The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-10-31

New York. Oct. 30-John Moissant, OF
Chicago. exploded upward from the IN.
ternationaI aviation meet az Belmont
Park late this afternoon and flew a 30.
horsepower Bleriot from Belmont Park
west by south seventeen miles In an aiI
line TO and around the Statue OF Liberty
and back to the park, thirty-four miles
in all. in 81 minutes 3S.4 seconds and won
the cash prize of $1,000 donated by
Thomas f. Ryan for the speediest trir
10 the statue and back during the avi-
alton meet
Claude Grahame-W White, who on Satur-
day won the International speed race IN
his 106-horsepower Bleriot. made the trip
from the park 10 the statue and return
successfully an hour earlier than MOis-
SAINT visited the bronze lady, but it took
the Englishman's 100-horsepOwer machine
almost a minute longer than it did
Moissant's 5O-horsepower machine OF the
same design. Grahame-White's time for
the thirty-four miles was 35 minutes p. 80
seconds.
he LessepS First to start.
Just three minutes before Grahame-
White started for the statue from the
park Count Jacques de I.esseps, OF France,
made the first start for the Statue OF
Liberty that has been made at the meet.
De Iesseps got away at s:05 o'clock in a
Bleriot monoplane of 50-horsepower, and
made the voyage out and return success
fully, but his time was Il minutes IS q
seconds, or about minutes and Is sec
onds slower than MOlssant.
Moissant's victory is final At a meet
ing late tonight of the international avi-
alton committee It was announced that
ell official events closed with to-day $
flights. and that the flying tomorrow
viii be only for special prizes. which total
sl0,00G
Moisseat and f;rahame- White cut for
the statue in a bee-iine as soon as they
got high enough in the air 10 see the
goddess and the captive balloon which
Tie bronze lady from France was flying
above the bay 10 guide the aviators to-
ward her De Lesseps left the field along
high air lane that headed more directly
INTO the west, or soInew hat 10 the north
of the course taken by Grahame- White
and Moissant
Also. when Ii came TO swinging around
for the return trip at the statue de Les
seps circled the statue itself flying SO
wide that his machine tipped above
Black Toms Island over near the Jersey
shore. whereas Moissant and White were
content 70 circle only the balloon which
the twelve or fifteen mile southwest wind
had blown out about 500 feet from the
statues head
Did Not Round Goddess.
Moissant and Grahame- White there
fore passed between the balloon and the
statue on their return trip. and did not
go around the Goddess of Liberty at all.
But according 10 the rules OF the contest
they were required TO swing around the
captive balloon only
The Americans victory to-day sent the
crowds, which totaled nearly 10000 peo-
pie, into a state Of ecstasy that might
cOnservatively be called a frenzy. The
welcome home exercises on grandstand
lawn, and field when Moissants darning
needle swan back home out of the golden
blaze Of sunset and lit upon the grass tips
OF the field a winner reminded one of
the dear dead days at Belmont, when
Colin, four-legged animal used for rae
ing in earlier days and known as the
horse, pounded past the grandstand with
all the money.
Cheers for Winner.
Other Bleriots, Lathams, and Antoinettes
were skimming around the course when
Johnny Moissant was sighted low in the
west srn horizon, but they promptly were
forgotten when il dawned upon that
crowd that an American now was within
seconds of winning The big money bag
which. after Grahame-White's beautiful
spin 10 the bay and back. seemed all but
changed from $4,000 into 1000 quld.
II anyone was seated when owners of
the shacpeSt eyes at the western end of
the field yelled Here he comes" he
jumped up at the shout. Especially she
who accompanied the "hims" Jumped up
for the welcome from our city, about
10 explode
When al last the BleTiot slammed over
the tall tips Of the canvas fence az the
west OF the field and roared close 10
the track through the vivid yellow smoke
Of exploding bombs. the pavement of
heads almost on a line with the homer
opened up throat throttles in a hurrah
that doomed out from the sounding board
OF grandstands. rolled across the field to
the far hangers, and then doomed back
again.
''Si--S AtelNt lilt udllu was smashing ont
the star Spangled Banner for the vic
tory Tor a nation that taught the world
to NY and some place else to the east
OF the grandstands Moissant was skim
ming IN a half-circle like a clay pigeon
through the low cloud of black tar smoke
from the Indian signal fire which had
beeh hshted on the east field with the
hope that ii would rise black in the skv
to guide the homing birds.
Crowd I'm Uproar.
The bombs above added to the uproar
And when Moissant. after his half circle
came back to the people to skim to the
grass in front of them and jump out ON
the field 10 be pulled into a waiting auto
mobile. the crowd let loose again and
again.
During the last part OF Moissant's tri-
umphal m6ter ride up and down the
track he was seated on the shoulders of
officials ia the tonneau
When the little Chicago architect of
the high cheek bones and the swallow
face had been helped out of the automo-
bile in front OF the press stand and had
climbed 10 the platform of the judges
Continued on Page 2, Column 4.