New-York tribune., 1919-10-13
Report That Major Asked
andCot Handicap From
Rival at Binghamton
Is Being Investigated
Return Trip Across
Continent Ordered
Maynard Only Contestant
Whom Rules Permit to
Take Air Again To-day

Lieutenant Belvin w. Maynard NAV
start his return flight from San Fran
cisco in the trancontinental air race
this afternoon. Under the rules he
may leave on the return trip forty
eight hours attire his arrival, and
forty-eight hours will have elapsed
at 1:12:O7, Pacific time.
Major Carl Spatz and Lieutenant
Emil kiel, the arrivals at Mineola
from the West cannot leave before to-
morrow morning because they reached
Roosevelt Field after sundown Satur-
day, and under the rules tire con-
tcstants cannot begin a shop after
sundown.
1t became known yesterday that Of
ticers at Roosevelt Field had wired to
the control commander at Binghamton,
N. y, for an immediate report of an
incident there Saturday which may
alter the decision as to the winner Of
the race here.
Spatz Unofficial Winner
Major Spatz unotficially has been de-
clared the winner of the eastward
fight. Spatz landed at Hazelhurst
Field by mistake at 6:31:45. Kiel
landed at boosevelt Field, the official
finish, just minutes and 25 seconds
later. 1t was twenty seconds after
that before Spatz reached Roosevelt
Field
At Binghamton, however, it was
stated yesterday by officials Of the Fly
ing Club, Major Spatz approached Lieu
tenant Il in1 Sctod Il 70 rr;x l.;
ten-minute start. According to these
officials. Lieutenant Kiel agreed to give
Major Spatz five minutes start. Flying
Club officials said yesterday they could
see no reason why Kiel should give
Spatz anything in a contest OF tha.
sort. One of them said Kiei was re-
luctant to refuse the request because
he was only a second lieutenant and
the request came from major.
Ear:er in tho race, at Des MojNes,
Major Spatz had insisted, according to
he penalized two minutes. Spatz ar
rived there Friday morning twenty
four minutes after Kiel had landed
there from Omaha. The major en-
tered a protest against Kiel on the
ground that he had left Omaha two
minutes before the time stipulated in
the rules of the race Lieutenant Kiel
was penalized two minutes.
kiel Valves Rights
At Mineola on Saturday, when Lieu
tenant Kiel learned he had beaten
Major Spatz to Roosevelt Field by
twenty seconds because the major had
landed on Hazlehurst Field by mistake,
he said:
81 waive my rights. There is no ques-
tion about it. Ma jor Spatz beat me in."
At the Flying Club yesterday there
vas not the slightest indication Of feel
ing between the two officers, who dis
cussed incidents of the trip quite freely
with each other and with other men,
bers of the clubb.
Major Spatz pointed out that there
was no contest between the eastward
and westward fiers. He said:
1--WE fellows flying eastward had
three hours less of daylight than the
men flying westward. They travelled
with the sun. All told. we lost about
eight hours elapsed time, none of it
through our own fault. Once we were
held by the control officers because
it was raining. That was at Bing-
hamton. Again at Chicago we lost
time because the landing field had
been changed. Grant Park being sub
stituted at the last minute"
Helped Much by Wind
He said the highest he had flown
on the eastward trip was 10000 feet.
That was in crossing the Sierra
Nevadas. He also said that after leav-
ing Chicago he had been helped con-
siderably by the wind. Major Spatx
said his ship had been driven at least
1900 miles before it was entered in
the transcontinental race.
Instructions for the beginning Of the
return flight arrived at the American
Flying Club here from Washington last
night, while officials of the club were
expressing the hope that the return
flight would be cancelled. The De-
partment of Air Service telegram was
as follows:
1.-The return fight will be under
taken according to rules and regula-
tions which are now being used for the
present race. Contestants who have
completed the first half of the round
trip flight will remain at terminus con-
troll not less than forty y-eight hours or
more than ninety-siX hours. In case
contestant cannot depart at end cf
nincty-six hours in time to make the
first stop before sunset he may be held
until morning.
responsible that adequate supplies are
on hand at each control, and in this
particular return flight we will not use
split seconds in reporting the arrivals
and departures. No new contestants
permitted"
Not Eager for Return Flight
Neither of the West to East con-
testants who have finished the first
half, Major Spatz and Lieutenant
Kiel. nor their non-commissioned OBJ
servers, Sergcants Tanner and Mckee,
showed any eagerness yesterday to
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