The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-27
.BLER|OT IS GIVEN
 GREAT OVATION
French Aviator Is Lion of the
 Hour In London
RECEIVES RICH REWARD
Flying Machine of the Plucky French man Is Put on Exhibition in Store of an American, Who
 Will Reap Big Profit.

London, July 26.-Louis Bleriot, tlYe trip by flying across the English chan nel from Las Baraques to Dover. a distance of 21 miles, in the remarkable time of little less than half an hour, and his famous little monoplane, both reached London this morning, the former to receive the monetary fruits of his achievements in the shape of a check for $5000 and the latter to be placed on exhibition to the financial <d- vantage of both London hospitZ and the enterprising proprietor of tie only American department store.
 The famous aviator is finding hero worship much more trying to endure than the strain of navigating the air. The remarkable scenes were again wit messed at Dover this morning when MT. Bleriot returned there to attend a civil reception in his honor. The French man was mobbed by the enormous crowds and the police had to come to his protection, so eager were the en- thusiasts to greet him at close quar- ters.
 similar ovation awaited the aviator at London, his compatriots having gath cred at Victoria station in huge num- bers. With the help of the police he finally succeeded in getting away and reach ed his hotel. where he was pre- sented with the check at a luncheon party.
 Paul cambon. the French ambassador at London, was present at the luncheon and warmly congratulated his com patriot. The British army was large ly represented and besides War Secre- tary Haldene there was Colonel Capper, head of the aeronautic work of the army; Sir Edward Gray, secretary for foreign affairs, and Lieut.. Gen. Sir Ar thur Paget, Lieut.. E. H. Shackleton, who recently returned from an expedi- ton to the Antarctic, and Sir Thomas Upton, also were present.
 When M. Bleriot arrived MT. Haldane was the first to felicitate him. Speak, ing in French the secretary of war con- graduated the aviator his magnifi- cent success which he said would give him place in history, as all by itself to have crossed the English channel was an event marking new era You did it with wonderful ease" added Mir Hal dane, because you had great courage"
 M- Bler1ot managed to get out broken accented Thank you" but made no fur ther attempt to speak in English Speak ing his mother tongue, he attributed his success to an immediate amount of pre- liminary work and said he was profound ly touched by the warmth of his welcome which he thought was quite out of pro- portion with what he had accomplished. All l had to do," he said, twas to leave Calais on my left and make for Dover on my right
 M. Bleriot was handed the 91OOO in bank notes in a splendid silver cup.
 It was announced at the luncheon that the Aero Club of Great Britain had de- cided to present M. Bleriot with a gold medal similar to the one conferred on Wilbur and Orville Wright, the Amer ican aeropanists in London last May
 'Bleriot fever" seems to have seized large part of the populace of London. Those unable to see the flyer himself have been besieging the store where the compact little monoplane is installed, among other travelling requisites, the ma chine being so small 1t looks like a large toy rather than the practical flyer which enabled it's daring manipulator to carry out his epochal feat
 Numerous honors and medals are await ing M. Bleriot on this side of the chan nel, the principal prize being a gold cup offered by Captain Wyndham for the first flight across the English channel. The cup will be presented to the French aviator at the Aeroplane club dinner Au- gust g.
 Aeronautical experts here regard M. Bleriot's feat as a vindication for the monoplane type of machine over the bi- plane. The Frenchman's machine carries a greater weight in proportion to it's plane surface than any other type, which fact is considered great advantage. Experts declare that the greater the surface the bplane offers to the wind would have tended to make one turn turtle on en- countering the aerial whirlpool which troubled Bleriot so greatly.