BOSTON NEWS BUREAU. 



Wednesday Morning, September 14, 1910. 



THE MAN-FLYING EXHIBITION. 



Whence Come The Necessary Financial Guaraniees. 



Boston — There have been many rumors of many subscribers, 

 guarantors, stockholders, underwriters, etc., in the Harvard- 

 Boston Aero Meet. The reports that have been heard in State 

 Street have been absolutely erroneous. 



There was some support given to the enterprise by a very 

 few public spirited interests that advertised in the programme. 

 The National Shawmut Bank and allied interests took space in 

 the programme, together with a few enterprising business people. 

 The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Co. and the 

 Boston Elevated Railway Co. contributed valuable facilities. 



Aside from this, Adams D. Claflin and three of his personal 

 friends, and no others, put up the entire $50,000 to ensure 

 Boston's great Aviation Meet. There arc no stockholders, 

 there was no other underwriting, and there were no other sub- 

 scriptions and no other guarantors. 



There was no assurance that these people would get their 

 money back until Monday night when the gate receipts had 

 totalled for the eight days out of the nine days' meet just about 

 | sufficient to cover all expenses and prize money, leaving the last 

 day and the two extra days that have just been arranged for 

 to fill the coffers of the Harvard Aeronautical Society. 



What gratifies the subscribers, however, more than the 

 prospect of the return of their money, is the fact that eight days 

 of aviation with a probable aggregate of more than 24 hours of 

 j flying, have been accomplished in Boston Harbor without acci- 

 dent of any kind to the aviators or their passengers. A fully- 

 i equipped hospital, with seven doctors with nurses, was an early 

 | preparation for the meet. Its first visitor was C. J. Glidden to 

 j get an hour and a half's much needed sleep. The only other 

 visitors were the sufferers from an accident due to a horse jump- 

 ing a fence. Automobiles have caused no accidents on the 

 grounds or the approaches thereto. Mrs. Adams D. Claflin is 

 under the doctor's care at the Vendome recovering from an auto- 

 mobile accident on Commonwealth avenue last Sunday. These 

 incidents but serve to emphasize the remarkable record for 

 safety that has been made at Boston. Nothing approaching 

 it has ever before been seen in aviation. A week and two days 

 of men flying in the air, some flights of over 3000 and 5000 feet 

 as well as some of the highest speeds ever attained, and nobody 

 hurt. 



The progress shown at Boston in man-flying should be con- 

 trasted with the record at the beginning when Orville Wright 

 Dec. 17, 1903, made his first flight and covered 852 feet in 59 

 seconds. On the same date next year he was able to do 2.79 

 miles. 



In 1905 the Wrights had made such progress that Orville 

 \ Wright on Oct. 5, 1905, was able to cover 24 miles in 3S minutes. 

 In the next three years there was a steady progress. Wilbur 

 Wright closed the year 1908 with the then astounding record of 

 77.31 miles done in two hours, 20 minutes and 23 1-5 seconds. 

 In the same month Wilbur had been able to fly to the height of 

 j 350 feet. December of last year Latham broke the record by 

 going up 1700 feet. This was the record until this summer. 

 | This year altitudes attained are measured in thousands of feet, 

 the time of flying by the hours, and only hundred mile dis- 

 tances are worthy of note. 



There is a record of speed in development that is probably 

 unmatched in man's conquest over the natural elements. 



It is dus to history and development of the art that the 

 names of the subscribers who put up the $50,000 for the Boston 

 meet should be publicly recorded, although it is against their 

 wishes that their names should be made public. 



They were: Leonard D. Ahl, Raymond L. Whitman, 

 Walter H. Seavey and Adams D. Claflin. Their shares were 

 about equal except that Leonard D. Ahl made the largest con- 

 tribution. 



