San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-26
GOODYEAR III
IS WINNER Dr.
BALLOON RACE
Travels Distance of 1883
-. Miles Before ,;;.,ss.
5,.5.s Landing. 80
HONEYWELL IS SECOND
Believe San Antonio Race
J.. Will Stand as One i.
&. Of Best. s,sF

When the Goodyear III came down
five miles north of Rochester, Mimi,
at 1:12 p. m. Friday across the
tracks of the Chicago Great Western
railroad tracks, sweeping telegraph
poles and wires before it, its descent
brought to a close the National Elm
ination Balloon Race for 1924 and
established its pilot, w. II. Van Or
man. as winner of the race.
Measurements made on a map at
the office of the corps area engineer
at Fort Sam Houston gives the UNI
official records of the contestants as
follows: Van Orman, 1888 miles
III. E. HONEYWELL, 1854 miles; Maj.
Norman w. Peek, 1921 miles Her
bert V. Thaden. 1912 miles; Capt.
Edmund w. Hill, $50 miles; B. Fl.
Fournier. 522 miles; and Lieut.. Ash
ley c. Mckinley, 1866 miles.
Captain HONEYWELL landed at San
born, Mimi, Friday morning at S 80.
An adverse wind that was blowing
him back on the course that he had
already covered made it advisable for
him to make a landing.
Third Place BY Nine Miles.
Major Peek was forced to land
about 2 o'clock Friday morning by
severe electrical storm. He icame
down near Ansgar, Iowa, and won
the honor of being the third member
of the American team in the interna-
tional races next summer by travelling
about nine miles farther than Lieuten-
ant Thaden, who landed near Dubu-
que. Iowa, at a. m, Friday.
Captain Hill was also forced down
by electrical storms as were Mr..
Fourier and Lieutenant Mckinley
Captain Hill landed near Moline,
Kan, Fourier near Kaw City, Okla,
and Lieutenant Mckinley near Wap-
anucka. Okla. -
Official compilation Of the dis
tances covered by the seven balloons
in the race will be made by the Ma
tional Aeronautic Association. These
distances are figured by taking the
longitude and latitude of the places
| of the start and finish and computing
| the length of the are of a great circle
| between the two points.
Average Distance S04 Miles.
The 1924 race is considered /,
marked success in every way except
financially. Figures showing the tota
distance and average distance, of bal
looms in former races are not avail
| able in San Antonio. but race off
cials are confident that the San An
| tonic race will stand high among nj
races in both records. The total dis
tance covered by the seven balloons
was 1926 miles, an average Of S0i
miles for each.
A letter congratulating the race Of
ficials hap been received by Lieut.
Col. C.. c. Culver from Maj. A. b.
Lambert. who acted as referee. After
commenting on the smoothness with
which everything connected with the
race was handled, Major Lambert
closed with the suggestion that the
next time some means should be
taken to make the job at least look
difficult.
Unless official figures reverse the
standing of Major Peek and Lieuten-
ant Thaden, Van Orman. Honeywell
| and Peek will be the United States
entrants in the international race.
Wind Tore Balloon.
Prizes offered by the San Antonio
Aeronautic Association will be dis,
tributed as follows: First prize
$1,000. Van Orman: second prize
$500, Honeywell: third prize, $500
Peek; fourth. $500, Thaden :; fifth
5000, Hill; and sixth, 500. Fourier
Each pilot was also paid 500 bonus
for starting in the race. None of the
prizes offered for breaking the Amer
lean or international races were
earned.
Mr.. Fourier, who has returned "a
Gan Antnnin SkotaS that ho uas
thrown into the Arkansas River by
a whirlwind while attempting to deter.
mine his location. At the time be
ply of ballast and wanted to choose
the country in which to land. He
would probably have stayed in the
air four or five hours longer had the
wind not torn his balloon.
Went Up To 1000 Feet.
A strong wind ripped the lower part
Of the balloon and caused it TO form
| parachute by folding into the upper
escaped, and the balloon landed in
the river. 1t was blown against the
trees along the shore and completely
destroyed.
The balloon used by Mr.. Fourier
Antonio during the World War. II
was an army balloon that had been
used for training purposes.
Most of the trip was made at an
altitude of approximately 5000 feet
The highest point reached by the San
Antonio as shown by the paragraph
was 1000 feet.
Mr.. Fournier expressed himself as
being well pleased with the race and
said that he was ably assisted by NJ
+. Wills, his aide.