NEW AERIAL GAME PLAYED AT HEMPSTEAD PLAIN. Given to Those Who Don't Fly--The Injured Airman and the Undertaker. Aeroplanes that fly and aeroplanes that don't fly interested about 2,000 spectators at the Hempstead Plain aviation field yesterday afternoon. A system has been inaugurated whereby the aviators and exhibitors are to receive a share of the gate receipts according to points made. The rules provide that machines shall be entitled to a p;oint for an appearance, and the stipulation brought out a variety of untried air travellers. These fliers were lined up in front of the grand stand so that the visitors could stucy the fifferences between monoplane, biplane and triplane while they waited for the wind to go down for a flight. Philip Wilcox, G. E. Delong, J. J. Frisbee, Edict and Edwards and J. K. Murtoyd exhibited healthy looking biplanes, and Elmer Burlingame introduced a monoplane that he has christened Imp. Miss E. L. Todd, Harry S. Harkness and Walter Fairchild were among those who didn't line up their fliers. Harkness and Fairchild erven locked their doors and pulled down the blinds. Harkness, however, favors the new system and said he would bring his monoplane out next week. Clifford B. Harmon, Capt. Thomas S. Baldwin and George Russell made flights late in the afternoon and made a good showing in winning points. The rules say that a mcahine will receive one ;point for appearance, one point for 100 foot flights, one point for each circle of the field, two points for an altitude of 25 feet, five points for durations, five p;oints for elevation and five points for a field record. Mr. Harmon scored 22 ;points in a flight in which he completed seven and a half circles of the course and rose to a height of 100 feet. According to Israel Ludlow, the official timekeeper, Harmon won enough points to entitle him to a cup. Harmon being an amateru, will not share in the gate recept profits. He repeared his tests of bombarding an imaginary fleet of warships, but the aerial warrior spiked his own gun when the powder from one of the esploding bombs spillwed on the motor and choked it up, so that he had to abandon further attack. Capt. Baldwin had 30 points to his credit and won the endurance record in eleven laps of the field. Altogether he made eighteen rounds of the course. George Russell in one circle at a height of twenty-five feet got four points. Charles S. Willard took the Frisbee machine fo a jump, which counted for two points. It was the first time an attempthad been made to fly the machine. The air craft was christened the Rochester by little Miss Helen McLaughlin, the nine-year-old daughter of Peter McLaughlin of Mineola. The field committee will meet this mornign to outline further the new system and agreer upon the sum each aviator is to receive. J. J. Fisher made a parachute leap of 600 or 700 feet and gracefully landed in the field. Dr. Henry Walden, who was seriously injured in an aeroplane accident about two weeks ago, was on the field yesterday for the first timje since he ahs been abble to be out. He told an amusing indicent that happened on the day of the accident. After his wounds had been dressed at the Nassau Hospital he was taken to the Mineola station, where he took a train for New York. During the wait for the train he noticed an anxious looking person walink up and down the platform, who eyed him curiously. Finally he was approached by the stranger, who asked: "Are you Dr. Walden?" "I am," was the reply. "I heard you were killed this morning," said the stranger. "Not quite," said the injured man, "but who are you?" "I am the undertaker at Mineola." "I am sorry if I have disappointed you," said Dr. Walden. "The undertaker said it was all right and there were no hard feelings. Dr. Walden suffered fractures of the collarbone and a shoulder blade and two ribs were broken. Mrs. Stanford White was among the spectators. She occupied a box with Mrs. Harmon, Mrs. Frank Hastings and Mrs. Charles Shoalk |
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