Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-14
PRIZE ATTRACTS
MANY AvIATORS
FULTON FLIGHT is AR0USING
WIDE INTEREST
NEW YORK WORLDS OFFER OF
$4,000 WARMLY PRAISED
President of Aero Club Says Aerial
Contest Over First Steamboats,
Course Will Prove Epoch
Making Event

The contest by airship over the
course of Robert Fultons steamship on
Albany, announced with prize OF
$4,000 by the New York World, has
aroused the interest of aeronauts in
this country and abroad, and many
entries have already been received
The only one from Los Angeles so far
is that of Roy Knabenshue, but Capt
A. E. Mueller hopes to be able to quail
fly, and members of the Aero club OF
California who are working on their
inventions are Fastening their work in
the hope of making trials that will JUS
tify them in entering.
The World seems to regard Mr.. Kna-
benshue as a most formidable COM
petitor, and when he telegraphed his
entry considerable space was devoted
to his achievements. He believes that
he will be able to win the prize with
the dirigible he has been using in Los
Angeles this winter and is confident
that he will capture the $4,000.
The leading American aeronauts have
entered, and several will construct air
ships especially for the Fulton fight
The Worlds rules are simple and easy
Of accomplishment, and for this liberal
ity the paper has been warmly praised
by aeronautic authorities. All agree
that there is no catch phrasing to i'm
pede the winning of the prize, and thai
the course is most feasible.
Conditions Governing Flight
The conditions announced by the
World are as follows:
THE New York World for the encour
agement of the science of aviation offers {
prize of $4,000 for the duplication in ar
airship or flying machine of Fultons feat o.
100 years ago.
2-The contest will be held during tht
Hudson Fulton celebration, in Septembe
and October. 1909.
S-This contest is open to all the world.
Amy form of airship or flying machine
that is mechanically propelled is eligible.
5-The course will be up the Hudson rive
from New York to Albany.
6-The starting point will be within th'
bounds of greater New York and the finisl
capitol Of Albany.
THE prize will be awarded to the com
petitor who first makes the journey from
New York to Albany, but If more than on'
competitor succeeds in performing this fea
during any one of the trials, the prize will
be awarded to the competitor making tn
fastest time.
S-The trials will be conducted by the con
test committee of the Aero club of America
which is the recognized American and in
ternational authority in these matters.
9-Entries must be made to the secretar!
of the Aero club and consenas will be bound
by the rules laid down by the Aero club o.
America
1O-Copies of these rules and other infor
nation can be obtained on application to th'
New York World or to the secretary of the
Aero club OF America.
Aero Club Accepts
Courtland Field Bishop in his letter
of acceptance as president of the Aero
club of America said:
s'In behalf of the Aero club Of Amer
lea l take great pleasure in accepting
the Worlds generous offer of $4,000 as
a prize for the winner Of an aerial race
from New York to Albany.
''This contest bids fair to be as epoch
making as the discovery of the Hud-
son river in 1909 and its successful nav
igation by Fulton's steamboat, the
CIermont, 1913 years later. Both of these
historical events are to be commemor-
ated next autumn by a. celebration IL
which all the nations of the earth are
to participate.
"There could be no more inspiriting
spectacle than that of the departure OF
the aerial fleet which will start north
ward from New York next fall. Hen
drick Hudson in the widest flight of his
Imagination could not have conceived
of the strange craft which was later
to navigate successfully the river he
discovered. No more could Robert Full
ton imagine the navigation Of the at
mosphere by a ship mechanically pro-
PEELED by engines of a type radically
different from those he employed; yet
this is the spectacle which will be wit
messed by the hundreds of thousands
who will assemble to do honor to the
memories of these two great men.
Rriza EorArunner
sThe Worlds prize is the first consid-
cradle reward that has ben offered in
the United States to those who have
devoted their energies to the problem
of aerial flight, no longer an idle dream
but now an accomplished fact. In
France many rich prizes have been Of
fered and some have been won. 1t is
to be hoped that this first prize is but
the forerunner of many to be Offered
in this country. Prizes of this sort are
needed to furnish the stimulus which
shall incite inventors and experiment
ers to solve the problem which has fas-
cinated the mind of man for ages
namely, the practical navigation of the
air.
Extraordinary as it may sem tc
those not versed in the subject, an
aerial Journey over the course of 14C
miles from New York to Albany is no
longer a matter of special difficulty
There are at this very day in France
and Germany, to my personal knOwl-
edge, several airShipS which have per-
formed and are capable of performing
voyages of equal length. While it is
barely likely on account of the present
state of their development that aero
planes or machines of the heavier-than-
air type will be able to take part in
this contest, yet it is certain that the
journey can be accomplished by a
dirigible balloon in a space of time
much briefer than that occupied by
Robert Fulton in his momentous voy-
age on the surface of the river.
"The season of the year when the
contest will take place is the best that
could be chosen for the purpose The
experience Of the races for the Ameri-
cas- cup some years ago has proved
that in the vicinity Of New York at
least a period of calm and absence OF
heavy winds is sure to follow the equi-
nox. Under such meteorological con-