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Volume 052-1 - January 1998 (8 pages)
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Page: of 8
NCHS Bulletin January 1998
(Note: In 1929 Gilmore told an Oakland Tribune reporter
the small plane he flew in 1911 was one of his two “bat”
planes, and said the “larger plane, an eight-passenger
cabin monoplane was never flight-tested because Gilmore
was unable to get an engine powerful enough for it.” )
March 3, 1913 — Jeremiah S. Goodwin and Leroy M. Clark,
two of Gilmore’s backers (since 1907, he claimed), shot
and killed each other at the mining camp of You Bet,
where Gilmore’s father had mined in the 1850s. Goodwin’s estate included 850 shares of Gilmore Airship Co.
stock. No more attempts to fly the machines appear to
have taken place after this date.
Aug 8, 1915 — Wrote his mother, “I am still working on
According to a 1935 Sacramento Bee story, these surplus
army planes were purchased after the war to train pilots at
Gilmore Field. (Searls Historical Library photo.) inventions, but nothing as yet has come through, all things
seem to stand still and wait for cash to promote them with.
delayed the first test so long that “many had grown skeptiI have several men working to raise cash money but it is
cal relative to the success of the enterprise.” (Note: In hard to get finances during the war.” He was working on
1935 Gilmore identified the craft he flew as “a 2 pasdrawings and patent application for an invincible one-man
senger monoplane equipped with a 30 H.P motor secured submarine that could be launched rapidly from the air or
from Santos Dumont agents; Santos-Dumont was a piounderwater, and could destroy an entire fleet without being
neer Brazilian pilot who had been building and flying detected. “Just as soon as we can we will form a big
planes in Europe.) company and manufacture my inventions.”
March 1912 — Crowds watched Gilmore taxi a small aircraft 1920-1926 — Was hired by R. C. Schanck of Pittsburgh, PA.
around his field for about 6 hours, never leaving the to manage the Blue Channel Mine at Iowa Hill, in Placer
ground. Finally, a wheel struck a boulder, upsetting the County. Gilmore stayed on as caretaker.after it was closed
plane and cracking the propeller. Oct 23, 1929 — Grass Valley City Council voted to make
am Nov 29, 1912 — Colfax Record said Gilmore had damaged Gilmore Field a municipal airport, 3 days after Major
his plane on Tuesday, and stockholders “met Wednesday Livingston Irving of Oakland landed his plane at Grass
evening to consider purchase of a new engine of the Valley, “the first time a cabin monoplane has landed at the
Roberts type, 76 horse power and weighing 250 pounds.” mountain field,” according to the Oakland Tribune.
Engine was ordered. Record said Gilmore had been working on his machine “for over 3 years and the people are Stock certificate for 250 nonvoting shares sold August 31,
beginning to doubt the final success of this venture.” 1912. Signed by Gilmore and president D. E. Matteson, a
Grass Valley brick and stone mason. (Searls Library.)