Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-11-06

MITCHELL Field, n. Y. Nov. 5.-(By
A. PD-Lieutenants Afford J. Will
liams and Harold J. Brow, navy air.
men. who during the last few days
have been smashing world speed rec
ords like worthless eggshells, tomor-
row will resume their battle for the
crown of speed king of the ether.
Barred today hT Washington from
taking the air one after the other in
their Navy-Curtiss planes in a mad
dash against the clock to break the
mark of 214.2 miles per hour set yes
terday by Brow on one leg of his H.
kilometcr fight and the high average
rof 1865 for hc entire distance fixed
by Williams. the friendly rivals eager
ly prepared for wing-to- wing race
tomorrow at the air carnival arranged
for the army relief fund.
Although from the spectators point
of view tomorrow's contest. with both
birdmen in the air at once. will be
more thrilling than Yesterdays exhibit
tion. the match will be stripped of one
of it's most dangerous features. That
is diving from an altitude of 5000 feet
or more to within a few feeN of the
ground to pick up speed before Harting
} across the starting line.
Whether deprived of this dropping
start" the airmen will be able TO
reach or pass their former marks re-
manned somewhat in doubt But fly
ing officers of both the army and navy
who watched yesterdays exhibitions
showed clearly that they considered
tremendous dives at more than $50
miles an hour too great a strain on
man. motor and machine. They made
it evident that. while approaching the
good craftsmanship the rivals had
shown, their lives must not be riskcd
too casually to add Il few more miles
per hour TO n speed already too I'M
healthy for normal man.
AS planned tonight, tomorrows
match race will be run as follows:
A three-kilometer course will be
marked off. Starting side by side
against the wind, the birdmen will dart
across the line. race the course and
then separate at the pylon. One will
turn to the right and the other to the
left, meeting again at the pylon to dash
back along the course with the wind
This manoeuvre will be repeated until
the course has been covered four times
meters.
While the racers may easily exceed
$50 miles an hour on the straight
away. they will have to slow down
making the turns or their wings would
be snapped off. Yesterday in the sin
gle flights this loss of speed was
achieved by darting almost vertically
into the air after covering the three
kilometers. BY gaining an altitude of
several thousand feet in a few minutes.
after covering the course hardly $50
feet off the ground. the airmen were
able to bank and turn without strip
ping their wings.
While the Williams-Brow race I'M
doubtedly will attract more notice
from the aeronautically inclined. the
program holds many more thrills for
the ordinary layman, who is expected
to turn out in goodly numbers on
election day for an exhibition which is
designed to arouse even the blase
lounger. used as he is to seeing scores
of airplanes lowering daily over his
head.
One feature. scheduled to take place
just before dusk. will be an attack at
an altitude of 1000 feet on an anchor
ed kite balloon. This balloon. of the
type used during the war for observa-
drogen. Airplanes, engaging in mock
battle. will attack it and during the
fray the balloon is expected to- burst
into fla0cs.
Another event will be the towing of
a glider or sail-planc behind the blimp
Goodyear tee, ordered here from
Aberdeen, Md. Lieutenant Bruce Mar
tine will handle the blimp and Lieuten-
ant Melville w. Asp will pilot the
glider. Cutting loose at about 1000
feet. Asp will attempt to establish a
duration flight record.
Still another feature scheduled is
the appearance on the field of the
giant naval dirigiblc Shenandoah, ex-
pected here from Lakehurst, N. J.
The carnival will be witnessed by
high officers of the army and navy
and New York social leaders have
bought many boxes in the grandstand.