The San Francisco call., 1910-10-30
AMERICAN BIRDMEN
Want TROPHY BACK
Charles K. Hamilton Says He
Will Try to Gain Prize
Next Year
lie Blanc, in Wild Plunge,
Breaks Telegraph Pole Into
Three Pieces
Continued From Page 70

1t. If don't bring it back some other
American will"
Walter Brookins of the Wright team,
who today took up the new baby"
Wright racer. met with a serious mis-
hap. Experts had predicted that If the
engine ever refused to explode the
machine could never glide safely to
landing, but would fall, and that was
precisely what happened.
Brookins was coming around the turn
into the home stretch preparatory to
entering into the Gordon Bennett race,
when four of his eight cylinders ceased
firing. He tried to sustain himself by
mounting and then decided to land and
plunged to earth. He did not fall, he
dived; and he made perfect landing
from height of so feet. But 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 forward
frame collapsed.
When the dust cleared Brookins was
seen staggering about, his arms tight
ly clasped about his stomach. He
raised them spasmodically to his head
and tore or his helmet. He was pain
fully injured In the groin and severely
broken.
LIE BLANC IS INJURED
LIE Blanc got 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
lap, he still won from the American
team by superior preparedness. OF
the three Americans selected to defend
the cup by the Aero club of America
only two started, and those two barely
before the time limit allowed elapsed
Grahame-Wlrfte chose an early morn
ing hour when the wind was most
favorable and stole a march on the de-
tenders. After his record breaking
time had been noted the Americans
waited until the last moment for good
air.
Hamilton had trouble with his car
buretor and never got off the ground;
Brookins had been disabled, and Drexel
had only a so horsepower Bleriot to
compete against Grahame-W Whites 100
horsepower machine.
Latham, in a 100 horsepower Antoi-
nette, 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.
MOISANT ENTERS RACE
Moisant was only notified that he had
to defend the place of Brookins half an
hour before he got away. His mechan-
les were so hurried in making ready his
so horsepower Bleriot that they forgot
to attach one OF the heavy rubber bands
which helps to control the elevating
planes at the rear, and he found himself
unequal to maneuver 1t by sheer
OF Ofh q he FIR o6 nj n a
lap he lost control, few wide over the
grandstand, turned back into the field
and settled.
But Moisant was not done. The cup
and $1,000 were Grahame- Whites be-
yond recall but there was still chance
to win second place for America, even
though the honor brought no prize.
Moisant attached his rubber band and
went up again.
WIN SECOND PLACE
Under the rules governing the Gordon
Bennett race an aviator is allowed only
one stop and any time he spends on the
earth for fuel or other necessaries is
counted against him and included 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 Mo1Sant saw a chance for sec
ond place. BY sheer pluck he won 1T.
Latham also finished, but Ogilvie of
the British team, manager for the Eng
lish Wright company, was ahead of
him and when the last contestants had
finished the race stood:
Grahame-White. first; Moisant, Sec
ond; Ogilvie, third. and Latham, fourth.
/Drexel, the only other American
starter, came down In the seventh lap
after he had found the wind too dan
gerous at the turns.