The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-10-20
BUT He LOSES The PRIZE
The >Committee of the Aero Club De.
cides Against Him on a
Technicality.
EXCEEDED TIME LIMIT FORTY SECONDS
This is the Committees Claim. Mr.. Deutsch
Embrac Him and Would Give Him
the Prize Won ShoAer
Dumont with Flowers.
Dumont with Flowers.
(By the Associated Press. }

10y the associated PreSS.
Paris Oct 19.-The sunaos DumoLt
airship assembled at st. Cloud at LBS
o'clock this afternoon and five inmates
afterwards began to round the Ei'fel
Tower.
Santos Dumont completed his trip sue
cessfully but question has arisen As to
whether it was done within the time
limit thirty minutes. Mr.. Deutsch says
the aeronaut won the prize. The commit
tee, however, declares M. Santos took
80 minutes 40 Ar seconds to make the
trip.
Santos Dumont started for the first time
at 2:29, but on leaving the park his guide
/ rope caught in a tree and he was obliged
to descend. He started againat . ~ p.
M. rose $50 yards and then ported for
the Eiffel Tower the balloon ;.ong in a
straight line. IL was seen through field
glasses to arrive at the tower ard round
it.
The time, up to that poinr. with the
wind in the balloons favor. was min
utes ard 10 seer s,.ss
1t returned against the wind and made
slower Roadway, but still kept i'll the
/
reached in the total time of % minutes
1t seconds.
But instead of descending Immediately
Santos Dumont made a broad sweep over
the Aero Club grounds, with the result
that another minute and % seconds were
consumed before the workmen seized .he
guide rope. Thus. technically, Santos
Dumon exceeded the time limit y forty
seconds.
The enormous crowd which had gath
cred inside and outside the grounds gave
him a tremendous ovation. AS his bas-
ket came within speaking distance Santos
Dumont leaned over the side and asked:
Have | won the price,"
Hundreds of spectators shouted Yes!
Yes!" but the Count De Dion. member
of the committee, approached and threw
damper on the enthusiasm by saying:
my friend, you have lost the prize by
40 seconds
Numbers Of onlookers protested
against this announcement in lively
terms, but the Count De Dion said:
THAT is the decision of this committee,
in accordance with the rules of the con-
test"
A number of ladies VINO were present
threw flowers over the aeronaut. others
offered him bouquets, and one admirer, TO
the amusement of the onlookers. even
presented him with a little white rabbit
At this moment M. Deutsch himself ar
rived at the club grounds, having only
shortly before reached Paris from Biar-
ritz. He advanced, embraced Santos Du-
mont, shook hands with him and said:
For my mart, l consider that you have
the prize" %aF@sE&aE1, -
The crowd then gave the two men
great ovation, cheering heartily for San
tos Dumont and Deutsch.
Santos Dumcn claims that he won the
prize becvause he reached the park with
in the time and that the original rules
governing the contest made no mention
of having to touch the ground within the
80 minutes.
The dispute is due to the action of the
committee, which some time ago modi-
fed the terms of the contest by insert
ing the latter stipulation
Santos Dumont at the time protested
and refused to be bound by the fresh
regulation and strenuously upheld this
view with the Count De Dion and other
members of the committee on descending
today, finally declaring that he considered
he had won the prize and would not try |
again. II the money was withheld, it was
no this fault.
NJ. Deutsch said he would give $4,000 |
francs to the poor notwithstanding the |
decision of the committee but Santos |
Dumont declined to accept this offer as
a solution of the difficulty.
There was a large assemblage of people |
at the Elffel tower and considerable in
terest was manifested in the experiment |
in other parts of Paris. groups of people |
gathered in The streets to watch the pro-
gress Of the elongated, yellow balloon
with its long guide rope hanging and /
white canvas propellers whirling round,
while those below distinctly distinguished
the loud buzzing of the motor
Santos Dumont rounded the Siffel tow
or between the second and tonmost plat
FORMS at about seventy-ive yards away
fro mthe tower. The balloon pitched
somewhat when going against the wind
and Santos Dumont, whe nhe descended.
said the motor suddenly stopped while
the balloon was little distance from
the tower. He thought he might have to