The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1907-10-22
AERIAL. CUP
Rae IS ON.
START is SPECTACULAR AND is
WITNESSED BY MORE THAN
10000 PEOPLE.
.CONDI1'I IDEAL
The "st. Louis" Representing Amer
lea and One Of the Largest Balloons
in the Race, Threatened to Rake
the Grand Stand and Great Excite
ment Prevailed.
(By Associated Press.)

(By Associated Press.)
st. Louis, Oct. 21.-Drifting along
in direction just west of north and
south in the haze of the falling night
and with freshening southeast
breeze behind them, nine big balloons
are competing tonight for the honor
attached to the winning of the second
international aerial cup race.
Conditions seem ideal for a record
breaking fight. "A sitter wind would
have been more welcome to the occu.
pants Of the wicker cars, but the five
mile breeze of the lower air strata
gives promise of splendid racing
current in the higher altitude. The
Germans, acting upon this theory,
reached for the higher courses right
at the start. The French and English
aeronauts selected middle course,
while the Americans raced away at
an altitude that would just enable
them to escape trees and housetops.
Accident Averted.
So low indeed were the Americans
that two of them balanced their cars
in fear that there was great danger
of the basket raking the crowded
grand stand and intense excitement
prevailed. The st. Louis, one of the
largest balloons in the race, came so
close to the stand that it was seized
by a squad of soldiers and swept to a
safer part and sent away two minutes
after the official word to start was
given.
In the big race there are three bal
looms representing America, three
Germany, two France and one Eng
land. The record Of the race, estab-
lished last year by Lieutenant Lain
of the United States, in flight from
Paris to Flyingdale in. the north of
is 4O2 miles. Each aeronaut
in the contest today expects to ex-
ceed that distance.
~
start Was snectsc,Iar
The start of .the race was snoo+ ,c,.
lar and was witnessed bv +hrono
variouslv estimated Of frono en- mn ~
150 0OOO Tho scenes surronndino +ho
nreparations for and the startino of
the race were uninue in Anor;oon he
torv Tn the enclosure of E,oros+ no II,
the. nine balloons were arranpnd IN
two rows for fonr hours heforo +bo
starting hour Gas was n,mnod into
the great hags from : oas tank il
which was stored I 2oo 00o cnh;c faat
Of the 1ightest cnal pas +hat bas ever
been manufactnrad uhon bo,f 4,,od
each ball;,on resemb1ed M ronndad
cnvar s,,,,a aroo+ ~ ,a,, !,
Held u the Ear4b
over each half bafInor r,as +brou,n
the wehhings which holds +be h,s,,a+
and ;ts nccunants rl;n o;ra - +ha
meshes of tho wehhino ord ho,dins
the balloon safely "a tha oround u,era
. hundred or more sana- hogs rbo
balloons remained hale en1, mil an
hour before the startine Then tho
pas was turned on fIll forco .nd 81.
lowed to expand some of Tho hal.
looms wara 6ttaa riths ,.,rr;roh,a a.
vice and the contest will ba tho tast
of the skill of the nav;eators in TAX.
inc advantage of snch air CURRENTS as
are encountered and in handling the.
ballast to the hest ADVANTAGE As the
balloons received their f,,ll charges Of
gas, the clinging sand bags were low.
cred until at last they in groups
ofo four or ave from the long ropes
leading from the webbing to the bas-
ket.
Carefully watched by two score
helpers, each balloon was allowed to
ascend enough to draw the bags close
to the sides OF the basket where they.