The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-10-17
Race Starts at Twilight With Ten
Entries From Four Countries
to Take Part in
Contest.
EVERYTHING FAVORABLE
Five Rubber Bags and Four silk
Ones Are In tho Flock to
Become unIoos-
ened.

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 1.-THE interna-
tional balloon race to start from the
Aero Clubs ascension grounds at
Newstead and Chouteau avenues this
afternoon will make ST. Louis today
the center of interest for the aeronau-
tic world. The race will be for the
James Gordon Bennett cup, valued at
S2500, the handsomest aeronautic tro-
ply in the world and cash prize OF
$3.50 offered by the Aero club of St.
Louis. OF this sum $1,000 goes to the
winner, $500 to second and $3.50 to
third place.
Ten famous aeronauts from four
countries-America, France, Germany
and Switzerland-will contest for the
cup and strive for the honor of bring
ing the 1911 international race to
their own country. Weather condi-
tions for the race are forecast as
ideal and the hopes of the balloonists
to beat the American long-distance
record are high. To do this they will
have to exceed the So miles made by
Erbslieh from st. Louis in 1907 The
weather forecast is fair and the fore
| caster expects southwest or westerly
winds at sunset tonight, which should
carry the balloons northeast or east
and give them a chance for long
sail toward the Atlantic states or into
/ Canada.
Aeronauts were busy at the
grounds unpacking their balloons all
day yesterday, and by sunset all of
u the ten gas bagsrhad been spread on
i the ground and were ready for infla-
i ton. The work of filling them with
gas will commence at o'clock this
morning, in order that there be no
delay in the starting of the race at
4:30 this afternoon.
J Speculation as to the probable win
ner of the race was rife yesterday
1 Many of the disputants favor LIE
4 Blanc, who will pilot the Isle de
France. LIE Blanc has participated in
two other international contests, win
| ming second place in each of them.
!, He is regarded as having more ex-
| perience in long distasce flying than
any of his opponents and he is re-
: ton by a group of the experts
} The Germans, with three teams,
and the Americans, with three teams,
5 are rated as first-rate contenders,
? having equal advantage over the
) French teams in number of balloons.
Each of the balloons is we'll stock
Y ed with food, as all of the contestants
|
A hours. The Frenchmen and the Swiss
9 have more epicurean tastes than
: their American and German brothers
Q and will carry champagne, brandies
pate de foie gras, caviar and other
|. delicacies with them. Each aeronaut
e when asked If he expected to carry
J, liquor, replied in the negative, hlt
n then added, Except few bottles Of
y and then gave the name of some Ii
g quor. Col. Schnaeck was emphatic il
Y stating he would carry no liquor "ex
e cept two quart bottles of whisky"
d Honeywell, who will fly under the
e Aero Club colors of st. Louis, vii
!, his balloon. and will make soup, boi
s. coffee and cook eggs above tht
clouds. He always carries such
stove with him, and says it is invalu
e able He frequently uses the lime 70
g signaling purposes, and 1t can b
It used as ballast. Other aeronauts ma.
d also carry stoves, while all of then
e will be equipped with thermos bottles
s The most brilliant balloon whic
N will appear in the race is the Gel
e. mania, piloted by Hugo Won Abel
TX cron 1t is covered with coating @
r. aluminium dust and glistens like 81
yer when the sun strikes it, TIL
ut brightness of the surface Is suppose
A.. to defect the rays of the sun NOR
than ordinary balloon cloth surfac
and therefore prevent the expsnsio
of the balloon and the consequel
expansion and weakening of the ga
u The other balloons are either built
silk or rubber, there being five rubb'
er ones and four silk ones Most OF I'll
balloons carry green ballast bag
Bags of this color were never seen
TO- ST Louis before, all of them beir
er white in previous contests. The aer
pc nauts say there is no reason for Il
te-I change of color, it being only fame
The ascension grounds are sma
ed and while the Aero Club does not e
'ol pect to have a seat for every spect
he tor, there will be over 1000 seats {
sale at $1.50.