The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-29
B|G LONG DISTANCE
 A|RSH|P RACE BEGUN
American Aviator Unlucky
 In Making Start
TO FLY 1900 MILES
No Accident Occurs in Getaway as in Last Weeks Race-Italian Aviator Rails $50 Feet
 From His Machine

Paris, May 2S.-Profiting by the lessons of last weeks catastrophe. when at the start of the Paris-to to-Madrid race M. Ser teaux, the minister of war, was killed, and Premier Monis badly injured. the organ izers of the second great air contest from Paris to Turin sent the competitors away with record speed. No mishap marred the ascent. The weather was perfect. Twelve out of 21 competitors were out for the start when the signal bomb was fired at 6 o'clock In the morning. The machines were sent off in rapid succession, 10 leaving within a few minutes and the entire num- Der being away by T o'clock. The remain ing nine entrants, including Pierre Ved- rine. the Frenchman who won the Paris to-Madrid race, will start tomorrow or Tuesday. vedrine is now on his way back to Paris, having left Madrid for this city tonight.
 The first to cross the line today was Roland Garros, who, after making many plucky efforts to finish in the Paris-to- Madrid flight, was forced by series of mishaps to abandon the race. Garros drove monoplane. He was followed by Andre Beaumont, who rapidly overlook Garros and arrived first in Dion, the Italian record station of the long journey.
 The two continued in the same order re- porting in Lyons and finally landing in Avignon. They covered the 645 xilometers (401 mles) from the aerodrome in Buc, a short distance out of the French capital, to Avignon in 12 hours and 45 minutes and IS hours and 35 minutes, respectively, and decided to spend the night there. They will finish the remaining 20 kilometers of the first stage of the flight to Nice tomorrow morning, a total distance of S65 kilometers or 53S miles.
 No Serious Accidents
 The other competitors early in the jour ney were the victims of mishaps, but nothing more serious than "the breaking of wood'' and only two of them-Henri Molla,. representing France, and the Ger man, Frey, had got only as far as Dijon up to o'clock in the evening.
 The American, Henry Weymann, was particularly unlucky. After two slips on account of engine trouble he was forced to make landing in a field near Troyes The propeller of his machine was twisted and part of the frame broken, but hs himself was not hurt.
 The race was organized by the Paris Petit Parisien and the prizes aggregated more than $100.000. The secong stage of the Journey is from Nice to Rome, the recording stations being Genoa and Pisa and the third stage Is from Rome to Turin, the official stopping places being Florence and Bologna. The total dis tance Is a little more than 1900 miles, and the competitors have until June 15 to make the trip.
 Voghera, Italy. May @.-The Italian aviator Cirri, while making an aeroplane flight near here today fell from height of $50 feet and was killed. Twenty thou sand persons, including Cirrfs wife and children were viewing the exhibition. Cirri used a Bleriot monoplane. He had completed a number of evolutions when suddenly the motor exploded and in moment the wings of the machine were on fire. The aviator fell headlong from his seat.