The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-24
Airship Event Was Won by
Beachey of Toledo.
HOW THEY FINISHED.
L'Isle de France But Five
Miles Behind the POmmern.
Next Years Races Will Be Made
in Germany.

|
national race from st. Louis as COM
puted at the geological survey today
| follows:
st. Louis, Forest park, to Asbury
park. S73.4 miles; st. Louis to Her
bertsville. N. J., 1914. The Pommern
landed at Asbury park, the longest dis
| tance Travelled by the competitors, and
L'Isle de France at Herbertsville.
All of the data relating to the
anchorage of the balloons have been
telegraphed to Washington and the
preparation of a map of the fight has
been begun by William Welch. chief
draughtsman of the signal corps, U. s.
A. 1t is expected that the Aero Club
of America will adopt these figures ana
award prizes accordingly.
st. Louis, Oct A.@The International
cup contest and the dirigible balloon
races ended, the aeronauts and Aero
club officials who have made st. Louis
their headquarters for the past ten
days or more, are leving for home to-
day. The ballooning grounds in For
est park are being dismantled, air
ships are being Debated and prepared
for shipment and the tents in which
were stored the giant gas bags are be-
ing leveled.
officers of the st. Louis Aero club
have received many thousands Of con-
gratulations over the success of
aeronautic week and 1t is said the in
terest aroused here In ballooning will
result in other contests in the near
future.
There seems little doubt that a de-
termined effort will be made next year
by American aeronauts to regain pos
session of the cup won this year by the
Germans. The articles covering the IN
ternational race allow but three entries
from each country, represented in the
aeronautic federation. The race next
year goes to Germany, but this will not
deter the Americans who undoubtedly
will enter the full number of racing
teams. The three American balloons In
this years race, the United States, the
America and the ST. Louis may again
be chosen to try for the cup as they
represent the latest ideas of balloon
construction.
The America, which finished fifth, Is
the only bag of American constructions
the other two having been made abroad
It's performance was watched with
keen interest and was satisfactory In
every particular. Ballooning as sport
has received an impetus as a resul. ti5 %
the races held here and 1T is oelleveo
there will soon be aero clubs organaz-
ed in all the larger cities.
Brigadier General James Allen, chfer
officer of the signal corps OF the Oniteo
States army, who witnessed all OF the
ascents made here this week, was mucn
impressed by the performance or some
of the airships on yesterday ana DE-
clared before leaving To-Day for Onlana
that he would recommend in his next
report to the secretary of war that
several balloons of the dirigible type
be bought or constructed for govern
ment experimental work.
11Tbere can be no doubt" he declar-
ed. "that we will have balloons or fly
ing machines in the army in very
short. time. While can not say tnat
thew will revolutionize warfare. 1 feel
safe in predicting that they Will be-
come a valuable adjunct and no large
fghting force will be complete without
its complement of airships
The finish of the race was the closest
and most exciting the followers OF the
sport have ever known, the victorious
German balloon, the Pommern, whicn
slightly more than five miles the ad-
vantage of the French contestant L'Isle
De France, second in the race, whicn
descended at HerbertsvilIe, N. Jr
slightly northwest of Point Pleasant
Another German balloon, the Dusseli-
dorf, stands third in the race. Ameri-
can entries are fourth and fifth, thlro
German team is sixth, French team
seventh. an American eighth and the
English ninth. -,
The unofficial estimated air line flight
of the Pommern is $50 miles and that
Of T,Tsle De France is S75. The Dus-
selldorf, third, which landed near Dover,
Del. is estimated to have covered 79O
miles The official measurements VIII
he computed at the geological survey
of the United States government at
washington. -
ocean stopped the wonderful flight or
the Pommern. The balloon could have
remained in the air many hours long
er and undoubtedly would have added
several hundred miles to her record
hut. for the expanse of water ahead.
While losing the record and posses
sion of the cup, the French team sail
ing I,Isle de France gained the honor
of the worlds record for duration of
M. central time, they landed at lilo
n. m. eastern time, making their time
in the air just A hours. The previous
record was Al hours minutes, held by
Count De La Vaux of France. The rec
ord for the international race set by
the balloon u. s. in the flight from
Paris was 402 miles. This was more
than doubled by the Pommern and the
French balloon which threatened the
contestants in this years race failed to
exceed the 1906 record.
Winner an Amateur.
Oscar Erbsloeh, the pilot of the win
ming balloon Pommern, is a wholesale
merchant and amateur balloonist. He
was born in Elberfeld, Germany, and
going into the army at an early age
served in curaissier regiment. He is
try as a horse show exhibitor. His
aeronautic experience dates from 1904.
In 1905 he qualified as a pilot in the
National German Balloonlng society
Of which he is director. He has made