The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-04-02
A Race at the
Aero Club
By ESTHER VANDEVEER

safety appliances that is especially
fitted for amateur aeronauts. The wo-
men have taken up the fad the same
as the men. They've organized a club,
with first rate starting grounds. and,
although It's all brand new. there are
dozen members who own their ma
chimes. and in good weather some of
them are flying all the while. Those
who haven't aeroplanes sit on the club
house porch with opera glasses in their
hands watching the tiiers aud flirting.
race between two individuals.
Beverly Yorke and Jim Springer. took
place not long ago, on which there was
lot of money placed. Ii wasn't
fair race. but there was nothing that
came within the rules as being foul.
A 200 mile course was laid out. start
ing from the clubhouse 1t first went
to Arlington. then south to Jonesville,
then southeast to Merryman, then
northeast To Hilton. then straight west
TO harrington. then to the clubhouse.
The iiiers were TO go over a certain
church spire in each town, except
Jonesville, where there was big
factory, and they were to pass above
the 200 foot chimney that belonged to
1t. lorke was TO start westward and
Springer eastward. The one who got
back TO the clubhouse first was TO be
declared the winner. As to the filers
observing all the rules. this was Sc
cured 10y club member being station
ed at the different points they were to
pass over
The machines, being merely for
pleasure, were not especially powerful.
There were machines with strong en-
gines In the club. but this race was
limited to the pleasure class. 1t wasn't
expected that the race would be made
in less than three hours. At 10 O'Clock
the club grounds were full OF members
and guests to gee the race, and a mum
Der of machines were flying about.
dashing hither and thither. rising.
ducking and doing different stunts.
One of these belonged to Kate Win
terton, who In the air topped every
other woman member for flying and
on terra firma topped them all for
flirting. She had every man In the
club 10y the ears, and it was generally
conceded that when she undertook to
bring man to his marrowbones he
might as well come down at once
lorke was the favorite at odds of
five to four At lcas. these were the
odds up to the day before the race.
ntr%t ha ,inht thay .,I1anly oh UnI
TO two TO one Gil Springer. The queer
thing about il was that no one could
find out why this change should have
come about. There were rumors about
Yorke not being In a condition to race
or his machine having been found
wanting in some particular, but they
were nothing but rumors and were
looked upon as mere jockeying for
odds
At IL o'clock the two machines were
rolled out on the starting grounds, the
one pointed west. the other east The
dozen men did the starting for each
machine at the same moment. As
they rose the aeropanes that were
fitting about to see the fun started of
In different directions. either to inter
cept the racers or to take some central
poinr where they hoped to keep the
machines in sight by means Of glasses.
Kate Winterton's last victim was
Jim Springer She had been seen on
the clubhouse porch during the even
ing before the race spooning with him,
and II was expected by their observers
that she would keep In touch with
him in the contest to encourage him.
But in this they were disappointed.
She followed neither Of the fiers.
lowering over the club grounds and
by signs communicating with those be-
low how the race was going. When
the racers had been out a couple of
hours she was seen to fly away in the
direction of Merryman and was soon
out of sight.
When she came within seeing dis
lance of the fliers they had met and
Yorke had passed the halfway point
greatly ahead of Springer. Kate made
a bee line for Yorke. who had started
westward and was nearing Hilton. He
had met his opponent SO far ahead of
the point he should have been and felt
so certain Of winning that he was not
pressing his machine. Kate sailed up
within hearing distance.
"Oh, Mr. Yorke." she called. I'm SO
glad
Glad about whaty'
You're going to win"
That's very nice of you"
They sailed along in company for
awhile when something seemed to go
wrong with Rates machine. 1t ca
reened first on one side. then on the
other
I'm afraid I'm going to fam she
cried in a voice Of terror. and. true
enough, she went down rapidly till she
struck the earth, but managed her ma
chine so well that there was no abso-
Lutte drop. Yorke was too much Of q
man to leave her In distress and fol-
lowed her. finding her lying on the