The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-08-24
AMERICAN BREAKS
AEROpLANH RECORD
CURTISS AND HIS SHIP DO GREAT
STUNTS YESTERDAY.
Great Crowds Are Enthnsed Over the
Remarkable Feats Accomplished
BY Aeronauts.
CURTIss SUED BY wRIGHTs

Rheims, Aug. 24.-Glenn n Cur
tiss. the American aviator. made a
record here yesterday. He covered
one lap. a distance of six and one
fifth miles, in minutes 35 3-5 sec.
onds. This is the official timing.
Attracted by the sensational per-
lformances of yesterday. when no less
than six aeroplanes were seen at the
same time winding their flight in
huge circles over the Plain of Beth
envy thousands of spectators came
down on the early trains from Paris
The dirigible balloon, Colonel Rem
ard. the first of the dirigible balloons
to arrive, came from Meaux at 10
O'Clock and carried out a series of
impressive evolutions above the
plain.
Events for Today.
The events scheduled for today
were the Grand Prix de la Champagne
and the City OF Rheims, and contin-
uations in the Prix du Tour de Piste
and the Prix des Aronauts. The first
event carries prizes amounting to
$40, 400. the first being $4,000. The
money viii be given to six aero
planes travelling the greatest dist
ance without touching the ground or
replenishing their supplies of fuel
and oil. This event, consequently. is
a test of endurance, and. unlike the
other contests, each competitor is
Obliged to put in an appearance on
the opening day.
Cnrtiss 60 Take Part.
Glenn II. Curtlss. the American
flyer, has decided to take part in the
Prlx de la Champagne, but he will
cover only one round for the lap and
speed decisions. He was out early
and made a satisfactory trial flight of
two kilometers. Bleriot. with his
eighty-horse power machine, aston
ished his competitors with the speed
he developed He Travelled so swift
ly that Curtiss' confidence in his abil-
ity TO capture the international cup
was somewhat shaken. This event
Is the principal feature of the meet
ing.
Blcriot's Effort.
Up to 4 O'Clock Paulham was the
only man to make a real effort for
the Prix de Ia Champagne. He Gov.
cred $500 meters in one hour and
three minutes. Several other men
including Lefebvre, who intend to
compete later in the week. simply
crossed the starting line m order -
qualify.
As Paulham was completing his
fourth round, Bleriot. with his eighty
horse power monoplane, swiftly over
hauled and passed under the biplane
He covered the lap before Paulham
had reached the back stretch, and
was received amid thunders Of APP
plause.
Hurbert Latham has been CHOSEN
as the third aviator to represent
France In the contest for the inter.
national cup, the big event of the
week, which will be run off next Sat
urday. The others are NJ. Bleriot and
Lefebvre. Tissandier, Paulham and
Sommer are alternates to Latham
Tissandier. who uses Wright BIZ
plane. thus far holds the speed rec
ord. Only one other Wright ma
chine. that operated by Schreck. re-
mains TO compete in this event.
: The daring performances yesterday
OF Lefebyre has made him extremely
popular, but Blerlot and Latham still
remain the favorltes of the crowd.
Curtiss Surprised.
Mr.. Curtis today expressed great
surprise at the decision of the Wright
brothers to sue him personally. He
insists that the Wrights never have
specified completely wherein he has
ingringed upon their patents. Cort-
land f. Bishop, president of the Her.
ring-Curtiss company maintains that
the Wright claim for a basic patent
4 Is not good and that Mr.. Curtiss does
not employ the warping wing prin-
ciple. which Is distintivc feature OF
1 the Wright machine.
The partisans of Mr.. Curtiss are
manifesting considerable bitterness
against the Wrights for bringing this
suit at the moment when Mr. Curtiss
is the sole representative of the
United States in foreign flying con
test, especially az they declined to
enter this contest themselves, and the
Wright aeroplanes here are classed
as French machines.
II is understood that the Wright
brothers always have insisted that
most of the foreign types OF flyine
machines were infringements upor
their patents.