The Washington herald., 1911-08-13

6pec1sl TO The Washington Herald.
Chicago, Aug. 12.-Lincoln Beachey, II
Curtiss biplane, Bud" Mars, in a
Baldwin. and Tom Sopwith, the long.
legged Englishman, in a Howard Wright
split the spectacular honors of the first
days event in the international avia.
tion meet at Grant Park with Hugh A
Robinson and his astonishing hydroplane
Beachey went fifty miles and never
times flying so close to the earth that
the f1agman had TO lie down to let him
over, and at others rising so suddenly
on the corners as to escape, apparently,
by merely inches, a tremendous smash
into the fence.
Two Escape Collision.
Not to be outdone by Beachey, young
Mars turned out in a Baldwin that looked
like big red bat and cut capers with the
Curtiss man, the two sometimes clipping
each other so closely that collision ap-
peared inevitable.
Meanwhile Robinson with the hydro
planes slid in the lake and out again
like a scared mallard, sometimes hitting
the water at thirty miles an hour, max
ing just good time in the heavier
element and then beating it into the
blue sky just as the fleet of motorboats
had been permitted to come within hail
ing distance.
There were three accidents. none Of
them causing serious injury, though
Frank Coffyn in the big Wright biplane
that he has handled in several meets
turned low with two passengers aboard
and crashed into the Moissant monoplane
driven by Rene Simon and smashed it.
An immediate protest was lodged with
the contest committee by Simon. who
furnished the committee with seven wit
nesses said to have evidence that Coffyn
deliberately ran into Simon's stationary
machine.
1T is no use to make that kind OF
talk" said Coffyn. AN accident is an
accident. I am sorry this happened, but
] could not help it,
Turned to Prevent Accident.
1t is against the rules of the interna-
tional Aeronautical Society for any pilot
TO turn to the right. and that is what
Coffyn did in this case. The explanation
he makes is that it was necessary for the
safety of his passengers
Arthur Stone, driving a Queen mono
plane, turned turtle with a passenger at
the lower end of the course and broke
one of his wings, capsizing his machine
The third accident occurred to Prof
James V. Martin, the Harvard flyer, who
skinned the ground a little close on the
south end. while approaching a turn, and
ran into the fence hard enough to put his
machine out OF commission
After completing his low flight Lincoln
Beachey went after altitude, and when
at a height of about 1900 feet startled the
spectators by dropping like a plummet
for 1000 feet and then checking himself,
doing a wonderful spiral act for the
rest of the distance.
Louis Mitchell and the rest of the
Wright flyers had everything their own
way in the duration contest, which will
be totaled on the greatest length of time
any flyer has been in the air at the con-
Cluson of the meet
Earl l. OVington, an American aviator, |
flying a Curtiss-Bleriot monoplane, was !
winner Of two of the chief events. In |
his dragon fly" Ovington won the twen-
ty-mile speed contest for monoplanes. !
beating Tom Sopwith, the English |
aviator. Long after sunset Ovington |
again sent his great, wasp-like machine |
to another triumph. this time winning the |
over-the-water-and-la contest against |
five rivals He flew from the judges |
stand out to the four-mile crib and back |
again twice, a distance of fifteen miles. in
II minutes and 13 seconds. Sopwith again !
was his nearest rival the Englishman /
flying seven seconds slower than his |
American competitor.