New-York tribune. [volume], May 26, 1912, Image 17

About New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924

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PART II.
EIGHT PAGES.
MISCELLANY
AND ART.
NEW-YORK, SUNDAY, MAV 26. 1912.
Kate Carew Flashes?in Mind?Through Air with Harriet Quimby
Jt Sounds Quite Easy and Simple?This Flying
Over Sea and Land?as the Noted Aviator
Describes It, and Fear Is a Stranger to Her
When She's Navigating the AtmosDhere.
^_ffiv_
American Woman Who Increased Her Fame the
Other Day by Winging Her Way Across the
English Channel Tells of Her Experience?
Flying Is Only a Side Issue with Her.
.j. tTAfi i greal romforf Xn me tc< hear
IQulmby, who wai
? ; woman avlatreta to receive
,,-. ,. ? ? woi Id. that there if
.?c. dangei ol the air trafflc be
cfjtilrii ;'F '? 1F at *'**??? 4-1'
^ , ti and other buay centrea nf
the r-'
en worrylng about that Every
. up in the air theae daya,
tvtn . lentlal candldatea, sn coi*
M be the natnral order nf thlng?
? _ to know, too. that the rulea
t th* utrlctly enforced: that a
B ? leatri 150 feet away
ftQfn t one, and that lt la not con
\ m t? try and fly over nr
? oplane, no matter
Jr r hurry vou may bc. There
t,f :? ?., I :;caln counter nr auf
fjpat ?? ime ndme nti to tl
c.rr ? mak. ? : ? feel, oh, ao much
gafr: neway nr nther!
?^-.. unnlng over vou at
prery >rnei wlth blcyclea hittlng you
? \ io Rt t n?n of the way nf the
rt-, wlth holea ln the --??e.t for
. r , into while you ti > to avold b< -
jn~ . . : ple i em by automoblle acared
a gfeat relief for a tlmld per
aM 11 j,, .,.??? vunl Kate t.. f... l thnt .-hr
oar ? ... ? ?? mornlng exerclao in the
< : may avold even thr
. . Ident. if ahe employi a
jjyf on l wer eenae.
Harrlet Qulmby told me all thli
.r ? entlally, ahortly aftei her return
jrorr ...... nonchalant*
]V fr, ii Channel in a "70"
m_ii< ? wlth a Gnome englne.
In th< wo ' ? ? amall boy, who |
y- . on his hare kneea, and
c - tit
"It me."
"Women." aaya the chaperon, "are rilvld*
ed Into thi gel awaya an>l elie aa
Mlai certalnly belonga to the
form
A DRAMATIC CRITIC ON LAND.
W_< n I i her ahe had recently
? ?ni an elevator?and was sitti:-,^
gt h- di r?k .n the publlcation ofl
"Ley'i- - W'eekly." where. when sh.- is
r.ot fi e exercleea l he profeaaion of
rirar crltle?two profeaalona nol ao
wldel.v dlaslmllar as you might think from
i ? ? Beetlng glance In both the oi ca*
eional airy flight is nol only permltted, I ut
Uetxi I lemanded.
r i.. i exptcted to see .. prleieflghting son
of peraon. wlth mn.miike face, t.ulelns:
jnueclea and an avlat nv <<f wide
checka or atrlpea. lt i:> a strlkinc combl
natlon which makes a ver> good plcture,
JTOU know.
B':- ii". 1 faced a femlnlne young per
gon?ri ng, n"t ii.' ?
parlan. ? ? seated hefeirc ;. riesk wl
little mug of blue Beld vloleta and i ?
dlaorder of paper, were evldent. She wa,
fitta klng thli chaotlc maaa wll
fervoi - If ahe b:?'l been rwently a
t-r] ir n. and before sh" saw me
1 galned the hnpreasiOn nt , very compe?
tent buatneaa ? during the
Intei ew, l remember ahe gaid:
"I have no dofiro tn fly for exhibition
purpoaea; that would he to take mv
togetl ? terloualy. It wonid mean
i- % away from my work, whlch l really
I couldn'l do t; t."
Th*v- la a good deal of the gchoolglrl
r Imby atlll. Bh? la I
rawfully ent I thli
y^c, ihe doean'1 ta k, ;h" actually |
The flrat you know ?*.4 b-r-r-r-r an
3 eooldn l for tl rn* remember a'.!
gha aald f h up to on,
topi^ ahe wai attacklni another; but i dld
get a word row and then. and managed te
a?k h taw queatl
Ir la very natural that a young vomar
?who has ridden broncoa and )
eonfeaaei that ahe I int bt
caue1*- it ifforda ao rr . methoda oi
aacaplng the "gpeed mlnlone" than ahe car
OM |n her runaboul ahould find lt diffv ull
|o reetraln her apeech to the ati
In fact the Intervtej-- few along at
a par* that I could only take Impr
istle notee of her appearance, ind gathered
jn theae tbat ahe li rather blonde, witl
guni: irned comi
-giedlum helght .rh- .-. u ..... anl I
j *i?ent . mi!e. good teeth and fine. keen eyea.
I Her gown ?b of a material that looked
! like the old .aahtoncd groaaraln allk, very
1 modish. wlth th* new Bhlrred trlmmlng
j ahout thf- edgea A blue feather boa and j
re=eda fo]t hat wlth an aviating perk for
line and f-ome eord and balls for trimming
rompl-fed her coatume The woreted b.lle
kept getting in her "vpj, and when fhe
waan'l dolng anvthine elaa fhe pu.hed
them away. it war a crenr relief to learn
that thi. wa? her Sunday b??t honnet and
not her avlatlng one. for Bhe might Me?r
an aeroplan- and keep tbOM ball.s out of
her eye?, hut .he could never do both at
om'1 and the game time
MATCHING SCARABS.
She wore -) achoolgtrl'B OUtflt of h.n_le_
rlnga and earringa, moat of thcye adorned
with real acaraba Her .-hort aleevaa dl?
played .1 bangle for every year. and ovar
her lace collar ind Jabot a perfect flork of
inese eaoterlc bugfl wandered at will when
ever her handa aotlfhl lo anang. the.-i ftn
i.hing ton.
W< match acarabt for a aecond. read the
? iphlefl written on thelr backs, deplore
tne number of false bugfl on the market
and congrratulate ouraelrea on havin* simon
? Egyptlan hleroglypbed, blue book \a
? ??
Bj this time we Beem tr. hn\* known
. .1. h oth<r '?iw.i>s
Miss Quimby doea not look a hlt Onental
in .-iit.-- of her acaraba; ln fact, .he has a
|\.ry ptquant, Krench appearance, ind 1
"Vou don't ?rr-m qulte like an American
glrl, are you?"
"Oh, yea; 1 wouldn't be anything e!se
My mol from N"> e> York. bui both
rbt ami my father are "f New England
elot k. 1 wa_ born in .-..ii .ranclaco."
The genealoglcal datum, Intlmate aa it ls,
doea not expialn the Southern h.no I
> Ion. 1 ii
"Do you gel sunburm ! avlatlng?"
She twlsted a wanderlng flock of tvarabs
i puahi .1 ihe woi Bted ball*
? yes.
"One doean'l Btay up long enough at a
tiii)-- tn hav< ? ftet r of thal Bort I
i- nk I must have Inherlted my com
pl< \fori "
"Do erlt j our < ourage, tor,''"
I thoughl if Quimby pere waa one of th
famous I'o:ty-nin-is that might fxplaln
daughtt r'a adv< I -; > 1111.
"Nol from father 1 >add;
? my i!ylng. He ?:?'? Bn't bk' II at all.
j ar.d I couldn't perauade him t.. _o up with
' i:;.-. but my mother li awfuHy kean c>n the
t, .-ii- wanta to fly with me "
"Do >ou think i- ?' women will ever have
?
' EXPECTS WOMEN TO BE AVIATOR9.
"?'. ? tainl) 1 do Really, 11 doei not re
I have never met
? want to fly. I don't
know whether?they lack cautlon, whi-ther
mort rackl* 1 and don't care wha*
if Ihem, but thev aro cert.lnly
the 1 - alr _ un* "
"Thfn, whv havcn'l more of them at
'
"I auppoae one r<-a5-fM. ls the exr?en?e At
.... ,
? the many."
? ? ion myaelf and
. . ? able r-.ijt of my abun 1 uil
ialary to aave ei ' many aeroplanea,
? ? a ird the ptla of
aufflclenl lnterrogatorv.
I wa~ lucky I im fl cr'at bellever
| |n ),], ? I Ju?t thought along
?? t I wanted to fly?
? ; . . ?? then 1 ta_g flying
eam? ar.d I took lt. I
- now."
Mlaa Quimby doei not -xpiain whether
, ' bT avlatlng '.- done under publlc or prlvata
r.iii-*.
you meet many women aviatora on
I the other 1
. Mlai Quimby'* amlle reaemblea thal ol
t one of hei [read In II thai in
Europe the femlnlne flyera are taken les?
maly than here
. \r ? apparently, a very bugy
, j homecomini for Mlaa Quimby Many tale
1 phone and oth< 1 Interruptlonfl have punctu
1 talk Now a clark an
Loeb ls on tho
'phone Miss Q'limby ratch*s h?r hre_th?
the flrat .he ha. drawn Blnee our start-off
?and explalns "I- does take r-uoh a lot of
red tape to get mv marhine through the
Custom Houae."
Ju.t before fhe hangs up the recelve.r she
lnvltes the Coliector of the Port to tesf the
machlne hlmseif.
"I II bring you up from Seagate Yes?"
Whatever the responae if lends color to
h^r next statement
"Isn't it amazing' Men alwaya make ex
<-uae_. I don't know whether they don't
trust women as pllots or whether th.y aro
really afrald. but they won't go up. I had
a very competent mechantclan whom I
really wanted to take up wlth me 1 be
llrve he knew I Intended to ask hlm and
for a long tlme he avolded glving me the
opportunlty. One day he sald Miss Quim
hy. I hope you won't ever ask me to go up
with you.'
? Why?" sald I. rather provoked.
?? 'I am afrald of falllng under the faacl
natlon?'
Your Aunt Kate interruptcd here to say.
"I don't blame hlm a blt"
"Falllng under the fascinatlon of flying,"
eontlnuea Miss Quimby. unperturbed by
my lnterpolated compllment.
Looks as though avlatlng lnvltationa
were going to tax men's Imaglriationa more
than 6 o'cloek teaa. plcnlca aad afternoon
brldge partles do.
"What excuses do they make?" 1 ask
curlously.
"Uaually wlfe Ig afrald to have hlm nV
Sometln-fa he accepts. oh. ao eagerly. but
before the tlme aome lmportant bualneas
matter comee up and to hla great regret.
etc."
"And women are really eager?"
?AwfuHy ao. not a blt afrald. Personally
I have never felt a symptom of uneaslnesa
. f that kind."
?ffOt even when you take out a new
machlne? Aren't you afrald that, (*, BIA.
gevelop _ gtxaof. a_ad <. Jxl -*_ ?- ^
? Of eourae, no two machlnea ire -?iike
and you have to he cautloua when you
handle. a new one, but tba aanw rula ip
pl'.ea to a hors/\ a motor n cycle One can
r,* ve*--. vary c-jutions without t-einsr ln
the least hlt afrald For Inatance, the
machine 1 used to . rot-* the Channel a .s
a new Blerlot i ha-I determlned if lt ba*
haved hadly when I got up ? wav I ahould
not attemp' m make the croaalng, bul it
wa, a? easv as slttlng In nn arm -halr In
thlrtv aeconda 1 had ellmbed IJ80A faet."
Mlaa Qulmbv haa the perfoct pe" ?
seif confldence which i have been told is
the state of mind of ali avaltora who hava
never met any aerlous getbacka. WonaVr
Ing about this. I Inqulred:
"Have you ever had any aoddenta?"
"None to speak of Once at Oar-len Clty
my runnlng ge.ir was wr.-n. hed e.ff thr
forks and one ..f the wlngs Wera broken.
hut 1 wasn't scar.d lf I had been I sup
pose there would have been a serlous mls
hap. I kept my aaal and turned off tho
nuum. Ur. Thomaa Mparorth, tha Engllah
avaltnr. had a ximllar MCMOBt ln both
casea the machlnea were hadly damaged.
"Can jou mend >our own machine?"
"Oh, I can make little repairs: tlnker
wlth it a blt- I am not much of a
mechanictan. I have had some preliminary
experlenee. runnlng a typewrlter. a bicyclo
and a runahf.iit. but I don't thlnk I could
cxactly qualify"
Mlaa Qulmby has a dellcate phyalque. her
hands and arms certalnly do not glve the
lmpreaaion e.f great sti.-ngth. looking at
them It aeema hardly poaolbla that they
can gulde one nf the great alr blrda whlch.
In the Jiangara. look aa if only a Samson or
an Amaxon could aueeeasfully compete
wlth their realatant force.
"Vou muat be a lot stronger than you
look." ls my deductlmi.
? lt doea not take hardly any strength ex?
cept in coming down. Th.-re la some
preaaure. then. Afte.rward 1 wlll be con
^ciou* of ttnt% fctiios o_ gngp-fliyiffit-g.
_rm. but I ne'-er notlce it at the tlme."
Are vou verv exhlllarated when vou get
up to great hetghts and deprejsed when
vou .-ome fo earth1"
"1 notlce thit a great many avt.tor*
*n\* told in thelr lnterviews of the effect
on the spirlts of great altltudea I have
I onlv be*?n up H.nnft feet?that lsn't very hlgh?
and mv onlv sensation has been one of the
' kef-nest enjoyment The sweeplng up from
i the <_rth ts the most tremendousiy ex
I hlllaratnsr feellng My. lt ls great. I never
have anv depresslon afterward In fact.
Mi" _?__*___ I get ls very much Uke that
vou ha\e in a motor car when you are
sklmmlng along ahsolutely regardless of
speed law. only lt ls a thousand times more
Intense."
"I suppose you plty us poor worme when
you get up there. the earth looks Uke a
plncushlon, and nothlng seems Uke any
thlng?"
The young avlatress has a very muslcal
laugh. She runa up and down the gamut
of the scale two or three timea before ahe
saya:
"I am not the least bit romantle, and I
am ao busy watehlng my machlne that I
don't get tlme to have any of these tlre
burstlng thoughts. I don't belleve 1 have
any 'temperament.' I am content to enjoy
the phy.leal sensation of flying Of .ourse.
I enjoy the success, too. Ita fine to be
Bucceasful. Its slmply great, but its the
soarlng that really does lt. Oh. that soar
Ing up?up?up."
Miss Qulmbly looks ecstatic l look dlf
appointed.
"Not a little blt of a day dream about
vlsltlng other worlds. of loslng yourself ln
space and never returnlng. of belng ln the
rlouds when you meet your soulmate""
? Well, you are sure to be that, anyway.
aren't you?" Inrjulred Miss Quimby ln fhe
tone of one who doesn't need the Informa?
tlon she asks. "As for duy deamlng. you
can't do much of that. lf your oil runa
lv_i (-_e- i_]_utws, lf you 1 wse 8'__.. pf .our
steerlng rear. vou wlll come plunklng
down to earth wlth a dull. airkening thud.
Dav dreams don't seem worth while with
such an awakening ''
"I euppose all your aenses get very
sharpene?d?''
"YeB. particularly your hearlng. T find
that I can tell all about mv machine bet?
ter bv the nolse lt makes than in any other
way Just as long as the regular thud.
thud contlnues, you know everythlng is
all right The sllghtesf vibratory change.
and your attention ?s excited What does
that mean" You listen and watt. wlth
everv nerve on edge until you find out "
"Then you mlght as well be In the englne
room of an apartment hotel watchlng the
motor?" I Inqulred
"Oh. not exactlv I am consclous all the
time of the crowds and the spaces. the
enthuslasm and the throb of human llfe
underneath. but it is a far away sensa
tlon?the other ls the nearer."
"Doea that knowledge of thousands of
people watchlng make you want to do lit?
tle clrcus trlcks that amuse the people and
endanger your llfe?"
"No. I don't believe in being reckless.
I JtMt wave my hand or my handkerchlef.
Perhapa when I have done more flying I
shall feel more .-ontident.,"
I trled again vainly to trap Mias Qulmby
Into admissions concerning her "eloubic
llfe"?that existence lived partly ln the
clouds. partly em the earth-but I could
not She refused to take any lmaginary
flighta. She ignored the idea that to the
true "sport" there could be anything In?
volved but the love of the air game. She
was absolutely bttnd lo any paychologlc
lntent. She gggmod full of the joy of llv?
lng, of the mere tOUCh-and-gO of existence,
but to aU else indlfferent.
I made a tack to wlndward of the aub?
ject
-As a Jourr.alst you must have wrltten
a lot. How can you do that unUss your
lmaglnation ls stlmulated all the time?"
"Oh. yea, I have wrltten screeds; some
fletion. too."
I am quite sure that Misa Qulmby haan t
feit her storles yet. She is too near the
Bcene of actlon to get a perspective. I
have hearei men of a. tlon and of the pen
sav that you cannot live a atory and wnte
about lt at the same time. Dlatance and
time must act as solvents.
"Dld you have a different sort of costume
than your ordinary flying one to cros. the
Channel?"
"No; Just the same."
"And that?"
MISS QUIMBVS FLYING COSTUME.
"It ls made of a sort of wool-backed
satin?the men reporters called it 'satin
packed ln wool' ln their dlspate-hes. I se
lected lt becauae lt ls pliable and warm
wear a blouse. and the lower part is a aort
of cross between bloomers and rldtng trous
ers It ls plum colored and haa a hood Bt*
tgched I put. on two extra coats for the
Cfcannel crosslng. and at the last moment
I feit some one strapplng a hot water bot
tto to mv waist. Bome one else put neara
(Mpera between the ,oats I was mlghtv
g!ad of those newspapers. not so much for
the warmth. but beeause when I landed the
flrst thlng I dld was to l^ok about for some
paper on which to wrlte the cable dls*
pate-hes I wanted to send to mv parents and
to mv paper I couldn't find anv. and
Boally wrote on the margin of the newe*
papers "
?It Is too bad your father and mother
were not there to see your Channel cros?
slng." I say svmpathlzingly.
?Yes. but perhaps tt is Just as well.'
,aya Miss Qulmby in her most practlcal
tnre If thev had been I don't l
they would ha\e allowed me tn go up."
"What is the distan.-e vou creeeed?"
?On!v thirtv-flve miles from shore to
iborc I Bttrted from tbe Dover eero*
drome at B o'clock in the mornlng. I w*A
^v course over Dover Cagtle. I Btruca
5ome gustv little winds right away. and
looked down for the tug that was to fol
|OW Intendir.g to Bteer mv course bv IU
t-ai' nf amoke, but i araa booo In a fog
lank and In aplte of the wamlngs I had
recelved?ordera I mlght call them?not
tn pp vary hlgh. I Just had to mount over
it I went up i,0*_ feet, ind almply could
not believe my eyta wh-n. ln whv leemed
rui awfully ahoti time. i aaw the French
coagt "
"Pldn't vou have any gpecial sensation nn
that trlp" It couldn't ha\e been Just a
rr-'se of watchlng your maehtoery ihan"?"
??I had a tramandoualy aralrd faellng when
I was lost in the fog I have no bumn of
locallty. for the flrst tlme I used mv com*
pass
Miss Qulmby interrupts herself to show
me a small. metal lncased compass wltn
the glrlish remark "Isn't that the euteet
thlng vou ever saw""'
I allowed that It was I dldn t want to
have any .-ontroversy on the subject. 1
wanted m get across the Channel, havlng
started Then"" I said. quite Impatlently,
recalllng her lo her duty as aviator.
I "Then'*" she repeated, ln a sort of dazed
way "Oh, yes, where was I, let me see,
in the alr over the French coast Well. 1
came down to about flve hundred feet to
reconnoltre. I flnally landed ln a flshing
vlllage ealled Eguihen, near Hardelot. 1
didn't want to tear up the newly ploughed
flelds, to chose the beaVh. A lot of Amerl?
can people who were there met me and 1
had a rouslng old welcome. They were ter
rlbly proud of me. as were the people
ir London "
Miss Qulmbv tells of her successea ln a
very modest way. not bellttllng nor over
emphasizing them. It aeems to me to show
a prettv good flbre of character to be able
to come back to a business desk and take
up the daily routine of work after an ex
perlence of that kind, and not have one_
head turned.
"Dld you take out any lnsurance?"
"An aviator cannot insure hlmseif, but he
can his machlne. The rates are so tre
mendously hlgh I trusted to my luck agaln
and didn't bother."
In the early days of Miss Qulmby*a
flights at the Molsant School. Garden Clty,
where she was a crack pupll. her mascu
line rhals used to speak of her aa "one ot
the grass cuttlng squad," the term of re
proach levelled against those who were
content to touch the top of the lawn, ao
1 inqulred:
"Dld you meet wlth much lncredulfty
when you announeed your Intentlon of
crosslng the Channel?"
SURPRISED THE SKEPTICS.
"Dld I? 1 don't belleve any one thought
I intended to do anythlng but go up and
clrcle a blt in the aii. I can hear thelr
laughlng now as they said, Q , old girl.
>ou can't f-ui ns.' Up to th. final moment
when I atarted they didn't belleve I waa
going."
"Are there any new inventlons you be?
lleve wlll mako a dlfference In aeroplanlng
ln the near future?"
"I hope a good hydroplane attachment
wiu ba made aoon. i bellave that is the
greatest aviating need. With one of theae
; perfected it will he p.fflble. to start from
the water Just as easily as we do now from
the land."
I s;.okH of an tnvention I had read of
lately. by which it would be posslble to
leave the s. ering gear when the machlne
wa_ going steadlly.
"I don't know anything about that. It
sounds all right."
"Anythlng . lse?"
"I think there should be alr rtations, but
I suppose thev wlll come in tlme. N"o doubt
lots of improvements wlll be raad- as soon
as tlu- lnitlal coct becomes U
1 inqulred It Bhe thought it would be a
good real estate investment to buy up
mountain tops, hut she dld not put herself
on record in this matter.
"And its future?"
"I have no original Idea? I be'.ieve it
will be _Md iu wa:; that lt wlll r-oon carry
maii. pass-ngers?the-.e is prg__< Blly no
limit. I should say. to Its poss:l>: I
Miss Quimby is sueh a fine examptfl ?f
the woman er.ga<:ed ln th" so-r.illfd nias
culine avoc.tions <>f prof-gglOB and sp'>rt,
without having lost any of h*r f-mintne
charm. that I ask con ernlng one of the
ntooted que_tk_fl of the hour.
"Are you a suffragett'^"
"I believe in the suffrage for women.
B-turmlly Unfortuiiately I have happ-n-d
in London two or thi^e timea dur
big s iffrag. rtotfl and I havo actualiy felt
apologetlc."
"Vou think militant methods do more
harm than good?"
DEPLORES MILITANT SUFFRAGISM.
"Yes. I saw on-> rertned looking woman
___ up a huge stone and throw lt through
a plate giass window. I f*!t that stone dld
as much harm to the cauae ia to th gla.s.
It does seem as lf they might get the vote
quletly, as the women Of m??? state, Call?
fornla did "
Sh* interv'ews me on the gubjf '
What is your oplmon of the anttfl? Do
you beli^vr- their oppoaitlon Ifl gnytblag but
a pos?" M'hat do thay do lt for? They
slmply cannot ho fltneer*, can thayf"
"Pojsibly to p!_is^ th* man,' I venture.
"It must be." says our on'.v avtatrMB, oh,
BO Btdly, deplortng the ni .n? r.ot the end.
Not to be in a movmg pioture exhtblt
grguea the latter day cel-brtty ur.knowr..
"I suppose you wer? klnemacolored?"
"I saw the pirtures before I loft Lond.-n.
There lf 858 feet of fllm Thev wlll be
shown here soon. The little fug that was
going to ptck me up spoiled a lot of the
rhotographs Of COUrB., lt had to _fl some
i thlng to earn the money. lf if wasn'f any
I thlng more than to have its r".r"v:e taken."
:r future plana' ' 1 have tO make
i readv to go for there .are lmpatlent appU*
Icantfl and Miss Quimby has r______ hej
| fourth breath
"Oh. I may try a 'croM-eountry flight.
I think that sort of .aviating should be en
iged, but I have r.oihlng deflnttr tn
mlnd
Sh- c -.- me i '?- - | ' Iflh-hB and
1 I gUd. away in the dlractlon Indlcatad.