New-York tribune., 1910-08-18
CROWDS CHEER LE BLANC
Half of Paris Remains Awake ID
Welcome Aeronaut.
AUBRUN A CLOSE SECOND
Enormous Crowds Greet Victor
in the Gross Country Race
Fast Time.

Paris Aug I7.-Haf of the inha aoifants
of this city remained in the streets uiiui
morning to watch the conclusion OF the
great cross country air race, "hich was
won by lie Blanc, in Bleriot monopiane.
Aubrun who also used a Bieriot machihe'
took second prize. finishing twenty minutes
behind the winner, although his totai 'lihe
in completing the course was somewhat
longer
g.e Blanc's flight from Aniens. some sixty
miles was made in the same superb s'!Ae
as that In which he covered the previous
laps in the race. He left Amens at o"a
and descended at Issy. in the suburbs OF
Paris, / hour and rs minutes later. making
the total time for the 4S5 miles of the en-
tire fight II hours % minutes and % sec
onds. average of nearly forty miles an
hour as the crow flies without making
allowance for detours or for the time spent
in battling with the storm in the f1lght
from Mezieres 10 Douai last Friday
Aubrun, whose time from Amiens was
hour and 81 minutes completed the circuit
in 13 hours 2 minutes and IA seconds None
of the other competitors completed the
course. though Legagneux, who was torceo
to retire in the early stages Of the race
finished with LIE Blanc and AuDrun.
There was a moment of tumultuous cheer
ing as lie Blanc appeared above lssy IN the
early dawn, and from the height of nearly
quarter of mile sloped toward the earth
and swooped across the line like giant
hawk. aIighting with the ease and grace OF
big bird.
The authorities, fearing the excitement or
tile great crowds had cordoned the alight-
ing place at Issy with hundreds OF police
backed by regiment of stalwart curas-
siers. Despite the precautions, the specta-
tors in an irresistible rush broke through
the line, and bore the victor on their
shoulders to General Brun, the Minister or
War. who, with his staff and other h1gn
officials. had appeared at the finish TO wei
come the victor, General Brun congratu-
lated lie Blanc heartily in the name OF the
government A military band struck up
THE Marseillaise" but the music could
scarcely be heard above the cheering of the
crowd. which was echoed from tne mousse
tops throughout the city.
Before the cheering for I1c Blanc had
begun to die down, Aubrun in his graceful
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 grace
fuI landing He was also warmly greeted.
Closely following lie Blanc and Aubrun
came Legagneux and five army officers,
who had acted as escorts TO the contestants
in the last stage of the flight, the success
full trip of the eight aeroplanes across the
country simultaneously and under pre-
arranged conditions showing to what an ex-
tent the conquest of the air has been car
ried
Lega gneux and the military aeronauts,
however were forced to make landings on
the trip from Amiens, interfering with
their plans to convoy the winning aero
planes. Legagneux, in landing at Issy.
broke a wing of his bplane-
All the aeronauts are enthusiastic over
the successful outcome of the long trip,
which seems to show that aeroplanes can
be run on schedule time over a prearranged
course disregarding ordinary weather con-
ditions and combating even moderate
storms.
LIE Blanc and Aubrun agree that the chlef
difficulty in flying across country Is que 10
the strong air currents ana eddleS over
va11evs and ravines along the course, which
often suck down the aeroplanes from TWO
hundred to three hundred feet without
warning in an abrupt drop. during such
o,rer;ences the aeronauts were able to
keen their places III tHe Hid|ilAiOS NiAA' -
clingfng on all fours to the levers ana
framework.
They say that the Eiffel Tower this morn
INC loaned I'D like d lighthouse, furnishing
an absolute guide to their destination
Tss, was also the goal for the big dirisi-
b1a balloon Bayard-C Clement which arrived
fror, creil a short time after the beVy or
baavier-than-air machines had ahShteo.
re arrival caused further burst or cheer-
ing.
lieutenant Garos one of the military
oororauts who started to-day from ST
C1-r toward Issy TO join the aeronauts IN
tho ,cross-country race, was halted in MID
Night by a failure OF his motor. He shoed
"a the ground, escaping injury. though the
machine was smashed in landing
The Fiffel Tower was chosen as a point
of vantage by crowds of far-slghted spec
tators and the towering steel structure.
tho housetops and other elevated points
IN tho citv were black with people watch
ipo tho finish through field glasses. On the
Cold a; Issy where the avlators hnlShed,
two hundred thousand spectators had gath
cred the crowd including Prince Roland
Ronansrte General Dalstein. the military
Governor of Paris, and hundreds of dlstin-
o,,ished men and women, who, when lie
Blanc's monoplane was hrSt slghted-
black speck high above the city seemed 10
be seized with delirium
A eroup of admirers presented LegasneuA
with a consolation prize of $500.