The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-10-21
BALLOONS WILL
BEGIN RACE
TO-DAY
American Teams En-
tered in Contest for Inter-
national Supremacy.

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 21.-With brilliant au-
tumn weather and snappy currents In the
blue depths of the sky. nine mammoth
balloons, representing -four Of the great
nations OF the world, will start this after
MOOT, IN The %slanting rays of the setting
sun on a journey which should add am i'm
portant chapter to the history of aerial
navigation.
The contest is officially known as the
second international aeronautic cup con-
test, and the prize. a massive silver tro-
phy and $500 In cash, will be awarded
TO the pilot whose skill and daring lands
his car the farthest from the starting
point.
As each of the balloons is of similar de-
sign and material the race will go to the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, English, German or
American-who is capable OF taking the
best advantage Of the favorable winds
and who loses the least ground under adj
yersity. The race also marks the entry or
the United states into active competition
with the European nations in a field which
has been left almost exclusively to them
in the past.
Itswas through the winning of the cup
last year from Paris by Lieutenant Frank
r. Lahm, of the United States Army, that
the contest was brought this year to this
country. The three American teams when
will start This afternoon are all that are
allowed to enter under the rules of the
competition, but so great has interest
grown in the science of ballooning in the
limited States that the Aero Club OF
America, which is in active charge, could
easily have entered many times the NUMBER
of balloons permitted.
Considerable interest attaches to the fact
that the balloon in which Lieutenant
Iahm set the record for the race at 4o-
miles last year will start today, and viii
carry as pilot Major Henry b. Hersey, OF
the United States Weather Bureau, who
acted as aid to Lieutenant Lahm. The
latter, who is still In Paris, is unable to
take part. Two German balloons that
were in the first competition, the Dussel-
dorf and the Pommern, are also among
the days starters.
The first of the balloons will be SEN
away at 4 d. M, central time, and the
others will follow at five minute intervals
The aeronauts are wishing for a breeze
which will carry them hull down on the
horizon of the upper deep" before tins
next starters are cut away, but 1t is gen
orally expected that four or five of thu
big inflated balls of vanished cotton viii
be in view at the same time.
Those who will witness the event pure
ly as a spectacle are hopeful for such
| condition, and would rather llkesto see thu
balloons shunted about on variable eur
rents until night closes in on the squadron
of air vessels. Variable winds, however
are the terroroof the long distance balloon
ist, an eighty-mile hurricane being far pre-
ferable in the judgment Of a man gifte'
in the handling Of sand ballast and ga
taps.
First AWAY will be the German balloot
Pommern, with Oscar Erbsloeh as pilot
and Professor H. II. Clayton. of the Blu
Hill Observatory, Hyde Park, Massa
chusetts, as aid. The two other German
contestants will start In fourth and eight
places. Americas three teams will star
second, sixth and ninth; Frances TIVE
teams go third and seventh, and the ON,
English e%ntrant, the Lotus H., will be the
fifth to ascend.
The official order of start is as follows
4 p. m.-German balloon. Pommern. 1900
cubic feet capacity, Oscar Erbsloeh, pilot
Professor Clayton, aid.
F, 4:G p. m.-American balloon, United
Hersey. pilot: A r. Atherholt, aid.
4:10 p. m.-French balloon, LIsle dc
France. 1000 cubic feet; Alfred Leblanc,
pilot; Edgar w. Mix, aid.
415 p, ,m.-German balloon Dusseldorf,
1000 cubic feet. Captain Hugo Won Absr-
cron. pilot; II. Heldemann, aid.
40 p. m.-English balloon, Lotus II
20 25O cubic feet. Griffith Brewer, pilot;
Lieutenant Claude Brabazon, aid.
4;25 p. m.-American balloon, America,
1900 cubic feet; J. G. Mccoy. pilot; Cap
tain G. de Il. Chandler. aid.
1870 y. m.-French balloon, Anjou. 1880
cubic feet; Rene Cashier, pilot; Charles
LeVee. aid.
4:35 p. m.-German balloon, Abercron,
90, 600 cubic feet: Paul Nickel, pilot; Ru-
dolph Denig, aid.
$40 p m.-American balloon st. Louis,
1900 cubic feet; Allen r. Hawley, pilot;
Augustus Post. aid.