The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-07-26
In Aviation by Passing Over
the English Channel.
FROM CALAIS TODOVER
He Makes the Trip in Less Than
A Half Hour.
Wins Prize of 5000 Offered by
the London Mail.

BlrSnlp
This sleepy seaport town eNper-
fenced tbe keenest thrill known in a
generation when at sunrise sunday
a white winged, bird-like machine
with loudly humming motor, swept
ont from the haze obscuring the sea
toward the distant French coast ana
circling twice above the high chalky
cliffs Of Dover. alighted on Ehgllsil
soil.
B1eriot. portIy and red mustached'
calmly descended from the saddIe'
Nmpfng on a bandaged foot, WhlcH
had been burned on his previous oN-
erland flight. Immediately two con-
patriots who had been waving nI9
tri-colored flag as d signal lot llie
landing place fell upon him ehlnu-
siasticalIv embracing him, shouting
and pounding him on the back' AlltS'
with a few soldiers and otherS NHo
happened to be on the scene We're
the only persons to witness the hhlSil
OF remarkable feat.
Rleriot left Les Baraques. three
miles from Calais. about 4:"o a. M
on one of the smallest monoplaheS7
ever used. He crossed the channel
in a little less than half an hour.
twice as swiftly as the fastest mail
boat. His speed averaged more thdh
45 miles an hour, sometimes 1t was
approxfmateIy so miles. He kept
about $50 feet above the sea level and
for 10 minutes, while ABOUT mid
channel. was out of sight OF both
coasts and the French torpedo des-
troyer which followed him with his
wife and friends aboard.
Twenty Mile Wind.
The wind was blowing about twen-
ty miles an hour and the sea was
Choppv. The aviator was swathed in
a single garment of drilling imper-
Nious to the wind. which covered him
1,o of n feet.
only his face showing. He wore also
a cork life belt. An eye witness of
the landing. thus describes it:
Very early in the morning a wire
less message was received from CAL
ais that RIeriot intended to make the
fight. Then in quick succession came
the news that he had left land, that
he was flying high and rast making
Dover. It was expected he would
land west of Dover. but from the di-
rection taken it was soon evident he
would alight to the eastward. Only a .
few minutes after the wireless AL
nouncing the start the laconic mes (
sage. out of sight was received at /
Dover. Hardly had this been trans |
cribed when the keen-eyed coast /
guard. scanning the sea with his tel /.
escope, shouted that Bleriot waa
within sight.
Fastening to the cliff east Of the .
bay I was fortunate enough to arrive .
just a moment before the airship .
which was flying fast like a gigantic /
hawk. The craft approached the
cliff growing larger every instant.
The noise of the engines was audible !
in q moment. so swiftly did it come.
BleriOt sWOOped overhead and then
turned his machine to the east and
came to the ground in the meadow
It circled with cOnsummate ease and
made the landing gracefully, but even
'*hOugh it touched the land lightly, it
was slightly damaged"
Wins $4,000 Prize.
BY his achievement BIeriot Won
the prize of $1,000 offered bv the
London Daily Mail, for the first flight |
across the English channel. and stole
a march on his rivals, Hubert Lat
ham and Count De Lambert, both of
whom had hoped to make the at
tempt Sunday.
BleriOt described his remarkable
flight very modestIy.
I arose at o'clock" he said
land went to the aeroplane shed
Finding everything in order for +ba
trial spin I decided to make tbo
flight The French torpedo boat de
stroyer, which was in attendance
was signalled, and it put out about
four miles. Then I rose in tho o.
and pointed directly to Dover. Aftar
10 minutes I was out of sight of Iand
and left the warship well behind For
few minutes I could not see ei+bor
coast. nor any boat. I
Il tried to keep at an averape +,oi-t-4
of $50 feet I might easily have e-617e
higher. but it would have served "a
purpose This was about the 7-ip1,t
height to clear the Dover cliffs s;ITer-
The machine dipped towards tLa
water several times. I nut OF, more
power once I estimate that thu -
pellers were going 1900 to ] 400 rey-o.
1utions a minute
1.-The first objects I saw were -r-:--
off the English coast then : Observes
Deal and I discovered the wind ,,-bicl- |
was southwest, was carrying me tatrb I
er. Teered to the southward +o ~ |
er castle and then saw friends fourisL '
ing fiag in a valley suitable for 1arG
ing. 1 made two circles while lessenfr.-
the speed and then dived down b11+ 7
game IN contact with the ground 600, {
er than expected Both the machine |
and myself were badly shaken up. /
"A few persons quickly assembled
and I was helped out. as nv 5rjI,-e,5 | {
foot was painful am exceeding glad {
to be here {
e. His Wife Arrives. Y
2 NJ. Blerlots friends took him oi1icl-1,, {
TO the old Lord Warden hotel. Near, /
while his wife arrived on the 5as+ro,-
She embraced him weepinG b,I+ ~ +y. CT. c
were soon sitting at Breakfast ~ {
center of proud gathering of French I
people The mayor and other Do1-o- l
officials welcomed NJ Blerfo+ in ~ J
name OF the city and nation as - I
pioneer OF international flight -Tbe /
toWnspeople of Dover. who for +brae /
weeks have been on the alert for ~ q
signal announcing that one of the f1,- I
Ing men had started, were caught nan : :
ping. [
A gale had been blowing and tho