The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-10-31
JOHNSTON FLIES HIGH
New American Record for Altitude at
Belmont Park

hAAe@c1Nr - - " -----N~ 80 49,
course, he brought back a new Amer
lean record Of S471 feet for altitude
the second he has added to his string
in the international aviation meet.
The height was made as he was be-
ing blown backward in his flight on
Thursday But the interest OF the
aviators was centered on the action
of the Aero club of America, which,
after a midnight session Thursday, /
chose Hamilton, Drexel and Brookins |
early yesterday morning to defend |
the Gordon Bennett international |
speed trophy. Audemars, in Dem |
Oiselle, suffered the first accident of !
the tournament yesterday but came |
off with no hurt to himself and only |
minor damages to his machine.
Just before the passenger-carrying !
cross-country race was started at
o'clock yesterday afternoon, a mote
in the sky was seen far to the south
east. 1t was tombstone reappearing
just where he had vanished in Thurs
days gale. He circled the field and
settled in front of the judges stand,
while the crowd waved, cheered and
stamped. Maj. Samuel Reber of the
United States signal corps ran out
and grasped his hand. Three officials
in the judges stand. including Cort-
landt Field Bishop, president of the
Aero club of America joined the
group. tombstone nonchalantly COM
wandered them for duty to hold his
machine down while he warmed up
the engine. For once he had the cen
ter of the stand and Hoxsey had to
| take the background.
Tell you what, boys said the
hero, it was just the mercy of Provi-
dence that | saved my neck. When !
thought | was within touching dis
lance of the new worlds record |
kind of forgot all about the wind and
began to reach out for more height.
Then | suddenly said to myself,
! Young man, you better see how
much gas you've got Its the truth
| | had just enough to turn over the
| two propellers. When | kept her
nose up the juice ran down into the
engine and she coughed. The minute
| pointed down | lost my fuel and she
began to miss. II was just like shoot
ing the chutes. First I'd take a
header with the power off and when
the wind began to carry me out of
control I'D point up bit, get a little
Roadway, run level for hundred
yards, then dive again. ] wasn't much
scared till | got down to earth and
saw what a gale there was. Then |
was frightened for fair The only
spot / could find to land in was a
little patch not three times bigger
across than the stretch of my wings
from tip to tip. If | went farther
was afraid I'd wipe out the entire vii
lage Of Middle Island. If | did not
come down the village would wipe
me out. While | was tossing pennies
with myself the wind turned me clean
around and landed me front end back
ward but that was just what saved
me. If I'd come down head first the
wind would have picked me up, tip
ped me over and smashed me tC
pieces
What fluttered the bird men fal
more, however, than the new recorC
or than Johnstone's narrative, wa!
the selection of an American team I,
defend the Gordon Bennett Internal
ional speed trophy. Ii had been In
tended to narrow the choice by elm
ination trials but windy weather for
bade and when the limit named unde
the international rule for the entr,
OF team approached, il was neces
sary to substitute an election. Ham
ilton with his 150.horse power Blerio
and Brookins, in the new Wright ra
Ger, were named. Curtiss, VIII
brought the cup to this country thu
has no part in defending it and hi
new racer remains untried. It an
other dark horses will have a chanc
to show what they can do in tn
grand speed trials which carry pr
zes OF $4,000 for first place and 500
Tor second. There was some chagri
over this outcome but on the whol
the American avialars asquiesced /
the action OF the Aero club and roo
It's decision as necessity. The An
erican substitutes are Mars, of III
Curtiss team; Moisant, with a Blerit
and Hoxsey of the Wright team.
AN HAtANh team tOuslStS OF LAT
am, with a 100 Horse power Antoi
cite, Leblanc with 100 horse pow,
Bleriot, Auburn with 90 horse DO,
er Bleriot. SimCn and Barrier, bot
with 90 horse power Bleriots are su
stitutes. For Great Britain, CIR
hame-White with a 100 horse pow
Bleriot, Radley with a so horse pow
Bleriot, are the team, with Ogilvee
the Wright company of Great Brita
and McArdle in { Hlerio. as the su
| stitutes. Against the nigh-power
| foreign monoplanes America has b
| one machine OF equal power-Ham
| tons ITO horse power biplane, b
II the new Wright race has been cloC
II ed In exceptionally fast time, and
II good a judge as Radey thinks
II ought to retain the cup by virtue
II its superior steadiness In banking {
II curves.
III Ifbnrn ,,... -.