Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-10-08


more.
Within Is minutes a total of IA
machines had taken the air. The
18th machine was delayed in start
ing 40 minutes on account of mo-
tor trouble. The 10th and last en-
try, a Fokker plane. piloted by
Lieutenant F. ". Siefert, had not
arrived from San Diego in time for
the start. Army officers said that
if he arrived before sunset he could
participate in the race.
Sixteen Leave Frisco.
San Francisco, Oct. 8.-Sixteen
leather clad pilots and II similarly
clothed observers climbed into 16
army airpIanes at the Preside avia-
ton field before dawn this morning
to await the word that would send
them off at two minute intervals
on the first leg of a 5,40O mile
journey to Mineola. y. Y, and le-
turn.
The 16 pilots included "aces"
from the war zone, aviators who
had won distinctions at camps III
this country and cadet aviators
who did not win their double
wings" before the armistice. All
were bent on beating the others
ard making the fastest time ever
recorded across the United States
fro none ocean to the other. Late
Friday the winners expects to be IL
Mineola, 200 miles away.
The western ayiators will at
tempt to beat so fellow flyers who
were starting today from the east
erR terminus.
Only one machine was an ALI
American plane"-the La Pere.
piloted by Cadet A. J. Nashmeir.
Two were German Fokkers. cap
tured from the Germans by the
Americans in the st. Mihiel sector,
practically intact. Others we're
DeHavilands and Sopwiths.
Sixty at MineOla.
Mineola, n. Y. Oct. S-More
than sixty airplanes were lined up
on Roosevelt field here today
awaiting the signal Of Major Gen
eral Thomas II. Barry. Z. S. A,
which would send them speeding on
their way TO San Francisco in the
greatest aviation contest in history.
At the same time nearly two score
machines were in San Francisco
ready to start on the east bound
trip. The contest, which is limited
to military aviators, is for the pur-
pose of testing the liability of the
planes and stimulating interest in
recruiting for the air service. A
return flight also will be made
Ten different types of machines
were represented in the entries and
some of them had seen active serv-
ice on the battle front. Three OF
the planes entered are German
Fokker machines captured almost
intact on the western front. French,
British and Italian machines also
are entered.
Most of the American entries are
equipped with the famous Liberty
motor developed by America dur
ing the war and the race will af-
ford a good opportunity to test it
qualities against the best types Of
foreign makes.
Foreign Entries.
The foreign entries includes Air
Commodore L. z. o. Charlton, air
attache of the British embassy, who
will fly Bristol fighting plane that
he has been using IN taxi" service
at Washington, and Captain De
Lavergne, air Ettache of the French
embassy, who is to fly as passen-
ger in an American plane.
Although prizes totaiing $4,000
had been offered by the American
flying club and private individuals
for the winners of the contest,
Major General Charles T. Mencher,
chief of the army air service. has
ruled that they could not be &C
cepted. He announced, however,
that there would be ratings for
three competitions each day. These
include a time competition for the
pilot crossing the continent in the
shortest time irrespective of stops
and actual flying time; speed con-
test for the pilot making the trip in
the shortest flying time; and n
handicap competition based on
actual flying time, but with each
class or type of machine to be
given a handicap percentage based
upon its reputed speed as COM
puted by the technical section in
its official tests.
Under the rules of the contest
there is to be no flying between
sunset and sunrise, on Sundays or
in bad weather. Each contestant
will be required to stop at least 80
minutes at each of the 20 informed
late stops. Aviators remaining
more than As hours at one station
unless held there by the weather
are to be disqualified. No time
will be taken out for forced land
ings.
Route 1900 Miles Long.
The route is approximately 200
miles in length one way. The Of
fetal stops and the distance to the
next control in miles follow:
Mineola, 0; Binghamton. 142;
Rochester. 125; Buffalo, 56; Clevs- !
land. $50; Bryan, I47; Chicago,
$50: Rock Island. 1855; Des Moines. !
1853; Omaha. 11s; ST. Paul. Ne
braska. 1872; North Platte, 11S; Sid
ney, 112; Cheyenne, 80; Wolcott. |
113; Green River. 1877; Salt Lake
City. 1877; SaIduro, 100; Battle
Mountain, 1852; Reno, 1859; Sacra-
mento, 112: San Francisco, rs:
Chicago Provisions