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Show FOWLED MAKES FINE Til THE fib out Aviator Leaves San Francisco on Transcontinental Journey Jour-ney With Wind at His Back. LANDS AT AUBURN, 126 MILES DISTANT Expects to Cross the Sierras and Reach Reno Tonight, Salt Lake One of the Stopping Points. SAN FRANCISCO. Sept. IP With the steady trade wind of the Pacific Pa-cific at hlS back. Robert G FOwler, the flrst aviator to attempt a transcontinental flight, sped today up the fertile Sacramento valley and landed at 6:36 o'clock this evening at the foot Of the white ramparts of the Sierras, the conquest of whose summit may prove the ultimate test Of success or failure of ids attempt. With but a brief halt at Sat ran., nto for oil and gasoline, he drove his biplane high over the rolling foothills and landed Without a single untoward Incident at Auburn, Cat., 126 miles from his Btartlng point. Sped by a mother's kiss and "God bless VOU," Fowler rose from the stadium in Golden Gate park at 1:37 p. m. Sweeping In a circle over the surf of the Pacific, hla -iir . raft swung like a compass needle until his forward planes were notched Into the sap In the snow lino Of the Sierras through which he hopes to pass. Then, with the cheers of thousands billowing up to him. he sped over the city, Swerved past the ferrv tower, skimmed over the righting masts of the cruisers at anchor In the bay. with a hand wave of greeting, and hummed Bteadily over the trail flrst worn by the Argonauts of '49. Made Good Time. Over Berkeley, Sulsuq, Cannons and El-mira El-mira he sped, flying with the same steadiness and control that marked his start. The watches that checked his progress showed that he was making a stead forty-five miles an hour, and 1ij never varied from that pace. As he swept hltrh over the dome of the state cap! to I at Sacramento a roar from the thousands massed In Acrlcnltural park directed him to his landing plai B After a daring spiral he settled easily to the cround. pulled the cotton front his ears and shOuteid: "Well, I'm here, hoys What time Is it?" He was lold It was ?. 37 o clock He had covered the ninety miles of the first leg of his Journey In exactly two hours ' It was a great trip," he said "I had not the slightest engine trouble, and the 'feci' of the air, even over Carquines straits, was perfect." He announced that he would continue tn Auburn tonight, and the mechanicians who had followed him in a special train fought their way through the mob about the machine and prepared for the continuation con-tinuation of iho Journey At '. 55 p. m. he slipped back into the driving sen:, signaled to his mechanics, and was off to the eastward. Kissed Him Good-Bye. A crowd of distinguished persons gathered nt th--1 stadium in San Francisco's Fran-cisco's big park to bid Fowler "bon voyage." Representatives of the army and navy greeted him. and after a trial flight his biplane was christened with a bottle of sea water from the Paciflt by Tames Rolph, Jr. a director of the Pan ama-Pat Iflc exposition. His mother's kiss was nol the only one Implanted on his Hps before he started on his hazardous journey As ho passed close to the ropes that held hack the crowd from the machine a pr-ttv and impetuous young miss threw her" arms about the aviator's neck and kissed him fervidly- Before he could break away, another woman had pinned a "votes for women" badge upon the breast of his leather coat. "Oh, vou Hobson," ejaculated an n-vlous n-vlous male bystander, and Fowler broke away, blushing furiously. and took refuge among ins mechanicians, au-imit- to.:!y mote frightened than by any danger i" be met In mid-air. He continued to wear the suffragette badge, however. Fowler expects to make th transcontinental transcon-tinental trip In twenty-six days. He will leave Auburn early tomorrow morning, eross the backbone of the Su rra? through the treacherous gusts of the Truck'ee pass and land for the night iit Reno As scheduled tonight, he will make stops at Elko, Nev ; Bait Lake city, Granger and Otevenne. Wvo,: North Platte, Neb.-. Omaha, Rock bland, Chicago, Chi-cago, Fort Wayne. Pittsburg, Buffalo. Albany and New York. He will follow th. tracks of tin- Southern Pacific. I'nlor Pacific and Chicago & Northwestern to Chicago He Is accompanied by a special train. Which carries a full staff of mechanii B and parts of three complete biplanes. |
