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him on his mail carrying trips.  Hoover later became a well known pilot himself.  
     On October 11th While carrying Lt. C[[strikethrough]]omm[[/strikethrough]]dr. H.C. Mustin of the Philadelphia Navy Yard on a flight from Cape May Point, New Jersey to Philadelphia over Delaware Bay[[strikethrough]]on October 11th[[/strikethrough]] his engine suddenly disintegrated and the airplane caught fire.  They were 18 miles from shore and flying at about 100 feet.  He dove the plane as steeply as possible for the water and made a crash [[strikethrough]]landing somewhat[[/strikethrough]]alighting damaging the[[strikethrough]]plane[[/strikethrough]] aircraft and splitting the pontoons.  They succeeded in getting the fire out, but were forced to bail water from the pontoons for nearly 16 hours before being picked up by an oyster boat near Maurice Cove, New Jersey on the morning of October 12th.  
  In early November he placed an order with the Washington Aeroplane Company, Washington, D.C., for a Columbia Flying Boat equipped with an 80 [[strikethrough]]H.P[[?]][[/strikethrough]]hpy Gyro rotary engine. It was  also equipped with Wright controls and had a beautiful all-mahogany hull finished in natural wood.  Through November he spent considerable time in Washington supervising the construction  of his new boat.  Late that month he offered his Wright [strikethrough]][H[[/strikethrough]]hydro and spare parts for sale.   
    On March 1st, 1913 his [[strikethrough]]new[[/strikethrough]]"Miss Columbia" [[strikethrough]]F[[/strikethrough]]flying [[strikethrough]]B[[/strikethrough]]boat was finished and about ready for flight tests.  March 14th he made six trial flights in it at Washington, D.C. all of which were successful in every way.  He took it to Philadelphia the latter part of March, where he put it through a series of tests at League Island before interested  [[strikethrough]]military[[/strikethrough]]Naval officers.  He later had a bad smashup in this plane at Wildwood, New Jersey, but escaped injury.  He decided not to rebuild it, and on May 20th took delivery of a new Curtiss [[strikethrough]]F[[/strikethrough]]flying [[strikethrough]]B[[/strikethrough]]boat at Hammondsport, New York.  His was the second one delivered to wealthy sportsmen that season by the Curtiss Company.
    Glenn Curtiss accompanied him on several tryout flights at  Lake Keuk[[strikethrough]]e[[/strikethrough]]a between May 20th and 24th.  On [[strikethrough]]his[[/strikethrough]]Reid's first [[strikethrough]]sole[[/strikethrough]]trip as pilot he carried his mechanic, Orton Hoover, on an extended flight and was so pleased that he ordered [[strikethrough]]it[[/strikethrough]]the flying boat shipped to Philadelphia at once.  When [[strikethrough]]the boat[[/strikethrough]]it reached Philadelphia he displayed it in the main lobby of the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel for a few days so that Phila-
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Transcription Notes:
uncertain of the strikethrough on this sentence "for a Columbia Flying Boat equipped with an 80 [[strikethrough]]H.P[[?]][[/strikethrough]]hpy"