The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-08-23
LefebHe Makes New Speed
Record for Short Dis
taRce Flight
LATHAM is CHEERED BY
CROWD AS HE COMES OUT
Glenn Curtss Fails To Sail, as He Is
Saving His Machine To Race for
Bennett Cup Later in
the Week.

Rheims. France. August 2.-The spec-
tacle of six aeroplanes simultaneously
winging their fight in huge circles ever
the plain of Bethany was a remarkable
feature of the opening day of aviation
week
Yesterdays storm spoiled the eliminate
ing trials for the selection of the French
representatives for the James Gordon
Bennett international cup, which is Ia
be contested for next Saturday. ONLY
LetebVre who less than two months ago
adopted aeroplane plotting as a profess
sion with a Wright biplane; Bleriot.
DE La Grange Esnault-Pellier and Cap
tain Ferber braved the gusty puffs. LET
epvre alone succeeded in negotiating the
complete circuit of the course. He re-
mained in the air for 16 minutes in a
25-mile wind, breaking the speed record
heretofore held by Tissandier. covering
10 milometres in minutes. SO 4-5 seconds.
Rain and wind prevented any ATTEMPT
in the two other events on today's pro-
gramme-a speed contest of three laps and
a lap contest. for which any round
counts-until shortly before dark. Then.
suddenly the rain ceased and the wind
fell to dead calm. The sky-pilots soon
were busy in getting 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 a height of 15O feet and the
ovation which he received was all the
! harder for his plucky. though unsuecess-
70
mel Lambert. Somner, Cockburn. De
La Grange and Fournier followed In quick
succession, and as Latham was complet-
ing his first round now at a height of
500 feet six aeroplanes. like huge aulls
were lowering over the field Fournier
was the first down. falling head-on into
haystack as Lambert swept around
into the second lap, his machine seeming
to cut into brilliant rainbow which IL
Illuminated the sky
around and round the aeropanes cir
cled, disappearing into the distance. onlv
to reappear along the course. Mean
while Lefebvre started and was followed
by La Blanc, nau-varilla, Tissander
Ferber, Bleriot and PauIham, until tbe
air seemed filled with mammoth birds
Latham came down after finishing tha
second round, the others gradually drop-
ping out until only three Wright ma
chimes remained aloft. Lambert COM
pleted four, Lefebvre and Tissandier threa
circuits each. Lefebvre concluded with n
thrilling demonstrati tion of the manen-
vering capacity of his machine circling
around the starting point, cutting several
figure of eights and swooping down over
the heads of people in front of the tri-
bunes; Lambert finishing at the same
time
The Wright aeroplanes alone completed
the required three rounds. the time be-
ing a s follows:
Tissandier. :2s:59: Lambert 2a:02. The
other machines made records only In tho
speed contest. Somner covering the dis
tance in :l1:24; Lambert :09 :s2; Paul
ham, :10:50; Tissandier, :09:26 Bunau-
Varilla, IL :5s; Latham. :o9:47; Cockburn,
III 56.
There was great disappointment among
the Americans at the failure of Glenn
Fl. Curtiss to appear. but he explained
that he has only one machine and can
not afford to take chances of a mishap.
He Is reserving himself. he says, for the
Gordon Bennett cup which he wants to
take back to America