The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1910-11-03
White IS WINNER
ENGLisfiMAN SCARS 81 MILES,
AVERAGING BETTER THAN
81 MILES AN HOUR.
AERIAL Sized CHAMPION
lie Blanc Would Have Won Had He
Not Hit Pole.-Has Narrow Escape
From Death, but Makes World
Record.

New York, N. Y Claude Ora
hame-White, flying for the Royal Aero
club of the United Kingdom, lifted
the Gordon Bennett International
speed trophy from the custody q
America in the fastest time ever Gov
cred for the full distance, 62.14 miles,
around a five-kilometer course. His
average speed was a fraction better
than 81 miles an hour. The captain
of the French team, Alfred lie Biancs
flying in a similar machine, 10ahorseL
power Bleriot m~onoplane, was making
each lap on an average of 20 seconds
faster than Grahame-White and would
have won the cup if he had not mot
with a disastrous accident in his last
lap, when he had the race seemfn gly
well in hand.
lie Blanc was running with the wind
under full power at an estimated speed
of 80 miles an hour when the feed
pipe from his gasoline tank to hts mo-
tor Ioosened under the ~incessant Jar.
ring of the engine and he suddenly
found himself with nothing but mo-
mentum to carry him.
Hits Telegraph Pole.
He tried to lift his planes so that
the last few drops of gasoline might
filter down into the engine and lend
him strength enough to make a land
ing. His steerage way was gone ana
when a puff of wind caught him h0
drifted sideways, still driving at ire
mendous speed and crashed head fore
most into a telegraph pole.
The pole was IA inches thick. but
he broke 1t in three pieces as II ie
had been a toothpick. The first frag.
ment was sliced clean off IL feet up
and snapped again at the bottom Of
the stump. The third and topmost
fragment fell over backwards and
smashed down or the fragile planes.
The chassis and steel shield which en-
closed the motor were completely
but the solid steel Of the
motor itself withstood the shock. Had
LIE Blanc hit the pole in any other
manner it is difficult to see how he
could possibly have escaped death.
In addition to lie Blanc's accident
the day was marred by a serious mis-
hap to Walter Brookins of the Wright
team, who had taken up the new "ba-
by" Wright racer for the first time.
The machine was comparatively un-
and in previous flights Orville
Wright always guided il.
Prookine Ice AeriI..
Brookins was Just coming around
the turn into the home stretch for a
circle. preparatory to entering
into the Gordon Bennett race when
four of his eight cylinders ceased fir
ing. With only half power he tried
to sustain himself by mounting,
then decided it was wiser to land and
to earth. In the strict n
of the word, he did not fall, but dived.
The machine struck its nose into the
dirt, slowly reared the tail upward and
finally collapsed, topside undermost.
with a thud. Brookins was thrown
from his seat in the somersault. II
was later announced that though he
had been painfully injured In the groin
and severely bruised, there were no
bones broker and his life was not In
dange~
Summaries:
Gordon Bennett international speed
race, distance 100 kilometers. Ala
miles-Won by Grahame-W White, 100
horsepower Bleriot. Time-1 hour, /
minute, Ala seconds; second, J. B.
Moisant, 50-horsepower Bleriot, / hour.
minutes, 44.85 seconds; third Ogil-
vie, Wright, 2 hours, 6 minutes, 1859
seconds; fourth, Latham, Antoinette,
5 hours, 4S minutes, 33.41 seconds,
j. A. Drexel did not finish.
Standing of the prize winners: Ora.
hame-White, first in Gordon Bennett,
$4,000; previous winnings, $1,7oO: to-
to date, $1,000.
Hoxsey, first in special altitude
$500; first in second special altitude.
$500. Total winnings, $1,000; preyi.
Gus winnings, $3,675. Total to date,
s3,675.
Latham t%Antoinette, previous win.
$1.750.
Johnston (Wright), second in first
altitude, $3.50; second In sec.
special altitude, $3.50: total win.
$500; previous winnings, SLIPS;
total to date, $1,525.
Moiasnt, previous winnings 1900.
Drexel previous winnings, $500.
De Lesseps, previous winnings. s70c
hadey, previous winnings, $500.
Auburn, previous Winnings s5no
~brookins, previous winnings, $3.50.
Mars, previous winnings, 500.
McCurdy. previous winnings, $50.
willard, previous winnings. $50.