The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-07-26
MAKES FLIGHT
OVER CHANNEL
Frenchman Performs
Successful Feat.
ACHIEVEMENT WINS PRIZE
Aetoplane 0utstfips Torpedo Boat
Destroyer.
startiag Fro. French sher. Aerssant
Descsnas ON E.giish SOIL In short
Time--Def.ass Hubert
Latham.


when, at sunrise this morning. whites
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.
alishted on English soil.
A calm Frenchman. Louis Bleriot. q
portly and red mustached man of 81,
descended from the saddle. iimping on
q bandaged foot, which had been burn
cd on his previous overland flight.
Immediately two compatriots. who had
been waving Z big tri-colored nag as
signal for the landing place. fell upon
him. automatically. embracing him.
shouting and pounding him on the
back. They, with few soldiers and
others who happened by chance to
be on the scene. were the only persons
to witness the fnish Of most re-
markabie feat.
Bieriot left Les Basiques. three miles
from Calais, about $3.50 q. m, on one
Of the smallest monopianes ever used.
He CROSSED the channel In O little less
than half an hour. twice as swiftly
as the fastest mall boat. His speed
averaged more than forty-hve miles
an hour, and sometimes Il approached
sixty miles. He kept about $50 feet
above the sea level and for ten min
utes, while about mid-channel. was
out OF sight OF both coasts and the
French torpedo boat destroyer which
followed him. with his wife and friends
alb GARD.
The wind was blowing about twenty
miles an hour and the sea was choppy.
The aviator was swsthed In q single
garment OF drilling. impervious to the
wind. which covered him from the top
OF his head to his feet. only hts face
showing. He wore also cork HE
belt.
watness Tella Of kanaing.
An eyewitness OF the landing thus
describes g.: *
VERY. early in the morning wire
less message was received from Calais
that Biertpt Intended 20 make the
hight. Thsm IN Quick paceessions came
the news that he had left land that
ne .syks lying high, and was fast
making Dover. II was expected thst
he would land west Of Dover. but from
the direction taken II was soon evident
that he would aiight to the eastward,
only few minutes after the wireless
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 Biertot was
within sight.
bay. 1 was fortunate enough to arrive
inst a moment before the Iairship.
which was dying fast like giant
hawk The craft approached the cliff.
growing larger every instant. The
noise OF the engine was audible In
moment, SO swiftly did 1t come. Bieriot
swooped overhead, glancing from right
10 left. ana then turned his machine
to the east and came to the ground In
the meadow. 1t circled with consum-
mate ease and made the landing grace
fully, but even though It touched the
land lightly. It was slightly dam
aged"
BY his achievement today. Bleriot
won the prize of IS, 900 ofrered by The
London Daily Mail for the hrst night
across the English Channel. and stole
a march ON his rivals, Hubert Latham
ana Count de Lambert, both OF whom
had honed 10 make the attempt to-
dav At.
RIerfot In Modest. =
Rloriot. who speaks q little English.
described his remarkable fight very
ruodsstiy.
ST arose at, 8 o'clock" he said, and
want 10 the aeroplane shed. Finding
everything IN OroeT on the tiieA SRAhp
I decided to make the flight. The
french torpedo boat destroyer which
was in attendance, was signaiied. and
n,,t ont about four miles. Then
rose In the air and pointed directly to
Dnrar After ten minutes 1 was out
- ;s,sht ~ land ana had left the war
shtn well behind. For few minutes
conId NOT see either coast nor any
host triad 10 keep at an average
Sstght ~ abO feet. might easily
hsvs GONE higher, but 1t would have
.srvad NO nurpose, This was about
az Jxht height. thought, to clear
.he novsr ciiffs safely,
e.' .srhs ,,achine dipped toward the wa
a. .a,,araI times. / put on more petrol
-. T. Estimated that the propellers
were going from 1900 to 1900 revolu-
t,ons minnie r.
.ar,,a arst oh iects saw were ships
80 ths Enrlish coast, then / observed
III -, ana discovered that the wind.
;,S1a,, was southwest, was carrying me
.sI.Sar yeered to the southwark Of
Sn,,a. castle and then saw friends
s",,r,sh,nr a nae in a valley suitable
,astr. made two circles while
, III the speed, and then dived
sss'y 70. ! came in contact with the
aromsa sooner than expected. Both