The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-10-30
ON HEELS OF
fIFHER time
g
English Aviat s ms the Speed Con-
test by e Better Than
'''::;' 8
NOBODY K1LLE
YET A DESPERATE STRUGGLE
erookins and Leblanc Have Fall.
But SO Far the Big Avia-
ton Meet Has Been
Mild.

lGate City Leased Wire Service.l
BELMONT AVIATION FIELD, Oct.
29.-Although Claude Grahame- White
won for England the Coup Internation-
al D'Aviation. to Johnny" Moissant
and j. Armstrong DreXel belongs the
credit of making a desperate and
death defying effort to hold the trophy
in America. Moissant and Drexel
tempt to save the Gordon Bennett cup
and the championship of the world
In patched up and nakeshifts, Moi
ssant and Drexel flew out into the
teeth of bowling gale and in the face
of almost certain death Like true
sportsmen. they fought and like true
sportsmen after they had lost they
laughed and shook the hands of the
conquercr.
Two accidents marred the greatest
race in the history of aviation. Alfred
lie Blanc, the French speed fiend,
flashing through the air faster than
mortal man has flown before. and with
but half a Jap to go before victory
should perch on his aeroplane, crash
ed against a telegraph pole and fell to
earth
A short time later. Walter Brookins
lost his head for moment and plung-
ed to earth, his machine a crumpling
! mass of steel and wood and canvass
/ and himself bruised and torn.
| Grahamle White flew d consistent
race. averaging COOS miles an hour for
the 62.14 miles flight in his 100 horse.
power, II cylinder Bleriot monoplane.
And while no whit of credit may be
taken from the young Engilshman for
his achievement, Il but adds to the
laurels Of the two Americans who
| sought to wrest from him the pre-
mier's honors OF aviation Fer what
Grahame-White did in perfect mat
chine under perfect weather condit-
ions, Drexel and Moissant strove with
unstable flyers and in a raging gale.
Charles X. Hamilton. upon whose
powerful racer and past experince the
hopes of Americans rested after
Brookins came to grief. failed to start
in time to be counted in the race.
Under the conditions OF the race.
contestants representing England,
France and America might start after
$3.50 this morning, providing that no
start be made after 1882 in the after
noon. The weather Of the early morn.
ing was ideal. 1t is to this that Ora.
hame-White owes his victory. Twelve
minutes after the starting gun AZ.
nounced the opening of the race. Gra-
name White took the air and shot out
over The long cup course, each Ian
of which was 5 ldlometers and TWEEN.
ty laps totaling 6214 miles.
White completed his first
lap In 3:15.64 at the rate of slightly
more than sixty miles an hour From
this program the young Englishman
never deviated Lap after lap he flew
at practically the same speed. and
when he landed at $50 he had com
pleted the 62,14 miles in 61:04.6O. an
average ratio of speed of COOS miles
an hour.
WhitS els About 1t.
lBy Claude Grahame White, winner,
OF the Sour International D,Avia.
toni
While I have been fortunate
enough to win the Gordon Bennett
trophy I appreciate fully that but for
the element of good luck that always
enters into such events. I would have
lost. NJ. Leblanc of the French team
would unquestionably have beaten me
by five minutes but for the unfoltu-
nate accident that put him out of the
race when lie had victory all but with.
in his grasp Ii was q wonderful
race he put up and he really deserved
to win it.
AT the same time, ii was certainly
the most eventful trip ever made in
the air The machine of course, was
entirely new to me. had never driv-
Ell it but five minutes previously to
entering the race and before that had
mover driven a 100 horse power aero
plane in my life.
Because of nv unfamiliarity with
the machine. got myself into more
dangerous situation than I realized at
the time. Beginning with the fifteenth
lap smoke began to come up from
under my machine and feared that
the woodwork had in someway caught
fire. However. as long as ] could not
see any flames ! kept on in the race
and it was only after the hard finish