The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-08-24
|CIJRTISS SETS FLYING MARK Breaks Speed Record at
 Rheims. PAULHAM IN GOOD FLIGHT Other Contestants Only Cross
 Starting Line Rleriot. With 80 Horsepower Machine Astonishes By His speed--La-
 tham Is Favorite Among
 His Countrymen.

Rheims. France. Aug. 23.-Glenn H. | Curtiss, the American aviator, and M Pauiham. representing France. divid- ed the honors of the second day of avi- ation work. the former with thrill- ing flight just before dusk in which he lowered theespeed record for the course l which measures six and one-fiftf miles, to 8 minutes 35 2-5 seconds, the latter making two impressive high altitude nights of forty-nine and a half and hfty-six Kilometres. respectively, fin the endurance test for the Prix de La champagne.
 Curtiss' performance began just as the time limit for the start of the Prix de Lachampagne was expiring, when the American enthusiasts had abandon ed hope of seeing their representative take the field. Amid the unbounded Jubilation of the French spectators, Bleriot only a few minutes before had clipped sixteen seconds off Lefebvre's record made yesterday with his power ful eighty horse power monoplane. Suddenly, at one end of the field a cry went up. The American is starting" :"
 CurtIss Begins Flight.
 All eyes were strained to that par ticular point. where Cortland Field Bishou, President of the Aeroplane As- sociation of America and a crowd sur rounded Curtiss. With a preliminary run along the ground of 100. yards the machine rose lightly and shot by the tribunes at a height of sixty feet. It was going at a terrific pace with the wings level as a plane. Curtiss made the last turn under the mistaken im- pression 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 majestic ally. An instant later the signal was hoisted that he had made a record.
 Curtiss said he had not pushed his machine to the limit of its speed. and laughingly declined to say more, add ing 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 event of the Bennett cup Saturday, for which he Is again the favorite, after which he will try for the Prix de La Visse. the final which will be contested on Sunday.
 Paulham Makes Record.
 Paulham alone made a record in the endurance test today, but Lefebvre, Somner, Sanchis-Pesa, Bleriot, Della grange, Lambert, Cockburn, Bunauhan- Varillia, Gobron, Latham, Tissandier and Farman qualified with flights va rying from 200 metres to twenty five Kilometres, the majority contenting themselves with flights covering suffi- cient distance to get within the limit
 During Paulham's long flight, chance races took place between hm and Ble- rot and Lefebvre, the two latter out speeding the hifih flying Paulham. Ble- riot appeared while Paulham was com pleting his fourth round and with his high power monoplane. swiftly over- hauled and passed under the bi-plane, leaving it far behind.
 Two monoplanes having been put out of commission by slight accidents in landing. Latham succeeded in making his best flight with an untried machine with an aluminium propeller. Until Saturday. when the international event will be decided. the flying Is likely to be less interesting than during the first two days, but popular as well as sci entific and expert enthusiasm over avi- ation week shows no sign of abate- ment. The policing of the course by is the subject of general satisfaction. Squadrons of dragoons inside the field are often compelled to escape on the gallop from some low flying machine.
 Among the hundreds of Americans here are MT. and Mrs. George Gould. Mrs. W. K. Vanderbilt, Jr., MT. and Mrs. Nat Goodwin and William H. Crane.