Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-08-26
Wonderfully Impressive Exhibi'
ton Of Aeroplanes in the Air
simultaneously.
NO ACCIDENT MARRIED DAY
Opening of Aviation Week SECS Assem-
bling of Distin9uished visitors mt
Rheims - Grand Concert and
Ball Given in Their Honor
By the City.

Rheims. France, Aug 20 Tile srecta-
ce of six aeropanes simultaneously
! w'nsing their flight in huge circles over
the plain at Betheny was a remarka-
BILE feature of the opening day of avia-
ton week. At the finish of the fight
| there was great burst Of cheers over
| the wonderfully impressive exhibition.
Yesterdays storm left the sky banked
with clouds, with intermittent showers
and high winds and the eliminating
trials for the selection OF the French rep
resentatives for the Gordon Bennett in
ternationel cup, which s to be contested
next Saturday. were spoiled Only Le-
febvre. who less than two months ago
adopted aeropIane plotting az profess
sion. with a Wright hiplane, Bleriot.
! pelagrange, Esnault- Pelterie and Cap
tain Ferbcr hraved the gusty puffs lie
! fehvre alone succeeded IN negotiating
the complete circuit OF the course. lie
remained in the air for I6 minutes In a
! 26mile wind, breaking the speed record
here before held by Tissandier covering
ten kilometres In minutes, 10 As sec
onds.
or tho others entered in the trials only
Hleriot was able to cover sufficient
! distance to qualify. thus leaving the
committee to select the remaining repre-
sentative from the best achievements in
the subsequent events.
SKY PILOTS QUICKLY AI.oFT.
The rain aud wind prevented an,
attempt in the two other event, on
to-day's program, a speed contest OF
three laps and n lap contest. FOR which
any round counts, until shortly be
fore dark. Then suddenly the rain
ceased and the wind fell to a dead
| cain. The Sky pilots soon We're busy
In getting their machines out of the
shed and the air buzzed with the hum
OF motor exhausts.
Latham was first away, ascending
high from the start He passed the
cheering tribunes at height of $50
feet and the ovation which he receiv-
ed was all the heartier for his plucky
though unsuccessful attempt to cross
the English channel. Lambert. Som.
mer Cockburn. Delagrango and Furn-
ier followed in quick succession, and,
as Latham was completing the first
round now at height OF 900 feet,
six acropanes ike huge gulls were
lowering over the field. Fourier
was first down. falling head-on into
a hay stack as Lambert swept around
into the second lap. his machine seem
ing to cut into a brilliant rainbow
which illuminated the sky
Round and round the aeroplanes
circles disappearing into the distance
only to reappean along the course.
~. az, hx,r rte ed nfreS Al
and was followed by Leblanc, Bunau
Varilla, Tissandier, Ferber, Bleriot
and Paulham. until the afr seemed
rlled with mammoth biiHs.
WRIGHT MACHINES FINISHED
Latham came down after finishing .he
second round. the others gradually drop
ping out until three Wright machines re-
manned aloft Lambert completed four,
I>efebvre and Tissandier three circuits
! each. I.efebvre concluded with a thrilling
demonstration OF the manoeuvring
oapacity Of his machine. circling around
the starting point, cutting several
figure Fights and swooping down over the
| heads Of the people in front OF the
trtbunes. Lambert finishing at the same
time. During this exhibition Lambert
} and I,efebvre passed each other twice and
gave other evidences of control over their
machines.
The Wright aeroplane alone completed
the required three rounds, the time being
MS follows: Tissandier, 2s minutes e
| seconds; Lambert, q minutes seconds
The other machines made records only
in the speed lap contest. Sommer cover
Ing the distance IN II minutes "a seconds
1nmhert. Q minutes SO seconds: Paulhan
| .
minutes rs seconds; Bunau-Varilia. II
minutes Is seconds; Latham, q minutes
n seconds; Coskburn. II minutes 5s sec
onds.
There wns great disappointment among
thu Americans at the failure OF Glenn n
Curt,ss to appear, but he explained that
no has only one machine and cannot
afford 10 take chances of a mishsp. III
"a reserving himself. he saws, for the
Gordon Bennett cup which he wants r.
take back to America, Curttss Is thC
fayorite for that event, as tho experts be-
leve he has the best chance il he can &c
| the distance,
NOT AN ACCIDENT OCCURRED.
Not single accident marred the
dav and the crowds returned to
Rheims enthusiastic over the new
All the principal automobile manufac-
turerq have Representatives here
watching the contests, with view to
embarking IN the manufacture of mo-
tors Lieutenant Commander r. H.
Chaplin. American naval attache, Is
here having received cable instruc-
Itions from the navy department to at
tend the contests and report back 70
1.-THE department Most OF the other
foreign military attaches al Paris
also are present and tomorrow q
general French and English mission
which has been attending the man
oeuvres az Chalons, win be here
President Fallisres and tho members
OF his cabinet, together with many
other notables, are expected to wit
ness some OF the contests. Tonight
the city Of Rheims gave a grand con-
cert and ball in honor OF the visitors