Viewing page 38 of 71

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

river. On September 15th Tony started a week flying at the Michigan State Fair, Detroit, Michigan, with a Benoist tractor. His work there was remarkable, making two flights daily regardless of weather on a schedule. On October 15th he flew a land tractor in the Round-Manhattan Race at New York on an extremely rough day, finishing fifth.

After this, he and John Hall made a flight to try to locate the body of Albert Jewel who had disappeared on a flight from Long Island was believed lost at sea. Returning from this unsuccessful trip they had to make a forced alighting with engine trouble and came down in the Jamaica Marshes and turned over in landing. Hall was injured and burned in the fire that followed but Tony dragged him to safety. On November 26th Tony made a flight from St. Louis to Cairo, Illinois, in a Benoist flying boat, carrying T. A. Duby. On December 26th he completed a 2-week engagement at Paducah, Kentucky, then left for Florida to assist the preparations for the Tampa-St. Petersburg Airline that started on January 2, 1914. They also prepared to open a winter school as part of the operations.

There Tony's flying record was remarkable. The daily scheduled flights continued until April 27th and during that time only four days were lost due to weather or equipment difficulties. The passenger flights were consistently booked ahead; express, mail and food commodities were also carried. Tony also did some instructing along with his brother Rodger and Weldon B. Cooke. By May 5th they had all of the equipment shipped back to St. Louis and then Tony returned to Paducah, Kentucky, for an engagement.

Following this he purchased a Benoist boat and left the company to start a passenger-carrying business for himself at Sandusky, Ohio, in late May. He was very busy through the resort season, flying between Cedar Point, Put-in-Bay, Loraine, and Cleveland carrying many prominent people on both pleasure and business trips. He also flew two exhibition dates that season, at Peoria,