Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1910-10-28
BEATS DREXEL'S
HEIGHT RECORD
JOhnstOne Makes New Mark
For Altitude Flying,
BRAvEO SNOW AND RAIN
Daring Aviator Circied Up Until Snow
Began to Freeze on His Glasses.
De Lesseps Lost Bearings In Fog.

Ralph Johnstone at the international
aviation tournament at Belmont park,
near New York, climbed into the air
until a snowstorm at an altitude Of
1903 feet compelled him to coast back
to earth,b but his climb was entirely
satisfactory to young Mr.. tombstone,
in that it established a new American
altitude record
On the previous day ]. Armstrong
DreXel had taken the American alti-
tude record of 6175 feet away from
the Wright machines, established by
Walter Brookins at Atlantic City, July
8, by soaring to a height of 7105 feet,
and in monoplane at that. To win it
back Unexpectedly in an old type
Wright biplane explains why Wilbur
Wright waved his hat in joy at john
stones feat.
He started up in long spirals and
continued to go up. The spatter of rain
that hit upturned faces as the crowd
looked up and southeast toward the
Johnstone speck got to Johnstone be-
fore it drove the crowd to cover. At
he sailed, hardly thick enough to con.
ceal him entirely from the watchers
below. But as he got toward his rec
ord mark the rain changed to wet
snow on his goggles.
Then the snow began to freeze in
crust upon the google glasses and he
had to watch for steady moment to
pull them off BY this time the wind
and cold and sleety snow almost a
mile and a half above the real estate
had left him blinded and numb, and
the storm wasn't helping his engines.
The engines still were working, but
Johnstone's muscles were approaching
the quitting hour.
AS he started fina!,.. toward the
earth he slid into weather that blotted
him entirely from view. At height Of
about 1000 lect and to the east of the
aviation field, Johnstone dove out of
mist bank with his engine throttled
Gos II, ana he finished his flight with
long yoip.ano dive to a spot few
feet irom his starting point.
Court Lost In Fog.
Count de Lesaeps earlier had tried
for altitude in his Bleriot, but at
height of G391 feet he began to lose
his bearings in the fog and rain aloft.
Below him, Count de Lesseps said la
ter, he could see three race tracks,
and when he at last was sure which
was the Belmont track he dropped
while the dropping was good.
The hourly distance competitions
were not particularly interesting. In
the first of the day Latham, in his An
toinette, covered twenty laps, a dis
tance of 31.07 miles Grahame- White
covered only two laps, his Farman b.
plane giving him all kinds of trouble.
In the second hourly distance con.
test there was considerable jockeying
by Mars and McCurdy, of the Curtiss
camp, against Grahame- White but the
latter won out
The distribution of prize money was
as follows: Latham, $400; Grahame-
White. $3.50; Mars, 500; McCurdy,
$50; Count de Lesseps, $3.50; Hoxsey,
$575; tombstone, $625; Radley, $500,
and Moisant, $3.50.
The total earnings up to date are
as follows: Grahame.White, $170O;
Hoxsey, $1575; Moisant. $1,000; John
stone. $775; Latham, $3.50; Count de
Lesseps. 5000; Drexel, $500; Radley,
$500; Aubrun, $3.50; Brookins, 500;
Mars, 500; Ely, 500; McCurdy, $50;
Willard. $50.