St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-07-31
NEWS FROM
THE DAILIES.
Mattevs Of Interest i'm the
State and Elsewhere.
Aeroplane Crosses Channel.


Aeroplane Crosses Channel.
Dover, England, July 5.-This
sleepy seaport town experienced the
keenest thrill known in a generation
when at sunrise this morning white
winged, bird-like machine, with loudly
humming motor, swept out from the
haze obscuring the sea toward the dis
tant French coast and, circling twice
above the high, chalky cliffs of Dover,
alighted on English soil.
A calm Frenchman, Louis BIeriot, a
portly man of thirty-seven, descended
from the saddle, limping on band
aged foot which had been burned on
his previous over land flight. Imme-
diately two compatriots, who had been
waving a big tri-color flag as a signal
for helanding place, fell upon him en-
Enthusiastically, embracing him, shout
ing and pounding him on the back.
They, with a few soldiers and others
who happened by chance to be on the
scene, were the only persons to wit
ness the finish of a most remarkable
feat.
Bleriot left Les Basiques, 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 approached
sixty miles. He kept about $50 feet
above the sea level, and for ten min
utes, while about midchannel was out
of sight Of both coasts and the French
torpedo boat de stroyer 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 swathered in 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 wore also cork life
belt.
An eye witness of the landing at
Dover, thus describes it:
every early in the morning wire
less 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 max
ing Dover. 1t was expected that he
would land west of Dover, but from
the direction taken it was soon evil
dent that he would alight to the east
ward. Only few minutes after the
wireless message announcing 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, I was fortunate enough to arrive
inst a moment before the. airship,
which was flying fast like a giant |
hawk. The craft approached the cliff,
growing larger every instant. The
noise of the engines was audible in a
moment, so swiftly did it come.
Rleriot swooped overhead, glancing
from right to left, and then turned
his machine to the east and came to
+be Ground in the meadow. 1t circled
with consumate ease, and made the
landing gracefully, but even though it
touched the land lightly it was slight
" damaged. =
Nv his achievement to-day Bleriot
,von the prize of 5000 offered by the
london Daily Mail for the first flight
ocross the English Channel and stole
march on his rivals, Hubert Latham
"a Count de Lambert, both of whom
had hoped to make the attempt today.
Rleriot, who speaks little English,
described his remarkable flight very
modestly. ,.,, Ill,
..and went to the aeroplane shed.
Finding everything in order on the
trial spin, / decided to make the fight.
The French torpedo boat destroyer.
rubich was in attendance, was sig
nailed, and it put out about four miles.
THEN / rose in the air and pointed di-
rectly toward Dover. After ten min