The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1910-01-21
FLYING men
CEASE THEIR
ENDEAVORS
Los Angeles Aviation Meet
Closes Last Night After
Successful Time

AVIATION FIELD, LOS ANGELES,
old Dominguez ranch tonight four
| flying machines that had been cir
cling in the air in rivalry of the
meadow larks that for SO many CEN
turtles have held dominion there, set
tied softly to earth. The masters of
these newest air craft walked to their
tents, the great crowd filed down the
roadway and the first international
! aviation meet ever held in America
was over.
All was peaceful and but few knew
| that one man had been near death
! in those last few minutes. Charles
K. Hamilton was returning from
! 15-mile flight toward the ocean. While
| mile from the aviation field the
| crank shaft of his machine snapped.
! To a ship it would have meant
| helpless drift upon the sea. To the
! aeroplane it meant so little that no
| one in the crowd noticed anything
| wrong.
| Hamilton shut off his engine and
| so leveled and sWayed his planes that
he was waited gently down, touching
with scarcely thud. 1t was the best
piece of emergency handling Of a ma
chine that has been seen at the meet.
Curtiss and Paulhan-the great rivals
| of the meet-furnished excitement for
the closing day. Paulhan went up at
| 1926 o'clock for an endurance flight
After he had gone two or three laps
! Of the course, Curtiss started on a
| ten-lap speed trial, half lap, or more
Al, IaI,
Instantly it was seen that great
race was on-the first real race of
the ten days.
! Airships Race Swiftly.
The two airships, full power on,
came over the grandstand with the
| speed Of express trains. Curtiss, it
was plain, was gaining. He crept
/ swiftly on Paulhan's heels and on the
| third lap after starting he reached
Paulhan, flying above. The French
man for few seconds held his own,
then Curtiss in his American machine,
forged ahead by nose, length, and
finally by half lap. 1t was no race
after that. The American machine
was demonstrated as the faster be-
yond question.
|
received the greatest applause that
any of his efforts have evoked.
Paulhan went on until he had trav-
eled 64.4 miles and had been in the
air nearly san hour and a half Cur
tiss came down after a 30-mile trip.
This race gives the whole story of
the meet. The Curtiss machines have
won all the prizes for speed, quick
starts, perfect landings, and those
events where a light swift machine
| showed best
Paulhan has won all the cross
country, passenger carrying and en-
durance tests, having a heavier
slower machine and an engine which
he trusts completely.
| Paulhan has taken more than $15,.
600 in prizes. and has broken the
worlds records for altitude and for
cross country flights alone and with
a passenger.
Curtiss has broken no worlds rec
ords and probably will take less than
$4,000 in prizes.
Hamilton and Willard have taken
second and third prizes in most of the
events.
The meet ended with a perfect day
and all the aviators at their best
A unique parade, showing the evolu-
ton of travelling was the feature. 1t
was headed by old Ezra Meeker, of
Oregon trail fame. seated in the prairie
schooner that took him over the plains
hauled by oxen. After him came cow
boys, automobiles, burros, carriages,
balloons, dirigibles and finally the
various builds of airships, ending
with multiplane that looked like a
harvester. Curtiss and Paulhan
walked behind the procession like
bashful school boys.