Milford chronicle., 1910-10-28
BEATS DREXEL'S
HEIGHT RECORD
JOhnStOne Makes New Mark
For Altitude Flying.
BRAVED SNOW AND Rain

Daring Aviator Circled 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
1908 feet compelled him to coast back
to earth, but his climb was entirely
satisfactory to young Mr.. Johnstone,
in that it established new American
altitude record.
On the previous day j. 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
9. by soaring to a height of 7l05 feet,
and in a 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,, @ crowd
looked up and southeast ana the
Johnstone speck got to Johnstone be
fore it drove the crowd to cover At
first it was just a fine drizzle up where
he sailed. hapdly 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 a
crust upon the google glasses and he
had to watch for a steady moment to
pull them off BY this time the wind
and cold and sleety snow almost a
mile and 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 final. toward the
earth he slid into weather that blotted
him entirely from view. At height OF
about 1000 feet and TO the east of the
aviation field. Johnstone dove out of
a mist bank with mis- engine throttled
down, and he finished his flight with
a long volpiane dive to spot few
feet from his starting point.
Count Lost In Fog.
Count de Lesseps earlier had tried
for altitude in his Bleriot but at a
height OF 6391 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 3l.O7 miles. GrahameWhite
covered only two laps, his Farman BIZ
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 stribution of prize money was
as touows Latham, s400; Grahame-
white. $3.50; Mars. 500; McCurdy,
$50, Count de Lesseps. $3.50; Hoxsey,
s575. tombstone, $625; Radley, $500,
BIND Moisant, $3.50
The total earnings up to date are
as follows: Grahame-White, S1700;
Hoxsey. $1575; Moisant. $1,000; John
stone $775; Latham, $3.50; Count de
Lesseps, $500; Drexel, $500; Radley,
$500: Aubrun, $50; Brookins, 500;
Mars, 500; Ely, 500; McCurdy, $50;
willard, $50
N q nrrrI rAnAuMnC