Omaha daily bee., 1909-07-26
Travels More Than Twice as Fast as
Any Mail Boat.
IS ONLY ONCE OUT OF SIGHT
Louis Bleriot, Successful Aviator,
Wears Honors Modestly.
STEALS MARCH ON HIS RIVALS
Il First 20 Accomplish Feat and
wins FIve-Thousand-DOI Prize
Offered by London
Paper.

DOVER, July 25.-This sleepy seaport
town experienced the keenest thrill known
in generation, when at sunrise this morn
ing white winged bird-like machine, with
loudly hummng motor, swept out from the
haze obscuring the sea toward the distant
French coast and crcling twice above the
chaIky cliffs Of Dover, alighted on English
soil.
a Frenchman, Louis Bleriot. portly and
red mustached, calmly descended from the
saddle, lmping on a bandaged foot which
had been burned on his previous overland
flight. Immediately two compatriots who
had been waving a big tri-colored flag as
signal for the landing place, fell upon
him enthusiastically. embracing him and
pounding him on the back. They, with a
few soldiers and others who happened to
chance on the scene, were the only per
sons to witness the performance Of a re
markable feat.
Fastest Trip on Record.
Bleriot left Les Baraques. three miles
from, Calais, about 4:30 a. m. on one of the
smallest monoplanes ever used. He crossed
the channel in a little less than half an
hour twice as swiftly as the fastest mail
boat.
His speed averaged more than forty-five
miles an hour. sometimes It approximated
sixty miles. He kept about $50 feet above
the sea level, and for ten minutes while
about midchannel, was out of sight of both
coasts and the French torpedo destroyer
which followed him, with his wife and
friends aboard.
The wind was blowing about twenty miles
an hour and the sea was choppy. The
aviator was swathed in a single garment
Of drilling, impervlous to the wind, which
covered him from the top of his head to
his feet, only his face showing. He wore
also a cork life belt.
story of the Voyage.
An eyewitness of the landing thus de-
scribes II:
Very early in the morning a wireless
message was received from Calais that
Bleriot intended to make the flight. Then,
In quick succession, came the news that
he had left land; that he was flying high
and was fast making toward Dover. 1t
was expected that he would land west
of Dover, but from the direction taken
it was soon evident that he would alight
to the eastward.
"Only few minutes after the wireless an
nounclng the start the laconic message,
Out of sight was received at Dover.
Hardly had this been Transcribed when
the keen-eyed coast guard, scanning the
sea with his telescope, shouted that
Bleriot was within sight
'Hastening to the cliff, east of the bay,
1 was fortunate enough to arrive Just
moment before the alrship, which was fly
ing like a gigantic hawk The craft ap-
preached the cliff, growing larger every
instant. The noise of the engine was
| audible in a moment, so swiftly did It
come
"Bleriot swooped overhead, glancing from
right to left, and then turned his machine
to the east and came to the ground in the
meadow. 1t circled with consummate ease
and made the landing gracefully but even
| though it touched the land lightly it was
slightly damaged"
| BY his achievement today Bleriot won the
prize of 5000 offered by the London Daily
Mail for the first flight across the English
channel and stole march on his rivals,
Hubert Latham and Count De Lambert,
both Of whom had hoped to make the at
tempt today.
BIerIOt Wears HOnOrs MOdestIy.
Bleriot, who speaks a little English de-
scribed his remarkable flight very mod
estly:
II 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 flight. The French torpedo boat
destroyer. which was in attendance, was
signalled, and it put out about four miles.
Then rose in the air and steered directly
for Dover. After ten minutes l was out
of sight OF land and had left the warship
well behind.
For a few minutes 1 could not see either
coast, nor any boat. tried to keep at an
average height Of $50 feet. i might easily
| have gone higher, but 1t would have served
no purpose. This was about the right
height. l thought to clear the Dover
] cliffs safely.
THE machine dipped toward the water
several times. l put on more petrol once.
l estimate that the propellers were going
from 1900 to l.4OO revolutions a minute.
The first objects l saw were ships off the
English coast and then observed Deal
and l discovered that the wind was car
rying me thither. I veered to the south
| ward to Dover castle, and then saw friends
(CCntinued Third