The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-08-24
GLENN CURTISS
SHARES HONORS
Paulham, the French Aviator
Makes Fine Flight
MANY AVIAT0RS QUALIFY
6leriot Makes Short Flight and others
Speed Around the Aerodrome
to the Delight of Thou
sands Present.
MANY AVIAT0RS QUALIFY

Rheims, France, August 23.-Glenn H.
Curtiss, the American aviator and NJ.
Paulham, representing France, divided
the honors of the second day of aviation
week, the former with thrilling fight
just before dusk in which he lowered
the speed record for the course. which
measures 1-5 miles to minutes, s. %
seconds; the latter making two impress
sive high altitude flights of 1917 and 56
Kilometres respectively, in the endurance
test for the Prix de la Champagne.
Curtiss' performance began Just as the
time limit for the start of the Prix de
la Champagne was expiring, when the
American enthusiasts had abandoned hope
of seeing their representative take the
field. Amid the unbounded jubilation of
the French spectators, Bleriot, only
few minutes before, had clipped 16 sec
onds off Lefebvres record made yester-
day with his powerful s0-horsepower
monoplane. Suddenly at one end of the
field a cry went up, THE American is
starting"
Ali eyes were strained to that partic
ular point, where Cortlandt Field Bishop,
president of the Aero Club of America,
and a crowd of other admirers surround
ed Curtss
With a preliminary run along the
ground of 100 yards the machine rose
lightly and shot by the tribunes at a
height of so feet. 1t was going at ter
rife pace with the wings level as plane
Curtiss made the last turn under the mis-
taken impression that the finish line was
closer. He descended so close to earth
that many thought he touched, but per-
ceiving his error, he mounted quickly
and easily, crossing the line majestical-
ly. An instant later the signal was hoist
ed that he had made a record
Curtiss said he had not pushed his
laughingly declined to say more, adding
that the most interesting incident of his
flight was the view he got of his fallen
rivals strewn around the course.
It is the intention of the American
aviator now to await patiently the in
ternational event of the Gordon Bennett
cup Saturday, for which he is again the
favorite, after which he will try for the
Prix de la Vitesse, the final of which
will be contested on Sunday
Paulham also made a record in the en-
durance test today but Lefebvre, Som
mer, Sanchis-Pesa, Bleriot, De La
Grange, Lambert, Cockburn, Bunau-Va-
rla. Gobron, Latham, Tissandier and
Farman qualified with flights varying
from 200 metres to % kilometres, the ma
jority contentng themselves with cover
ing sufficient distance to set within the
limit.
During Paulham's long fight chance
races took place between him and Bile
riot and Lefebvre, the two latter out
speeding the high-hying Pauham Bleriot
appeared while Paulham was completing
his fourth round and with his S0-horse-
power monoplane, swiftly overhauled and
passed under the bi-plane, leaving it far
behind.
Two monoplanes having been put out of
commission by slight accidents In land
ing, Latham succeeded in making his
best flight with an untried machine with
an aluminium propeller Until Saturday
when the international event will be de-
cided. the flying is likely to be less in
teresting than during the first two days.
but popular as well as scientific and ex-
pert enthusiasm over aviation week shows
no sign of abatement The policing of
the course by French soldiers and mount
ed dragons is the subject of general
satisfaction. Squadrons of dragons in
side the field are often compelled to es-
cape on the gallop from some low flying
machine
Among the hundreds of Americans here
are Mr.. and Mrs. George Gould. Mrs.
w. X. Vanderbilt. Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Nat
Goodwin and William II. Crane.