New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-29
MAKES AMERICAN RECORD
Mile. Dutrieu Stays in the Air
More than Half an Hour.
FLIERS ESCAPE FATALITY
Bullet Lodged in Muzzle of Rife
During Target Shooting Con-
test Discovered in Time.

Nile Helene Dutrieu, by flying in her
course at Nassau Boulevard yesterday
afternoon for 81 minutes % 2-5 seconds,
established a new American record,
that OF duration for women hiers, and
won a purse OF 500, the Yves de Nillers
Prize. This is the second flight Mile. Du-
trieu has made at the international meet.
and the regularity with which she appeared
before the line of spectators on the eastern
SIDE OF the aerodrome gave them a good
opportunity to noto how exposed was the
little seat which suspended her at more
than arms length out in front Of her
planes
Nothing hat brace for the feet end an
upright lever 10 hang on TO l1tcrvencd te-
tween her and eternity, always excepting,
Of course, the shallow chair, little more
than a saddle. on which she sat. Far up
there in the air she seemed TO be crouching
on two thin little skids which projected far
out in front Of her machine, and she did
not look like q woman. for she wore a COM
plete suit Of some heavy brown material
like a harlequin, with a hood which con-
cealed her hair and ears.
The wind had died down at the approach
Of sunset when mademoiselle took to the
air. 1t was at this time, too. as II Is every
afternoon Of flying meet that the other
fiers felt most impeled to soar aloft. The
alighting contest was on, but this did not
deter Grahame- White, Tom Sopwith and
George ". Dyott. all Englishmen. from
having their mcnoplanes trundled out into
the field in readiness for the 'cross-cOuntry
race for that type Of machine.
Grahame- White. Of course. used his
wicked little Newport with its loO-horse-
power gnome motor, and as usual won that
event Sopwith took up a passenger with
him in his Rleriot and came I'm second.
Dyott, in his Depredussin, did not finish, be
cause when he got ever to Belmont Park
something went wrong with his Anzani
motor and he was forced 10 descend. He
put his machine up there for the night.
Earlier in the afternoon an unusual
thing happened which might have led to
an international Incident As forecast
yesterday morning, Captain Patrick Hamii
ton. Of his maiesty's Worcestershire reg
ulars, an aviation partner Of Dyott, and
Lieutenant J. +. Ficke Of the 29th In
fantry L. s. A., were matched to shoot at
target with a rife from aeroplanes. Both
used army Springhelds, model 1903, and
1906 ammunition.
Sopuith carried Captain Hamilton In
his Burgess Wright biplane over the tar
get ct a height Of $50 feet. and the marks
man pulled the trigger. A little pop was
the only response The captain was for
reloadinG, but fortunately examined the
rife first and found that the bullet had
jammed itself in the muzzc lie explained
afterward that II he had fired another car
fridge in the rife it would have exploded
and blown marksman, aviator and aeroplane
into fragments
Lieutenant Fickel characterized the acct
dent as unique and the escape from serious
consequences lucky. lie continued the
shooting himself. wheeling above the tar
get piloted by Lieutenant Henry II. Arnold.
L. :. A.. h. a Curtss machine, and banging
away at the 20-inch bullseye which lay flat
on the ground $50 feet below. But every
bullet struck just little I'm front Of the
bulseye. lie explained after he had come
down that for shooting from aorOplanes
special sights would have TO he affixed TO
the army rifles to enable the marksman 10
shoot at the target before he reached SPOT
directly above It. lie advocated raising the
sight al the guns muzzle about half an
inch.
Lieutenant r De witt Milling, L. s. A..
took George Wilson, a wireless operator.
aloft with him. and while buzzing above
the contiguous country 10 the west sent
a wireless message 10 the Judges stand in
the aerodrome, which read:
Up I'm the air lO0 feet
Mr. Harold Mccormick We welcome the
Chicago delegation To Nassau Boulevard
Aero club Of New York
The message, sealed. had been handed 10
Wilson before he went up with Lieutenant
Milling. IL was received from him by
Harry NJ. Horton. another wireless opera
tor, and delivered TO Mr.. Mccormick. John
d. RockefelIer's son-in-law' who. with
with other members Of the committee
which conducted the recent Chicago air
meet, was present as d guest OF the Aero
Club OF New York.