Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1910-10-30

earth under power, ana even tnen Iney
bump severely in landing.
BREAKS TELEGRAPH POLE
LIE Blanc was helpless and panic
stricken. 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
landing. His steerage way was gone,
and when puff of wind caught him
he drifted sideways, still at tremendous
speed and crashed headforemost into
a telegraph pole. The pole was four
teen inches thick, but he broke 1T into
three pieces. The topmost fragment
fell over backward and smashed down
on the fragile planes. The chassis and
steel shield which enclosed the motor
were completely crumpled. Had lie
Blanc hit the pole in another manner
it is difficult to see how he could have
escaped death.
Cirahame- White, the winner, admit
ted that but for his mishap lie Blanc
would have won the race and would
have established a worlds record even
better than his own.
Charles K. Hamilton of the Ameri-
can team was enthusiastic.
lie Blanc is the best track driver in
the world" he said. 1.-THE way he
took those turns was marvel. era
hame- White would never have been
in ittexcept for lie Blanc's accident,
and no American machine had a
chance with him. / am going to throw
my machine into the scrap heap and
buy a BIeriot before I leave this track.
The biplane is out of date, and we
might as we'll admit it,
TO CHALLENGE NEXT YEAR
Hamilton will challenge for the cup
next year. The Wright brothers will
also build new racer and go after
It. John B. Moissant will be third
challenger.
Walter Brookins of the Wright team,
who today took up the new baby"
Wright racer, met with serious mis-
hap Experts had predicted that If the
engine ever refused to explode the
machine could not glide safely to
landing but would fall, and that was
precisely what happened.
Brookins was coming around the
turn on the stretch for a trial circle
preparatory to entering into the Cor
don Bennett race, when four of his
eight cylinders ceased firing. With
only half power he tried first to sus-
tain himself by mounting and then de-
cided it was wiser to land. Driven
by the wind and his engine he came
hurting through the air at such tre-
mendous speed that when he touched
the earth his front wheels and for
ward frame collapsed under him.
Inc machine STUCK It's muse III INC
dirt, slowly reared tail upward and
finally collapsed, topside undermost.
BRoOKINs NOT BADLY HURT
When the dust cleared Brookins was
seen to be staggering about, his arms
tightly clasped about his stomach He
raised them spasmodically to his head
and tore off his helmet Then he
clasped his head with his hands and.
rocked too and fro. 1t was apparent
that he did not know what he was
doing.
An ambulance was rushed out to
pick him up and hurried him to the
held hospital. 1t was announced later
that though he had been painfully in
iured in the groin and severely bruised
there were no bones broken and he
was not in danger of his life.
LIE Blanc got a black eye, a deep cut
under the chin and broad scratch
across the right temple, but was able
to be about before the day was over.
Allowing for the good luck that
tossed the race into Whites lap, he
still won from the American team by
superior preparedness OF the three
Americans selected to defend the cup
nv the Aero Club of America, only two
started, and those two barely before
the time limit allowed had elapsed.
Grahame- White chose an early morn
ing hour when the wind was most
defenders.
AMERICANS AT DISADVANTAGE
After his record breaking time had
been noted the Americans waited until
the last moment for good air.
Hamilton had trouble with his car
bureter and never got off the ground
Brookins had been disabled and DreXel
had only a so horse power Bleriot to
compete against Grahame- Whltes 1OO
horse power, machine.
Latham in 100 horse power AntOins
cite never showed speed enough to be
dangerous and left the course on his
fifteenth round when an ugly gust al
most blew him into the crowd
Moissant was notified that he had to
defend the place of Brookins only half
an hour before he got away. His me-
chanics were so hurried in making
ready his so horse power BlViot that
they forgot to attach one of the heavy
rubber bands that help to control the
elevating planes at the rear, and he
found himself unequal to maneuVer it
by sheer strength. AS he turned into
the seventh lap he lost control, flew
wide over the grandstand, turned back
into the field and settled.
But Moissant was not done. The cup
and $4,000 were Grahame- Whites be-
yond recall but there was still a
chance to win second place for America
aeven though the honor brought no
prize. Moissant attached his rubber
band and went up again..
Under the rules governing the Cor
don Bennett race an aviator is allowed
only one stop and any time he spends
on the ground for fuel or other neces-
saries is counted against him and in
cluded in his total elapsed time. 1t
had been blowing half gale between
the hour when Latham quit and the
closing hour. When the wind finally
moderated Latham had nearly five
hours against him and Moissant saw a
chance for second place. BY sheer
pluck he won it,
Latham also finished, but Ogilvie of
the British team, manager for the Eng
lish Wright company was ahead Of
him, and when the 'ast contestants had
finished the race stood: Grahame
White first, Moissant second, Ogilvie
third and Latham fourth.
Drexel, the only other American
starter, came down in the seventh lap
after he had found the wind too dam
gerous at the turns.
SYMPTOMS