Chasing Icarus (34 page)

“brought disappointment to the calamity:”
New York Evening Sun
, October 27, 1910.

“There goes the winner of the big race!”: Ibid.

“Seven seconds better in each lap than”:
New York Herald
, October 27, 1910.

“raised their voices in excited arguments as one”:
New York Sun
, October 27, 1910.

“Where are they?”: Ibid.

“and a black form was seen flitting across”: Ibid.

“it was only after an hour of brisk rubbing”: Ibid.

The dining room of the Hotel Astor: The
New York Herald
, October 28, 1910, carried a report on the aviation craze sweeping the city.

Chapter Thirteen: There’s Always a Chimney for a Man to Hang On To

“began sending messages to all points”:
Chicago Daily Tribune
, October 27, 1910.

“He wins the cup!”:
New York Herald
, October 27, 1910.

“My God”:
New York World
, October 27, 1910.

“For two weeks before leaving for”:
New York Herald
, October 27, 1910.

“Overjoyed”:
San Francisco Chronicle
, October 27, 1910.

“Indications are that you have beaten”:
Chicago Daily Tribune
, October 27, 1910.

“immediately dropped the telephone receiver”:
New York Times
, October 27, 1910.

“I am frank in saying that I never expected to see”:
New York World
, October 27, 1910.

“believing that he had won the race”:
Century Magazine
, December 1910.

“may join in the last days of our meeting”:
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
, October 28, 1910.

“There was never a time when I considered”:
Chicago Daily Tribune
, October 28, 1910.

“We made a good landing in the trees”: Ibid.

“I can stand a good deal of pain”: Ibid.

“it’s lost in a good cause”:
Boston Daily Globe
, October 28, 1910.

“she reached Belmont Park with Claude”:
New York Evening Mail
, October 27, 1910.

“You newspapermen are a nuisance!”: Ibid.

“prevaricators”: Ibid.

“revoked its rule that all aviators taking part”:
New York Herald
, October 28, 1910.

“I took out my Farman biplane on Sunday”:
New York Sun
, October 27, 1910.

“certain death”:
New York Sun
, October 27, 1910.

“after considerable dipping and diving”:
New York Herald
, October 28, 1910.

“he had the moral support in his protest”:
New York Herald
, October 28, 1910.

“There’s always a chimney for a man to hang on to”:
New York Sun
, October 27, 1910.

“journeyed his way around the curves by”:
San Francisco Chronicle
, October 28, 1910.

“had an offer of $750 by the management to fly”:
New York Sun
, October 28, 1910.

“he hadn’t even soiled his collar”:
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
, October 28, 1910.

“flitted the air with whirling autumn leaves”:
San Francisco Chronicle
, October 28, 1910.

The accident to Baldwin: Described in the October 28, 1910, edition of the
New York
Sun.

“to whom he is supposed to be engaged”:
New York Sun
, October 28, 1910.

“a long session, productive of several heated arguments”:
New York Times
, October 28, 1910.

“For nearly three hours”: Ibid.

“The failure to select a representative”: Ibid.

Chapter Fourteen: I’ll Be Able to Give the Wrights a Good Race

“asked how four figures would look”:
New York Herald
, October 29, 1910.

“Nothing doing”:
New York Evening Mail
, October 28, 1910.

“reluctantly left their beds in the stateroom”:
Boston Daily Globe
, October 29, 1910.

“Peroxide!”:
New York Evening Mail
, October 28, 1910.

“Well, it’s a secret”: Ibid.

“Nature fakirs!”: Ibid.

PLEASE ACCEPT THE ASSURANCES OF OUR:
New York Herald
, October 29, 1910.

“but I shall also have a look around”: Ibid.

“people learned who was present on the train”:
Boston Daily Globe
, October 29, 1910.

“he shared the pride of all Americans”: Ibid.

“A clean shirt each”: Ibid.

“justified in shooting himself”: Ibid.

“There was one incident about our trip”: Ibid.

“finally won his consent”: Ibid.

“Mr. Hawley is not a man of emotional”: Ibid.

“just a strong gripping of hands”:
New York World
, October 29, 1910.

“to equip its [coastal] life saving stations”: Ibid.

“their contribution to the romance of adventure”: Ibid.

“It must not be supposed that the balloon”:
New York Herald
, October 28, 1910.

“aerial drifting competition”:
New York Daily Globe
, October 27, 1910.

“seemed nervous when he was welcomed”:
New York Times
, October 29, 1910.

“You cannot imagine how it feels”: Ibid.

YOU OWE ME NO THANKS FOR THE ASSISTANCE:
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
, October 29, 1910.

“Keep your seats. You are men of action”:
Boston Daily Globe
, October 29, 1910.

“would make a chapter in himself”:
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
, October 16, 1910.

“raised his hand for the helpers”:
New York Evening Sun
, October 28, 1910.

“His monoplane banked gracefully”: Ibid.

“Oh, I think I’ll be able to give”: Ibid.

“I must again on principle respectfully”: Ibid.

“The engagement was not announced”:
New York Evening Mail
, October 28, 1910.

“I am in no position to say anything about”: Ibid.

“he would probably make the trip”:
New York evening Sun
, October 28, 1910.

Elsewhere, the table of Mr. George Huhn Jr.:
New York Evening Sun
, October 29, 1910.

“he encountered an unusually strong head”:
New York Herald
, October 29, 1910.

“as he neared the enclosure he dropped”: Ibid.

“Tell you what, boys”:
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
, October 29, 1910.

“It was just like shooting the chutes”: Ibid.

Chapter Fifteen: I’m Not Hurt Much but I Want a Long Rest

“There were almost 1,000 determined aero”:
New York Globe
, October 30, 1910.

“You want more than a blur as a souvenir”: Ad that appeared in the
New York
evening Mail
, October 28, 1910.

“Room!” shouted the first guard:
New York Sun
, October 31, 1910.

“Under the rules, the Gordon Bennett Cup”:
New York Times
, October 29, 1910.

“There’s nothing she can’t do”: Henry Villard,
Blue Ribbon of the Air
(Smithsonian, 1987).

“Curtiss got away with the cup at”:
New York evening Sun
, October 29, 1910.

“There was an instant turning of faces”: Ibid.

“were clocking him carefully watching every shift”:
New York Herald
, October 30, 1910.

“There was no one who watched Mr.”: Ibid.

“Lee Blank”:
New York Tribune
, October 31, 1910.

“its motor humming a fierce”:
New York World
, October 30, 1910.

“as a hound would chase a fox”: Ibid.

“as he went persistently on”: Ibid.

“feel the woodwork of the monoplane heating”:
New York Herald
, October 30, 1910.

“Le Blanc was shot forward”:
New York Sun
, October 30, 1910.

“crumpled up into a smashed bundle of wreckage”:
New York Herald
, October 30, 1910.

“threw his arms around the policeman”:
New York Sun
, October 30, 1910.

“tall, lithe, boyish-face of Walter”:
New York World
, October 30, 1910.

“and in a dense dust cloud it turned tail”:
New York Sun
, October 30, 1910.

“and tore it from his head”:
New York Times
, October 31, 1910.

“I’m not hurt much but I want a long rest”:
New York Sun
, October 30, 1910.

“his head rounded in white linen bandages”:
New York Herald
, October 30, 1910.

“My dear young man”:
New York World
, October 30, 1910.

“that was nothing of insinuation”:
New York Herald
, October 30, 1910.

“thoughtful aviator would always”:
Boston Post
, November 13, 1910.

“I found that the tube which carries the”:
Aero
, November 23, 1910.

“only an accident that occurred to Le Blanc’s”:
Boston Post
, November 13, 1910.

“could not understand why the”:
New York World
, October 30, 1910.

“Come, Monsieur Hamilton, I have a Blériot”:
New York Times
, October 30, 1910.

“the smallest thing ever done”:
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
, October 30, 1910.

“narrowly missed a chimney top”: Ibid.

“fairly pulled him from the machine”:
New York Times
, October 30, 1910.

“the only manner in which I can account for Le Blanc”:
New York World
, October 30, 1910.

“his debonair swagger”: Ibid.

Chapter Sixteen: It Isn’t True, It Can’t Be True!

“We don’t believe in speed for its own sake”:
New York Sun
, October 30, 1910.

“It was a spectacle spectacularly modern”:
New York Herald
, October 30, 1910.

“most any girl would give a lock”:
New York Tribune
, October 31, 1910.

“You’re going to win”:
Evening Mail
, November 1, 1910.

“Just be careful, John”: Gwynn-Jones,
The Air Racers
, 56.

“running over the ground on”:
Boston Daily Globe
, October 31, 1910.

“looking like a man who wanted to fight somebody”: Ibid.

“It will cost me about two thousand”: Ibid.

“in automobiles and crested carriages”:
New York World
, October 31, 1910.

“it was a restless crowd, filled with”:
New York Herald
, October 31, 1910.

“turned constantly to the east, from which direction”: Ibid.

“headed straight for the tower”:
Boston Daily Globe
, October 31, 1910.

“the broad wings dwindled into mere patches”: Ibid.

“the broad wings dwindled into mere patches”:

“nobody was quite prepared for it”: Ibid.

“He might be an Englishman”:
New York Herald
, October 31, 1910.

“I am now the owner of that machine”:
New York World
, October 31, 1910.

“It will cost you ten thousand”: Ibid.

“Roll her out, boys!”:
New York Herald
, October 31, 1910.

“Come on, you, Moisant”: Ibid.

“lace handkerchief was being ripped”: Ibid.

“hands of the men holding stopwatches”:
New York World
, October 31, 1910.

“seemed filled with mad people”:
Philadelphia Press
, October 31, 1910.

“It isn’t true”:
New York World
, October 31, 1910.

“gave a yell like a Comanche Indian”:
New York Tele gram
, October 31, 1910.

“That’s my opinion, boys”: Ibid.

“the crowd made a rush toward”:
Boston Daily Globe
, October 31, 1910.

“with his brown eyes dancing”:
New York World
, October 31, 1910.

“Really very well done, old chap”: Ibid.

“If I did, I’d be a Dutchman”: Ibid.

Chapter Seventeen: My Disgust at This Betrayal

Hanging from the ceiling among the chandeliers: Many newspapers carried descriptions of the Plaza Hotel event, but the
New York Times
and
New York Herald
of November 1 had the most comprehensive accounts.

“there had been so many accidents”:
New York Times
, November 1, 1910.

“hysterical”:
New York Herald
, November 1, 1910.

“called for the fastest flight from Belmont Park”:
New York Times
, October 31, 1910.

“under all the rules of international meets”: Ibid.

“it had been announced on Saturday”: Ibid.

“The committee announces that the”:
New York Evening Sun
, October 31, 1910.

“It’s a bally injustice, sir”: Ibid.

“What’s the use of making protests?”:
Pall Mall Gazette
(London), November 1, 1910.

“anywhere, at any time”:
New York Herald
, November 1, 1910.

“poor loser”:
New York evening Journal
, November 1, 1910.

“for their flights were being watched”:
New York Herald
, November 1, 1910.

“the men who only a few days ago”: Ibid.

“He got the most enthusiastic reception”:
New York Times
, November 1, 1910.

“which was something of a protest meeting”: Ibid.

“I wish through your columns to protest”: Transcripts of Drexel’s letter were reproduced in many newspapers around the world, such as the
New York Times
on November 1, 1910.

“they are jealous and very difficult to manage”:
New York Evening Journal
, November 1, 1910.

“Would you explain the reason for”:
New York Times
, November 1, 1910.

“In handing you this cup”: Ibid.

“an aviator of far greater experience”: Ibid.

“We aviators are sometimes prone to”: Ibid.

“extending an invitation to all the aviators”: Ibid.

Epilogue: We’re Sending Sputniks to the Moon

“proved that the airplane will be a great”:
Chicago Daily Tribune
, November 15, 1910.

“financiers, sportsmen and hundreds”:
Pekin (IL) Tribune
, October 22, 1910.

“a year of triumphant progress”:
Fly
, January 1911.

“He swooped down in a narrow circle”:
Chicago Daily Tribune
, November 18, 1910.

“Frantic for souvenirs”: Ibid.