East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-10-09
GREAT RACE: IN
REALM Of CLOUDS
"GRAND PRIN" OF THE
SKIES AT BERLIN.
Balloonists OF World Will Strive for
Supremacy sunday - Contest VIII
BE 10 n Fixed Point and an En-
durance Tcst-Only one OF the
Ships Was Constructed in America.

durance Tcst-Only one of the
Ships Was Constructed in America.
Berlin. oct. 9.-The grand prix''
OF the skies. the Gordon Bennett cup,
will be decided on sunday, and al
ready the ambitious aeronauts Of all
nations are preparing their mighty
gas bags for the great struggle for
supremacy.
The big race will be preceded to-
morrow by a "free-for-alr contest,
open to any number of balloons of
any size, for prizes aggregating $3.50,
donated by the city government Of
Berlin. The commission of the Ger
man Aeronautic association has COM
pleted all the plans for tomorrow's
contest and the great international
race TO follow, and there is every in
dication that this years Coup Inter
rationale des Aeronautics will be the
greatest tournament of the air in the
worlds history. Arrangements have
been made to care for at least a quar-
ter Of a million of people who will
probably witness the start OF the
Bennett cup race. Thousands of the
best trained troops of Germany will
surround the great gas bags and pre-
vent any public Interference at the
start
Major Gross has been appointed
president of the board of umpires and
Herr Clouth and Herr Riedlinger, Of
the board of experts, will pass upon
the material used by competitors.
Each pilot has been provided with
dispatch forms, which he must fill
up as far as possible and every half
hour drop when above cities, villages
or other convenient spots
Tomorrow's racing will include both
a race TO a fixed point and an endur-
ance contest. For the former, ball
looms OF all dimensions have been en-
tered. from the smallest to the larg-
est, but the entries in the endurance
contest are confined to gas bags OF
from sos to 22OO cubic capacity.
In the race for the Gordon Bennett
cup. starting Sunday. there will be 90
contestants, representing America,
Germany, England, France. Spain.
Belgium, Switzerland and Italy. only
America, England, Germany and
France were represented in last
years race at St Louis, in which nine
balloons took part.
The order of start has been drawn.
America drew the honor of starting
the race with the America II. The
size Of all the balloons, excepting No
5. is the allowed limit of capacity
of 2200 cubic meters. Besides the
Bennett cup. now held by Germany,
the winner of the race will receive a |
bronze statue entitled "The Victor" |
donated by the Observation-Disclosures !
verein fuer Luftschiffahrt, Of Dues
seldorf. Germany.
Three of the American aeronauts
were in last years race. J. C. Mccoy
was pilot of the balloon America. |.
Alan r. Hawley piloted the st. Louis
and had August Post for his aid. They II
are a trio of the most skillful aero
nauts in the United States.
Made in America.
In the coming race August Post
will act as aid to A. Holland Forbes,
who will personally pilot his big ball
loon, the Conqueror. The latter is
the only all-American balloon enter
ed in the race, the other two pilots
from the United States having had
their balloons made in Europe.
Mr.. Forbes does not expect that
the race will be won on land. He ex-
plains how small chance there is
for any Of the 23 balloons to reach ;
the distance covered from st. Louis
last year and not land on water. He
points 10 the map Of France and
argues that If the last year distance !
Of S27 miles should be equalled in .
he race from Berlin, about the only Y
basis Of hope, 50 far as lighting on q
and is concerned will be a northwest z
wind, carrying the balloonists to Rus
'a's frozen steppes. /
Mr.. Forbes expects to win the race +
le said, with the skillful help Of Mr.. s.
Post. They will be clothed in two e
uits Of underwear, heavy sweaters, n
heir winter suits and overcoats. The c
,onqueror will carry maps of every
ountry in Europe, duplicate sets of V
lectric light, "a cans Of self-heatlng a
cups, six cans Of self-heating coffee, 0
wo dozen hard boiled eggs, IS pints n
4 water, two pints Of brandy, 12 pints 81
T champagne to help keep the pilots II
wake for each is to have only four