sailors and the honor decorations, which part of the program so
far as the decorations are concerned will be in charge of city officials.
Two hundred good ladies of this city have
prepared a feed for soldiers and sailors, and two hundred ladies will be there
to serve them. It is a feature that has taken a lot of work, and the boys ought
to appreciate the fact that it has been done to honor them and be glad to honor
the mothers with their presence.
The afternoon program will consist of
vocal solos, orchestra music, and a feature address by Chaplin J. W. Inzer of
Mobile, Alabama, who was chosen as one of the most eloquent of speakers who had
seen service overseas. This will be one of the biggest treats of the day.
Col. Fred Lemon of Hutchinson and Col.
John H. O’Connor of Winfield will also make addresses.
At 2:45 from Kansas Avenue, Athletic
park, or the Rock Road, folk may view the aeroplane demonstration. This will
last for thirty to forty-five minutes, after which the ball game will occupy
the program. Soldiers and sailors will be admitted free, in fact everything is
free to the boys in uniform or who have procured credentials.
The evening program will be at Paris park
and will consist of a band concert, grand ball for the soldiers and sailors,
and a demonstration of fire works which will be worthwhile to everyone. The
evening program will be one of the big features of the celebration.
Lieutenant Branstetter, recruiting
officer and instructor in an officers training school, will be the commanding
officer of the parade, having been named by the celebration committee to take
charge of the squad of boys whom they hope will number 700 to 1000. The boys
are to come in their uniforms, but they may leave their coats at home. In fact,
it is suggested that all be coatless.
The one big feature is that the parade
must start on scheduled time and that all parties participating shall be on
hand at about 9:30. Especially will this be necessary for the soldiers and
sailors, as they will have to arrange the formation of the parade at that time.
Business of the city will be entirely
shut down for the afternoon. Even the post-office is going to close, and many
of the business places will close in the forenoon. Everyone is going to see
that their soldier or sailor boy is going to be in the parade.
Mayor Hunt announced at the meeting
yesterday evening that the city had purchased $250 worth of fire works, which
will be set off from the island at Paris park lake that night.
W. D. Kreamer announced that Wilson park
and the rotunda would be properly decorated today.
Rev. Moore reported for the program
committee and Mrs. J. W. Martin for the dinner arrangements. Mrs. W. D.
MacAllister has charge of the Red Cross department of the parade.
Secretary Heffelfinger reported that the
airplane exhibition affair had been placed in the hands of “Pete” Hill and that
all arrangements had been completed. Mr. Hill announced that autos will not be
allowed in the aviation field. Guards will be placed all about the grounds.
Lieut. G. H. McNeil of the government recruiting service will bring his plane
here from Wichita tomorrow morning and will give his exhibition at 2:45 p.m.
sharp.
The baseball game will follow the air
exhibit immediately.
All business houses have agreed to close
their doors at noon, to remain closed the rest of the day.
All business houses and all residences
are expected to be decorated with flags and bunting for this occasion.
THE
PARADE AND DINNER
Returned Soldiers and
Sailors Are Being Honored Here Today
Nearly 200 returned soldiers and sailors
were in the line of march when the parade started shortly after 10 o’clock this
morning, which was the opening number on the program for the homecoming
celebration.
The parade started at Newman’s corner and
the line of march was to Wilson park, where at the noon hour a delicious dinner
was served to the heroes of the great world war by a committee of Arkansas City
women and girls. The boys in uniform were cheered by hundreds of people, who
had gathered along the line of march to witness the parade.
Col. Lemon of the United States army,
from Hutchinson, and Lieut. Roy Branstetter of this city had charge of the boys
in uniform and lined them up for the parade. The Arkansas City band led the parade,
then came the local state guards, Red cross ladies, canteen girls, Salvation
army, and members of the local war work committees.
Immediately after the parade, a group
picture of the boys in uniform was taken at the park by the Miller & Main
Studio. Then the bronze medals were given out and roll call was held.
In the afternoon there was a speaking
program, airplane exhibition, and baseball game. The closing program of the
gala day is to be held in Paris park, when a fireworks display will be given
and other amusements indulged in by the boys in uniform and their relatives and
friends.
Arkansas City Traveler, ??, 1919.
HOME COMING FOR
SOLDIERS GRAND SUCCESS
400
Returned Heroes Given Medals Here.
EXHIBITION
IN AIR
Great Spread
at Wilson Park at Noon Hour.
PARADE
IN FORENOON
Baseball Game, Splendid Addresses
by Chaplain Inzer and Col. Lemon;
Dance;
Fireworks.
Arkansas City welcomed back the soldiers,
sailors, and marines of Cowley County, who have returned from overseas and
American training Camps since the hostilities between the allies and Germany
ceased, yesterday.
The celebration lasted all day and the
program provided a variety of entertainment consisting of a parade, roll call
and decoration of uniformed men, orchestral music, band selections, vocal
solos, aeroplane flights, baseball game, fireworks display, and dancing.
On account of the harvest, a large number
of returned soldiers were not able to participate in the celebration. Also, a
large number of them did not march in the procession, but remained on the
sidewalks and watched the line go by. As one doughboy said: “I got all the
hiking I wanted in the army, but I’ll stroll down to the park and get in on the
eats.”
The airplane exhibitions by Lieut. McNeil
of the government recruiting service at Wichita attracted the greatest interest
of the day. The lieutenant and a sergeant arrived in the city about 11 o’clock
and flew over the community, performing spectacular and difficult feats in the
air before descending to the landing field north of the city on the top of the
old Wiley hill directly east of the Empire gasoline plant.
Note: The landing field location has
changed. RKW
These grounds had been prepared for the
landing of the machine by Lieut. Wilbur (Pete) Hill of the state guards, an
experienced flier as well as an expert mechanic. It was marked with a “T”,
which Lieut. McNeil said could be seen from 10 miles away. He liked the field
except for the high weeds which broke a piece out of his propeller when he was
taking off. It took an hour or two to mend it under the direction of Lieut.
Hill. This was what caused the delay in the exhibition flight in the afternoon.
It was a little after 4 o’clock when Lieut. McNeil ascended for the last flight
and departed for home.
Took
Lieut. Hill Up
Shortly after lunch Lieut. McNeil took
Lieut. Hill up for a spin in the air. During this flight Lieut. McNeil’s foot
slipped off the rudder and the machine fell 500 feet in a side slip. It fell
through the danger zone and was only about 1,000 feet up when the ship was
righted. Lieut. Hill had flown numerous times and did not become excited. He
greatly enjoyed the flight.
While the airship was falling, the big
crowd realized something was wrong and stood petrified. The sigh of relief from
the spectators when the aeroplane righted itself resembled the blowing off of
steam by a locomotive.
Fancy stunts in the air, consisting of
the Immelman turn, tail spins, and vertical bank, were performed by the
aviator. He had planned to give the crowd a more thrilling demonstration in the
afternoon, but his engine was not working perfectly and the break in the
propeller prohibited him. Three flights were given by him.
The machine was a Curtiss J-N 4 with a
Hispano Suiza 150 h.p. motor. It had a 9 foot propeller which was very frail,
accounting for the accident to it by the weeds.
Lieut. McNeil and Lieut. Hill flew over
the Country club golf course, and both agreed that the top of the hill would
make an ideal landing field. An effort will be made to have the club put a “T”
on the hill which will not interfere in any way with the golf course. All
flying machines passing over the city will land there if this is done.
Roy Hume assisted Lieut. Hill in taking
care of the visiting aviator and machine. Lieut. McNeil was delighted with the
treatment he received here. All his supplies were on the field for him when he
landed, due to the forethought of Lieut. Hill and his experience in knowing
what would be required for the plane.
The air was heavy and bumpy yesterday,
Lieut. Hill said, making high altitude flying very difficult.
The rock road was packed with automobiles
like sardines. The road became choked and the cars got locked so they couldn’t
get out from either direction for some time.
Distinguished service crosses were
presented to Lieut. McNeil and the sergeant with him by Arkansas City, and the
lieutenant said they would “knock ‘em dizzy” when they got back to Wichita with
their “Croix de guerres.”
A large crowd attended the ball game
which resulted in a score of 5 to 0 in favor of Ponca City. The crowd had a
good view of the flying machine from the grandstand.
Medals
Pinned on Heroes
Mayor Hunt asked V. E. Creighton,
chairman of the celebration committee, to make the presentation speech on the
medals given to the men who served the country in the war, on account of having
labor troubles at the Empire steam laundry yesterday morning. Mr. Creighton
made an excellent address. The medals were distributed by the members of the
Community Service council, on request of Mrs. C. N. Hunt, president, who said
the money for the celebration had been collected by them and they should be
allowed to hand out the crosses. The original plan to have this done by members
of the Red Cross chapter was abandoned.
The distinguished service cross is a bronze
medal bearing the state seal and inscription: “Presented by Arkansas City,
Kansas, in recognition of world’s war service.” It is suspended from a red,
white, and blue ribbon, and there is a place for the name of the recipient to
be engraved. Over 400 of these medals were presented yesterday. Relatives will
receive crosses for the boys who paid the supreme sacrifice.
Mr. Creighton’s presentation speech
follows:
“Ladies and gentlemen, it was to have
been the pleasure of Mayor Hunt to greet you at this time and to give you the
right hand of fellowship as a token of our esteem for you and our welcome home.
It was only at a late hour this morning that Mayor Hunt advised us he would not
be able to be at the meeting until afternoon and he has requested me on behalf
of the city and community to extend to you the right hand of fellowship and
tell you of the high esteem in which we hold you and to tell you how glad we
are that you are with us once more.
“There is no need for me to tell you of
the valiant service you performed overseas, or the valiant service you were
ready to perform the minute you entered the training camp, even though you did
not go over seas. It is all right for England to say she won the war because
she furnished the largest number of soldiers and because she maintained the
blockade of the high seas. It is all right for Belgium to say she won the war
because she stopped the Huns in the first onward march to Paris and held them
in check for eight days while England and France could muster their armies for
resistance. It is all right for France to say she won the war because the
greatest number of battles were actually fought on her soil and the sacrifices
made by her people can never be described by tongue or pen. It is all right for
each of the other nations who participated in this great struggle to set for
their claims for the great deeds they did. The truth remains, however, that the
Germans maintained a comparatively steady march toward Paris with not very much
interruption until they came face to face with the American soldiers. It was
then that they encountered the real resistance, it was then that they encountered
the American spirit—which is the spirit of Victory.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, it is needless for
me to say to you that this was the turning point of the war and all glory
should be given to the American soldiers for the service rendered by them in
behalf of civilization.
“The American soldiers were fine citizens
before they entered the war and made a study of our government and the economic
conditions of this country. We recognize them as fine citizens and the
government recognizes them as fine citizens when they called them to defend
civilization. You were infinitely fine citizens before entering the war, but
let me say to you that we recognize you as finer citizens now than before you
answered your country’s call.
“You are coming back to us after going
through the refining fires to defend civilization. You have literally gone
through the crucible, the melting pot of civilization, and your valor has won.
You have world visions of greater things than those of us who remained at home
can ever have, and so I say you are coming back to us finer men and finer
citizens than before you answered your country’s call. You will be a greater force
in molding the character and the destiny of this nation than ever before and
greater than you would have been had you not taken part in the world’s great
war. We are looking to you more than ever before to guide us in building a
country which shall ever be for the people and by the people and we know we
will not be disappointed.
“The Associated Press and the United
Press kept us informed daily of your heroic deeds and from thousands of our
witnesses we have been told of the heroic sacrifices made by you in our behalf.
We want you to know how much we appreciate these sacrifices on your part and
how much we honor you for the things you have done. Nothing will ever erase
from our hearts the monuments you have built there; and so long as we shall
live together, we will continue to hold you in that high esteem to which you
are justly entitled.
“To the mothers and fathers, brothers and
sisters of Cowley County who gave up your sons in this great crisis, we want
you to know how the people of this county appreciate the sacrifice you have
made. You gave up that which was more precious to you than any material things
of life, you gave your own son, and we want you to know how this community
honors you for this sacrifice on your part; and it is with heartfelt gratitude
that we welcome these boys back to our home.
“Some of you made the supreme sacrifice,
some of our boys will never come home, and we want you to know they are this
day not forgotten. Their names are inscribed in our hearts and in the archives
of this city, and we will always remember them as the defenders of our
civilization. It is to you today we extend our deepest sympathy which can come
from human hearts and the medals which are presented to you today from the city
of Arkansas City are tokens of our remembrance of the sacrifice made by you and
by your sons.
“Again, on behalf of the city and on
behalf of the community, we welcome you home. It is your day, the city is
yours, and everything in the city is free to you today. Your uniform and your
badge are the only pass words you need and the services you have performed will
always be cherished by us as the greatest deeds performed by human beings.”
The
Afternoon Program
The afternoon program opened shortly
after one o’clock, or as soon as the tables had been removed from the rotunda
at Wilson park, and W. L. Cunningham was the master of ceremonies. He first
introduced Col. Fred Lemon, of Hutchinson, Kansas, who is still in the service
at Camp Funston. Col. Lemon is quite well known here and he made many more fast
friends during his short stay in the city. He is a very pleasant gentleman and
an officer who was well liked by his men. He spoke of Col. John H. O’Connor,
who was with the famous 137th, 35th division, and made some very complimentary
remarks regarding Mr. O’Connor, who is well known here and whose many friends
were greatly disappointed because he could not be here for the big event. Col.
Lemon had charge of the 140th in the great battle of the Argonne, and he
related some interesting facts in this regard.
He highly praised the Kansas boys and
also the people at home, who helped materially in winning the war. He referred
to Lieut. Louis Thorp, a Winfield boy, who was killed in battle while not over
50 feet from the commander officer. Col. Lemon stated that he was glad to be
here and said he certainly appreciated the nice medal given him on this
occasion.
Mr. Cunningham then caused tears to rush
into the eyes of many persons in the audience by eloquently stating that the
people of this country wanted to remember that it is a fact that the American
boys turned the tide of the great war and that this must never be forgotten for
an instant in this country. Mr. Cunningham then suddenly said that he had
almost forgotten he was not to make an address but was simply the toastmaster
on this occasion. However, he made several statements that will never be
forgotten by his hearers.
Chaplain
John W. Inzer
Chaplain John W. Inzer, of Mobile,
Alabama, was the second speaker, and he certainly injected American “pep” into
those who might possibly have become lukewarm since the boys have returned. The
advance notice in regard to his being eloquent and interesting was more than
true, for on this occasion, he demonstrated the fact that he is an American
from his head to his feet. While in the city Chaplain Inzer was a guest of
Captain R. Claude Young. The subject of his address was “The American Legion.”
He gave the creed of the Legion and said that, “It was organized before it was
organized and that it was, naturally, an organization before it was an
organization.” This was made possible, he said, on account of the feeling of
the boys before they returned from overseas. Their feeling expressed in words
was, “Just wait till this war is over,” he stated. That splendid feeling was
the cause of the organization being perfected in St. Louis several weeks ago.
The speaker dwelt at length on the
declaration of independence and said that America was just now coming into its
own.
Some
Splendid Music
The musical numbers on the afternoon
program included vocal solos by Miss Dollie Varner, who sang “America for Me,”
and Mrs. George Sayles, who sang “When Pershing’s Men Go Marching into Picardy”
and “There’s a Long, Long Trail a Winding.” Miss Louise Jones played the
accompaniment for Miss Varner, and Miss Pearl Buck for Mrs. Sayles. These
numbers were delightfully rendered and they greatly inspired the members of the
large audience.
A seven-piece orchestra, under the
direction of Ernest Hatley, furnished splendid music during the dinner hour
from 12 to 1:30 o’clock.
The
Big Feed
The dinner served at Wilson Park
following the parade and roll call was a splendid treat for the boys. The
committee, headed by Mrs. J. W. Martin, had prepared food for 700, and as there
were only about 300 soldiers seated at the tables, it was decided to invite the
boys’ relatives to eat also.
Some 800 or 1,000 people ate of the
delicious food and there was plenty for all. This was a wonderful sight and it
was a feature of the day’s program which will not soon be forgotten by the
soldiers and sailors. At this time many of the home boys met companions whom
they had not seen before since returning home and they also made many new
acquaintances there. The army of women and girls who prepared and served the
dinner deserve much praise and special mention, but space forbids the using of
all the names, at present. They certainly conducted the affair in a splendid
and capable manner.
In the afternoon many of the boys shed
their O. D. W. uniforms on account of the excessive heat and therefore the
crowd of soldiers did not seem to be as large as it really was about the park
grounds.
As stated by one returned soldier, this
was a great day for one particular reason, if for no other, and that was that
the soldier boys for the first time had an opportunity to see all the home
folks who worked for them while they were in the service and also the home
workers had an opportunity to see and visit with all the boys who served from
this city and surrounding country.
The
Evening Program
The evening program was given at Paris
park, where boating, bathing, riding on the merry-go-round and Ferris wheel,
and dancing also, were indulged in by a large crowd. The park was filled to
overflowing long before dark and the crowd there certainly had a merry time.
The fireworks display was handled by City Commissioner R. J. Murray and the
city purchased the fireworks for this occasion.
The Community Service council conducted
the dance platform and V. E. Creighton was the master of ceremonies there. All
boys in uniform or those wearing the Arkansas City bronze medal were admitted
to the dance platform and all other amusements of the day, free of charge. A
well trained orchestra furnished music for the dancers last night.
Many persons residing in and about
Arkansas City were greatly disappointed yesterday afternoon on account of the
failure of Col. John H. O’Connor, of Winfield, to appear on the platform.
However, Col. O’Connor was, no doubt, with the boys in spirit and he may be
secured for another date to come to this city and talk to the boys. He is now
in the employ of the Winfield Daily Courier and was unable to get off
from his work in time to come here for the afternoon program.
The
Parade and Photo
The opening feature of the day’s
celebration was the parade given in the morning at 10 o’clock. About 200 boys
in uniform, including members of the infantry, artillery, navy, aero service,
and marines, were in line. Col. Fred Lemon, of Hutchinson, commanded the parade
and gave some familiar orders to the boys in uniform. The Arkansas City
municipal band led the parade. The soldiers came next, then the State guards
and Red Cross department, canteen committee, the Salvation army, and war work
teams. A pleasing feature of the parade was the little boy, Lyle Mitchell,
riding in a small automobile and carrying a banner representing team No. 9 of
the local war work committee.
A representative of the Miller studio
took a fine photo of the soldier boys, the local Red Cross workers, and the
officials of the Salvation army at the park yesterday immediately after the
parade and the pictures were being offered for sale at Paris park last night.
The names of the boys who received medals
and who registered yesterday will not be in shape to publish for a day or two
or until the committee has a chance to copy and compile the list in regular
order.
Flying Machine at
Wellington Injured Three Spectators
Mr. and Mrs. Foss Farrar and children
spent the Fourth at Wellington with relatives yesterday. They saw an airplane
accident there in which three persons were injured. The airship, piloted by Mr.
Ferguson, had been taking off down a hill all day, but the wind changed in the
evening and the flier started to take off in the opposite direction. His
machine struck some telephone wires and nosed down, striking a Ford car
occupied by Mr. Livingston (of Argonia), his wife, and little daughter. The
aeroplane bounced off the Ford and alighted without injury to the flier or the
passenger in his machine, but the little girl in the Ford had her skull
fractured. The man had the little finger of his left hand completely severed.
The woman was severely bruised but not seriously injured. The plane was
extensively damaged.
PARACHUTE
DID NOT OPEN
At Newkirk, the man who made a balloon
ascension Thursday evening, July 3, 1919, making three parachute leaps, was
injured internally by a fall. The balloon did not go high enough before he cut
loose and the parachute did not open soon enough to save him. He was unable to
make an ascension Friday night.
DIVED
1,000 FEET TO GROUND
An airplane piloted by H. F. Giese, a
discharged soldier from the French army, and carrying Oscar Pepper of Newkirk
as a passenger, fell at Newkirk on the morning of the Fourth, injuring both men
perhaps fatally.
A spectator said the ship was flying
swiftly in a southernly direction and suddenly turned to the north and then
plunged downward, striking a stack of wheat shocks head first. The two men were
removed from the demolished machine in an unconscious condition. Giese regained
consciousness later in a hospital at Newkirk and was released in a few days.
Oscar Pepper was brought to the Mercy
hospital in Arkansas city in a delirious condition. The attending physician
said Pepper showed symptoms of having internal injuries. He has a deep cut
over his right eye, one ear is nearly cut off, a knee cap is badly cut, and
there is a possibility his skull is fractured. He died on July 7 at the age of
22. He was a son of Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Pepper of Newkirk.
It is not known what altitude they were
flying when the machine started to dive toward the earth, but spectators
estimated it anywhere between 1,000 and 3,000 feet, the former probably being
nearer correct. The machine fell on an angle of about 40 degrees into a wheat field
east of the fair grounds. It is not known what caused the airship to fall. It
was a Curtiss JN-4 type. It seemed to be the belief of some of the spectators
that Giese was not an expert flyer and that the machine got out of his control.
It was rumored at first that Pepper had
grabbed hold of the rear controls over the aeroplane, but this was disputed by
the man who first arrived on the scene. It is always customary to disconnect
the rear controls when inexperienced passengers are taken up. Giese was taking
up passengers for $15 a trip, and was also engaged to give exhibition flying at
the celebration in Newkirk yesterday.
“Pete” Hill and Beachy Musselman of this
city helped to take the wrecked machine apart and load it on a wagon. Hill said
the dash had on it wording to the effect that the plane belonged to Sergeant E.
G. Elliott of El Dorado. It is said to be the property of the El Dorado
Aircraft corporation.
ABOUT
THE LANDING FIELD
R. E. Hughes, chairman of the traffic
committee of the local chamber of commerce, is in receipt of the following
communication in regard to an aviation landing field here:
Wabash, Ind., July 8, 1919. Chamber of
Commerce, Arkansas City, Kansas. Attention of Mr. R. E. Hughes, Chairman of
Traffic Committee.
Gentlemen:
We are pleased to acknowledge receipt of
your letter of June 21st and want to thank you for your kind attention and
prompt reply.
We regret that Arkansas City has, as yet,
no landing field for the use of commercial airplanes; but feel satisfied that
the interest you have taken in placing this matter before your committee will
eventually lead toward the establishment of such a field for your city.
In compliance with your request for more
information regarding such a field, will say—
first,
that there are no fixed dimensions. The field should contain not less than
twenty acres and as much more as can be had, within or as near the corporation
limits as possible. It should be comparatively level although it is well to
have a gentle slope so that it will be well drained. The field should be about
square, but this is not absolutely essential. If it is oblong, its greatest
length should be in an easterly and westerly direction; an airplane always
lands into the wind.
The various rules and regulations
governing the use of a landing-field by commercial airplanes should be
formulated by your city’s legal department.
Other cities are planning landing-fields
and we have received several letters enclosing blue prints and plats showing
field locations, their proximity to the city, etc.; and these places have
gladly offered their fields for commercial use— realizing the benefit the city
and public in general may receive from this mode of transportation.
There are, no doubt, returned aviators or
men who have been in the aviation branch of the service, in or near your city,
who will gladly act as a committee to assist in the laying-out of a
landing-field; and they would furnish points in detail which are very essential
to the establishment of a perfect field.
May we not hear from you in the very near
future stating that you have a field ready for use? If there is any help we can
extend or any other suggestions we can make, please feel free to command
us.—Service Aviation Training & Transportation Company, G. E. McCaskey.
Signed: G. E. McCaskey, Asst. Manager.
Arkansas City Traveler, July ?, 1919.
AVIATOR
KILLED AT LAWTON
Pilot Who
Flew in Winfield on the Fourth.
Winfield, Kans., July 14—Second
Lieutenant Charles W. Stell, air service, United States army, who entertained
thousands in Winfield the Fourth of July with his daring flying, was killed at
Lawton, Okla., Friday, when his airplane fell.
Lieut. Stell was but twenty years old and
had been flying more than a year. That he was considered a skilled flyer was
attested to by the position he held as instructor at Post field, Fort Sill. He
had taken two courses in advanced flying in addition to the usual reserve
military aviator’s training.
In conversation with a Courier
reporter in Winfield on the Forth of July, Lieutenant Stell said he had flown
more than five hundred hours without an accident; then, with the aviator’s
superstition, he walked to a nearby door and promptly “knocked on wood.” In
addition to his skill as a pilot, Lieutenant Stell had a very attractive
personality and those who met him on his Winfield visit feel deeply his
untimely death.
Few particulars of the accident in which
he lost his life have been received in Winfield. It is reported he was flying
with a flying circus at Lawton in the interest of army recruiting at the time
of his fall and was flying at a low altitude. He was not carrying a passenger
at the time of the accident. His home is in Brownsville, Texas, and he enlisted
soon after the United States entered the war, having been at that time a
student in the University of Texas at Austin.
MANY
ARKANSAS CITYANS FLY
Dozens of Arkansas City people were
standing in line at the landing field north of the city last night (Wednesday,
July 23, 1919) waiting their turn to be taken up by Aviator Warren Kite in his
American built Curtiss aeroplane. Among the people of this city who took
flights with him were Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Maxey, Bob Finney, Gavin Younkin,
F. E. Goodrich and son, Mrs. Lester Rhoads, Miss Marie Carlton, Walter
Matthews, Harley McElhinney, Joe McGiboney, and many others whose names were
not learned. Those who went up with the birdman say there is not the sensation
in flying that they had imagined, except when the machine is coasting down to
the ground and then they feel their breath slipping away from them. When the
machine turns around in the air, the passengers grab for a handhold. The flight
consists of a trip over the city lasting about 10 minutes. The aviator is
taking up passengers here again this afternoon and tonight. He flies until
about 9 o’clock. He may stay here another day. He is accompanied by his bride
of a few weeks, and mechanician, G. Caton.
Air
Mail Men Strike
New York, July 25 — A strike of aerial
mail pilots began today, no aviator appearing to take out the plane with
Chicago mail due to start for Bellefonte, Pa., at 5 a.m.
The strike, the first of its kind in this
country, follows the refusal of the post-office department to reinstate two
aviators who refused to take out planes on Tuesday on account of the fog.
Post-office officials at Belmont Park, L.
I., the landing field for mail planes, stated that they had received
instructions to give out no information concerning the aviator’s action.
Protest against the discharge of two
pilots, Leon Smith and Hamilton Lee, was sent to Second Assistant Postmaster
General Praeger, Wednesday. Mr. Praeger in his reply which was received by the
aviators last night, announced that the order discharging the two men had not
been revoked.
“They came into the service,” Mr.
Praeger’s telegram said, “as every other pilot, with the knowledge that they
must comply with the department’s orders to fly with the mail and where flying
conditions are such that they cannot operate they have the option to resign.”
The aviators state they have complained
on several occasions that the planes supplied them were poorly equipped for
flying, even in good weather, because of their high speed. They said they
desired lighter and slower machines, as in misty or foggy weather the
visibility was so poor as to make high speed dangerous. The men declared that
since July 15 no less than fifteen accidents have occurred in which ten planes
were demolished and two aviators killed.
Aviators of planes at Chicago,
Bellefonte, and other points will join in the strike.
In a statement today, Otto Praeger,
second assistant Postmaster General in charge of the air mail service, denied
specifically that mail planes used are unsafe or that the department forced
pilots to take the air regardless of weather conditions. Published statements attributed
to the striking pilots in New York have contained such criticisms.
Mr. Praeger said the Curtiss R-4 equipped
with a liberty motor, had a safe, minimum speed of about 65 miles an hour, or
five miles faster than the smaller, less powerful JN-4-h, which is being
abandoned. He said the statement that the R-4's cannot be flown at less than
100 miles was incorrect.
The discharge of pilots Lee and Smith,
which precipitated the strike according to the statement, followed their
refusal to take the air except in machines of their own selection.
The necessary dangers attending airplane
work, Mr. Praeger said, had been reduced to a negligible quantity, for mail
flyers.
A
Striker Explains
New York, July 25.—Hamilton Lee, one of
the discharged aviators, said today in speaking of his dismissal, “I won’t go
up in foggy weather with a big machine which travels 100 miles an hour. The
smaller ships are right because they are slower.
“In foggy weather it is often necessary
to fly only 150 to 250 feet above the ground and a high compressed Liberty
motor is apt to get hot at a low altitude, causing a forced landing. If I am
traveling over a large city, such flying is dangerous to people below as well
as to me.”
Arkansas City Daily Traveler, Friday, July 25, 1919.
STUNT
FLYING FOR REPORTER
Aviator Kite Makes
Special Trip With a Traveler Man
Looping the Loop, Immelman Turn, Tail Spin and
All the Fancy Tricks of the Air Were Staged on Friday, July 25.
“When he loops the loop, keep your back
stiff and brace your feet,” were the cheering parting words of G. Caton,
mechanician, to a representative of the Traveler, whom he had strapped
into Warren Kite’s Curtiss aeroplane, at the landing field, at 7 o’clock, last
evening, and the newspaper man was trying to get the lump out of his throat to
say that he had a family to support and really didn’t crave any of the loop the
loop stuff; but by the time he got his throat cleared and looked around to
speak, the ground was gone and he was up in the clouds with nothing but his
conscience in the front seat with him and his heart in his mouth. When the
driver of an automobile is stepping too hard on the gas, you can tell him to
cut it out; but in an aeroplane you hold no conversation with the pilot. The
roar of the engine makes it useless to let out the big squawk. The aviator pays
no attention to you whatever. There you are all by yourself and all the sins
you have ever committed knock at the door of your befuddled brain, all trying
to gain access at the same time. Maybe you never prayed before, but you sure do
breathe something that resembles a prayer now. You remember the comic who
asked, when he was invited to ascend in an airship, “Suppose the engine stops
up thar. Where you all going to put your foot to crank it up?”
Well, after the ground was left a
thousand or two feet behind and the machine was sailing along beautifully, the
news chaser began to get a breath now and then and take in the scenery. You
will never know how beautiful Arkansas City is until you fly with Aviator Kite.
It presents a picture that is indescribably picturesque. At this time of the
year when the trees and lawns are green, the view of the city from an airplane
is entrancing to the eye and enthralling to the brain.
Stunt flying cannot be described by the
passenger on his first flight into the air, and details cannot be given here,
but suffice to say that all the thrills you have read about in fancy flying are
real and not fictitious. When the ship began to turn over, in the Immelman
turn, or whatever they call it, the reporter began silent communion with St.
Peter. The Germans might have been slow and meditative getting off the Vesle,
but they were not two thousand feet up in the air either.
No sooner had the man-made bird emerged
from the Immelman turn, then it plunged into the loop the loop. This sensation
is like turning a somersault off a skyscraper and hoping for the best when you
strike the pavement below. Three times the aviator heartlessly looped the loop;
and had his acquaintances been able to see the face of the reporter at that
moment, they would have been recommending their favorite undertaker to him for
if anyone ever looked like a sick man he surely did.
Then the aviator seemed to go into a fit.
The ship was rocking back and forth and flopping up and down like a cork in a
whirlpool. He saved the tail spin for the final crushing blow to the nerve of
the passenger. This sensation is exactly like having your stomach turned
completely inside out, similar to a sudden drop in an elevator. Your heart has
done jumped out of your mouth and about the only thing you have left is your
stomach, and now the demon air monster is determined to get rid of that. The
mechanician said to keep a stiff back, but who is going to have a stiff back
when his spine is limp as a rag? During the execution of the various stunts,
the aviator shuts off the engine—and you can imagine what a glorious feeling
that gives you! You rejoice over it about as much as you would if your wife
told you that your mother-in-law was coming to make her permanent home with
you. When the engine is killed by the aviator, your heart is making a racket
like a boiler factory and you can tell the world your ears are strained to hear
that motor begin talking again; and when it does come back to life, the Rex
orchestra would sound like the beating of a pom pom compared to the music of
that engine, which has never entirely stopped running, but you think it has.
They say the life of an aeroplane motor
is about 50 hours, and when this machine was looping the loop, the Traveler
man firmly believed that 49 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds had done gone,
and the wires were singing: “Nearer My God to Thee.”
When the downward flight begins and you
realize the flight is ending, you have an irresistible desire to remain aloft.
Nothing can compare with the fascination of taking a spin in the air. But on
the level: when your feet are planted safely back on terra firma, you may not
own a foot of land, but you feel as good as if you had just inherited a
thousand acres if you have been doing what the birdmen call stunt flying. It is
a great life if you don’t weaken.
Aviator Kite said today he probably would
remain here until after Sunday. His waiting list was so long last night that he
couldn’t accommodate all those who wanted to fly and Mrs. Kite returned $150
that had been collected from waiting passengers. They will have the chance to
go up with the birdman this afternoon and this evening.
Aviator Kite wins the confidence of the
people who want to experience the sensations of a flight by the superb skill he
displays in handling his machine. He makes a perfect landing and he ranked
about 17th in the army on the number of hours spent in the air. He is
accompanied by G. Caton, an expert mechanician who keeps the ship in perfect
condition. Mrs. Kite, whose romantic courtship by her flyer husband took place
a few weeks ago at Larned, goes with her husband and she loves to fly. She is
going to learn to fly the machine by herself. Her husband was first attracted
to her by the wonderful nerve she displayed in her first flight with him when
he looped the loop eight times and she never batted an eye.
The landing field where passengers are
taken up is north of the city on the rock road.
NOTE: I believe that the Traveler man was
R. C. (Dick) Howard. RKW
ENJOY
THEIR SPIN IN AIR
Rosella Conrod and
Irene Bloomhart Fly With Kite.
Probably none of the passengers who have
flown with Aviator Kite in this city enjoyed the flight in the air more than
the Misses Rosella Conrod and Irene Bloomhart, who went up with the airman on
Friday, July 25. The birdman gave them an altitude flight, and they were sorry
the trip to the sky did not last longer. They said they weren’t a bit nervous
and both of them are eager to go up in the air again, and the next time they
said they would choose stunt flying instead of the ordinary trip, which they
are now accustomed to, and desire the more thrilling experience of looping the
loop, nose dive, tail spin, and Immelman which the aviator has done for three
or four passengers here.
Arkansas City Daily Traveler, Saturday, July 26, 1919.
For
Aviator Kite and Wife
Friday night, July 25, at their home on
North B street, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Hill were host and hostess at a dinner
party given in honor of Aviator Warren Kite and wife and G. Caton. The affair
was a very pleasing one for all parties concerned, and it was one long to be
remembered by the guests. On this occasion Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur (Pete) Hill were
also guests. Wilbur and Arthur Hill are brothers, and the latter was acquainted
with Mr. Kite some years ago, at Springfield, Mo. Mr. and Mrs. Kite are newly
weds and the dinner party was given in their honor.
IN
A SPECTACULAR FLIGHT
Dr. R. L. Baker
Was a Glutton for Stunt Flying
Spectacular air flying was witnessed by
the large crowd at the aviation grounds, north of the city, Friday night, July
25th, when Aviator Kite did a lot of stunts with his American built Curtiss
airplane with Dr. R. L. Baker of this city the lone passenger. The doctor
didn’t get his fill of stunt flying on the first trip so he engaged the birdman
to take him up a second time and give him all he had. The doctor was fully
satisfied when the machine landed for the second time.
In addition to the loop, Immelman turn,
and tail spin, the aviator did the whip stall for Dr. Baker. This sensation, it
is said, is something like a chiropractor cracking down on your spine except
that nearly every bone in your body feels like it had been dislocated. During
the flight the belt around the doctor’s waist came unbuckled and the aviator
says he never saw a pair of hands work as rapidly as Baker’s in trying to
adjust the strap again. Kite reached over and helped him. The aviator conversed
with the passenger when they were about 2000 feet in the air by slowing down
the motor, and their voices could be distinctly heard by the people on the
ground. Dr. Baker experienced a very thrilling ride, and he is an enthusiastic
fan for stunting in the air.
Mrs. Pete Hill was given the thrill of a
loop by Aviator Kite in her spin into the air last night. Straight flying was
enjoyed by the following persons yesterday: Russell Rogers, Roy Bernard, Jim
Woods, Miss Vera Pickett, Jack Taylor, Herb Kroenert, Noble Nelson, Ray Pybas,
J. C. Pybas, H. Smith, J. R. Sims, Miss Irene Bloomhart, Miss Rosella Conrod,
Mrs. D. C. Reder and daughter Ruth, W. W. Dixon, Jim Saxon, Miss Verna Collier,
Miss Eunice Brown, Orvil Samos, Harry Fry, Harry A. Derry, Cleve Mitchell, and
M. U. Larson.
Aviator Kite will remain here until
tomorrow eve. He and Mrs. Kite are mighty nice people and they have made a
large number of friends here who will regret to see them leave. They may go to
Pawhuska, Fairfax, or Winfield. When the airman, his wife, and the mechanician
are riding from town to town in the air, they use a hand language invented by
themselves with which to carry on conversation. In picking a landing field,
Aviator Kite selects a field and encircles it three times getting an idea of
the lay of the ground and location of trees and telephone and telegraph wires
before descending. He usually picks out meadow land in which to make a landing.
He says it is very difficult to tell how hilly the ground is from the air as it
all looks pretty level from up where he is. When the crowd sees him land a
couple of times, any person with the least desire to fly has the utmost
confidence in going up with him, so skillfully does he handle the machine.
Asa Dean was seized with a desire to fly
while watching Aviator Kite making trips north of the city Friday night, but he
neglected to take any currency with him. R. J. Grover quickly remedied that by
advancing the amount necessary and telling Dean that he could drop into the
Union State bank this morning and pay it back. Mr. Dean said, “I may drop into
the bank tonight, instead of waiting until in the morning,” but he was brought
safely back to the ground by the birdman.
A
PERFECT LANDING FIELD
Arkansas City has one of the best landing
fields in this part of the country north of the city where Aviator Kite has
been taking off and descending in his flights here, G. Caton, his mechanician
told the Traveler today. He said it was a perfect field if it was fenced
off so spectators cannot get onto the field and a few other improvements made.
The Traveler suggested that the
Chamber of Commerce lease the land some weeks ago, and make it a landing place
for airships. It was suggested by a director of the Chamber of Commerce this
morning that it should be a municipal aviation grounds and that the city
commissioners should be asked to lease the land for that purpose. Flying is
progressing fast and soon aviators will be flying over this city nearly every
day and they will stop here if there is a suitable landing field properly
marked with a “T.” Unless a landing place of this character is provided the
airmen will pass up this city.
No better test as to the suitability of
this land for an aviation park could be asked than the demonstration by Aviator
Kite, who has been making between 40 and 50 landings a day since he arrived in
the city, and not a single accident has resulted to his machine.
Given
Complimentary Air Spin
The Misses Alice Goodell and Edna Craik
were given a complimentary flight by Aviator Kite Saturday afternoon in
appreciation of the exceptionally high grade of gasoline which he has been
securing from the Lesh refining division of the National Oil company here.
These young ladies are employed in the Lesh refinery office. Aviator Kite is
delighted with the superior quality of the Lesh gasoline, which he says “is the
best that has been used in his engine since he struck this state, and as good
as any that he has ever used.”
AVIATOR
KITE TO PAWHUSKA
He Flew to Winfield,
But Another Machine Was There
Mr. and Mrs. Warren Kite, the aviator and
his wife, who have been here for the last several days, flew to Pawhuska Monday
afternoon July 28th where he will take up passengers. His mechanician, G.
Caton, preceded him there yesterday.
Aviator and Mrs. Kite and Mr. Caton went
to Winfield Sunday, but they found another aviator had arrived first and they
returned here. Mr. Kite was in an automobile accident while there. He was
going to town in a big Cadillac to buy some gasoline for his machine when the
car turned over. He was not hurt.
Quite a number of persons flew Saturday
and Sunday with Aviator Kite, but all of their names could not be obtained. The
Misses Frances Carlton, Ruby Brooks, Ted Carlton, and Dorothy Brooke took the
tail spin.
Harold Hill, six-year-old son of Mr. and
Mrs. Wilbur Hill, went up with the aviator and greatly enjoyed the trip. He was
the youngest chap in the city to go air planing.
Aviator Kite’s airship was slightly
damaged Saturday night by a cow, which hooked its horns into the wings and
walked on the rudder and elevator. Evidently the animal resented the invasion
of its green pastures by the strange looking object. The damage was soon
repaired.
Stunt
Flying by a Woman
Mrs. Wilbur (Pete) Hill went stunt flying
with Aviator Kite Saturday afternoon. All the various stunts, including the
loop, nose dive, tail spin, and Immelman turn were done for her and she is the
only young woman in the city who had this thrilling experience. She says the
sensations described by the Traveler reporter a few nights ago were not
overdrawn. Mrs. Hill’s husband is an experienced flyer and she has now become
as great an enthusiast for the game as he.
CAME
HOME IN AIRPLANE
Cecil Lucas, Back
from Overseas, Is Now at Fort Sill.
Much has been said and written recently
in regard to the aviator of today sailing home in his airplane for a visit with
his parents and other relatives, but the reality of this saying was carried out
one day very recently when a Kay County boy flew home in his army plane and
landed on the farm for a several days stay. The young man in question was Cecil
Lucas. He is a son of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Lucas, of nine miles southeast of the
city. He is now located at Fort Sill, Okla., but he has been overseas and
served his country well and successfully. The young man is well known in the
city. He was on the firing line when the first American troops opened fire on
the Germans, and he was there when the last shots were fired and the armistice
was signed.
A few days ago Cecil flew from Fort Sill
to the home of his parents, being on furlough at the time, and landed in the farm
pasture. His parents, brothers, and sisters knew of his intended visit and were
looking for his airship to come in. Relatives and friends gathered around the
plane to greet the army hero flier and he was given a royal welcome home, amid
many tears of joy and happiness. The dear old mother clasped her son in her
arms, and the boy who served his country against the inhuman Hun keenly felt
once more the love and kindness of home folks and home ties.
Before returning to Fort Sill, Cecil gave
the residents of Newkirk, Ponca City, and Blackwell a great thrill by giving
exhibitions at each of these Kay County towns with his army plane. The young
man probably will be discharged from service in the near future and he will
then return to the farm.
Arkansas City Traveler, August 6, 1919.
FLIES
AROUND PIKES PEAK
Former A. C. Boy
First to Perform the Daring Stunt.
Alexander Lendrum, formerly an Arkansas
City boy, residing at 314 South B street, has won national fame by circling the
summit of Pikes Peak in a Curtiss Oriole three-seated biplane with an observer,
at an altitude of 15,400 feet. It is the first time the feat has ever been
accomplished. It is considered an extremely dangerous stunt on account of so
many air pockets to go through.
Alex Lendrum is a son of James Lendrum,
formerly general foreman of the Santa Fe shops in this city. An account of his
air exploit is contained in a Colorado Springs newspaper received from J. F.
Hoffman by W. H. Nelson. The Lendrums were neighbors of the Nelson family when
they lived here.
[AD.]
Arkansas City Traveler, Friday, August 8, 1919.
The
Best Gasoline in Kansas.
That’s What Aviator
Kite Says of the Lesh Product.
“Lesh gasoline has the greatest power and
biggest kick in it of any gasoline I have used in my engine in this state,”
says Aviator Warren Kite, who is taking passengers up in this city in his
American made Curtiss ship at present. His verdict of the Lesh gasoline was
endorsed by his mechanician, G. Caton, who said it was as good as any gasoline
that has ever been used in the engine, and better than any other brand he had
used in this state. It was first used by them at Belle Plaine and they
immediately noticed the difference. It has unlimited power and a greater amount
of “pep” than any gasoline they had previously used.
LESH
GASOLINE
Which is being used by Aviator Kite, is
not a special gasoline, but the very same gasoline that you use in your automobile.
Drive Up and Get
a Filling at the Following Places
BIGLEY
FILLING STATION
HILL-HOWARD
MOTOR CO.
COLLINSON
AUTO CO.
RED
CROSS GARAGE
UNION
MOTOR CO.
-Use-
Lesh
Gasoline and Oil
“BEST
BY TEST”
The Lesh Refining
Division Of the National Oil Company
Arkansas City Traveler, August ??, 1919.
AERIAL
MAIL SERVICE
Topeka, Aug. 13.—The contract between
this city and the United States government for aerial mail service includes the
provision that the city shall maintain a landing field. This field was selected
recently by a representative of the aerial mail service, who chose a pasture
about three miles from the post-office. It is estimated this will require an
outlay of $2,000 a year by the city.
According to plans outlined to the city,
Topeka is to become a terminal for the aerial mail service and as such will be
the home station for not less than five big government planes and the services
of a staff of at least 20 clerks, mechanics, and pilots will be required. Also,
it will be necessary for the government to provide hangars and machine shops
for the planes.
Postmaster Rigby says the aerial mail
service to Topeka probably will be started about October 1.
Arkansas City Traveler, October 25, 1919.
FLEW
HERE TO TRADE
Arkansas City had visitors from abroad
yesterday and today to take advantage of the trade week specials, who came by
the air route. Mr. and Mrs. Bagwell, of Fairfax, Okla., flew to the city
yesterday afternoon in their own machine and spent the afternoon shopping with
the local merchants. Mr. Bagwell landed on the hill north of the city and he
thought it was a fine landing field. Late in the day yesterday Roy McElhinney,
a local auto liveryman, rode with Mr. Bagwell in the airplane as a passenger.
Arkansas City Traveler, October 31, 1919.
TO
ESTABLISH AVIATION HERE
Arkansas City is going to have aviation
established here in the next week or two if the Chamber of Commerce accepts
the proposition of Errett Williams of Fort Worth, Texas, and Wilbur (Pete) Hill
of this city. All the chamber is asked to do is to buy or lease the landing
field north of the city where Williams and Hill will build hangers and go into
the business of exhibition flying, teaching, and selling.
Arrangements have been completed for an
exhibition flight here in November. Zeno Michaels, a former Ringling circus
acrobat of international fame, will stand on the wings while the aeroplane
piloted by Errett Williams is breezing through the air at terrific speed. He
will do a lot of novelty and daring stunts on the plane and he will drop 5,000
bills bearing advertising matter of local firms.
He will pull off a parachute jump in the
air, dropping from the aeroplane to the ground in the parachute.
Seven towns were bidding for Lieutenant
Williams, but he preferred to come to Arkansas City. He was in the city
yesterday but he has gone to Fairfax to get his machine. He served in the war
and saw active service at the battlefront in France. He is an experienced flier
and knows the air as well as the pedestrian knows the ground.
“Pete” Hill has had experience as a flier
and he is an expert mechanic on an airplane. Williams is coming here particularly
on account of this being the home of Hill. They are old school chums and will
make a fine team in this venture.
Mr. Hill said if the landing field
is provided for them, they will immediately begin the construction of the
hangers and shop and a storehouse for supplies which will be furnished to
transient aviators. They will bring three airships here at once and they will
take the agency for the Curtiss make of ship and also another aeroplane. The
Arkansas City Aviation Co., will be the name of their firm. Hill has had a
dream for some time of getting into the game and it now looks like it is going
to be realized. He is ablaze with enthusiasm in this enterprise.
It will be announced in a few days
whether the Chamber of Commerce can secure the landing field for the proposed
company.
It will be a big advertisement to have
aviation established here, and a drawing card that will bring hundreds of
people to the city and the stores will profit from the enterprise. Exhibition
flights will be given all over this part of the country and it will advertise
this city extensively. Lessons in aeroplaning will be taught by Williams and
Hill. They will have a regular school in aviation like the instruction that is
given at Dewey, Oklahoma. This will attract prospective fliers to the city and
perhaps some of the young men who live here will take up the game. Hill has his
heart set on the proposition going through and it is believed the Chamber of
Commerce will not let this big thing get away from the town.
Mr. Hill stated this afternoon that
passengers will be carried November 11th, like Lieut. Warren Kite did when he
was here several weeks ago.
Arkansas City Traveler, November 5, 1919.
THRILLING
JUMP FROM SKY
Roy Burford, manager of the Rex Theater,
has completed arrangements for the most thrilling sight the people of Arkansas
City have ever seen here Armistice Day, Nov. 11th at 4:30 o’clock, when a drop
of 3,000 feet will be made by the performer he has secured with only the aid of
a huge umbrella. The first person alighting will be given 10 passes to the
“Miracle Man,” the greatest picture Manager Burford has ever booked for his
theater.
Aviator Errett Williams will pilot the
ship when the performer makes the death defying leap from the clouds. The
descension will be made from as near over the center of the city as possible so
that everyone may see it. At first Mr. Burford declined to engage the
sensational act on account of the peril involved in the stunt, but evidence was
produced to him to show that it had been done a number of times and he agreed
to let the people here see it.
In addition to this spectacular performance,
Zeno Michaels, formerly a leading acrobat of Ringling Bros. Circus, will
perform stunts in the air on the flying aeroplane that will make the crowd hold
its breath.
Mr. Burford engaged the act described
above because he thought it was such a miracle performance that it would fit
nicely into his advertising scheme for “The Miracle Man,” for surely none but a
miracle man would attempt to defy death in such a sensational manner.
Aviator Williams and Mr. Hill said today
that doctors will be taken on hurry up out-of-town calls in their aeroplane.
This will be a regular service established by them here.
Quite a lot of interesting history is
connected with the airship which will be used on Armistice Day. It formerly belonged
to the late Vernon Castle and was constructed especially for him by the Curtiss
company. It was his private machine and was used by him on special exhibition
flights.
The construction of the hangars on the
aviation grounds north of the city will begin in a few days. Three or four
ships will be kept here all the time as Williams and Hill will sell planes and
also teach flying in addition to their other activities. Supplies for aviators
passing through here will be kept at the landing field all the time.
The Chamber of Commerce is leasing the
field for Williams and Hill.
Proclaimed
a Holiday
The mayor is proclaiming Tuesday,
November 11th, a holiday, and asking all places of business and public
buildings to close at 11 o’clock to celebrate the remainder of the day. The
significance of 11 o’clock is due to the fact that the armistice was signed at
that hour on the 11th of November, and the 11th month of the year, 1918.
E. L. McDowell acted as chairman and the
committee appointed by him to plan for the celebration is as follows: Dr. E. F.
Day, chairman, Robert Cox and John N. Floyd, representing Shelton Beaty post of
the American Legion, and H. S. Collinson and Mrs. C. N. Hunt.
Only a tentative program had been
arranged as yet today, but the committee will meet again tonight at Dr. Day’s
office and arrange a definite program.
It is planned to have a big parade, in
charge of John Floyd, in which the school children, Red Cross, members of
American Legion and all ex-service men, and any organization that may desire,
participate. The Chilocco band and students will be invited to join in the
celebration and procession which is scheduled to take place at 2 o’clock.
Marvelous
Stunts in Air
From 3 to 4 o’clock Aviator Williams and
Zeno Michaels, acrobat, will perform thrilling stunts in the air. This will be
a great attraction and is expected to draw a huge crowd of out-of-town people.
In the evening it is planned to have a
musicale at the auditorium of the high school at 8 o’clock, and perhaps two or
three dance halls in the city will be engaged for dancing after 9 o’clock. None
of the attractions will cost anything.
Dr. Day was trying today to arrange a
boxing match between two fast and clever lightweights he saw in action while he
was in the service at Fort Worth. If they can be secured, the bout will be
staged at the Fifth Avenue theatre at 10 o’clock.
Possibly a track meet will be arranged
with prizes for the winners. It will probably be for ex-service men only and
many of them are in good trim for this affair, having had considerable
experience in the army.
The finance committee: R. T. Keefe,
chairman, C. E. Masters, Foss Farrar, A. H. Dohrer, Claude Vaughan, Roy
Burford, Doug Wilson, J. B. Lantz and Chas. Spencer.
To
Become a “World Day”
At the meeting last night, Rev. Nichols
expressed the opinion that Armistice day would become a “world day” and that
all nations participating in the war would celebrate on that day to commemorate
the historic ending of the war. He thought Arkansas City should get in on the
ground floor.
Dr. Young suggested that a special
program should be arranged for observance by the schools on that day,
explaining to them the causes of the war and why Armistice day is going to be
perpetuated in the world’s history. He said more people in the world will
celebrate Armistice day than will celebrate Christmas because the number that
knew about the war are in excess of those that knew about the birth of Christ.
It was his opinion that this would become the greatest day in the world.
Mayor Hunt expressed disappointment in
the attitude of Arkansas City toward the world war veterans. He held the
opinion that this city had been apathetic and tardy in arranging a program for
Armistice day. The indifference of the people, he said, had made him wonder
what had happened to the spirit of the city.
Chairman McDowell and Chas. Spencer
blamed the mayor for not taking the initiative in the armistice day
celebration. Mr. Hunt demanded to know why he should have initiated the
movement, and he told Mr. Spencer that obligation rested more with a newspaper
than with him, and referred to the fact that Mr. Spencer had not been so
enthusiastic for the memorial bonds as he was for a demonstration armistice
day.
The tentative program for Armistice day
is as follows:
11 a.m.—Whistle and bells and cease work
for balance of day.
2 p.m.—Gigantic free street parade—A. C.
band in uniform; ex-service men in uniform; army nurses in uniform; state
guards in uniform; Red Cross ladies in uniform; Y. W. C. A.; Chilocco band in
uniform; 350 Chilocco students in uniform; A. C. school children; vehicles.
Each section of this parade will be in charge of an overseas sergeant.
3 p.m.—Aerial exhibition of daredevil,
hair-raising stunts by Aviator Errett Williams and Zeno Michaels, former circus
acrobat.
4 p.m.—Band concert.
5 p.m.—Adjourn till 7 p.m.
7 p.m.—Band concert.
8 p.m.—High-class entertainment at junior
high school auditorium (west on Fifth avenue); “America” by audience; Robinson
and Ogram, whistling and singing; Miss Cecil Day, vocal solo; Dr. Brody, short
talk; Prof. Temple, violin solo; Stanley Rotary quartette; Y. W. C. A. open
house with musical program for ladies and their soldier friends.
9 to 12—Dancing at Elk’s hall.
11 p.m.—At Rex theatre—Battle royal: five
colored warriors. Referee’s instructions (from the side lines): “Whenever you
see a head, hit it, and the last man out of the ring gets the money.” Ten round
boxing contests; two fast light weights from Ft. Worth.
7 p.m. to 12 p.m.—Carnival night on the
streets, confetti, clowns and open house in general.
12 p.m.—Goodnight.
Subject to change without notice.
Everything free.
The
Parade
The state guards will meet and report in
uniform at the point where the parade starts and the following will have charge
of the parade: Frank Hunt and Forrest Kuhn in charge with these men assisting:
Sergeant Branstetter, Cecil Agan, Henry Newcomb, Harry Derry, Roy Lane, Chet
Breon, Tony McAdam. Captain Foss Farrar of the state guards expects to have the
discharge paper for his men ready for service immediately after the parade, and
therefore all are expected to appear in uniform.
The schools will be dismissed at 11
o’clock and the teachers will reassemble the students in the afternoon for the
parade.
Pete Hill reports that Beachy Musselman
arrived today from Tulsa with the second airplane and it is assured that there
will be two, and possibly three, ships here for the celebration.
A special invitation is extended to the
veterans of the civil war and Spanish war, and to members of the Women’s Relief
Corps to march in the parade tomorrow afternoon.
Arkansas City Traveler, November 12, 1919.
THOUSANDS IN
BIG CELEBRATION HERE
Armistice Day was celebrated in Arkansas
City by a mammoth crowd that witnessed thrilling stunt flying by Aviator
Williams and Zeno Michaels, acrobat, a big parade and a variety of entertainment
including a splendid program at the junior high auditorium, and boxing match
in the Rex theatre.
Several thousand people saw the parade,
the sidewalks being jammed until it was impossible to wiggle an elbow, and a
lot of people with stiff necks today from trying to watch the procession and
the aviators flying low over Summit street simultaneously.
The parade was led by Forrest Kuhn,
ex-service man, upon a magnificent steed. He carried a large American flag.
Following him came the Arkansas City band, which arrived late and caused a
delay of half an hour in the start of the parade, but they rendered some snappy
music in the march.
Veterans of the world war came behind the
band, a splendid looking bunch of fellows in uniform and in squad formation,
marching with heads erect and eyes to the front. Cheers welled from the throats
of the crowd as they passed by. It was a glorious reception for the boys who
fought and brought home the “bacon.”
Army nurses and Red Cross women followed
the ex-service men, and written into their faces was the splendid service and
sacrifices they rendered to support the men in the trenches. This section
received much applause.
The Chilocco band led the students of
Chilocco, and a more attractive body of boys and girls cannot be found. In
their natty uniforms they presented a striking appearance and their marching
was in perfect rhythmic motion presenting a striking effect of military
training in the schools. The Chilocco band is a splendidly trained musical
organization and its playing was a distinct feature of the parade.
Next came the Salvation army corps of
this city, and the vocabulary of an ordinary news mongrel is inadequate to
describe the respect and exalted regard the public has for the valiant service
rendered in the war by the Salvation army. The appearance of the local corps
was a signal for cheers and applause. Members of the Elks cheered from their
lodge rooms. The Elks furnished scads of money to the Salvation army, which is
said by large numbers of ex-service men to have been the most popular
organization serving at the front.
The next section of the parade was
composed of the Arkansas City school children, the smaller grades taking the
lead. Spectators remarked that these children should have been on the side
lines for they produced more noise than all the side lines could muster. Their
unrestrained enthusiasm was contagious and spectators responded with a greater
volume of noise than they had produced up to that time.
The last section of the parade consisted
of numerous decorated automobiles led by the Y. W. C. A. automobile float,
which was artistically decorated, and it received its share of the applause.
Thrilling
Stunts in Air
Two airships sailed over Arkansas City
the greater part of the day, giving the final touch to the Armistice day
celebration. Advertising circulars and tickets to the Rex theatre were showered
upon the people below.
Aviator Williams performed thrilling
stunts in the air including the loop the loop, tail spin, Immelman turn, and
the famous acrobat, Zeno Michaels, entertained the spectators by climbing
around on the wings of the plane and hanging from a part of the machine by one
leg. Owing to a misunderstanding he did his stunts first over the aviation
grounds and was not seen by the vast throng of people that filled the streets
uptown, but the gallant acrobat climbed into the aeroplane with Aviator Williams
later and flew over the center of the town where all the people could see him
perform. The program in the air gave complete satisfaction, and flying was
increasingly difficult yesterday because the air was extremely bumpy on
account of the terrific wind; but the daring aviator and the acrobat braved
these conditions and performed their stunts according to contract despite the
extreme hazards encountered by the wind. Aviator Williams and “Pete” Hill flew
over the city for about an hour while they were engaged in dropping the advertising
matter from the local stores. On account of the strong wind, it was impossible
to drop the bills so they would light in the business section although they
dropped them from the air a mile or two south of the city.
The “Miracle Man” made the drop with only
the aid of a big umbrella. This stunt created great excitement. It was a dummy,
but the aviator and acrobat pulled it off so cleverly that the crowd was
fooled. They went up in the air and dropped the dummy. When Williams landed
Michaels dropped off the plane out of sight of the crowd, which surged around
the ship and tried to find him.
Beachy Musselman, former flier in the
army, made several ascensions in one of the ships. He took his mother up with
him on the last flight and he said it was the first time he had ever been
nervous in flying, but his mother greatly enjoyed the trip and displayed not a
bit of nervousness.
Plenty of entertainment was provided for
everyone in the evening. An exceptionally fine program was given at the junior
high, and a big dance was held at the Elks hall, also at the Yeoman’s hall.
A ten round boxing match between the
champion of the A. E. F. and a regimental champ was pulled off at the Rex
theatre following the picture show, and it was a fast bout. The boxers were
welterweights, and they gave an exciting exhibition of the manly art of self
defense. Don Wilson introduced the boxers. Leb White acted as referee and Dr.
E. F. Day was timekeeper.
The program in the evening at 8 o’clock
was carried out at the junior high school auditorium as planned, with one or
two exceptions. The crowd in attendance was not as large as expected nor as
large as should have been on an occasion like this. Supt. C. E. St. John, of
the city schools, was chairman of the meeting and the principal address was
given by the Rev. Dr. Brodie, pastor of the First Presbyterian church of
Wichita, who is well and favorably known here. He is an eloquent speaker and is
equal to any occasion on subject.
He has the faculty and earnestness to
thrill his audience, and having lost a son in the late world war, he is well
versed on that subject. He also visited the war zone last year and he always
has a splendid message when called upon to talk. He made a short but very
impressive address last night. Dr. Brodie has a number of warm friends in
Arkansas City, who are always glad to see and visit with him. He has delivered
stirring addresses here on several different occasions before this event.
The meeting last night was opened by the
audience singing “America.” Then Miss Cecil Day favored those present with one
of her very choice vocal solos, which was greatly appreciated.
C. J. Robinson, formerly traffic manager
of the Kanotex refinery, and now with the Cosden Oil Co., at Tulsa, rendered a
whistling solo that took the audience by storm. He possesses rare talent in
this respect and is a high class entertainer. He also has other gifts in a
musical way, being more than an ordinary violinist and pianist and has
composed a number of clever pieces on the piano. His many friends were glad to
see him here again yesterday. The famous Rotary quartet from Wichita also gave
several up-to-date and very pleasing numbers. These four young men are quite
well known in Arkansas City, especially among the Rotary club in the
Presbyterian church.
Following the program at the school
house, the Y. W. C. A. ladies gave a reception for the girls and their soldier
boy friends at the Y. W. rooms. Many young folks also went to the Elks hall to
attend the free public dance given there by the celebration committee.
The Armistice day celebration was a huge
success, and the committee is deserving of much praise for providing so much
entertainment upon so short a notice. They only had about two days to arrange
the program, but they went “over the top” in splendid style.
Arkansas City Traveler, November 12, 1919.
FIRST
AEROPLANE FUNERAL
The first airplane funeral service to be
performed in this section of the country was that carried out yesterday, when
in spite of the cold and disagreeable weather Errett Williams and “Pete” Hill,
of the Williams & Hill Airplane Co., of this city, carried the corpse of a
little girl from Kaw City to Fairfax, Okla., for burial at the latter place.
The casket bearing the little girl was strapped to the airplane and Aviators
Williams and Hill made a successful flight to Fairfax, landing within 25 feet
of the grave which had been prepared for the corpse. Then the funeral rites
were said and the body given over to mother earth, from whence it came.
The little girl was a half sister of Pete
and Arthur Hill of this city and was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. M. T. Hill, of
Kaw City. Her death occurred on Monday and all arrangements had been made for
the funeral on Tuesday, but when the train which was to carry the body from Kaw
City to Fairfax arrived at Kaw City, for some reason it was denied passage on
the train. Then Messrs. Williams and Hill quickly made plans and carried them
out, in the manner described above. They had flown from here to Kaw City in the
morning and then after making the trip from there to Fairfax, they had covered
about 60 miles in the airplane. They then returned to Arkansas City in the
evening, making a total flight for the day, and in zero temperature, of 120
miles.
The Williams-Hill Airplane Co., of
Arkansas City, Kansas, therefore claims the distinction of having performed the
first airplane funeral the middle west has ever had.
Arkansas City Traveler, November 12, 1919.
To
Take Up Passengers
Aviator Errett Williams and Wilbur Hill
flew to Ponca City today, where they will do stunt flying at a roping contest
there tomorrow. They will return to the landing field north of the city
tomorrow night and passengers will be taken up from this field on Sunday. Quite
a number of persons have expressed the desire to fly with Aviator Williams and
their wish will be granted. He has demonstrated that he is an expert flier and
confidence is bestowed in him by the people who want to go up. He makes a
beautiful landing and takes off beautifully. He flew a plane at the front
during the war.
Arkansas City Traveler, November 18, 1919.
Aviator Errett Williams and Pete Hill
flew to Kaw City today in their aeroplane. They will remain in Oklahoma until
next Sunday, doing stunts and taking up passengers, and they expect to be here
Sunday to take up those who want to experience the sensation of flying.
Arkansas City Traveler, December 1, 1919.
Will
Fly at Ponca City
Aviators Pete Hill and Errett Williams
went to Ponca City this morning, where they are making arrangements to put on a
flying exhibition next Saturday. They were joined here by F. L. Armstrong, who
will join them in the exhibition at Ponca City, with a parachute leap from a
height of 5,000 feet, from an aeroplane. Mr. Armstrong is a professional at this
business and he will no doubt, with the able assistance of Aviators Hill and
Williams, put on a good attraction for the Ponca City people.
Arkansas City Traveler, December 5, 1919.
Flew
to Kaw City
Thursday morning a traveling man missed
his train in Arkansas City, so he made arrangements to head it off in a
Curtiss aeroplane. He passed the train at Uncas and landed in Kaw City and was
on the depot platform when the train pulled in. Missing the train is not so bad
any more if you have the money and the nerve to ride in a plane.—Newkirk
News-Journal.
Arkansas City Traveler, December 15, 1919.
Mrs. G. E. Moody is in receipt of a
telegram from her son, Dwight Moody, saying that he had arrived at New Orleans
from Panama where he has been the past year in the aviation service. From New
Orleans he will go to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he will be discharged from
the army.
Arkansas City Traveler, January 2, 1920.
Aviators
Home From Oklahoma
Aviators Pete Hill and Errett Williams
are back in the city after having spent the past few days in neighboring towns
carrying passengers. They visited Ponca City, Guthrie, Enid, Coil, and Red
Rock, Oklahoma. They reported a good trip and excellent business. The aviators
say they had no trouble whatsoever. They arrived here at 4:30 yesterday
afternoon.
Arkansas City Traveler, January 3, 1920.
ARMY
BALLOON LANDS HERE.
Record
Flight.
A “free” army balloon, manned by Lieutenant
C. F. Bond, Lieutenant T. E. Knode, and Sergeant Harry Gamblin, made a successful
landing at William and Hill field yesterday evening at 7:05.
The balloon left Post Field at 5:30
Monday afternoon with New Orleans as the objective point, but the air
conditions were such that the balloon was carried northward. A distance of 150
miles was made in one hour and thirty-five minutes.
The flight was made without incident and
was one of their many successful training trips. The same balloon passed over
Arkansas City about two months ago and landed at St. Johns, Kansas.
Lieutenant Bond was in charge of the crew,
and told of their many successful flights, especially a 600-miles trip to the
Mexican border a few weeks ago. Regular flights are made from Post Field, the
object of which is a more thorough training in this branch of the service. He
also stated the government was paying more attention to the balloon branch of
the air service and was investing heavily in dirigibles as they carry more
passengers, more freight than the airplanes, and can travel as fast.
This balloon is known as a “free” balloon
as it is free to travel the way the air currents will have it go. Other types
are known as “captive” dirigibles. The “free” balloon has a capacity of 35,000
cubic feet of hydrogen gas, and not having the hydrogen service in Arkansas
City, it will be shipped to Post Field this afternoon. The crew will return to
the field at the same time. Post Field is a permanent one and has one balloon
company and one aerial squadron stationed there.
Arkansas City Traveler, January 23, 1920.
Neal Pickett sold, via airplane, the Eft
320 acre farm 17 miles southwest of Arkansas City to Sam Berry, a prominent
contractor and builder of this city. Mr. Berry was too busy to go by train to
see the place, the bargain would not last, and the bad roads would not admit of
auto travel so the airplane was used. The party left here at 12:10 Wednesday,
visited the place, and had landed at the aviation field north of the city at
12:35. At one o’clock Mr. Pickett and Mr. Berry had finished their lunch,
closed the deal, and Mr. Berry was back at his work with the consolation that
he had picked a real bargain. “It’s an ideal way to see a farm,” said Mr.
Berry, and his money talked for he was ready to purchase immediately upon
landing. This makes 960 acres of land that Mr. Berry has bought of Mr. Pickett.
This puts Arkansas City on the map as
having used an airplane for the first time by a real estate man, and that it
was successful is shown by the fact that the land sold readily.
Arkansas City Traveler, February 2, 1920.
Buy
New Airplanes
Aviator Williams and “Pete” Hill arrived
in the city from Dallas, Texas, Saturday night in a new Standard airplane they
have purchased for training purposes at the local aviation grounds. They were
in Winfield Sunday where they took up passengers all day. They left for Dallas
Sunday night to get another ship. They have purchased six machines during the
last few days. Two or three of them have been sold.
The Hill-Williams Airplane Co. and Flying
School have engaged Jimmie Ward, an aviator of 13 years flying experience
without a single accident, to give instructions to novice fliers at their
aviation field north of the city. He will be here next week and he will move
his family to this city.
Arkansas City Traveler, February 9, 1920.
FLYING
SCHOOL ESTABLISHED
Pete Hill and Errett Williams arrived in
the city Saturday evening with a brand new aeroplane for their station north of
the city. They drove the machine from Houston, Texas, in exactly nine hours
against a strong wind nearly all the way. It is said to be seven hundred miles
from here to Houston and this was certainly a record flight with no accidents
of any sort. Messrs. Williams and Hill have four planes at the station north of
the city now, and they have purchased five others which will be brought here
very soon.
Today Messrs. Williams and Hill gave
their first lessons in flying in connection with their school of instruction to
two local boys, Virgil ‘Runt’ LaSarge and Monroe George, who were the first to
take flying lessons here. These two boys were taken on flights above the city
this morning and they will soon be flying alone. Mr. Hill says they are
adaptable pupils and he is well pleased with the flights made this morning. One
of the planes, which was seen flying above the city this morning and which
appeared to be very high, was 6000 feet above the earth it was said.
James Ward has been retained by the
Williams & Hill Co. to act as flying instructor and he is now engaged in
that work here. Mr. Ward is an expert flier and has been operating machines for
thirteen years without an accident of any sort.
Arkansas City Traveler, February 19, 1920.
TO
TEACH WOMEN TO FLY
Students in flying at the Hill-Williams
Flying school in Arkansas City are increasing in number almost daily.
Mrs. Bobbie Jewel of Wichita has engaged
Hill & Williams to teach her to pilot an airplane, and she is expected here
some day this week to start upon her training course. She will learn to fly
from the aviation grounds north of Arkansas City.
In addition to Mrs. Jewel there are
several young men taking lessons from the Hill-Williams flying school of
Arkansas City, and they are progressing rapidly. A young man by the name of
Barrett of Ponca City is a new student.
Hill & Williams are also taking many
orders for flying machines. Chas. C. Derr of Oklahoma City has purchased a ship
from them and he will send a man here to be instructed in flying.
Aviator Williams flew to Pawhuska and
back yesterday with a young man by the name of Revard. The passenger engaged
him to meet him at Ponca City today and take him back to Pawhuska.
Motor
School
The Hill-Williams Airplane Co. and Flying
School has installed a fully equipped motor school in the Vale & Hill
machine shop in the basement of the Dye building. Overhauling and instruction
will be given in motor mechanics. The company already has an airplane motor
dissembled in the shop and ready for instruction. It is the only motor school
of this kind in the southwest, neither Wichita or Oklahoma City having anything
like it. Wilbur (Pete) Hill is an expert mechanic and he took a full course in
airplane motor instruction. Errett Williams is an expert flier, having been a
lieutenant in the army during the war. They make a fine team and flying
airplanes here is being very popular.
Arkansas City Traveler, February 19, 1920.
GIVES
FRIEND SPIN IN THE AIR.
William Stryker, president of the
Security National bank, used a novel method yesterday of entertaining a friend
from Kansas City, a Mr. Smith who designed the interior of the new bank. Mr.
Stryker took his guest to the aviation field north of the city and engaged
Aviator Williams to give him a spin in the air. After Mr. Smith had enjoyed a
flight, Mr. Stryker was taken up into the clouds. Both gentlemen were treated
to the loop the loop and other fancy stunt flying by the airman, and they
greatly enjoyed the sensations that are produced by the airship about 5,000
feet above the ground.
Arkansas City Traveler, March 2, 1920.
PURCHASE
AIRPLANE ENGINE.
The Williams & Hill Airplane Co. has
purchased a 180 horse power airplane engine from the Curtiss Plane Co. The
name of the engine is “Hispano-Suiza,” and is the same make of motor that was
used on the battle front. It came second under the class of the Liberty motor.
The price of the engine alone is $5,000. It has a 5 inch bore and 7-1/2 inch
stroke.
The motor is equipped with the latest and
most up-to-date fittings. This and the Liberty motors are the only motors that
will climb the height as did Schroeder, just last week, it is said.
The motor is on display at the Vale-Hill
garage, but it will be installed in one of the planes of the company for
exhibition and school work very soon. This motor will no doubt surprise the
people of Arkansas City, as never before have they had the privilege of seeing
a motor of this class and it will be worth the time of anyone to look at this
motor.
The plane is equipped with an electric
starter, as two men could not crank the motor at all. It is also said that the
engine will permit the plane to go so high that it cannot be seen on a clear
day, and no doubt the people of the vicinity will have the chance of seeing
this same plane go out of sight in the air.
Arkansas City Traveler, March 4, 1920.
AIRPLANES
DESTROYED.
The Williams & Hill Airplane company
of this city lost two high-priced planes last night on account of the severe
wind storm, and it is doubtful whether or not the planes can be repaired. The
two planes which were blown from the landing field north of the city were
staked down, but the wind nevertheless picked them up bodily and carried them
several hundred feet, landing them in a ravine and smashing them almost to
pieces. One of the planes was a new Standard and cost the company $3,850. The
other one was a new Curtiss Canadian plane and was known as the white machine.
It cost $2,500. The worst part of it is that the company had no tornado
insurance on either of the planes. The young men had neglected to have the
insurance papers made out; therefore, they are the losers to the extent of
several thousand dollars.
Another plane of the company is now in
Missouri, Errett Williams having driven it there several days ago. Pete Hill
remained at the landing field yesterday afternoon to look after the company’s
property and thought he had the two planes well tied down and anchored. He came
into the city at 7 o’clock to eat his supper and upon his return there he found
the planes had been blown from their resting places and were practically destroyed.
It is certainly a hard blow to the new enterprise and the friends of Messrs.
Williams and Hill are very sorry to learn of their heavy loss.
Building
Damaged By Wind
The high wind damaged the front of the
one-story brick building located at 111 North Summit street, to the extent of
blowing off the brick wall that extended above the roof, at the front. The
building is occupied by Ellis Billings Plumbing Shop. The brick from the front
wall was blown onto the sidewalk between 7 and 8 o’clock last night.
Fortunately, there was no one injured by the falling of the brick. The building
is owned by Attorney Albert Faulconer.
Arkansas City Traveler, March 20, 1920.
JIMMIE
WARD, AVIATOR
Local Flying Instructor Is
Oldest Commercial Aviator Living.
“Jimmie” Ward, who is now engaged at the
task of instructing in flying for the local airplane company, the Williams-Hill
Aviation Co., and who now is making his home in Arkansas City, is the oldest
commercial aviator living. He is a real live young man, being 38 years of age
at the present time, and he likes Arkansas City so well that he has located
here. He and his estimable wife are residing in a part of the Mrs. W. H. Hume
(parents of Roy Hume) residence, at 126 North A street. They have two children,
who are now attending school in Tennessee, where Mr. and Mrs. Ward formerly
resided. “Jimmie” is small of stature, but he is a man nevertheless and he
certainly understands the art of mastering the airplane and the air.
Mr. Ward began his flying career in 1907
at Hammond’s Port, New York. He learned to fly there with Glen H. Curtiss and
at that time used the airplanes, “June Bug” and “Silver Dust,” the first two
planes to be used for commercial purposes in the United States. He came to
Kansas in 1910 and first gave exhibition flights in Wichita. Roy Hume, who was
in the government airplane corps in Texas during the war, and other Arkansas
City people here, saw Mr. Ward fly in Wichita at that time. In the year 1917 he
joined the government service as a flying instructor. After that he was located
at Dayton, Ohio, on the Wright field for eleven months. He then spent one year
at Park field, Tennessee (where his children now reside); then four months at
San Diego, California, field; and more recently was located at Dallas, Texas.
He is a fine fellow to meet and talk with as he possesses a pleasing
personality; and he says Arkansas City is the best city he has ever seen.
Arkansas City Traveler, March 11, 1920.
BUYS
INTEREST.
Monroe George has purchased the interest
of Barney Vale in the Vale-Hill garage located in the basement of the Dye
building. Mr. Vale sold out on account of ill health. He has been quite sick
for the past several months. Monroe George is well known as a mechanic in the
city as he has been very successfully repairing cars while working in different
shops in this city.
Arthur Hill will retain his interest. Mr.
Hill is an automobile mechanic with fourteen years experience. He was with the
Western Motor Company, of Springfield, Mo., eleven years before coming to this
city.
The name of the new firm will be
George-Hill garage and it is one of the best equipped shops in the southwest.
Besides just recently installing a reboring machine to rebore cylinders in
engines, they are installing a new 15-inch lathe which will enable this firm to
make any part of an automobile, a service when parts in a car are broken.
Instead of sending to a factory and waiting for the parts, they can make the
parts on this machine and do not have a delay. This firm is also getting a
reputation on efficient airplane motor repair work as they have done several
jobs for the Williams-Hill Airplane Co. of this city.
Arkansas City Traveler, March 13, 1920.
FLY
HERE FOR CHOCOLATES.
J. P. Donahue, representing the Kendall
Drug company of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Aviator Paul H. Meng of the same place,
arrived in the city yesterday evening, making the trip here in a big Curtiss
aeroplane. These two Tulsa gentlemen came to Arkansas City for the purpose of
purchasing and taking home with them a quantity of the famous Ranney
Mallow-Milk chocolate made by the Ranney-Davis candy factory here. Aviation
Meng and Mr. Donahue were forced to land six miles south of the city yesterday
evening because their supply of gasoline had become exhausted. They landed at
the L. J. Pudden farm, which is located on route No. 2, and the plane was left
there overnight. This morning Mr. Donahue visited the Ranney-Davis candy
factory and made a large purchase of the goods manufactured by that firm.
Manager Henry of the candy plant provided the Tulsa men with a large order of
chocolates and Mr. Donahue and Aviator Meng returned to Tulsa today, carrying
100 pounds of the chocolates in the aeroplane.
The trip to Arkansas City was made as an
advertising feature of the Tulsa advertising club and it was planned for the
two men to land in Tulsa today while the advertising club was in session and to
carry the candy to the club room. Aviator Meng drove his plane from the Pudden
farm south of the city to the Williams-Hill field north of town this morning,
where he secured a supply of gasoline and the start was made from that place at
10:25. It was planned to make the trip from here to Tulsa in one and one-half
hours. The trip from Tulsa to the city yesterday was made by the aeroplane in
two hours, and this is considered excellent time as the machine was bucking a
stiff northwest wind all the time.
Mr. Donahue, who represents the Kendall
Drug company of Tulsa, a distributor for the Ranney candy in that city,
purchases 500 pounds and sometimes more of these chocolates each week. Pilot
Meng represents the Southwest Airplane Co. of Tulsa.
Arkansas City Traveler, March 31, 1920.
AN
AEROPLANE EXHIBITION.
Arrangements were made today with the
Williams & Hill Co. to exhibit at the automobile show, April 8, 9 and 10th,
the famous Hispano-Suiza motor. This motor is 150 horse power, weighing less than
400 pounds, belonging to Captain Geymnemer, who is the Ace of Aces, having 96
German planes to his credit. This is the type of motor used in the French Spads
as a pursuit plane. During the show Williams & Hill company will make
exhibition flights in their new three-passenger plane. They have secured as an
additional pilot, C. E. McElvaine, who was a first lieutenant with Eddie
Rickenbacker. Lieutenant McElvaine trained under the British flag, was shot
down August 1st, when in pursuit of five German planes, 25 miles back of the
German lines. The magneto was shot from his engine; and in order to carry out
the instructions which every aviator has, “not to permit the plane to land so
as to be used by the enemy,” Lieutenant McElvaine drove it into a stone wall.
When he awakened, he was in a German hospital; but the plane was wrecked
according to orders.
Mr. McElvaine is a banker at Redding,
Iowa, and has just purchased a new standard, three-passenger plane, with a
Curtiss 90 horse power motor from the William & Hill company. Delivery was
made to Mr. McElvaine at Houston, Texas, and he is now on his way back home;
but he has consented to stop off and take in the show and incidently show a few
thrillers at the same time.
The city commissioners today granted permission
to Geo. L. Sayles to use part of Summit street and Walnut avenue, between First
and Summit, in order to provide additional room for the tractor and automobile
show.
The request for space has been so great
that it has been necessary to arrange for tents on the outside of the building.
These tents will house trucks and farm machinery.
Arkansas City Traveler, April 3, 1920.
STRING
OF AEROPLANES HERE.
The Williams & Hill aeroplane landing
field north of the city was the scene of a string of real planes today, when
planes from other parts landed there; and it is planned to have the five
ex-service men now in the city fly in formation this evening or tomorrow
morning provided the wind goes down so that this is possible. The field today
was made more distinguished by the fact that five former army men were there
at the same time and each of them has a machine there. Geo. B. Cornish, the
local photographer, went to the landing field at noon and made pictures of the
men and their planes. The members of the crowd, as it might be called, were:
C. E. McElvaine, of Redding, Iowa, an
ex-service man who is flying his Standard plane, purchased from Williams &
Hill. He took delivery at Houston, Texas, and is en route to his home. He is
accompanied by his mechanic. Mr. McElvaine was intending to remain here and
give an exhibition for the auto show, but he is compelled to go on home
immediately.
S. Q. Noel, of Kansas City, who is flying
from Waco, Texas, to his home. He is accompanied by his mechanic, John Rose.
Beachy Musselman, a local boy and
ex-service man, who is now attending college at K. U. and is at home for the
Easter vacation.
Mr. Zimmerman, of Kansas City, who
happened this way and stopped because he saw a good landing field. He also
secured some repairs here from the George & Hill garage.
Errett Williams, of the Williams &
Hill Co., of this city, is the fifth man. He is well and favorably known here,
and is a partner of Pete Hill in the company established in this city to sell
planes and conduct a flying school.
While in this city Mr. McElvaine secured
the services of a local mechanic, H. E. Crow, of the George & Hill garage,
and Mr. Crow will accompany Mr. McElvaine to Redding, Iowa. Mr. Crow is an
expert in this line and he will take care of Mr. McElvaine’s Standard plane in
the future.
A large number of people visited the
field today and saw the planes. They desired very much to witness the formation
flying, but on account of the high wind, they were disappointed in this regard.
The Williams & Hill Co. has had built
a large stand for the big Hispano-Suiza motor and also one for the Curtiss
motor at the George & Hill garage, and these two engines will be on
exhibition at the motor show next week.
Arkansas City Traveler, April 8, 1920.
Aeroplane
Engine Display.
The George-Hill garage has on display at
the automobile show one of the 90 horse-power aeroplane engines which they have
just finished overhauling. The engine is a Curtiss Motor belonging to the
Williams-Hill Aeroplane Co. They also have on display a new 180 horse-power
Hispano-Suiza motor. This motor was the one that was used so successfully on
the western front by the allies in the recent world’s war. This engine alone
cost $5,000. This firm is also displaying the official insignia of the 95th aeroplane
squadron. This squadron is credited with bringing down 54 German planes on five
different fronts—the Toul, Chateau-Thierry, St. Mihiel, Verdun, and Champagne.
The insignia was taken off a wrecked American plane and shows a jackass kicking
the iron cross.
Monroe George of the George-Hill garage
has on display at the automobile show several pictures taken of Arkansas City
by aeroplane. Mr. George took these pictures while making a flying trip over
the city several days ago.
Arkansas City Traveler, April 20, 1920.
Jimmie Ward and Roy Hume
Go to Galveston For Airship.
Jimmie Ward, aviator, and Roy Hume will
leave for Galveston, Texas, this evening to buy a Standard airplane and to fly
it back to Arkansas City. The machine will be the property of a bunch of
Arkansas City men, who are buying it for an investment. It will be flown by
Aviator Ward in taking up passengers in this city and elsewhere.
Aviator Ward and Roy Hume are both
interested in the airship. Roy will continue to work at the Security National
bank, but Ward will devote his time to flying the ship. He is an expert flier
having a record of a large number of hours spent in the air. He is a careful
flier and is considered a highly skilled pilot. Hume was in an aviation camp in
Texas during the war and acquired considerable experience in the mechanical
science of an airplane. He can rebuild automobiles and do most anything in the
mechanical line, having been greatly interested in all mechanical things since
he was a small boy.
Arkansas City is becoming an important
aviation center. The Hill-Williams Airplane company and school for flying has
been established here on the aviation grounds north of the city, and the
company has prospered. It encountered some hard luck during the windstorm
several weeks ago when considerable damage was done to two machines, but this
did not deter the company from going ahead with its plans to put Arkansas City
on the map as an important center for aviation activities.
Arkansas City Traveler, April 21, 1920.
Another
New Plane.
Pete Hill and Cecil Lucas returned last
night from Tulsa, bringing home another new plane for the Williams-Hill
Aeroplane Co. of this city. They drove the plane here from Tulsa without mishap
of any sort and stopped over at Ponca City for lunch. The wind was so strong
that they spent several hours at Ponca City and drove on here late in the
evening.
Arkansas City Traveler, April 24, 1920.
DIRECTORS
HELD A MEETING.
At a meeting of the directors of the
chamber of commerce yesterday afternoon, it was decided to appropriate $500
toward the cost of the construction of a hangar for the Hill & Williams
Airplane company on the aviation grounds north of the city.
It is understood that the men who have
assumed the indebtedness of the baseball team in the O. K. league last season
will sell the lumber in the grandstand for $500 to help build the hangar. This
lumber, at present day prices, is estimated to be worth about $1,120. The
baseball debts amount to approximately $1,200; and the boosters who stood good for
that amount are willing to make the sacrifice sale of the lumber so that the
hangar can be constructed.
Arkansas City Traveler, April 29, 1920.
WARD
ARRIVES BY AIRPLANE.
Jimmie Ward, aviator, landed at the aviation
grounds north of the city yesterday in a new Standard aeroplane, which was
flown from Houston here by him. He was accompanied as far as Oklahoma City by
Roy Hume, who took the train to this city so he could get back to his work in
the Security National bank.
Aviator Ward flew from Oklahoma City to
this city yesterday morning. The machine was purchased by some Arkansas City
men through the Hill-Williams Aeroplane Company & Flying school of Arkansas
City. It will be used to take up passengers. Ward will leave shortly for a trip
on the road. He has spent one whole year of his life in the air. He first went
up with Curtiss in 1907. He is a careful and experienced flier.
Arkansas City Traveler, May 11, 1920.
FLYING
CIRCUS TO NINE STATES
Hill-Williams Company Are
Going to Stage Big Enterprise.
The Hill-Williams Airplane company of
Arkansas City is going to pull off a spectacular flying circus trip through
the country covering at least nine states as follows: Kansas, Missouri,
Nebraska, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. It is
the first flying circus attraction that has gone on the road so far as known.
In the party will be the following
pilots: Errett Williams, Pete Hill, Cecil Lucas, and Dick Phillips, accompanied
by Zeno Michaels, the former daredevil of Ringling Bros. circus, and who leaps
with a parachute from a flying plane at 4,000 feet, besides walking on the
planes and hanging from them while the aeroplane is traveling at a terrific
rate of speed.
An advance man has been secured to
precede the circus and make the dates. He is L. A. Babb of Wichita, formerly an
aviator in the Royal Flying corps of England. He will cover all the states
mentioned above and make engagements for the circus. The enterprise will be
known as the Arkansas City Flying Circus, operated by the Hill-Williams
Airplane Co.
It will also be in the nature of a
booster trip for Arkansas City, for the company will distribute scads of
advertising matter which has been furnished by the local chamber of commerce.
This is an opportunity to scatter advertising over a bigger territory than has
been accessible to this city at any time in its history.
The Hill-Williams Airplane Co. was
established in this city several months ago and its aviation grounds and
hangars are located on a hill north of the city. The young men who own the
company are both well known here. Pete Hill has lived in this city for a number
of years and is very popular. Errett Williams was an aviator in the army and he
helped lick the Germans.
The people of Arkansas City will wish the
flying circus big success on their trip for they are all Arkansas City boys and
they will put Arkansas City on the map where it probably has never been heard
of before.
Arkansas City Traveler, May 18, 1920.
Buys
Garage Partner Out.
Arthur Hill has purchased the interest of
Monroe George in the George-Hill garage and henceforth it will be known as the
Hill Garage. Mr. Hill is one of the highest class mechanics in the city and is
thoroughly acquainted with all the business pertaining to a garage. The same
courteous treatment and prompt service will be extended to all the patrons as
has been done in the past.
Arkansas City Traveler, May 21, 1920.
FLYING
CIRCUS AT EMPORIA
Arkansas City Birdmen
Will Carry Passengers There.
The advance guard of a flying circus
arrived in Emporia last evening ahead of the storm from Arkansas City. Dick
Phillips, Errett Williams, Gene O’Michaels, and Pete Hill are the flyers who
came to Emporia in two Standard Curtiss machines. The airmen landed at Hatcher
Field.
“You have an A-1 field,” Mr. Hill said
today. “I never have seen a better one, and it is conveniently located. If your
Chamber of Commerce will spend $30 marking the field, it will be a good
investment.”
The Arkansas City flying circus will
carry passengers in Emporia for two days. The circus has three airplanes. The
flyers are Errett Williams, Pete Hill, Cecil Lucas, and Gene O’Michaels. They
advertise Zeno the famous aerial acrobat, who leaps 4,000 feet from a moving
plane.
Rates are $10 a flight, school children
two for $15. Stunt flights, including the latest in air maneuvers, cost $25.
The two airplanes made the trip from
Arkansas City in 1 hour and 15 minutes. The time from Arkansas City to Strong
City was 1 hour. The trip from Strong City was made in 15 minutes.
“The wind helped us last night,” Mr. Hill
said. “We had no trouble locating the field, and the cattle in the field did
not make the landing difficult. We always can dodge cattle. They are afraid of
airplanes and do not bother us.”—Emporia Gazette, May 19, 1920.
[AD:
GEORGE-HILL GARAGE.]
Arkansas City Traveler, May 21, 1920.
Whenever accident or wear makes your car
go wrong, bring it in here and you’ll understand what real economy in motor
repairing is. There’s economy in our charges and effectiveness in our work.”
GEORGE—HILL
Garage
Basement of Dye
building, 502-504 South Summit street
Phone
128
“The only airplane
engine repair shop in the Southwest”
Arkansas City Traveler, May 24, 1920.
Errett Williams, the aviator who went out
with Pete Hill and several other members of the party on the flying expedition
several days ago, returned to the city from Emporia yesterday, and he is quite
sick. He has been admitted to the Arkansas City hospital for medical treatment.
Arkansas City Traveler, May 29, 1920.
NEWS
FROM FLYING CIRCUS
Boys From Arkansas City
Having Some Bad Luck at Present.
Art Hill, brother of Pete Hill, who is a
member of the flying circus of the Williams-Hill Airplane Co. of this city,
received a letter from his brother today. In the letter Pete stated that the
flying circus, composed of Cecil Lucas, Dick Phillips, Zeno Michaels, and
himself, is at present in St. Joseph, Mo. They have been encountering stormy
weather nearly ever since they left the city. However, they have made flights
at Emporia, Atchison, Kansas, and St. Joseph, Mo. They will leave St. Joseph
today. Errett Williams, one of the aviators who started out with the circus,
had to return to the city on account of sickness, but he intends joining them
again in about a week. Pete stated that Zeno Michaels, who does the parachute
drop from the airplane, was injured last week and was laid up for four days.
Zeno was out riding on a motorcycle, which fell with him and bruised him up
considerably. He is now able to be on duty again, however. Errett Williams is
in the Arkansas City hospital for medical treatment at present. He returned to
the city last Saturday, one week ago today.
[AD.
BIGLEY-LESH SERVICE STATION.]
Arkansas City Daily Traveler, Monday, June 21, 1920.
MERIDIAN
GASOLINE
and
ARKOLINE
LUBRICANTS
Are
being exclusively used in the operation of aeroplanes from the aviation field
north of Arkansas City. Their use will develop the same feeling of satisfaction
and security to YOU.
Gasoline
producing the maximum of power; Lubricants which really lubricate.
For
Sale At
BIGLEY-LESH
SERVICE STATION
126
North Summit Street
Arkansas
City, Kansas.
Arkansas City Traveler, June 21, 1920.
Many
Ride in Airplane.
Pete Hill and Aviator Lucas, with one of
the big airplanes of the Williams-Hill Aeroplane Co., of this city, did a land
office business Sunday in carrying passengers. The plane was located on the
landing field north of the city and all day long the passengers were taken up
for the unusual experience of a ride in the air. There was a large crowd at the
landing field in the afternoon and there was not time enough for all who cared
to ride to be accommodated that day.
The baseball game, which was scheduled to
be played Sunday afternoon by the Oak Grove team and a picked team from this
city, was called off on account of wet grounds. The diamond at Athletic park
north of the city was too soft to play on at that time, but it is said to be in
good condition for the city league game this evening.
Arkansas City Traveler, June 29, 1920.
AN
AIRPLANE REPAIR SHOP
Art Hill Has the Only
One Between Tulsa and Omaha.
Going after and getting the airplane
repair work throughout the southwest is what one of Arkansas City’s
enterprising businessmen is doing. Art Hill of the Hill Garage, is the
gentleman referred to. Mr. Hill conducts one of the finest equipped automobile
garages in the southwest and he has now broken out into the airplane repair
work.
Mr. Hill has in his employ H. W. Beach,
an expert mechanic. Mr. Beach has traveled throughout every country in the
world, with the exception of Japan and China. He was a member of the John
Willy’s corps of mechanical engineers who went to Europe several years ago and
studied the mechanism in the European automobile motors. Later he worked in the
mechanical department of the White Motor Truck Co. For the past three years Mr.
Beach has been in the army and he was head mechanic at the Rich Flying field,
at Waco, Texas. Mr. Beach, besides being a first class mechanic on airplanes
and automobiles, is also an expert airplane pilot.
Note - This is the first reference to any
person named Beech or Beach. The Traveler mixed up the name: It should have
been Walter H. Beech. RKW
The Hill Garage has now in its repair
shop an airplane from Smith Center, Kansas, which was badly damaged in a fall,
also two more planes coming which were wrecked in falls at Caldwell, and
Albany, Mo., to be thoroughly overhauled and put in flying shape by Mr. Beach.
Either Friday or Saturday of this week, Mr. Beach will fly over this city in
the plane he is now repairing from Smith Center. He will do every flying stunt
known to the flying world, testing out the plane he has overhauled and seeing
that it is in perfect shape before delivering it to the owner.
The establishing of an airplane repair
shop in Arkansas City will give the city much advertising as it is the only
repair shop between Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Omaha. Mr. Hill intends carrying a
full stock of parts for Standard, Curtiss, and Canuck airplanes. He invites the
public to visit his airplane shop at any time.
The late Mrs. Bess Oldroyd had the
following interview in her unpublished and undated notes.
“It was about the year 1920.
“Early one morning, Walter Beech
came to Art Hill’s car repair shop, seeking employment. The shop was located
in the basement of the Dye building at 500 South Summit Street, formerly the
Dye carriage factory.
“Clyde Armstrong was working for Art Hill at that time.
He remembered after Beech was hired, he asked Art to advance him money,
that he might go buy his breakfast before starting to work. At that time Beech
didn’t own a car, he didn’t smoke, he only spent money for necessities, nor was
he interested in girls. Clyde owned a Chevie touring car, and he and Beech
took many rides together.
“Later Beech bought an old army
surplus biplane that was in need of repairs. Art Hill let him put the plane in
his shop. Beech and others, including Clyde, worked nights repairing the
plane. They were called “rags and sticks” planes, since the wings were a wooden
frame, covered with a canvas-like material. The material was stretched tightly
over the frame, then coated with a shellac-like liquid called “dope.” The
“dope” would shrink the fabric, making it exceedingly tight on the frame. It
also water proofed the fabric.
“When Beech was ready to start on
his barnstorming tour of the country, he wanted Clyde to go with him; however,
he declined because his mother was in poor health.
“Such are some of the remembrances of
when Walter Beech was in Arkansas City, as told to me by my late husband,
Clyde P. Armstrong.”
[Signed] Irene Armstrong.
Arkansas City Traveler, June 30, 1920.
TO
WINFIELD IN 6 MINUTES
Jim Ward and Roy Hume Take Carl
Kinslow On His First Plane Ride.
This is Essex week all over the world and
every Essex dealer is supposed to demonstrate the endurance, speed, power, and
the economy of this wonderful four cylinder car.
Carl Kinslow of the Kinslow Motor Co. had
planned to race the Essex against an airplane between this city and Winfield.
He, Jimmie Ward, pilot, and Roy Hume, manager of the Arkansas City Aerial Co.,
left Arkansas City at nine o’clock to go to Winfield to make the necessary
arrangements for publicity, etc. The three of them climbed into the Arkansas
City Aerial Co. plane, (Note: This is the first appearance of a second
airplane company. RKW.) piloted by Jimmie Ward, and started to Winfield.
After arriving in Winfield, they could not find a landing place and returned to
the city. The race was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, but it has been called
off because the necessary arrangements could not be completed by that time and
could not be postponed until later in the week as Mr. Ward with his machine is
going on a tour Friday morning. The Essex will race the plane later. Mr.
Kinslow will have the Essex perform some other sensational feat before the week
is over.
This morning’s ride was Mr. Kinslow’s
first, and he is wild over the flying sport. He said they flew to Winfield in
six minutes this morning and it was the finest ride he has ever taken. Carl
said you couldn’t appreciate the beautiful scenery of Cowley County until you
observed it from an airplane.
Arkansas City Traveler, July 2, 1920.
Fly
to La Junta in 5 Hours.
Pete Hill, of the Williams-Hill Aeroplane
Co., received word this morning from Errett Williams, stating that he arrived
in La Junta, Colorado, in fine shape. Errett left the flying field here
yesterday morning at 5:30 o’clock and made the trip to La Junta in 5 hours and
20 minutes. He will do stunt flying at the celebration at La Junta the Fourth
of July.
Arkansas City Traveler, July 2, 1920.
Art Hill, of the Hill garage, received
one of the finest lathes ever placed in an automobile repair shop this morning.
He ordered the lathe last January and just received it. It is a
Carroll-Jamieson lathe and cost Mr. Hill $1,100.
Arkansas City Traveler, July 4, 1920.
THE
FIRST MILITARY FUNERAL.
Private Albert Campbell, who died in
France in October 1918, was buried in Arkansas City yesterday by the Shelton
Beaty post of the American Legion with full military honors. The services bore
the usual impressiveness of a military funeral. Many people of the city
realized for the first time the solemnity and the appropriateness of such a
ceremony, this being the first military funeral ever conducted here. The
American Legion and all who assisted deserve praise for the creditable manner
in which all the details of the ceremony were observed. Sergt. Roy Branstetter
was in charge of the military formation.
The body of Private Campbell lay in state
at the Presbyterian church from 10 o’clock in the morning until 3 p.m., the
hour of the funeral. During this time an armed guard of honor was present at
the church, and the flags all over the city were flown at half mast.
The members of the legion met at the club
rooms in full uniform and marched to the church in a body. Several members of
the post served as ushers at the church. There were fifty or more ex-service
men in uniform who participated in the ceremony.
The ladies’ auxiliary, which had charge
of the services at the church, and the Daniels professional band, which
furnished the music for the procession, also proceeded to the church in a body.
The church was entirely filled with
friends of the family and others who desired to show their respect for the
soldier who gave his life in the world war. The Rev. J. E. Henshaw, a former
pastor of the Christian church here, preached the sermon, which consisted of
some fitting remarks appropriate to the occasion. The music for the services
was given by a quartet composed of Mr. and Mrs. R. Otis Fowler, Mrs. Fred
Gould, and J. Harry Oldroyd. Two beautiful selections were sung by the quartet.
Prof. E. M. Druley was at the pipe organ. Following the church services, which
lasted about an hour, the band, in charge of Director A. C. Montin, took a
position in the street facing the church, while the members of the legion took
a corresponding position in line to the right of the band.
The military escort formed on the steps
of the church in two parallel lines facing each other. The flag draped casket
was born through the two lines of the escort and was placed on a caisson, which
was draped in black. The pall-bearers were members of the Legion especially
selected for the occasion. While the casket was being placed on the caisson,
the band played “Nearer My God To Thee,” the escort presented arms, and the
members of the Legion stood at attention and saluted.
The procession passed up Adams avenue to
Summit street and then went north on Summit. First in line was the band in uniform,
which played a funeral dirge during the procession. The work of the band on
this occasion showed the careful training of Director Montin, who has had a
number of years of experience with army bands. Following the band came the
firing squad, and after them the caisson and pall bearers. The caisson was
drawn by two teams of horses with mounted men. Behind this marched the legion
in column, and after them the mourners. A large number of cars bearing friends
and attendants at the ceremonies drew up the rear of the procession.
A couple of airplanes hovered over the
line of march and followed the procession to the cemetery to drop flowers on
the grave. One of the machines was piloted by Pete Hill, and the other by
Walter H. Beach, accompanied by Art Hill.
At Vine avenue, the members of the legion
entered automobiles furnished by the chamber of commerce and were transported
to the gates of the cemetery, where the march to the grave was resumed. The
band, the members of the legion, and the firing squad — in charge of Sergt.
Branstetter, were grouped around the grave. The services at the grave were in
charge of Colonel Griffith of Wichita, who presided as chaplain, and who
conducted the brief rites prescribed by military regulations.
Following the lowering of the casket, the
firing squad fired three volleys over the grave, and the impressive ceremony
was concluded by the blowing of taps by the bugler, A. J. Bredenkamp.
Arkansas City Traveler, July 6, 1920.
JIMMIE
WARD INJURED.
Jimmie Ward, pilot for the Arkansas City
Aerial company, suffered a painful accident at Newkirk yesterday when he caught
his hand in the propeller of his machine while cranking it preparatory to a
flight. The little finger and a small portion of his left hand were cut off.
Ward was in this city all last week, and made several flights to neighboring
points with Roy Hume, who is one of the members of the aerial company, and
other Arkansas Cityans. Ward was brought to this city and placed in the A. C.
hospital. He is reported to be getting along all right at present.
Jimmie Ward is well and favorably known
here, as he has made this city his home for some time past. He is an aviator
with many years of experience and has been fortunate in not having an accident
of any serious nature before. His friends will hope for his speedy recovery and
all will be glad to see him once more on the flying field in the very near
future.
Arkansas City Traveler, Monday, July 19, 1920.
ZENO
MEETS HORRIBLE DEATH.
Elmer Michaels, better known as “Zeno,”
daredevil wingwalker and circus performer, was instantly killed at Winfield
last Saturday afternoon when the wing skid on which he was performing when
flying at a height of 800 feet gave way. His body plunged into a clump of trees
just behind the grandstand, which was filled with spectators.
The hundreds who packed the grandstand at
the fairgrounds there when the round-up was being held were horrified to see
the acrobat’s body suddenly separate from the airplane and plunge earthward.
Men groaned and women fainted as Michaels’ body crashed into the clump of trees
in plain view of everyone.
The pilot was not injured, as the plane
was not disturbed in the flight by the fall of Michaels.
Michaels and Errett Williams, his pilot,
had staged similar stunts at Arkansas City that morning, says the report from
Winfield.
The airplane performer’s home was in
Bethany, Missouri. He was 25 years of age and during the war was with company G
of the thirty-fifth division. He was formerly an acrobat engaged by Ringling
Brothers circus.
The people of this city and vicinity were
shocked and more than startled at the news of the sudden and untimely death of
Zeno, as he had become well acquainted here. He had been in and out of this
city for the past several months and many people here knew of him as the
daredevil of the air. That he gave his life for the amusement of the masses,
there is no doubt, and it is safe to say that everyone who had ever seen him
perform in the air was anxious to see him again, as they are anxious to see the
airplanes time after time. It is said that Zeno was a daredevil in the real
sense of the word, and that he thought or cared little for the dangers of the
pastime he chose to indulge in. He did not seem to realize the dangers of the
stunts he pulled off in midair, and he did not seem to care, taking it as a
matter of course much in the same manner as a railroad man takes to his work
when he is in danger at all times and must watch every step and movement lest
he make a slight mistake and forever do away with his earthly career.
In fact, it is said by Zeno’s associates
that he had been instructed and warned not to hang onto the wing skid piece,
which was made of wood, and was not intended for such use. He weighed about 170
pounds, it is said, and the small piece of wood could not hold his weight. The
wing skids on some of the planes are made of metal, but not so with those on
this plane. It is further stated by the associates of Zeno that he was not
engaged to perform at the Winfield show, but that he happened to be there and
went up with Errett Williams of his own accord. There were three planes at the
show at that time and they were arranging to form and fly in formation at the
time the fatal accident occurred. Williams did not know that Zeno was hanging
on the wing skid; but when the acrobat fell, the man at the steering gear
realized it at once. There was, however, no possible chance for any of the
other planes to get under the man and make an attempt to save him. One of the
planes made a dash as though to get under him, but this was impossible as it is
said that the man was only about five seconds in descending to the ground from
the plane. Pete Hill, who was in the city this morning, reported that the man
had no life insurance. Williams, Beach, Phillips, and Walker were the men who
were engaged to put on the airplane show at Winfield that day, Mr. Hill states.
Elmer Michaels, alias “Zeno,” had been a
natural acrobat all his life, it is said, and he had performed many different
kinds of stunts in his lifetime. He was with Ringling Bros. circus a number of
years and he joined the army in the recent world war. He served in the 35th
division with Co. G, and was a motorcycle messenger. Pete Hill says that Zeno
fell about 1,000 feet instead of 800 feet, as the first report stated. The
fatal accident occurred at 4:30 in the afternoon.
Many Arkansas City people saw Zeno the
last time he appeared here, which was last Saturday about the noon hour, and he
was seen hanging by his toes from the airplane as it hovered over the business
section of this city.
The body of the acrobat was taken to
Bethany, Mo., the home of his mother, being escorted there by Mr. and Mrs.
Errett Williams. The mother of the young man was notified of his sad ending
last Saturday evening over the telephone, and she ordered the body sent home
for burial.
Examination of the body of Zeno on Sunday
showed that every bone in the body was broken with the exception of the right
arm. His face was crushed beyond recognition, it is said. His body struck a
tree—and the limb which he hit and which was at least 8 inches thick, was
broken off entirely.
Arkansas City Traveler, July 19, 1920.
A.
C. Airplane Damaged.
Roy Hume of the Security National bank,
who is one of the promoters of the airplane industry in Arkansas City, received
some bad news today concerning the new machine which he, C. J. Lucas, and W. J.
Weigle recently purchased, and which was being brought to this city by C. J.
Lucas, pilot. Mr. Hume received a message this morning from Lucas, saying that
he had a crash yesterday afternoon. He said that the light air let him down
into a tree, and that the two lower wings, one upper wing, part of the landing
gear, and the propeller of the plane were damaged. According to the message, no
one was hurt.
[AD.
HILL GARAGE.]
Arkansas City Daily Traveler, Friday, July 23, 1920.
AUTO
SERVICE
[AUTO/MECHANIC
SKETCHED IN]
From front to back, from top to bottom,
inside and outside, we can give your car the attention it needs. No matter what
the trouble, great or small, we can repair it so it will be in as good
condition as it is possible to put a car.
“Service
is our slogan”
HILL
GARAGE
ART
HILL, Manager
Basement of Dye
building, 502-504 South Summit street
Phone
128
“The only airplane
engine repair shop in the Southwest”
Arkansas City Traveler, July 30, 1920.
Pilot Walter H. Beach, Roy Hume, and Miss
Mary Huffman flew to Ponca City yesterday afternoon. Miss Aliene Stimson of
this city returned here with them for a visit with Miss Huffman, Mr. Hume
coming back by train.
Arkansas City Traveler, August 21, 1920.
Will
Fly Tomorrow.
The Williams & Hill Aeroplane Co. has
a new machine in the city and it may be seen at the landing field north of the
city tomorrow. At that time Walter H. Beech will carry passengers and show them
the high waters in the two rivers and other places about the surrounding
country.
Arkansas City Traveler, September 13, 1920.
Roy Hume and Cecil Lucas, aviators, were
at Braman, Okla., Sunday where they spent the day carrying passengers and they
report a good business there.
Arkansas City Traveler, September 27, 1920.
Aviator Pete Hill made a spectacular fly
in one of the Williams-Hill planes last Saturday night after dark over the
celebration grounds on North Summit street, at which he attracted the attention
of all those on the ground for some time. The plane made a fine appearance in
the moonlight and the sparks from the exhaust of the big machine appeared as a
beautiful fire works display.
Arkansas City Traveler, October 19, 1920.
AVIATORS
FLY HOME.
Aviators Errett Williams and Pete Hill
flew to the city this afternoon from Garber, Okla., where they have been for
the past few days, engaged in carrying passengers. They report having had a
splendid business there and on Sunday there was a large crowd at the landing
field at Garber. There was also a big baseball game there on that day and some
other sports events. Williams and Hill flew to this city from Garber this
afternoon in thirty-two minutes. These two aviators are about to close a deal
to put on a flying circus in a southern Oklahoma town on Armistice day,
November 11. Should this contract not be closed as is now expected, these two
men may decide to put on a flying circus here on that day.
Arkansas City Traveler, November 6, 1920.
FAST
DOGS COMING.
The Arkansas City Coursing club held a
meeting last night and made arrangements for a coursing meet here on
Thanksgiving day and the following day. At this time the majority of racing
dogs owners in this section will be here with their dogs to enter the meet. The
Arkansas City Coursing club is expecting at least 100 of the fastest dogs in
the southwest to be here for these two days.
Arrangements have already been completed
for the setting up of the course and 1,000 yards of new burlap has been
purchased to make the course with. The races will be held on the aviation hill
north of Arkansas City and a silver cup now on display in the Eagle jewelry
store, and several hundred dollars in prizes will be awarded the winners.
The Arkansas City Coursing club is
affiliated with the National Coursing association and the course for the races
will be regulation size and run under the National Coursing association rules.
Arkansas City Traveler, November 22, 1920.
Greyhound
Races on Thanksgiving.
The Arkansas City Coursing Club has
arranged for some of the fastest greyhound races for Thursday and Friday
afternoon that have ever been run in this section of the country. Fast dogs
from all over this state and surrounding states will be here for these races.
$500 in prize money and a $100 silver loving cup will be given to the winners.
The burlap for the coursing meet is being laid today on the racing course on
the hill north of the city. Fifty rabbits arrived today especially for this
meet. It is expected that the races will be witnessed by a large crowd each of
the two days.
Arkansas City Traveler, November 23, 1920.
BOOK
ON LANDING FIELDS
Arkansas City is
Listed in This Interesting Volume.
The chamber of commerce has received a
new book, “Municipal Landing Fields & Airports,” edited and compiled by George
Seay Wheat, and published by C. P. Putman’s sons, New York.
This book explains the needs for landing
fields, the present condition of air transportation, and descriptions of field
equipment and types of airplane and dirigibles. It also lists the fields that
are now available in the various states and gives a map showing their location.
Arkansas City is listed in this book and on the map is one of five in the
southern half of Kansas. Illinois has the greatest number of landing fields.
Oklahoma is among the front rank of states having available landing fields.
This is a very interesting book and Secretary O. B. Seyster expects to turn it
over to the library as a reference book.
Arkansas City Traveler, December 2, 1920.
BIG
AIR FROLIC DECEMBER 12.
Arrangements were completed today for the
first real air frolic to be given here, by the Williams-Hill Airplane Co. of
this city, the date being fixed for Sunday, December 12, the location of the
affair to be from the company’s landing field north of the city and for which
invitations have been issued to a number of the commercial and government
flyers from all sections of the country within a radius of 200 miles in all
directions from Arkansas City. Already it has been assured by the managers of
this big event, Errett Williams and “Pete” Hill, that there will be on the
flying list that day here planes from all the larger cities and flying fields
such as Tulsa, Okmulgee, Oklahoma City, Wichita, and Post Field at Lawton,
Okla. These will include regular fighting planes from the government fields,
planes with Liberty motors, De Haviland planes, and the famous German “Fokker.”
The latter will be something that the people of this section of the country
have never before had the chance to see, and it will be a treat in itself to
even get a glimpse of this plane. It will be seen in the air stunts along with
the other makes of planes it is promised by the management. One of the planes
of the local company that will be seen on the field that day is a new one,
which has just been received here and which was seen flying over the city this
afternoon. It is the “Blue Bird” and is a Curtiss plane. It was also seen at
the Derry Top Co.’s place of business on A street this morning, where it was
left for the purpose of having a cover made to fit it. The machine was designed
by Walter H. Beech, engineer and designer for the Williams-Hill Co.
The purpose of the flying frolic here at
this time is to raise funds for the local company with which to erect hangars
on the field north of the city. On this occasion the price of admission to the
grounds will be $1 for adults and 50 cents for children between the ages of 6
and 12 years. The campaign to sell tickets is now on and every business house
in the city is going to have the tickets on hand beginning tomorrow and from
now until the date of the big affair. The business men in general and the
chamber of commerce are behind the movement to sell the tickets, the promoters
report, and it is planned to sell several thousand of them at least. In this
connection there will be prizes given to the person who sells the greatest
number of tickets for the derby on that day.
One of the feature attractions of the
flying circus is the “Human squirrel,” who will be seen in all manner of stunts
on the wings of the planes. He will be seen sitting and standing on the center
section of the plane while the machine is looping the loop; he will stand with
outstretched arms on the upper wing, will be seen hanging by his toes, his
knees, his teeth, and by his hands. The human squirrel offers $1,000 to anyone
in this city who will duplicate his stunts.
The event is to be advertised in all the
papers in towns surrounding the city, and it is expected that there will be a
crowd of several thousand visitors here on that day. The loving cup for the
winners of the various events are to be given by the business men of the city,
according to the present arrangements.
The
Program
The program of events shows the
following:
First event at 1 o’clock—Battle formation
of all the planes in the exhibit.
Second event at 1:30—Landing for mark
with motor from 1,000 feet. This is open to all. Parachute jump at 2 o’clock
and at 2:30. This is to be one of the most exciting events of the entire day,
it is said.
Third event at 2:30—Will be a 30 miles
derby free for all, with a loving cup for the prize.
Fourth event at 3 o’clock—Will be
consecutive take offs and landings, points to be judged as follows: Time, one
point; take off, one point; landing, three points. Prize: a loving cup.
Fifth event at 3:30—15 mile handicap,
open races free for all. Prize: a loving cup.
At 4 o’clock will come the thriller—The
human squirrel in all manner of stunts.
Sixth event at 4:30—Looping contest, from
2,500 to 1,000 feet, free for all. Prize: a loving cup.
Seventh event at 5 o’clock—Five mile
altitude climb for commercial planes. Prize: a loving cup.
Arkansas City Traveler, December 2, 1920.
NEED
FOR LANDING FIELDS
Improved Aircrafts Demand
Their Development in America.
The World War brought aircraft and their
engines to a very advanced state of development in a short space of time; but
it did nothing to develop landing fields in America. Aeronautics is in the
position of a railroad with its right-of-way and equipment, but no terminals.
Landing fields are as essential in flying
as yards and stations are to railroads, as docks and harbors are to steamships;
and when fields are established, there is no question but that aircraft will
utilize them. Remember there are around twenty-five thousand who at one time
were army and navy fliers in the United States. Landing fields will get them
back into the “game.”
The example of automobilists who
patronize the towns and cities blessed with good roads will be followed by
fliers in establishing air routes from point to point connecting all the cities
which have good landing fields. One thing is without argument. The locality
failing to provide an aerial port will certainly be without this means of
transportation.
Landing fields should be established
under municipal control by cities and towns. Many individuals and corporations
are ready to purchase large numbers of planes and airships for passenger and
express service when assured of the establishment of these landing fields. The
traverse of the United States by regular lines running airplanes and airships
carrying passengers, express, mail, and light freight is dependent directly on
the speed with which our country provides these facilities. The element of
risk, unnecessarily associated with flying, is at once removed by a widespread
network of airdromes. Safety in cross-country flying depends upon the
possibility of being able to land conveniently upon properly prepared ground.
The problem of insurance for aircraft, crew, passengers, express, and freight
is directly modified by the number and character of landing fields over any
particular route.
The business and industrial interests of
the country are reminded that by aiding in the development of commercial
flying, they are contributing in no small way to national defense. The future
development of aeronautics and the allied sciences depends on the growth of
commercial, sport, and governmental flying. With the best engineering thought
in the country centered upon such problems, the United States, the birthplace
of flying, is sure to keep in the van of aeronautical development.
Major-General Charles
Trencher, chief of the Army Air Service.