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mules to the Boers in South Africa during the Boer War, and lost everything. 

Broke, he got a job on the railroad in Oregon for one and one-half years, then his interests turned to automobile racing, driving a White Steamer.  In this pursuit he met drivers Eugene Ely and Bob St. Henry, both of whom soon became prominent in aviation.  While racing at the Lewis and Clark Exposition at Portland, Oregon, in 1905, Bryant saw Beachey fly Baldwin's dirigible and became acquainted with him.  Bryant continued racing and became a demonstrator of new cars for various automobile dealers through 1910.

On April 5th, 1910, Bryant watched [[strikethrough]] saw [[/strikethrough]] Frank H. Johnson fly a Curtiss-type pusher biplane with a 4-cylinder Curtiss engine at Alameda, California, and at once wanted to learn to fly.  During the winter of 1910-1911 he bought a partially wrecked Curtiss biplane with an 8-cylinder Curtiss engine, which had been formerly owned by Clarence Walker of Salt Lake City [[strikethrough]] , who had used it in Hawaii the previous fall [[/strikethrough]].  Bryan rebuilt the plane that winter and during the summer of 1911, slowly and very carefully, taught himself to fly it in a field near Firebaugh, California. At that time he was assisted by San Francisco automobile dealer Norman DeVoux, who also had [[strikethrough]]taken[[/strikethrough]] the West Coast agency for Curtiss planes.

By September 1911, Bryant was making short flights in the vicinity of Firebaugh but soon moved his operations to Calvary Flats, a military base near San Francisco.  The Post Commander had invited local amateur aviators to use the grounds and shop, and Bryant at once tried to fly across the Golden Gate to Fort Baker, but was not successful in several attempts.  He continued practice there [[strikethrough]] through October and [[/strikethrough]] into December when he moved to the newly opened flying field of the Sunset Aviation Company at Alameda, California.  One of the first to fly from that field, Bryant practiced actively through December, making extended good flights.  He also made some short flights in an Anzani-powered Bleriot monoplane owned by J. C. McTarnahan.  On Christmas Day, Bryant took his wife for a ride and on January 2, 1912, he flew for three hours at Sunset Field in practice flying.

At about this time Roy Francis evidently also joined DeVoux management and from January 11th to 14th, 1912, Bryant and Francis flew their first exhibition engage-
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Transcription Notes:
th cross out for April 5th is not needed, writer denoted stet (which means to ignore the edit)- fixed