Sky Writing Plane to Fly Over City

From The Indianapolis Star, Friday, May 11, 1923: A demonstration of sky writing, the most recent and novel form of advertising, will be given next week over Indianapolis by English aviator Major John Savage. Representing the American Tobacco Co, Maj. Savage will fly a high-speed airplane above the city at 10,000 feet, writing the words, “Lucky Strike” in smoke generated by the plane. Each letter will be from one-half mile to one mile in height and when completed the words will stretch eight miles across the sky and will be visible for miles from every point in the city. A special apparatus generates a white smoke at a rate of 250,000 cubic feet a second that stands out against a blue sky background; “Lucky Strike” requires about 80,000,000 cubic feet of smoke. Maj. Savage developed the art of sky writing.

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“Sky Writing Plane to Fly Over City,” The Indianapolis Star, 11 May 1923, p. 4:2

More Housewives in Sugar Boycott

From The Indianapolis Times, Wednesday, May 2, 1923: As sugar prices have soared to 11 and 12 cents a pound retail, women’s clubs and civic associations across the country have organized a sugar boycott to hammer sugar prices back to a fair price of 7 cents a pound. The Marion County Housewives League has already joined the boycott and asks other organizations to cooperate with the national movement to reduce sugar consumption 100,000 tons during the next ten days. “If everyone would refrain from the use of sugar for one week, the market would crash,” declared Stanley Wyckhoff, former county food administrator. According to Wyckhoff, Cuban producers have borrowed money from American bankers on their sugar crop and are storing it. He anticipates the price will continue to increase until August when the American sugar beet crop hits the market.

“More Housewives in Sugar Boycott,” The Indianapolis Times, 2 May 1923, p. 1:3

U.S. Army Dirigible Cruises Over Indianapolis

From The Indianapolis Star, Tuesday, April 10, 1923: The U. S. Army dirigible TC-1, the largest non-rigid American airship, cruised majestically at 500 feet over Indianapolis shortly after noon yesterday, circling above the Monument before departing for St. Louis, leaving in its wake craning necks and mounting waves of excitement. The massive aircraft was greeted by a large crowd when it arrived at Ft. Benjamin Harrison’s Schoen Field at 9:15 in the morning to take on fuel for its mighty twin motors six hours into its maiden flight from Akron, Ohio. The huge gas bag is filled with 200,000 cubic feet of hydrogen gas, its cotton fabric coated with aluminum paint glistening in the sun’s rays. The airship measures 195 feet from nose to tapering tail with two pontoons suspended beneath for the crew. Two motors are mounted on outriggers.

“U.S. Army Dirigible Cruises Over Indianapolis…,” The Indianapolis Star, 10 April 1923, p. 9:2