1911-09-23-sc-p6-reuben-bowers-flys-over-ranch
September 23, 1911 Spokane Daily Chronicle Page 6:
BOY SOARS IN AIR
Reuben Bowers of Harrington Builds Biplane and Sails Over Ranch.
Lifting gracefully into the air to a height of 50 feet, Reuben Bowers, a young man aged 23 years, Sunday afternoon accomplished the first flight ever made in the Inland Empire. Bowers made his flight in a Wright model biplane, and used his father's wheat field six miles south of Harrington, Wash. as a starting point.
After gliding over the wheat field for 100 feet, Bowers tilted his planes. The planes responded to the power of of the propeller, and the machine sailed smoothly along at a modest height for more than 300 feet. Making an easy landing with the machine under perfect control. Bowers then headed back across the field. In a few seconds after starting the machine upward to a distance of 50 feet, and made a graceful swoop.
On the second swoop of the machine, Bowers tilted the planes too sharply and the machine overbalanced. Before he could regain control it fell to the ground. It was partly wrecked by the fall, the main framework being smashed. Bowers landed on his feet unhurt.
The machine was repaired. He made test flight this morning and was able to glide along the ground at height of a few feet.
Bowers is the son of Adam Bowers, a wealthy farmer of the Harrington district. He built his machine in the little town of Godfry, and then shipped it to his father's ranch for the first tryout. J. M. Powers of Spokane is interested with him in the machine.
LINCOLN WHEAT AT SPOKANE FAIR
DAVENPORT, Wash., Sept. 23. —(Special.)—The wheat district of Davenport will be represented at the Interstate fair in Spokane the first week in October by over 40 samples of wheat grown in this vicinity this season. Cashier F. W. Anderson of the Lincoln County State bank has made the collection and will see that the exhibits are properly entered.
