The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1910-08-18
lie BLANC WINS
RACE IN SKY
Like Giant Hawks AeropIanes
Sweep Down on Wildly
Cheering Paris

PARIS, Aug. 17--Half Paris forsook
its bed last night and remained in
the streets until morning to watch the
conclusion of the great cross country
aviation race, which was won by lie
Blanc in a Bleriot monopIane Auburn.
also IN a Bleriot, took second prize,
finishing short 20 minutes behind
lie Blanc although his total time in
completing the course was somewhat
longer.
LIE Blanc's flight from Amiens, about
so miles, was made in the same superb
style as the previous laps in the race.
He left Amiens at 5:O3 o'clock and de-
seconded at Issy in the suburbs of Paris
hour and IS minutes later, making
the total time for the ASS miles of
the entire flight IL hours 50 minutes
and 50 seconds, an average of nearly
40 miles an hour as the crow flies,
without making any allowance for de-
tours or for the time spent in battling
with the storm in the flight from Me-
zieres to Douai last Friday.
ONLY TWO FINISH RACE
Auburn, whose time from Amiens
was / hour and 81 minutes, completed
the circuit in Is hours 81 minutes and
IA seconds. None of the other COM
petitors completed the entire course,
though lie Gagnieux, who was forced
to retire in the early stages of the
race, finished with LIE Blanc and Au-
brun.
There was a moment of tumultuous
cheering as lie Blanc appeared above
Issy in the early dawn. and from the
height of nearly quarter of a mile
planed down toward the earth and
swooped across the line like a ginat
hawk
The authorities. in anticipation of
the excitement of the enormous crowds,
had cordoned the alighting place at
Issy with hundreds of police, backed
by a regiment of cuirassiers of long
experience in handling the Partisan
crowds on days of demonstrations.
Nevertheless the spectators in an ir-
resistible rush broke through the line
and bore the victor on their shoulders
to General Brun, the minister of war,
who. with his staff and other high
officials. had appeared at the finish at
this early hour to welcome the victor.
Before the cheering for LIE Blanc
died down Auburn in his monoplane
shot into sight at the very point in
the sky where lie Blanc had first been
seen. and. following the victor's wake,
crossed the line and made an equally
graceful landing.
In close succession to lie Blanc and
Auburn came lie Gagnieux and five
army officers who had acted as escorts
to the contestants in the last stage of
the flight the successful trip of eight
aeroplanes across the country stimuli
taneously and under prearranged con-
ditions demonstrating TO what ex-
tent the conquest of the air has been
carried.
100000 SPECTATORS
on the field at Issy, where the avi-
ators finished, 2oo,0Oo spectators had
gathered, the crowd including Prince
Roland Bonaparte, General Dalstein,
the military governor of Paris, and
hundreds of distinguished men and
women who. when lie Blanc's mono
plane was first sighted as black speck
high above the city. were seized with d
perfect delirium.
lie Gagnieux and the military avi-
ators were forced to make landings on
the trip from Anliens. interfering with
their plans TO convoy in the winning
aeroplanes. lie Gagnieux. in landing at
Issy, broke a wing of his biplane.
First Aid to Cupid
CHALONS SUR MARINE. France. Aug.
17.-Parsio. a new aviator, who re-
ceived his license as an air pilot Satur-
day after completing the trials neces-
sary TO satisfy the committee, signal
lied his first public appearance today
by flying from Douai to Chalons Sur
Marine to present a bouquet of flowers
to his sweetheart.
No successful hair dresser is ever
found asleep al the switch.
Many an heiress has managed to ac-