Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-11-03
SPEED OYER MILE A MINUTE
0rahame.W White Beats De Lesseps
in Spectacular Race 5000
Feet in Air.-$10,000-
Prize Still Open.

per air without a mishap and alighted,
chilled but exultant.
Moisnnt used 5O-horsepower Bleriot,
purchased from the French team to-day
for $4,000. lie had previously smashed
his own monoplane He did not start I'M
til 4:06 y. NJ, after both De Lesseps and
Grahame- White had finished. De Les
seps started at 3:0S and Grahame- White
less than a minute later. The written
rules prescribed that no contestant
should start after 800 p. m. but they
were not enforced to-day.
John b. Moisant. flying for America,
covered the estimated 3-mile course In
81 minutes. 1854 seconds; Grahame-
White OF England was second in 3:2l.3o
and Count de Lesseps Of France was
third in Al 1925. None, however. wins the
$1,000 prize for the flight offered by
Thomas F. Ryan. for the rules prescribe
that the contestants can start any time
between 2:6 p. m. and $3.50 any day Of
the international aviation meet" Under
this Interpretation Moisant, although he
protested, must await the result OF any
possible flights tomorrow He is at
liberty to better his time OF to-day as
are GrHhame- White and DE Lesseps.
Hardly had the bomb announcing the
Statue Of Liberty flight exploded in
mid-air. when UP from the field scurried
DE Lesseps In his 60-horsepower Bleriot,
Gracefully he rose with tho motor dron-
ing perfect attunamont. circled across
the starting line and. as though to make
sure that his machine was ship shape for
the flight OF 70 miles across heath. mea-
dow and town and bay, flew about the
course. Then he pointed It's prov upward
and west and went najestically over
the srandstand.
Nothing daunted by the Jump" the
t'renchman had got on him, Grahame-
White. in less than a minute. was In the
air In Bleriot of lD-horsepower Ther.
was no preliminary jockeying on his part
once past the starting pylon, the Eng
lishman was on his journey, and figura-
lively speaking. at the heels OF
De Lesseps. Grahame- Whites machn.
| appeared to be the faster OF the two
ONE THE s,Ho-FOOT LEVEL.
! Passing the grandstand at an elevation
OF about one thousand feet, both aviator.
headed above the railroad tracks which
took them over Jamaica plain. and across
the town OF Jamaica. Here they wer,
sailing at an elevation OF about 1900 feet
with the Engishmen still chasing TN
Frenchmsn and half mile astern
Every vantage point was filled will
absorbed spectators; automobiles blocke,
stopped their cars SO that they and thei
passengers might witness the duel in tn
air.
rha Sly, ri
flying monoplanes silhouetted against tn
blue sky made beautiful picture. :
far up were they that the whirring q
,he motors was scarcely audibl on, owe
Jamaica, still following the railroad as
guide for their flight. DE Lesseps an
Grahame- White held their course int
Brooklyn. tho city OF homes and {
churches with their great spires piercin
the air The aviators never faltered bl
kept up their express train speed despi,
the biting cold aloft.
BEGINS TO GAIN FASTER.
Grahame White was still gaining on I
Lesseps but the Frenchman was the fir
out across the bay and around the statl
about 1000 feet above the big black ba
loon which had shown him the cours
|
front. on Governors island and along Il
Battery shouted and waved hands al
handkerchisfs.
Then Grahame-W White sent the nose
his Bleriot around above the head Of mi
Liberty" and started back along the san
course he had travelled.
De Lesseps still had a slight lead. b
with the wind at his back Graham
White put on full speed and began cuttir
down hts rivals advantage. Midway ov
Brooklyn the aviators were on even term
each at an altitude Of between 1000 al
1900 feet. but reaching tho outskirts of Il
city. Grahame-White forged ahead al
y set sail in earnest with Belmont Pa
9 as his objective De Lessons kept direct
In the Embellishments wake and now al
then could be seen working his contrc
In an endeavor to get greater speed out
his machine, which was fast falling b
y hind.
STUCK TO THE RAILROAD.
Both men were high above the railro
q track 1t seemed as though they fear
= to lose its guiding glimmer of steel raj
J. As on the outward journey also the sar
O scenes were enacted by the great crow
Q below. except that 1t seemed as thou
a thousands more spectators had gather
. to witness tho flights. Passing back ov
q Jamaica. Grahame- White had lead
y about two miles.
l. on arriving at the aviation field
n English airman began his descent Mt
,. height OF about 1000 feet. He came do'
!. In a graceful swoop over the tops OF I
n great trees with the nose of his machi
IN pointed downward at an angle OF 40 {
~ grees. He was going fast and the GRO
a held It's breath In the fear that the FL
=, iishman might lose control OF the MOI
=, plane and be dashed with II to earth. l
he was still cool and collected. for
:. quickly brought the machine on an e,
keel again and then. soaring graceful
downward. passed over the finish /
= while the ch1ers of the thousands ms
=, and outside the ield rang In his ears.
- While the crowds were gathered alb,
the Englishman showsrtng congratu
y tions upon him, out of the blue distai
- came the F'renchman, All eyes W
focused upon him. Like Grahame-Wh
had been, he was s, 900 feet up and com
IN down like the wind. He also described
3, beautiful curve downward, flew over
r. xrandstand with scarcely any diminut
a. In speed, thence over the course 4
finally settled near his hangar with
avian so much as q Tar. He recei