John H. Whitney’s work for Glenn Curtiss

A break, then to San Diego

I left in the fall of 1910 to return to my family’s business (a Kimball piano store in Ishpeming, Michigan – ed.). I used to alternate between aviation and our line, going to whichever seemed better, where I was needed most and could do most. Our line was mostly a winter business, while aviation was summer.

I was recalled to New York State January 1911, to give legal testimony for Curtiss. After completing the testimony, I went to San Diego, where Glenn Curtiss was doing important and original airplane design and where he produced the first successful water aircraft. He also operated a flying school for the US Army, Navy, and Marine Corps Officers and others. He had "leased" North Island, in San Diego harbor, for a term of years. It is an ideal place, being level and sandy, which permits a safe landing.

My job there was to photograph everything; make a complete photo record of everything done. We had those present sign their names on the back of the photos and had the names notarized so it was legal proof. Glenn Curtiss said afterward that these were priceless in the endless patent suits brought against him; proving the original work he did then.

I met Curtiss at Los Angeles. Curtiss instructed me to purchase the necessary photographic equipment and then to meet him in time for the night train to San Diego. While it was only a few hours railroad ride, Curtiss hated to sit idle in a train in daytime. Here, the Pullman Company opened a San Diego sleeper at 9 PM and passengers could board it any time from then up to its departure in the early hours of the morning.

Arriving at San Diego the next morning, Curtiss and I found waiting for us some of the student officers with a car. We were soon on the ferry from San Diego to its residence suburb of Coronado, where Curtiss had rented a comfortable furnished house. Very easy to do in southern California, which, like Florida, makes a business of catering to winter tourists.

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