Evening star., 1911-08-10
PLAN LONG FLIGHT
Panama Canal to San Diego,
Probably, in Two Years.
BIG PRIZE TO BE OFFERED.
Managers Of Exposition in California
City Want Trip Made at Open
ing of Waterway.

The biggest prize for the longest aero
plane fight that has yet been attempted
is being offered by San Diego, Cal, for
flight from the Panama Canal Zone to
San Diego as soon as the big ditch Is
opened. The San Diego Panama-Pacitc
exposition has formally pledged $4,000
toward the prize. but negotiations are
now under way by which it is believed
the prize will be swelled to $4,000, or
perhaps 100000, in the two years that
will pass before the race is run.
Arrangements are being made by D. {.
Collier, the director general of the San
Diego exposition. He is now in Wash
ington trying to make arrangements for
this country to invite the countries of
Central and South America to participate
in the San Diego show. Mr.. Collier says
the San Diego people are not asking
anything from the government except its
official sanction. They have $2,5Oo,OOO
now and as much more in sight. so they
will be independent Of financial aid, but
they want an official invitation to par
ticipate in the exposition extended from
this country to those of the southern
hemisphere.
The aerpplane fight as now planned
anywhere in the world. The shortest air.
line distance from Panama to San Diego
is 1857 miles. but the route overland
would be utterly impracticable for an
aeroplane in the present stage of avia-
ton development. OF course as the flight
is not contemplated for two years, the art
may develop to the point where that
route could be taken but from the pres
ent outlook the flight will have to be
made coastwise. This will enormously
he
ing of the coast is not followed very
closely. the distance probably would be
more than 1000 miles.
Navy Department Interested.
The prospect of making a water flight
of it interests the Navy Department.
While nothing officially has been de-
termined. there is possibility if a water
night is made that the navy may place
boats along the route to act as supply
stations. In the present stage of flying
development it would be safe to have
the boats within, at most, 100 miles of
each other, but nobody knows how the
art will develop within two years.
The prize of $4,000 that the exposition
has already guaranteed would not be
enough. of course, to tempt an aviator
to make such a flight. but 1t might be
expected to cover expenses and anything
beyond that in the way Of prizes
would be velvet" AS Glenn Curtiss is
now the only aviator who has a prac-
teal hydro-aeroplane, the water flight
would be open only to him. but there
is little doubt that before the race is
run flights over the water will be COM
paratively common.
There is another point in aviation that
is developing and will help such flight.
That is that the '.two-man control" is
coming more and more into use and
single operator does not have to remain
continually alert and on the job, but can
shift the control of the machine to a Sec
ond operator during the flight and have
time for rest and meals
Mexico May Increase Prize.
Nothing official has been said yet about
the prospect of Mexico and the Central
American states coming into the game
financially. but they are all interested in
the fight and tentative negotiations have
been begun with them. Mexico is ready
to increase the prize, especially if the
route can be made to include stop at
the City Of Mexico. In addition Colon
bia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica
and Guatemala have all Professionally
promised to take material interest IN
the fight.
1t is not intended to make the flight
message-carrying one. Naturally the
news of opening the canal will be flashed
through by wire long before an aeroplane
could cover the distance. But 1t Is In
tended that the competing aviators shall
each carry photograph of the first ship
passing through the canal and as this
undoubtedly will be the first picture to
get through from the Zone, it will be
arranged to sell 1t for reproduction at a
high price to some Pacific coast news
paper. and this will go to swell the prize
for the winning aviator.
Arrangements are being made for
transatlantic fight by aeroplane
in the spring of 1912. Hugh Robinson.
one of the Curtiss aviators. says he will
make the trip in one of the triad ma
chimes. Experiments were made with a
triad at Seattle recently in quite rough
water and the performance made 1t ap-
parent that the hydro-aeroplane could
be managed during the average Atlantic
summer weather. There would have to
be number of boats stationed along
the route for renewing the supply of oil
and fuel. but that the plan Is not en-
tirely talk is shown by the fact that
arrangements are actually being made
now for financing the trip.