The San Francisco call., 1910-05-22
De Lesseps Scars Across Brit
ish Channel in Fog and
Lands Near Dover
TORPEDO DESTROYER'S
SERVICES NOT NEEDED
Courageous Frenchman Equals
Feat of Bleriot Under
Difficulties
WILL SAIL BACK TO
FRENCH COAST TODAY
Especial Cable TO The Call

L
NOVER, Eng, May 21.-Soon
after Count Jacques de Lesseps
landed near here this afternoon
he said to The Call correspondents:
when l started from the Baraques.
near Calais, there was lot of fog. and
when first cleared the ground got
to height of $50 metres (nearly 1900
fee9 in the hope of flying over it.
which succeeded in doing.
Il took my bearings from a chart,
Tor you can not use compass on an
aeroplane owing to the vibration.
also relied on my general knowledge
of the direction of the British coast,
when the French minister of marine,
Admiral Bone de Labeyrere, placed at
my disposal a torpedo destroyer.
which left Calais half an hour before
started to give me my direction, and
also as measure of precaution.
1 got only one glimpse of the de-
stroyer on the way across, as there
were heavy banks of fog over the
channel. When 1 was about 10 miles
from Calais / saw her far below me.
knew then that 1 was keeping nv
course for Dover, as the destroyer's
orders were to steer straight there.
My machine behaved splendidly.
Eventually I saw the harbor and the
town of Dover beneath me, and.
knowing that my place of landing was
to the east, / steered in that direction.
had got too far south to land near
Dover castle, as had intended to do.
but made most successful descent in
better place than / had planned to
stop. 1t was an uneventful fight. but I
am very pleased to have followed Bile
riots example.
intend to try to make the return
journey tomorrow morning early, if
the wind permits"
Second Successful Flight
DOVER, Eng. May 21.-For the Sec
ond time within a year the English
channel was crossed today by an aero
plane. and again the honor rests with
France Count Jacques de Lesseps. a
grandson of the late Ferdinand de
Lesseps, the celebrated French engi-
neer, driving monoplane of the same
model as that with which Louis BIeriot
conquered the straits July 25. last. du-
plicated his eountryman's feat in
dense fog today, starting at Calais and
landing safely at WINSTON Court farm
Fifty minutes were consumed in the
journey. BIeriot's time was 80 min
utes.
Intended to Return
NJ. de Lessejs intended making the
trip from Calais to Dover and return
without alighting, in an effort to win
the Ruinart prize Of s2,5OO, but the
mist compelled him to descend. He
expects to resume his flight at day
light
Leaving Calais amid the cheers OF an
immense crowd. the aviator sent his
monoplane UP to height of 400 feet
and then headed in the direction of
Dover. When scarcely a mile out from
the French coast the Scarabee. as the
monoplane is known. was lost to sight
from the torpedo boat destroyer Esco-
petite. which was racing underneath il
to render aid should the aviator and his
machine fall
Nj. de Lesseps' only means of reck-
oning his whereabouts were the rays
of the sun. which dim1y penetrated the
bank of fog in which he was enshroud-
ed. He determined to keep on, how
ever, and. in order to avoid the possi-
bility of coniding with the cliffs OF
Dover, he sent the monoplane to a
height of 1000 feet. at the same time
keeping it pointed in the direction in
which he believed the English coast
lay.
Few See Landing
The Frenchmans courage soon was
rewarded by the sight of the gray
cliffs immediately beneath him. There
he stopped the whirring motor and let
the machine glide to earth. landing
without mishap at the WINSTON Court
farm. mile inland and midway be-
tween Dover and Deal
Few saw the intrepid aviator come to
the ground. for when the news was
flashed from Calasss that De Lesseps
had started the crowds assembled on
the field where Blerfot descened in his
epoch making flight. expecting that cha