The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-16
MAY NOT RETURN
st. L0uis's Visiting AerOnauts
to Be Given a Banquet
Before They Begin Their Flight
Through the Air.
A BIG WEEK AHEAD.
Down Town Streets to Glow
Z With 100000 Lights.
Races Scheduled for Every Kind
of Air Ship.
A BIG WEEK AHEAD.

st. Louis, Oct. 16.-St. Louis is busily
preparing for what she expects to be
the greatest week in the history of the
International Aeronautic federation, a
week which is to open Monday, Octo-
Der FL, at sunset, with the race for the
James Gordon Bennett cup and the
remaining days of which will be filled
with contests between flying machines,
dirigible balloons and aeroplanes of
every size and description. Arrange-
ments have been completed for light
ing thirty-nine downtown streets with
100000 incandescent lamps. The
grounds from which the races are TO
be held have been put in shape; ESQ
United States soldiers have been de-
tailed to guard the sheds in which the
balloons are housed and to keep back
the crowds at the start.
Plans for entertaining the visiting
aeronauts and scientists have also been
made and dinners will alternate with
trial trips by the competitors during
the remainder of this week.
The banQueting of members of the
competing teams will close Saturday
night when all will be the guests of the
ST. Louis Aero club. 1t was originally
planned to have this banquet at the
close of the week Of the contests. but
in view of the fact that some of the
aeronauts may never come back the
date was push ed forward.
Nine balloons, three American. three
German, two French and one English h,
are announced to start Monday at diff
ferent times, one of the German teams
leading off. Where they will land can
only be conjectured Griffith Brewer
and Claud Bradazon, composing the
English team, studied carefully last
night the map showing the routes
taken by other aeronauts who have
assembled from st. Louis, and decided
the race would probably be off toward
the northwest, as the prevailing winds
are in that direction. The one gong
the greatest distance will win the cup,
won last year in France by LIEUTENANT
Lahm.
On Tuesday, while the international
balloon competition is still in progress,
the races for gasless flying machines
and heavier-than-air vehicles for the
Scientific American cup, will take place.
There are eight entries in these con-
tests and the competitors will be re-
quired to traverse a triangular course
about one mile in length.
The following day dirigible balloon
will be the center of attention, the
seven contestants in this class being
required to cover mile course, the
shape of which will be announced just
before the start. Three entries in the
aeroplane class will be allotted the
next day. The dates set for the con-
tests are subject to change If the
pectedl that the entire week will be
taken up with the antics OF the
strangest and most numerous assort-
ment of air craft ever gathered in one
place.
Yesterdays trial trip of the Psyche
tended to make ST. Louis city of sky
gazers and this tendency will be fur
Their increased today If two proposed
experimental flights are made this
afternoon, one in the huge America.
one of the entries in the big race, and
the other by a smaller balloon. These
trial trips are made to test the lifting
power of the gas with which experts
have been experim enting all summer
and which is supposed to have the
greatest lifting power ever used in an
international contest.