The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-09-01
LATHAM LOWERS RECORD.
AVIATOR AT RHEMIS GOES NEAR
LY NINETY-SIX MILES.
Monoplanist who Failed to Cross the
Channel Redeems Himself by Es.
tablishing New Records for Dis
tance Covered and Swiftness of
Flight.

Betheny, Aviation Field, Rheims.
Aug. 26.-Albert Latham, the French
aviator, today took golrious revenge
for the hard luck which he experience
ed in his recent attempts to cross the
English Channel, and his indefatigi-
BILE, but hitherto unsuccessful efforts
to accomplish some notable achieve
ment during the present meeting, by
establishing a new worlds record for
distance, 154 kilometres. $50 metres,
or 96.SS miles. Latham covered fif-
teen laps, or $50 kilometres, in two
hours, 13 minutes, seconds, and the
full distance in two hours, IS minutes.
3-5 seconds, which also are worlds
records. the flight being at the rate of
about 6S IL kilometres an hour, as
compared with SO 1-2 made by Wright
at LaMane, and fraction under so
made by Paulhan yesterday.
Except for the one lap speed re-
| cords. made by Bleriot and Curtiss
this week and Paulhan's time record
in the air, Latham now holds every
record for distance and speed.
Like Paulhan he descended only
when the gasoline tank was empty.
Nothing could have. exceeded the
beautiful and impressiveness of the
prolonged flight. In grace of lines
no other aeroplane here compares
with Latham's monoplane The
slightly tilted planes from the long
| skiff-like body give it a resemblance,
| when close, to a winged canoe, while
| sailing high up in the air it looks
from the distance like a mammoth
dragon fly. For an hour with flutter-
ing wings, like a living thing, it
fought its way against the storm of
rain and wind at an average height of
15O feet, mounting higher as the
wind rose. until during thte worst of
the storm it was up fully 300 feet.
The contention of the advocates of
the biplane that the monoplane
| would be unable to live in strong
breeze has been amply refuted.
Latham, earlier in the day. with
| mo 49," another aeroplane of the
same type, made a flight of more
than 70 kilometres, and after he had
finished in the afternoon, Count De
Lambert covered one hundred and
sixteen kilometres, (73.O3 miles,) in
commanding fashion.
Three flights, therefore. in a sin.
gle day totaled more than 21O miles
Glenn H. Curtiss, the American, had
two practice spins, but although hi.
machine behaved splendidly, it's speed
was disappointing. An accident which
Bleriot suffered about dusk may i'm
prove Curtiss's chances for the in
ternational cup. While trying tc
alight in front of the tribune with 8
passenger aboard his big SO-horse
| PO"Sh AhdCNile, blerlOt crashed into
fence, the wings and propeller be-
ing broken. He narrowly missed
killing several of the spectators
whether or not the motor was in.
Jured has not been definitely de-
termined. If so, Curtiss's most dan.
gerous rival has been put at a dis
advantage, as Bleriot intended to use
the wrecked machine in the interna-
tional event. although he qualified
with another.
| Rougler, also. while giving an ex.
hibition, landed among crowd
lunching in the grass and slightly in
]ured two women and a man.
Bleriot insists that his accident was
not due to recklessness. with which
he was charged by the crowd. He as
serts that a squadron of dragons was
moving across the field and crowded
him toward the fence. competing
him to choose between landing
among the horses or into thte bar
rier.