Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-06
Mix's Balloon longest in Air in
Race From Zurich.
COMES DOWN IN RUSSIA
Lands in Forest 683 Miles From the
Starting Point.
FALLS INTO HANDS OF POLICE
Passports Carried by Aeronaut Not
Satisfactory to Cars Local
officials.

ZURICH, October 6-The international
balloon race for the Gordon Bennett
cup has been won by Edgar w. Mix. the
American aeronaut. of Columbus. Ohio.
who will take the cup back to the
United States.
Mr.. Mix landed north OF Warsaw. in
Russian Poland, at 3 o'clock Tuesday
morning. He has won. with plenty OF
time to spare, from Alfred LIE Blanc. the
French pilot, his companion in the ST.
Kubin. Hungary. Monday afternoon.
The first news of Mr.. Mix's landing
was conveyed in a personal dispatch to
the Associated Press, dated Ostrolenka
The aeronaut said:
Il landed in the midst Of large pine
tree in the forest Of Gutova, west of
Ostrolenka, and north Of Warsaw. at 3
o'clock Tuesday morning 1 encountered
a heavy rain. Ny ballast was exhausted
when l came down. At present l am In
the hands of the police, but all is going
we'll.
Had Bad weather.
II had bad weather Sunday night. 1t
was cloudy and rain fell and used half
of my ballast before morning. The wealth
er was so thick that 1t was impossible to
locate my position, except for one hour
south of Prague, and a star observation
took at latitude 51.45.1 and longitude
1OOS8."
1t is evident from Mr.. Mix's message
that In spite of the discouragement Of
drifting onward without knowing his To-
cation, the American aeronaut husbanded
his ballast and kept his balloon afloat un-
til the last ounce of sand was gone. He
made his journey through fog and blind
ing transforms which compelled all the
other pilots to descend. After crossing
the Swiss and the Austrian Alps Capt.
Messner. one Of the Swiss pilots, reported
that his clothes were covered with ice to
thickness Of half an inch. Messner
reached an altitude of $1,000 feet.
OF the division of balloons which were
carried more to the southwark LIE Blanc
one of the French pilots, reached the
farthermost point. He descended in the
foothills Of the Carpathian mountains, be-
ing forced to abandon his balloon owing
to an accident upon landing. LIE Blanc
covered a distance estimated at LOIS
kilometers (63O.31 miles). Messner's dis
tance was about the same as LIE Blanc's,
and Col. Schaeck Swiss entrant, covered
1850 miles.
The others covered lesser distances
The distance from Zurich to the point
where Mr.. Mix landed has been given as
/ 100 kilOmeters, or 6S3.1 miles.
Erbsloh's Record Not Broken.
Erbsloh's record of 1,4O3 kilometers
(871.26 miles,. made from ST Louis in
1907. Is the longest flight made In an in
ternational race. although behind Count
de la Vaulx's record trip to southern Rus
sia.
1t is possible that Mr.. Mix, by jockey
ing, was able to catch more northerly
current Of air and that after he passed
to the south Of Prague he continued to
the point where he landed north of War
saw. He is the only contestant to cross
the Russian frontier.
1t is impossible to explain why Mr..
Mix should have been mOlested by the
Russian police, as in anticipation of
landing in Russia each of the pilots was
provided at Zurich before starting with a
special Russian passport guaranteed by
the Russian minister to Switzerland to
protect them against annoyance.
The American embassy at st. Peters
burg had been advised of Mr.. Mix's pre-
dicament and asked to take the matter
I'D at once with the Russian authorities.