The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-10-01
Sixteen Contestants, Repre-
senting Seven Countries, in
Long Distance Struggle.
ONE MILLION PEOPLE
WITNESS THE BEGINNING
Aer0nauts From All Over the
World Participate in
Novel Contest.

PARIS, Sept. 30,-Sixteen balloons,
averaging over 1000 cubic metres ca.
paclty each and representing seven
countries, sailed away from the Tuil-
cries gardens, iii the heart Of Paris,
this afternoon, in the first competition
for the Gordon Bennett cup for inter
national aeronauts.
The contest was primarily a long
distance race. The date had been care.
fully selected when the prevailing
winds are from the west, in the hope
| of giving the aeronautS an opportunity
to break the record of Count De la
Vaulx, made in 1900, when his balloon
landed III horostychetf, Russia, having
covered a distance of 1855 miles IN
thirty-fve hours and forty minutes.
But today the wind was light, hardly
more than eight miles an hour, and
| from the east, thus making the shores
of the Atlantic the limit of distance
and robbing the occasion Of its chance
as test OF long distance aerial tray
| cling,
| On this account the race was a keen
! disappointment to the aeronauts who
| had come from every corner of Europe.
| The rules OF the contest, however, pro
| vided that in case of unfavorable at
mospheric conditions the judges could,
at their option, make the test one Of
endurance to remain in the air.
Was Brilliant Spectacle.
Nevertheless, as a spectacle, the
event was a brilliant success. II is
calculated that over a million people
saw the balloons as they sailed away.
A quarter of million had gathered
inside the gardens. while the Place de
la Concord, the bridges over the Seine,
the embankments of the river, house
tops and every other point of vantage
for miles around were black with peo,
| pie. The terraces in the garden had
been reserved for invited guests, They
were occupied by prominent aeronauts
of Europe, as well as many distiu-
| guished visitors from various countries,
Che foreign diplomats here and the
| French ministers of war and marine.
Each contestant is an experienced
aerial pilot, but, contrary to eNpecta~
tions, Santos Dumont, one Of the two
representatives OF the Aero Club of
! America, proved to be the only one to
lnaugurate a novelty. For the purpose
of Keeping ahoat as long as possible
he had equipped his car with a SIX
horsepower vertical propeller, with TIE
loon without discharging any of its
precious ballast, The enthusiastic
cheers of the multitude which greeted
the ascent of Santos-Dumont showed
that he was q favorite and quite as
popular as his French rivals,
Major Herzy, the companian of Wal
ter Wellman IN the Wellman"C Chicago
Record Herald North Pole expedition,
! acted as assistant TO Frank p. Lahm
lieutenant in the Sixth United States
cavalry, the other American compel
itor.
Each balloon carried sealed record
ing barometer TO work for tweaty-four
hours and a number OF envelopes TO
be thrown out every two hours IN order
to mark the individual trail Food
for three days was also on board each
car.
Names of Contestants.
The contestants, with the names OF
| their balloons. are:
America, Santos Dumont.
America, Lieutenant Frank P. Lahm
L. S. a.
France, Count de st. Victor, Foehn
France, Jacques Balsan, City OF
| ChateaurouX. i.
Germany, Capt. Abororon, Dusseldorf
Germany, Herr Scherl Schnabep.
Germany, Baron Won Hevald, Pot
mern.
Great Britain, Hon. c. E. Rolls, Brit
Great Britain, Z. H. Butler, City of
London.
Great Britain, Prof. Huntington
Zephyr.
Spain, Senor Salamanca, Norte.
Spain, Capt. kiudelan, Nontaner.
Belqium, NJ. Van den Friesche
Ojouki.
Italy, SigDor Won Weller, Fife;
The full moon tonight will be OF
great advantage to the pilots.