The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-08-24
curtiss Gains Another Victory In the
Airship Tournament Which is
Being Held in
France.
HE BROKE THE RECORD
: Bennett Cup to Ee Competed for
Saturday With the Ameriscn
Aeroplane as the
Favorite.

RHEIMS, Aug. 24.-The proceedings
in the big aviation meet included an
other victory for America. Glenn IL.
Curtiss, American aviator, in his BIZ
plane, made record. He covered one
lap of the course, e1s miles, in 8 min
utes 35 3-5 seconds.
Curtss ane NJ Paulham. represent
ing France, divided the honors of the
second day OF AWAIT. week, the for
mer with his thrilling fight just be-
fore dusk, in which he lowered the
speed record for the course, the after
in making two impressive high altitude
fights.
Curtiss performance began at GIL
p. m. yesterday just as the time limit
for the start for the Champagne prize
as expiring, when the American en-
thusiasts had abandoned hope of S e.
ing their representative take the field.
Amid the unbounded jubilation of the
French spectators, Blerlot only few
minutes before had clipped sixteen
seconds off Lefebvre's record, made
Yesterday with his powerful eighty
horse power monoplane. Suddenly at
one end of the field $ cry went up:
The American is starting"
All eyes we're strained to that par
ticular point where Cortland Field
Bishop, president of the Aero Cub of
America, and a crowd of other admir-
ers surrounded Curtiss.
Weather conditions suited Curtiss
exactly. for the flags on the grandstand
were perfectly still, and when the off
cial signal cone was hoisted it showed
that the wind was under six miles an
hour.
With preliminary run along the
ground of 100 yards, Curtiss' machine
rose lightly and shot by the tribunes
at height of sixty feet. 1t was going
at terrific pace, with the wing as level
as a plane. The ascent was splendid,
and the ai.ship flew steadily and fault
lessly.
Cheers broke out from the Ameri-
cans in the grand stand, and there
was considerable betting as to whether
Curtiss would be able to break Bier
lots record Of 8:42 2-5 for once around
the course. which had been made ear
lier in the afternoon.
Before Curtiss had aeen sailing four
minutes the cry went up from lie
press box that he was down, but it
soon was discovered that this was a
mistake. 1t was Wright aeroplane
which was lying on the ground that
had been taken for the Curtiss ma
chine.
Curtiss flew on at much the same
height until the circuit was complete,
and the machine landed as easily and
lightly as bird. After an anxious
wait of few minutes the official no.
tice came that the record had been
broken.
Curtiss said he had not pushed his
machiae to the limit of rs speed ano
laughingly declined tc say more, add
ing that the most interesting incident
Of his light was the view he got of
his fallen rivals strear around the
course. The American was over
whelmed with congratulations from all
sides. An Enslishmen offered to buy
he machine at Curtiss' price.
1t is the intention Of the American
aviator now TO await the international
event for the Bennett cup on Saturday.
for which he is again the favorlte,
after which lie will try for the La
vitesse prize, the final of which will
be contested on Sunday.