The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-12
GLENN CURT|SS
 BEATS PAULHAN American Aviator Makes Sev-
 eraI Record Flights PAULHAN IS SPECTACULAR curtiss Establishes New Record for Speed, and Two Others, While
 Louis Paulhan Astonishes
 All By His Daring.

completely eclipsed by Lotus Faulhah with his spectacular feats on the first day of the aviation meet here yesterday today defeated his mercurial French rival in the race for the honors of the day. Pauihan again won the plaudits of the crowd with daring and spectacular flights, while the less theatric American reaped more substantial honors. Cur tiss established a new worlds record for speed for aeroplanes, carrying pas senger, flying at the rate of 65 miles an hour with his manager, Jerome 5. Fan cuill beside him. and he set two other less important records in aviation. Not to be outdone. Paulhan took up one of his mechanicians and flew three nniies. but failed to equal the speed set by Curtiss in his biplane.
 Breaking of three records, flights with passengers, the injury of an amateur aviator and four aeroplanes in the air at the same time, breasting stiff wind that sported dangerously with the delicate craft furnished 5000 spectators an excit- ing finale to an afternoon that prom ised to be rather tame.
 Edgar Smith, Californian, who con- structed an aeroplane something on the order of the late Professor Langley s model, was the victim of the first serious accident of the meeting this afternoon. Smith was tuning up his machine for his first attempt at flight and was struck down by the metal blades Of the pro peller. His head was severely gashed and his left arm was broken.
 Paulhan to the Front.
 At the beginning of today's programme Paulhan seemed again to have monopo- lized all the honors of the day. Thrice he drove one of his big Farman biplanes around the course in the stiff wind blow ing in from the sea. Then in tiny Bleriot monoplane that looked like a gi- ganitc horse fly, he gave the immense throng in the stands and boxes the first thrill of the day by repeatedly sweeping over the grandstand and daringly maneu- vering in a wind that threatened every moment to wreck his craft.
 The flight of Paulhan in his Bleriot ma chine was the first appearance of the lightweight monoplane in this country Besides the Curtiss biplanes, which are mere pigmies beside the great Farman machine, the rnonoplane looked puny and 1 unable to raise man in a calm, much l less withstand the assaults of b to 70 mile wind. Yet after an abortfve att tempt by Miscarol, one of the French aviators. Paulhan took 1t and sped twice around the field, although he never rose higher than 15 feet from the ground Apparently secure in his renewed role of star of the meeting, Paulhan, frankly delighted by the tremendous applause his performance evoked, brought out his Far man. and quickly disappeared from the view of the spectators far to the north ward reappearing 20 second later over the trees of a nearby ranch. He flew back directly over the grandstand.
 Sensational Flights.
 Several times Paulhan flew across lots" or charged directly upon the grand stand only to turn sharply when within few feet of 1t and sweep gracefully along before the thousands of spectators His flight of eight and three-quarters miles lasted 21 minutes and 12 seconds.
  ended, Curtiss mechanicians trundled the biplane with which Curtiss won the in- ternational cup at Rheims to the starting point. Without preliminary of any sort he motionad to Fancuilli to get in the ma chine.
 Climbing in behind his manager Curtiss gave the word to one of his assistants. A pop and rattle like auto matic artillery and flight that es tablished the passenger speed record began. Describing a wide circle in 1 front of the grandstand, Curtiss flew with Fancuilli at all angles to the wind and landed almost at the same spot from which he started.
 Lieut.. Paul Beck of the army signal corps, as one of the judges. announced that he figured the speed at 55 miles an hour. When the record breaking figures were announced the crowd went wild. Shouts and screams rose from the boxes and tiers of seats, automo- bile sirens shrieked and hats were ! thrown into the air.
 Paulhan, standing by his biplane on the other side of the field, saw the per formance through binoculars. These he dropped suddenly and sesticulated as he rattled off instructions to his crew l of mechanicians and made them race to get his motors started imm mediat,i. Then he mounted his seat and rose. ma : jestically. Paulhan landed in a few
 minutes and, determined to regain
 some of his lost laurels, ordered one
 of his assistants into the seat beside him. Then he arose and twice circled
 the course, his great biplane soaring
 as gracefully with the extra man as
 1t had done with Paulhan alone.
 curtiss Makes Records.
 In quick succession Curtiss tried for
 starting record and a record for
 landing. He succeeded in establishing
 both. But Willard, coming next to
 the trial at landing. beat the best his
 chief could do. Curtiss, however set
 6 new record for getting away to make
 up for the landing honor he lost. He
 started from a marked square of 10
 feet flew about the field for two
 minutes and returning, landed exactely
 in the same spot.
 Paulhan tried to beat both marks
 but the best he could do was to rise
 12n seconds from the time his engine
 started and his machine ran more than
 100 feet along the ground before ii 1 rose.
 The trip with curtiss was the first