BABY IN AN ÆROPLANE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 889, 8 September 1910, Page 4

BABY IN AN ÆROPLANE.

THRILLING ADVENTURE. The aviation craze has been responsible for many successful experiments in America, but also for a lew accidents. There was the case of the Homewade dirigible, with the youthful inventor on board, which collided with New York’s Mansion House. Now there is the case of a wild biplane, made by an amateur of New Jersey, suddenly ascending with the four-year-old son of Charles Abergasty, who designed the machine, and who aspires to aviation honours. The boy crawled on the lower plane of the machine just as his father sent it up in a high wind which was blowing. When the aeroplane reached an altitude of 200 ft, Mr and Mrs Albergasty were terrified at seeing the face of their youngster peeping at them from the edge of the wildly-plunging machine. They yelled to him to keep tight hold of the wires, and then strove frantically to drag the aeroplane back to earth by the long, stout rope to which it was attached. The wind had such a hold on the planes, however, that they were unable to haul the machine, even with the aid ot a windlass. They worked for three hours without success, when they succumbed from exhaustion and practically decided that their baby would be dashed to death with them looking on. Neighbours rushed to their assistance. Three men and Mrs Albergasty worked the windlass with such success that in a few minutes the aeroplane was within 30ft of the earth. There, it turned turtle, and capsized the boy. He landed in a clump of bushes, and escaped with a few scratches. “ I thought Leonard was standing by my side when the aeroplane went,” Mrs Albergasty said. “I was busy assisting my husband in trying to balance the machine, and I did not notice that my boy had crawled on the lower plane. It was not until the machine was up 200 ft that we saw the little fellow looking down. What our feelings were then, with him up there in an uncompleted machine, you may imagine. I thought my heart would break.”