International: Bat Man
Like many & many an experimenter before him, one Willard Edward Blain of New London, Conn, strapped himself to an arrangement of batlike wings one chill dawn last week and tried to flap through space. About 100 spectators, including a squad of newsmen and photographers, watched as the inventor poised, 5-11. wings outspread, on the rail of a highway bridge over the Thames River. Presently he took off, plunked straight down 35 feet into the icy water. Extricating himself with difficulty, Bat Man Blain was picked up by a motorboat from which he proudly dove again into the water and swam ashore. The bat wings floated, were retrieved. Said he: "If the wind had been stronger I could have flown much farther. Anyhow, I hope I gave the world a thrill."
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