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to Sheepshead Bay. Shortly after passing Sea Gate his motor quit completely with magneto failure and he dropped into the bay off the Atlantic Yacht Club and was almost drowned when he was caught under the plane. He was quickly rescued and taken to Sea Gate, Long Island. That afternoon he borrowed Augustus Post's plane and made three flights at the meet.

Mars then flew four state fairs: Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 5th to 10th; Rock Island, Illinois, September 12th to 17th; Helena, Montana, September 26th to October 1st; and Spokane, Washington October 3rd to 8th. At Helena, Mars attempted to fly over one of the local ranges of the Rocky Mountains for a prize offered by Ringling Brothers Circus. After he failed to return in a reasonable length of time, a searching party found him smashed up near the summit at 7,500 feet altitude. His plane was damaged but he was not injured. At Helena the governor of the state presented Mars with a fine gold watch and a fob containing a gold nugget.

Mars flew at the Belmont Park International Meet on Long Island, New York, October 22nd to 29th where he competed with the leading aviators of the world. While there he gave Alfred Lawson, the Editor of Aircraft magazine, his first ride. On November 1st to 3rd Mars flew at the Jamestown Exposition grounds in Virginia. On November 12th he attempted an historic airmail experiment. Postmaster General Hitchcock had granted him permission to fly mail from the deck of an outgoing steamship back to New York City. All preparations had been made on board the Hamburg-American S.S. Pennsylvania and special stationary had been supplied to the passengers as souvenirs of the occasion. As Mars was revving up the engine on deck, just prior to sailing, his propeller flew apart, which necessitated removing the plane from the ship and abandoning the venture.

Mars next flew at Stockton, California, November 24th to 26th with Willard and James Radley, and December 16th to 18th was at Fresno, California, with Charles Willard. At about this time Mars left Curtiss and joined

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