The Sunday telegram. [volume], June 13, 1915, Image 23

About The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927

Image provided by: West Virginia University

                
Mr. Farmer, anywhere between
New York and San Francisco:
If some day in June a strange ob
ject settles down in your wheat field
right from the sky. and out of its
steps a tiny creature with brown
curls and a queer array, of clothes,
don't take the object for a huge
dragon fly. nor its rider for a
brownie queen!
Let me introduce MissNKatherine
Stinson. foremost American avi
atrice. on her way to the' Panama
Exposition at' San Francisco.
You will interfere with a great
many nicely arranged plans it you
stop her on her -way to inquire.'as
you will feel disposed upon seeing
the young lady, how comes' it that
she is- so far away from home," and
A CH1I.1> IT
AHPEASANCE.
' She looks and smiles like a runa
way schoolgirl on a iark and" weighs
only 103 pounds, but she can slide
down a sky hank and do an air loop
3a a'-way that makes your hair cnrl.
- tren to think about. Skimming
along the sky in a straightaway
w . course 1,500 feet above the earth is
" as mild a diversion for her as rid
ing in a trolley car is for the rest
? of us. She is a member of the A?ro
Club of -America and her licenso Is
* Ka 148, Mr. Farmer.
; Miss Stinson "s present purpose is
'-ar-go np in New York City in June
- and -come down on the Fourth of
- ' iuly in San Francisco.
, ? ' Tliose who know -Miss Stinson in
% the flying game say that she will do
/!.. .
Miss Stinson herself puts it'this
"watri r*TOydo yon suppose nrouM
; " pay a. man to go out and make book
lags' for- 'me if I: didn't' intend to
make the flight? Of course I intend
? "" - to fly from Ne-w York to San Fran
cisco- It has" heen done. Cal Roa
rers xiid it. and Robert Fowler Sew
from San Francisco to Florida. I've
already flown over most of "the conn
' try. I shall go through in June in
- ? short flights. It is a. questx^i o?uy.
gravel at the rate the machine ,nust
take if it stays up in tie-air. Tha
aviator's worst enemy Is not the
storm, but the cold, according- to
Miss - Stinson. Cold, incapacitates
hands-and feet for controlling the
machinery. "
CAKES 50T FOB > j?
SUPERSTITIONS.
Not worried about superstitions is
"Ifnlring a Good landing the Xost Important Feature^" SaysMiss Stfxtson.
friend while -walking, turning a at. San Antonio. Texas, to perfect
gaxment-thatyotL.ha.ve put.on wrorg h?r irt 'flying. Evidence of the
- ^ ' faith folks have in her is given bv
side out. bragging without touching ..tbeXaci^t^he.pul,lic^ch?SSa?e
wood, wearing opals?you aon x. excused classes again and to
-xiind^doing any of these?" the lis- . permit school, .children, to ?vasacss
tener gasps. * --faer- flaJie>iiaA jnk^rr myw
"Xo. indeedy! But; come to think them i?hec?a
of it. I -don't, like to walk under a rThere-isr-ieally.,not the
ladder."- said Miss Stinson apolo- in flying.that. -most people think
getically. **~Traid paint will; fall ^an _ there._ . j?:- j-fijJctess oflyers ^ have
mei I ?guess." -
-There are but two women" firing <ari.he'done?rwlttiln^tli?-*ou?d*?f <
cr atiiaiccrishiy. so far as' I know-A
and the. one is 3!iss ICatherine Stin?
son, and the- oiher.is. her younger
? sister. Miss Maijorie.
BUT; TWO. W03DBJT
FLYIX6 5EOBAT.
Miss'Stinson- has flown in sixteen
states, though never east of Cincin
nati. .
She gave an exhibition in Chicago
last year before the Federation of
"Women's Clubs.
She learned to fly in 1912. taught,
by Max Lillie. and used a" Wright
machine. Her first trip -in an. air
ship was made as a passenger in St.
Louis in a" Benoist- machine. She
came all the way .from - Jackson,
-Miss.: to St. Louis to learn the abat
ing- business. On reaching-St: Louis
- she-learned about Mr. Lillie'and the
aviation - field at Cicero, near Chica
go. and went on to Chicago after
wiring her mother and obtaining
permission.
"Mother never objected to my hav
ing my- heart's desire." Miss Stinson
says.- said heart's : desire being to
learn aviation.
What father thinks she does not
mention.
She was an expert-motor car driv
: er before .turning aviatrice". and al
lows that ? she was ? bora without
nerves.
This.-winter Miss Stinson has had
the use of the hangars at the fort
speets the'machine himself, with *
?mechanician, before undertaking a.
-flight, and. does - nothing foolishly, it
is a ."safe -sport." she-declares.
"^Especially when one makes a
point to go up high enough to keep
out-of'air pockets.'as they used to -
be called. At 1,500 feet air currents i
are perfectly understandable and. de
pendable. ' and flyiug ? is. a delight.
-Hying' high;-is one of the-, greatest
secrets -of. successful flying. Be
sure your machine is built for the
stress that is to be put on it. and.
always replace worn parts ?immedi
ately. Take-j no chances."
-What's..the most fun of flying?**
she was asked.
"The sense of being apart from
the world; -the- further up- you go.
the greater , the pleasure?and the
greater the-safety."
"What makes you think of going
this way to thefair. :fair maid?"
"Becanse it. is. the easiest way,
and I: naturally take to flying,"
explained little . Miss Stinson.
feats: more casually than you cr T,.
who are in bo danger of ever experi
menting with' -the aeronautic game,
would speak of -them.
"Why cant I do it?" she will say,
when such and such: a feat of sky
rocketing is mentioned.
"Cai Rodgers did it. Beachey did
it. Johnstone did it- Max Lillie
did it."
"Shouldn't think you'd?ahem?
?care to think?that is?" ?
"Why not? What happened "to
-them must not be charged up. against
the sport. Other factors should
take the blame." is the way little
Miss Stinson meets the situation.
"You are not/in the least-super
stitions?"
"Xor at all!" the aviatrice smiles
radiantly. "I simply do not believe
in. signs and omens and Fridays and
thirteens and the rest."
"Spilling ? the salt has no terrors
for you, putting on your left shoe
first, ^seeing the new-moon over your
left shoulder, breaking the mirror,
singing before breakfast, black cat
running across your. path, taking a
knife from a friend, letting a per
son or a post get between you and a