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Thousands Throng Eminences to Watch Birdmen's Flights.
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AVIATORS' EASE ASTOUNDS
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Visit of Ovington and Milling Causes General Twisting of Necks as Rhode Islanders Stare Among the Clouds and Have First Glimpse of Heavier-Than-Air Machines.
Rhode Island's eyes all turned upward yesterday afternoon, not only from the hills, but from the valleys, as thousands along the line of the aviators' course gazed aloft to get their first glimpse of an aeroplane in full flight.
The blue skies, flecked here and there by fleecy clouds, furnished an admirable and beautiful background as the first heavier-than-air machines to cross over Rhode Island sailed along with apparent disregard of the law of gravitation.

Next to the expressions of satisfaction at having at last viewed the new aerial wonders, the thousands who craned their necks and stared at the skies were forced to admiration and astonishment at the seemingly perfect ease with which Ovington and Milling navigated the air.

While the crowds at Narragansett Park had the closest view of the aeroplanes and the intrepid birmen, many thousands who did not go to the aviation grounds were able to get excellent views of the flying machines and in some places even to hear the throbbing hum of the giant motors as the cars came and went from Rhode Island.
CROWDS BLACKEN HILLTOPS
Long before the time when the aviators were scheduled to arrive, the hills on the outskirts of the city and in neighboring towns were rapidly filling with throngs of expectant sightseers. All along the Blackstone Valley, the holiday throngs were gathered at the best available points of vantage with eyes turned eagerly up the river.
Neutaconkanut Hill, between Johnston, Cranston and the city line, was picked by many as offering an excellent opportunity to see the aviators. All along the ridge of Capitol Hill and at Davis Park were hundreds more, with their eyes turned skyward, anxious for the first glimpse of a speck in the sky which would turn out to be the first of the racing machines to arrive.

Prospect Terrace on the East Side was well filled with people who there had a fine view of the State House, which the aviators were to make their guide post on the way from Woonsocket to Providence, there to take their bearing for the aviation grounds in Cranston.
From the terrace it could be seen that the grounds in back of the Union station and at Exchange place were crowded with sightseers. The City Hall steps were packed with scores of the curious, who sat there for hours waiting for the arrival of the racers.
LOFTY ROOFS UTILIZED.
Those who were able to gain admission went to the tops of the city's loftiest buildings, such as the Union Trust, Industrial Trust and Banigan buildings, while coigns of vantage almost equally desirable were found on structures of less altitude, but which offered an unbroken view of the northerly and western horizons.

Still hundreds more practically camped out in the yards of their own homes, keeping vigilant watch of the skies to the northward, while the other members of the families kept constantly running out of doors and inquiring, "Are they here yet."

Even at the Providence baseball grounds, situation int he valley not far form the aviation grounds, interest was divided between the national pastime and the airmen, with a certain prejudice in favor of the flyers.

The city's crowds were growing somewhat impatient and were a little peevish over false alarms  before Earle Ovington and his aeroplane came in over the city. For nearly an hour previously every [[/column 1]]

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speck in the sky had been acclaimed as the first of the airships and then as suddenly condemned as merely a bird which the man-flyers were striving so successfully to emulate.

When Ovington's machine first came into view to the majority of the watchers he was flying very high in the air. At first merely a dot in the clouds and the azure blue of the sky, the speck grew into recognizable form and the crowds grew alive with interest.
LIKE A HIGH DRAGON-FLY
Ovington seemed to be driving his machine well to the west of the State House. The outline of the plane was becoming more and more distinct, and what appeared to be a huge dragon-fly sped along at what seemed an incredible rate, as graceful and apparently as sure of itself as a swallow.

By this time the airman was shaping his course toward Narragansett Park and the machine came down a long inclined plane, with never a jump or a jolt or a veer from the long graceful slope of its course. The great bat-like wings, with the attenuated tail of the machine, became clearly defined to thousands outside of Narragansett Park some minutes before it settled down behind the trees and the horizon, out of view of all except the throng at the aviation grounds.

There seemed to be no need for idle speculation as to whether the machine were a monoplane or a biplane. Persons who had ever seen either before talked learnedly about them, but no one, seemed willing to venture a guess as to the identity of the driver. Some said it was Atwood, others Ovington and more were of the opinion that it was Arthur Stone.

At the baseball grounds for half an hour before Ovington came into view
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[[2 column (2-3)image: monochrome photo of a plane with what looks to modern eyes like a bicycle wheel, a man sits atop it.]]
[[caption]]Monoplane Aviator Snapped by a Journal Photographer at the Moment When He is Asking the Admiring Crowd to Give Him Room for the Rise on the Last Leg of His Flight, the Stretch from Narragansett Park to Atlantic. [[/caption]]

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[[????]]
then came back [[uttering?]]

When the machine finally did come, after about four [[? (torn paper at crease)]] these futile rushes up and back, some [[?]] to be fooled again and stayed in [[their?]] seats. To those who could not resist [[?]] the spectacle afforded [[?]] one.
  Head-on towards [[the?]] grounds at first, the aeroplane coming swiftly downward was a beautiful sight and gave ample evidence of its airworthiness, descending evenly toward the race track grounds and then dropping out of sight.

CLOSE TO BASEBALL PARK.
  The ball game was well advanced before Ovington started on the last letg of his flight to Boston. This time the fans were treated to a splendid view of the birdman and his machine. So close to the hall park did the monoplane come that the steady throbbing of its motor sounded like the hum of a gigantic mosquito. The brownish color of the wings was discernible. 

  Ball players and spectators stopped thinking of baseball and all, including the umpires, were human enough to wait and watch until the plane, going at a tremendous pace, [[soared?]] out of sight, in an easterly direction. 

  When the ball ground crowds were seeing the last of the machine, other throngs at Fort Hill, East Providence, to say nothing of hundreds who gathered in the streets and open spaces of the city, were having an excellent free view of the new aerial wonder.

  Swiftly and speedily the craft sped along over the lower part of the city and then across the Seekonk at a point above the Narragansett Boat Club's house, and then as rapidly sailed on to the eastward over the Attleboros back to the finish at Atlantic.

  Hardly had Ovington disappeared toward Boston, when another speck became visible, well to the westward of the point where Ovington had first come into view. This appeared like a bunchier and bulkier machine, and as the craft came nearer, the figure of the aviator could be seen seated in the centre of the planes.

  Any who had [[insisted?]] that the first machine was a biplane were now forced to admit their mistake. The two lateral lines of the biplane were easily distinguishable as differing widely from the first visitor. In this case the watchers on the hills and valleys and roof-tops were seemingly certain that Harry Atwood had arrived. In fact, it was some time afterward before they learned that Lieut. Milling was the pilot of the second, and, as it turned out, the final visitor of the day.

  The huge two-winged affair settled down even more gracefully than had the monoplane. Ovington's machine seemed to shoot downward. Lieut. Milling's craft simply settled gradually until it passed out of sight to all except the thousands at Narragansett Park.

LIEUT. MILLING APPEARS.
It was about 6 o'clock before the watchers,
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whose vigilance never relaxed for a moment, described the second aeroplane mounting up into the heavens to the westward of the city, and then, gathering speed as it shot up, into the swifter air currents, turned to the eastward and shot off toward the east, not traveling quite so rapidly, apparently, as Ovington's machine.

  Across the southern section of the city it soared, boing higher and higher, and then sped off as straight as a crow flies toward the home goal. The city's people again had an excellent view of the craft, as, seeming to glisten in the golden radiance of the setting sun, it chased along a little to the south of the point where Ovington had crossed the Seekonk.

  Lieut. Milling obliged the throngs at Fort Hill, East Providence, by flying almost directly over their heads and low enough so that the engine's hum was just audible. The biplane was a more attractive spectacle that the monoplane and seemed to look more like what the general public believes and aeroplane should - a box kite - than the dragon-fly craft driven by Ovington.

  This ended the public's views of the aeroplanes for the day, although there were many who insisted on watching until and hour or so later, hoping they might be able to catch a glimpse of other racers.

SEEN IN WOONSOCKET.
  Thousands of people from hills, tall buildings and other vantage point in Woonsocket saw Ovington sail over Woonsocket on his flight from Worcester to Providence. News of his start from Worcester at 3:23 was telephoned to Woonsocket at once and a few minutes after the start the fire alarm bells sounded 22 three times, and then the electric
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"darning needle" but people in the Fairmont district of Woonsocket and North Smithfield and in Blackstone saw the aviator flying over them and about 1000 feet in the air and heard the whirring of the machinery for a few minutes after which the "Birdman" disappeared in a cloud.

MILLING DODGES WOONSOCKET.
  Milling, who started about an hour later, was seen at South Uxbridge from the top of the Blackstone Cotton Company's mill in North Smithfield just over the Blackstone line, but was not visible to the people of Woonsocket, who were scanning the skies.
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Transcription Notes:
Bottom part of previous page. The "bicycle wheel" is a landing gear.