The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-26
BIRD MEN FLY UP
 AMONG CLOUDS Ralph Johnstone Breaks the American Altitude Record LATHAM ESCAPES DEATH
the Clouds and Whizzes Down With PeriIous Landing and
 Broken Machine

New York. October 25.-The American altitude record that J. Armstrong Drexel so proudly brought down out of the clouds yesterday afternoon in his Bleriot monoplane was snatched from his grasp today by Ralph Johnstone in headless Wright climber Drexel reached 7105 feet. but Johnstone topped him today by 19S feet with new mark of 1908 feet He came down chilled to the bone and his goggles trimmed with frost. For half an hour he had battled with a snow storm above the clouds seeking still higher levels.
 The undemonstrative Wilbur Wright danced with joy when he glanced at the paragraph. Its better than 2oOo metres" he cried.
 Hubert Latham In an Antoinette mon- oplane, did aerial flip-flaps under the edge of nasty looking storm cloud half mile up in the air. He lighted and then shot to earth in one steep rushing swoop. The edges of tree punctured one of his wing surfaces, but he landed with only minor injuries to his machine and none to himself.
 When the meet began with the hourly competition for distance that regularly opens the days programme the banging of the bomb found Grahame-White out for his daily promenade around the track
 Latham was his only competitor and when engine trouble forced Grahame- White. Farman biplane, off the field. it looked as if Latham. in his Antoinnette. would have the event to himself. But White was not to be caught mapping. He saw that the scantiest score would bring him second place and late in the hour tinkered up his collicky engine to last two rounds and took down the easiest $10O of the tournament.
 Forgot His Bnroeraph
 Hoxsey and Johnstone both went up for altitude. Johnstone had entered for distance. but just before he left the ground Wilbur Wright instructed him to go after altitude. In the haste of the moment they each forgot that he was without barograph, the instrument which records height, and when John stone came down from the upper levels, he had nothing to show how high he had been and was left unplaced-
 The Count DeLesseps pointed up much later than the two Wright pupils. but caught them both and bearing above them, brought down the prize for the first hour.
 The second hourly distance event was A pursuit race. Grahame- White tried his Farman again, found 1t unreliable, took 1t off the field for repairs and during his absence saw the lead he gained by his watchful promptness steadily cut down by speedier rivals, who had started later. Hopeless of getting his Farman into running order again, White took out his fast Bleriot moaoplane, the first time he has been seen in it here in competi- ton. He gained steadily on McCurdy, in a Curtiss biplane, but the latter finish ed first with lap to the good. It turn ed out, however, that McCurdy had foul ed two pylons in trying to cut the cor ners fine and the forfeit cost him first place.
 In tho meantime Hoxsey and John stone had gone up for altitude again. ac- companied this time by Latham in his Antoinette. The wind had ranged steadily all afternoon at between IS and 2 miles per hour. The Antoinette was soaring right at the edge of a particularly black cloud it's profile in sharp outline.
 Hoxsey, right over the center of the field, seemed the higher, and Johnstone, far out beyond the back of the grand stand, was weaving his way in and out of the, clouds, now half hidden in mist. and again glinting bright in the sun light.
 Suddenly the Antoinette began to waver. Latham had started to come down when he felt the rain and had been caught in a wind flaw. Tossed to one side and the other, first up and then II. x~l. ox,1 cAA in swoop as swift as any falcons. In the matter of second the rush of his descent had eaten up the half mile be- tween him and the earth and he was hidden behind clump of trees. Ely, in a. Curtiss biplane went out to recon hotter. and found Latham with nothing worse than a punctured wing and a broken skid.
 JOhnst0ne in the Clouds
 Meanwhile Johnstone was battling with winter weather in the clouds. He said afterwards that he meant to try for a new worlds record and that he believed he should have got it If the frost on his goggles had not blinded him. His de- scent was so easily accomplished that there was a cry of surprise from the grandstand when his machine was recog- nized. The last event of the day was full of uncertainty and surprise. With It, tie preliminary mapeuvering, F. w. Rad ley of the English team flashed over the line in Bleriot and vanished into the east before 1t was known to any but the Judges that he had started in the cross-country race of 20 miles to a. cap tive balloon 10 miles east of the course and back again.
 In less than seven minutes word came hack that he had rounded the balloon. His time seemed incredible and it was agreed that there must be a difference between the chronometer at the judges stand and the observers watch at the balloon. While the matter was still being argued Radley was back again. He had done the 20 miles in l9 minutes 4S 2-5 seconds.
 Moissant, in his passenger carrying Bleriot, started almost as' Radley finished and was shortly followed by McCurdy In a. Curtiss biplane and Drexel in Bleriot, at intervals of approximately of one min ute. Each got lost and Drexel and Mc- Curdy never finished. Moissant came hack in slow time and reported that he had searched for the balloon in vain through thick fog.
 While the crowd was waiting for news of them Hamilton took out his 115-horse- power racer but had engine troubles and came down. Hamilton believes that he can make great speed but in his own words his engine Is man eater"
 More interest attached to the first appearance today of the Wright racer, which was uncrated last night and as- senbIed this morning. With Orville Wright in the pilots chair 1t was given two tryouts, one in the morning and