The sun., 1919-10-13
ONLY 81 SECONDS
SEPARATE AIRMEN
Major Spatz and Lieut.. Kiel
Technically Inches Apart
at End Of Race.
EACH MAY WIN A. PRIZE
Both Filters Eager to Repair
Machines Before Attempting
Return Voyage.

1 In the 2.70f mile race over the forests,
mountain ranges and prair1es OF the
United States. through rain and sum
shine. Major Carl spatz. FIRST Of the Pa
cific fiiers to reach Mineola on Saturday.
was In the air only thirty-one seconds
longer than Lieut.. Emil Kiel, who ar
rived few minutes after him at
Mineola.
This startling similarity in flying time
in taken by officials of the American
Judging of the contest. to Indicate the
remarkable reliability and consistency
Of the Liberty engine and De Haviland
plane and also rs q positive proof that
both pilots pushed their planes to the
absolute limit of speed in their dash
across the continent. In his race from
the Pacific Major Spatz was in the air
in his De Haviland Bluebird In the four
days Of the race just 26 hours Is minutes
and "a seconds, while Lieut. Kiel few
Z rs hours II minutes and Is seconds.
Both men were beaten by Lieut.. Belvin
Maynard flying the. other way. His time
was "a hours Sc minutes and b6n
seconds. s.frs- -o
At the present time Il appears that
Major Spatz Is the winner OF both the
elapsed time contest and the time In the
Pacific coast. but officials of the. Amer
ican Flying Club and Air Service men
at Washington are investigating an al
legged circumstance which occurred on
Saturday afternoon at Binghamton
which may make Lieut.. Kiel the winner
Of the elapsed time contest. Both Major
Spatx and Lieut. Kiel were held by rain
for an hour and a half Mt Binghamton.
142 miles from New York. the last con-
troll station they passed through. but
rlthey finally obtained permission OF the
control officer to mount.
seven Minutes Headway.
y 1t is stated that Lieut.. Kiel. at Major
4 Spatz's suggestion. offered him a start OF
4 FIVE minutes Major Spatz took of at
i.5s:56 2-5 p. M, while Lieut.. Kiel
waited until 8 :0s 100 S-5 p. NJ. before
taking the air. Major Spatz landed at
Hazelhurst Field. M,neola, at G 81 :45.
and then again took of and few across
10 Roosevelt Field. where the officials
were waiting. lard.ng at s 30 80. Lieut..
Kiel landed at almost the same time.
Ofncials at Roosevelt Field arc known
TO have wired the control officer at Blng-
hamton TO investigate to ascertain
whether there is any truth In the matter
and report to Washington. Both fliers
are apparently on the best of terms. and
of any kind. They spent most Of the
|'day at the American Flying Club.
Cole Younger, vice-chairman of the
contest committee of the club, said yes
Serday that air service officials in WASH
irgton had notified him in the morning
that instead of starting the return trip
cn October 20, as previously announced.
hiers will be permitted to take on at
any time after forty-eight hours after
reaching the Atlantic or Pacific, and win
be permitted to remain, IL they desire,
ninety-six hours before starting back
across the continent
Both Major Spatz and Lieut. Kiel
pointed out yesterday that owing to
the rain through which they had flown
continuously on Friday and Saturday
their planes were In no shape to turn
about and start Immediately the peril
Gus flight back across the continent
In both cases the motors need a thor
ough looking over and tuning up. and
new wings are also needed The fabric
covering the wings Is loosened as the
result of the beating of the rain, and
most of the "dope"gor stiffening on the
tntering or forward edge il off the
wings.
Change of Ruling Hoped For.
Both were frank in stating that they
would not care to race machines in
COuuitlun DaCk aCIOsb Tie COHi-
nent. They are tired out from their ex-
ertions, and aviation experts at the
American Flying Club agreed that
tired men and ships in need of over
hauling are n bad combination with
which to attempt to cross continent
II Is probable that when these CIR
cumstances are made known in WASH
ington some change In the ruling will
be made. Just what shape Lieut.. May
cards ship in San Francisco is in is
not known here. but IL cannot be fresh
1t was stated.
The principal reasons. why Lieut..
Maynard won the race, aside from his
courage, a quality shared by the other
fliers. were that he was as good me-
chanic as pilot. and drove with his
read as well aB his hands" Il was
asserted at the flying club yesterday.
, Pliers there pointed out that Maynard
worked steadily on his ship for a week
before tho race, tuning up the engine
! and getting everything possible In readi-
ness He also studied the routes, an
currents TO be expected. and other mat
terra When he did get into the air
he nursed his engine every stroke Of
tho way, making sure not TO nut a
strain upon IL until 1t was thoroughly
heated for the work. and listening to
the roar from Its twelve cylinders as a
musician might listen TO a symphony,
we'll as the combination. In this way
he could tell Just at what point he was
getting the most speed possible and at
tlfe same time saving his motor for the
many miles ahead. -,
In the matter OF weather, Lieut. May
nard had the best OF It, for he new
ahead OF the rain which drove the other
hiers down In the Eastern controls. He
encountered high winds over the Rocky
Mountains, but did not have 90 hard a
time as the Western fiiers. who drove
through snowstorms and then ran into
rain in the East. He also had the ad-
vantage OF two hours more Of daylight
than the eastbound fiiers, as he few with
the sun. On the other hand. the pre-
valling winds across the continent are
from the west. on the tall OF tho men
from the Pacific.
Lieut.. smith Expected To-day.
Major spatz said yesterday that he
reached Salt Lake City at r. NJ. on
Wednesday and there was held up win
the rest OF his hiers until next day be-
cause the Green River control field was
covered with snow. At Rock Island and
at Binghamton he lost a total OF three
hours. as did Lieut. Kiel. Major Spatz
expressed sympathy for Lieut. Lowell,
Smith. who led the Pacific hiers until
the last day, and then cracked his pro-
80.