The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1906-10-05
americans ahead
IN BALLOON TEST
LIEUT.. lAHM AND COMPANION
WcToRS IN RACE FOR THE
BENNETT CUP.
One Contestant, the Hon. C. S. Rolls,
Sailing the British Airship Britain
MIA Is Missing, and He May Prove
to Be the Winner.

Paris, Oct. 2.-The Aero club semi.
officially announced Monday that
Lieut.. Frank P. Lahm, of the Sixth
United States cavalry, one of the
American contestants, was the victor
in the first competition for the James
Gordon Bennett cup for international
aeronauts.
The race was started Sunday after
noon when Is balloons, representing
seven countries, sailed away from the
Tuileries gardens, Paris.
Lieut.. Lahm's apparent victory may
be changed when the Hon. G.. S. Rolls,
one of the English contestants, is
heard from. Rolls landing has not
yet been recorded and there is some
doubt regarding his relative position.
Considerable anxiety is felt for his
safety, although his experience and
caution are regarded as certain to
bring him safely to the ground.
Americans Record Is Best.
Up to the present time, however, the
performance of Lahm and Kersey, in
the balloon United States, in reaching
Is miles north of Scarborough, Eng
land is the best record attained by
any one of the Is starters. The men,
bers of the Aero club are inclined to
believe that the United States was
only prevented from proceeding farther
because current of air again threat
ened to carry her over the North sea,
with no apparent prospect, unless the
direction of the wind changed, of find
ing land before making the coast of
Norway.
Crowds of prominent aeronauts were
at the clubhouse all day awaiting tel
egrams reporting arrivals. The first
reports recorded the landing of five
balloons in Normandy. 1t was then
considered certain that the remainder
would cross the channel and few
hours later came dispatches telling of
the landing of the Spanish and one
French balloon on the south coast of
England, and the report that four
others, including the United States,
had passed over Hastings, going due
north. ...
Accident to Santos Dumont.
In the meantime the news of the
accident to Santos Dumont aroused
general sympathy, the Brazilian being
very popular here. But his subsequent
arrival at the Aero club with one arm
bandaged relieved the tension regard
ing the seriousness of his mishap.
The Frenchmen were then aroused
to cheerfulness at the report that
had arrived at Norfolk. Later, how
ever, when the landing at Hull of the
Italian contestant, Signor Vonwiller,
in the Ellie, was announced it was seen
that Frances chances of winning had
gone. Then the report of Lieut.. Lahm
showed that he had reached farther
north than any other starter, and it
was generally thought that he would
win.
Uneasy Over British Ship.
Rolls, however, is still to be reck-
oned with and a definite announce
ment of the result cannot be made.
The absence of the Britannia, Rolls
balloon, from the list of landings,
causes increasing disquiet, as the
hours go by, some thinking that cur
rent of air must have carried him out
to sea, while others believe that he
has landed somewhere in England and
has not yet been able to get to tel
egraph wire. The Britannia was last