New-York tribune., 1901-10-21
SANTOS DUMONT's EXPLOIT
WHILE THE TECHNICAL co,r,,,.
TEE QUIBBLES, POPULAR yrp
DICT AWARDS HIM THE
DEUTSCH PRIZE.
DEUTSCH PRIZE.
Copyright: 1901: BY The New-Yo~k Tribpn.,
IBY CABLE TO THE rRIRuys1

Copyright: 1901: By The New-Yorx Tribune,
IBY CABLE TO THE rRIBuNal
Paris. Oct. 20-The question whether sar...
Dumolt technically won the Deutsch pr,za ,,..
terday arouses the keenest interest in sno-,,~-
circles and is editoriaIy discussed TODAY ~.
/ leading Partisan newspapers. With the 49,
ton of the ''Matin." which supports the co,,.s
ton of the Marquis de Dion that Santos NJ.
mont did not accomplish the course within a.
time limit of thirty minutes. all the papers a.
ciuding Figaro" the "Gaulois." the "Temn,.
the "Deeats" and the Steele" hold that santo,
Dumont won within the time limit prescrhss
! by the conditions. This is also the opinion :.
Baron de Zuylen. the president of the Au,o
mobile Club. who is recognized as an unou.0
tionable authority on such matters.
In a nutshell the question is as follows.
Article W CT the terms setting forth -
conditions Of the competition, drawn IN s.n
ten.ber l, 1890. defines the end of the cours. =.
| De the moment when the balloon returns tn N.
starting point; but one year afterward Septs,
Der Z. 1901, after Santos Dumont had constr,o,
ed balloon especially to win this prize and b.a
made several trials to win it at great Axnar..
and at the risk of his life the technical cornr,,.
tee of which the Marquis De Dion is mamie.
arbitrarily modified the original condition, =,
defining the end Of the course as the noon.r,
wren the guide rope Of the balloon shall h.
seized by man at the starting point"
Santos Dumont three days later. on senta,,-
Der IO. publicly protested that this subsequen,
modihcation of the conditions Of the eompetitiO,
made after he had already acted upon them wa.
null and vci1 and. above all. unsportsmaalik.
Santos Dumont is the last man to press such !,
matter to a judicial decision and has alreadv
sisnifed his intention of giving the hundred
thousand francs to the poor in case the tecbntc.,
committee, which meets on Tuesday, decides ~
award it to him. But It should be noted that ~
legal circles the unanimous opinion is that San
tos Dumont is right. that he has fulfilled tho
conditions of the prize contes., having gone over
the prescribed course and returned 10 the start
ir4s point according TO the conditions as origt-
nally prescribed. and having accomplished this
in % minutes 80 seconds. he has won the prize
The time canno. be counted as lasting until the
roPe vas seized by a man the ground be-
cause this condition is absolutely void having
been imposed after the original terms Of comma
tition had been published. accepted and acted
upon. In other words. the case Is parallel with
a commercial contract for the delivery of what
or coal. and became binding as soon as accent
ed and acted upon. Santos Dumont SAYS the
rope condition is mere quibble. quite as ridicu-
lous as it would be to insert a clause in horse
race for the jockey TO touch the winning post
with his whip.
Popular feeling meanwhile is running high in
favor Of Santos Dumont. and considerable IN
dignation is expressed against the members Of
the technical committee. who are accused of
quibbling to debar an enthusiastic amateur ball
locnist. who. although by no means million
aire. has expended 100000 francs and risked his
life twenty times to win the Deutsch priz.
AS Santos Dumont himself puts IT, this would b.
like changing the conditions Of the Americas
S,vv, .L. -,o..
c. B.