John H. Whitney’s work for Glenn Curtiss

The Hudson River flight

Early that summer Glenn Curtiss flew from Albany to New York City down the Hudson. He got the favorable publicity breaks and it made his name world famous.

The New York World had offered a prize of $10,000 to the first who flew the length of the Hudson River. Curtiss badly needed the money. The plane he was to use was his usual land airplane but with metal floats fastened on to help keep him afloat if he fell into the Hudson River.

Curtiss flew down the Hudson with magnificent skill, He made his landings safely and took off again. I remember vividly that I was with a group at the highest point of the "old" New York Times building, which was then at Times Square. Finally, our straining eyes discovered a tiny dot West and North of us. It might have been a speck in the air, but no, it moved, gradually grew larger until we saw a tiny airplane moving steadily south over the river. It passed us and vanished in the south. We drew long breaths for we had been literally "breathless" while waiting.

Curtiss landed on Governor's Island calm and collected as usual.

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