The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-07-27
A GREAT EVENT
Blerlot Crosses the English
Channel Sunday
In A FLYING MACHINE

Sailed from Les Baraques in France
and Landed at Dover In England
Where He Greatly Surprised the
People py the Appearance of His
Strange Craft.
The sleepy seaport town of Dover
England, says a cablegram, exper-
fenced the keenest thrill known IN
generation when at sunrise SUNDAY
morning a white-winged, bird-llke
machine with loudly humming motor
swept out from the haze obscuring
the sea toward the distant French
coast, and, circling twice above the
high chalky cliffs Of Dover, alignteo
on English soil.
A calm Frenchman, Bleriot' a
portly and red-mustached man OF 3''
descended from the saddle, limping
on a bandaged foot, which had been
burned on his previous overland
fight. Immediately two compatriots,
who had been waving a big French
flag as signal for the landing place,
fell upon him enthusiastically, en-
bracing him, shouting and pounding
him on the back. They, with few
English soldiers and others who hap
pened by chance to be on the scene,
were the only persons to witness the
finish of most remarkable feat.
Bleriot left Les Baraques, France,
three miles from Calais, about 4.3o
a. m. Sunday on one Of the smallest
monoplanes ever used. He crossed
the channel in little less than q
half hour, twice as swiftly as the
fastest mail steamer. His speed aver
aged more than As miles an hour,
sometimes 1t approximated 60 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 also of the French de-
stroyer which followed him, with his
wife and friends aboard. The wind
was blowing about 20 miles an hour
and the sea was choppy. The aviator
was swathed in a single garment OF
drilling, impervious to the wind,
which covered him from the top Of
his head to his feet, only his face
showing. He also wore cork life
belt.
An eye witness of the landing thus
describes it:
Every early in the morning a wire
less message was received from Cal
ais that Bleriot intended to make
the fight. Then in quick succession
came the news that he had left and
was fast making Dover.
Like Great Hawk.
"Hastening to the cliff, I arrived
there Just moment before the air.
ship, which was flying fast, like a
gigantic hawk. Bleriot swooped over
head, glancing from right to left,
and then turned his machine to the
east and came to the ground in the
meadow. 1t circled with consum-
mate ease and made the landing
gracefully but, even though it touch
ed the land lightly, it was slightly
damaged"
BY his achievement Sunday Bier
lot won the prise of $4,000 offered
by the London Daily Mail for the
first fight across the English chan
mel, and stole march on his rivals,
Hubert Latham and Count de Lam
bert, both of whom had hoped to
make the attempt.
Bleriot, who speaks a little En-
glish described his remarkable flight
very modestly.
81 arose at o'clock" he said,
"and went to the aeroplane shed.
Finding everything in order on the
trial spin. l decided to make the
fight. The French torpedo boat de-
stroyer, which was in attendance,
was signaled, and it put out about
1Our Niles. uSu lOSC lilO lhC Oil
and pointed directly TO Dover. After
ten minutes l was out of sight of
land and had left the warship well
behind. For a few minutes l could
not see either coast, nor any boat.
l tried to keep at an average height
Of $50 feet. l might easily have
gone higher. This was about the
right height, thought, to clear the
Dover cliffs easily.
The machine dipped toward the
water several times. The first OBJ
jects l saw were ships off the En-
glish coast, then l observed Deal.
veered to the southwark toward
Dover Castle and then saw friends
fourishing a flag in valley suitable
for landing.
And Then Dived Down.
81 made two circles while lessen
ing the speed and then dived down,
but | came in contact with the
ground sooner than l expected. Both
the machine and myself were badly
shaken
"a few persons quickly assembled
and was helped out, as my injured
foot was painful. am extremely
glad to no here "