Evening star., 1909-09-03
NEXT AVIATION MEET
Plans Under Way to Have 1t
Held Here.
DISCUSSION OF DETAILS
Two Essentials Pointed Out-Good
Course and Suitable Prizes.
LOCAL AERO CLUB INTERESTED
Chamber of Commerce Promises Aid
and Arrangements Made to Have !,
Grounds Inspected.
LOCAL AERO CLUB INTERESTED

| Further steps were taken today toward
securing the next big aviation meet for
/ Washington. There was conference al
i noon in the rooms of the Chamber OF
| Commerce between DR.. a. F. Hahm. rep
reSenting the Aero Club of Washington
and a committee from the Chamber OF
! Commerce consisting of A. l.eftwich Sin
| clair, Joseph Richardson and D. ]. Gala
/ han. Before the meeting was over Presi-
| dent GUIDE of the chamber dropped in and
listened to the discussion.
| DR.. Zahm explained that he was so far
acting in his personal capacity as mem
Der of the Aero Club. but that Charles
J. Bell and Prof. Willis Moore two other
members of the board of directors, had
returned to Washington. and it would
thus be possible to take official action. In
1 the meantime he said, he had written to
Augustus Post the secretary of the Aero
; Club of America. for details as to the
form that the application for the meet
should take.
| He said the Aero Club of Washington
also had a representative at Rheims in
| the person of Oakley TOtten, and that
he would be able to supply many details
as to the nature OF the course over the
plains of Betheny the cost of the meet
and other matters.
TMo of the Essentials.
| DR.. Zahm explained also that the two
! essential things were to assure the Aero
| Club of America of suitable course
here, and to guarantee a suitable amount
of prize money. In the case of the
French meet Dr. Zahm said he under
stood the prizes amounted to about S20,-
900, but that the gate receipts were much
more than that.
Mr. Callahan asked if he did not think
that Congress might be induced to ap-
propriate something toward expenses of
the meet as it was in every sense an in
/ ternational event, and not a purely pri-
1 vate race meet. There was some ques-
ton, however, whether Congress would
| take SO much interest in the meet, as
there was little likelihood that the ses-
| sion would continue long enough for the
members to see any of the fun.
| Mr.. Callahan said the Aero Club might
| depend on the Chamber of Commerce TO
| do anything in it's power to aid in bring
| ing the great meet to Washington. and
| he thought there would be no difficulty
for the event, as was done in the case of
an inauguration.
1t was arranged that DR.. Zahm and
some member of the Chamber of Com
merce should go over the ground between
Benning and College Park, Md. and that
there should be scouting party sent out
to inspect the ground in the vicinity of
Rockville and Laurel, while the area
about the Potomac drive could be easily
studied by any of the members.
DR.. Zahm said that he would COM
municate with the members of the Cham
ber of Commerce as soon as he had
heard from Augustus Post, and with this
arrangement the meeting was adjourned.
Estimate Of the Cost.
1t is estimated by those most familiar
With the situation that it will cost from
| $4,000 to 100000 to land the aviation
meet in this city. Practically none of
this money would come out of the pock-
cts of Washingtonians, as the receipts
| from the meet would be large and the
| great influx Of visitors to Washington
| would mean the spending of much money
here.
AS a business proposition it is pointed
greatly advertise the city, but it would
be a good investment otherwise. 1t is
| Of course, impossible to fence in a six
mile course. Such thing was not at
| tempted at Rheims, but the admissions tC
| the grand stands there on the biggest
day of the meet totaled $12,5OO, and there
| is every reason to believe that the re-
ceipts here would be even larger.
] One of the places mentioned as avail
| able for the meet is the Benning race
track. This inclosure is, of course, not
| large enough to contain the racing course,
| but the stands from which the start and
| finish of the various contests could be
| viewed are already erected and there is a
| large amount of fiat land adjoining Ben
ming over which the course could be laid
out.