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NEW YORK HERALD. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1911.—EIGHTEEN PAGES.—[COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY THE NEW YORK HERALD COMPANY.] Twenty-Five Thousand Persons Witness Spectacular and Thrilling Aviation Feats at Nassau Field Nearly Seven Thousand Pieces of Mail Matter Sent by the Aerial Post. MISS MOISANT A WINNER She Earns the Rodman Wanamaker Trophy by Her Flight for Altitude. To-Day' Programme. 2:30 P.M.—Speed contest for monoplanes; five miles (four laps) for heats; ten miles (eight laps) for final. First prize, $600; second, $300; third, $100. 3:30 P.M.—Bomb throwing contest; open to all types of aeroplanes; bombs to be thrown by women passengers or women pilots. First prize, $300; second, $150; third, $50. 4:30 P.M.—Special exhibition flying and attempts at records by women pilots. 5 P.M.—Cross country race for biplanes; course to be announced. First prize, $600; second, $300; third, $100. All records for aviation crowds were broken when twenty-five thousand persons crowded upon the field of the Nassau Boulevard yesterday afternoon. New York awakened slowly. Last year the greatest events in aviation ever witnessed until that time in this or any other country drew comparatively small crowds, but the throng that poured forth from New York and from all the surrounding country yesterday was all the evidence needed that the work of the men who have made the conquest of the air in the face of death has conquered the sport-loving people of this country. It was a crowd that was as interesting as the events themselves that gathered at Nassau Boulevard. They came in automobiles, in trains and on foot from nearby points, and in the parking space 3,500 cars were counted at one time. For a while there was danger of a grave disappointment, as Bishop Burgess, of Long Island, and Canon Chase had lodged with Sheriff Charles T. D. Mott a protest against holding races for prizes on Sunday and Sheriff Mott had notified Mr. Timothy L. Woodruff that if such races were held he would place Mr. Woodruff under arrest. On this account it was announced that none of the prizes would be awarded, and that the aviators would fly in the different contests for the pure love of sport. In some way, however, every aviator seemed to have obtained the impression that the amount of the prize contested for would reach him ultimately in an indirect way, and the events were as spiritedly contested as though there had been no protest. Interest Well Sustained. The events were all of a character to arouse interest and maintain it from first to last. The speed contest between an automobile, driven by Louis Disbrow, and an aeroplane was postponed until to-day, but all the other events were contested, and an added event, a quick starting contest, was substituted for the automobile-aeroplane race. The most important event of the day in the eyes of the women present was the altitude contest for the beautiful bronze offered by Mr. Rodman Wanamaker for the greatest altitude attained by a woman pilot. This was won, uncontested, by Miss Matilde Moisant, who reached twelve hundred feet in her Bleriot type monoplane. Mlle. Dutrieu and Miss Harriet Quimby were unable to take part in this contest, as their machines had not yet been assembled. Mlle. Dutrieu will have her aeroplane ready for flying to-day, which is to be a day wholly given to women pilots, save for the posponed automobile-aeroplane race. Four women pilots will be ready to fly to-day and they will all compete. Anna Held, who will make an ascent [[incomplete]] [[image]] [[captions]] MR. SOPWITH'S CLOSE TURN AT A PYLON THE RODMAN WANAMAKER TROPHY MLLE. HELENE DUTRIEU MISS MATILDA MOISANT [[/captions]] Mineola. Mr. Ovington was commissioned to ascend, write a letter while in the air and drop this message to the judges. The feat was intended to demonstrate the facility with which an air scout could spy out a section of country, write his report, drop it into camp and continue his aerial scouting without descending. Mr. Ovington had a small board fastened desk fashion just in front of the steering wheel of his machine. At the bottom of the page a reporter for the HERALD and two others signed a statement to the effect that it was blank when Mr. Ovington started off. Mr. Ovington then climbed into the machine, whirled off and circled high above the field. A few minutes later a sheet of paper, weighted, dropped in front of the judges' stand, and when it was opened was found to contain the following message:— "September 24. "Mr. Timothy L. Woodruff, Aero Club of America, Nassau Boulevard:— "Dear Mr. Woodruff:—Congratulations on success of America's most successful aviation meet. Sincerely, "EARLE L. OVINGTON." "P. S. Some gusty up here, but field looks fine." The writing was rather scrawly in one or two places where the machine had tilted as the note was being written, but it was perfectly legible and the army of officers present were enthusiastic in praise of th feat. It demonstrated that a scout, with a pad fastened in front of him, could keep scribbling notes of what he observed as long as he cared to stay in the air and could keep his commanding officer fully informed of all the movements of the enemy without having to descend to make his reports or without having to carry a passenger scout. The feat required cool nerve, steadiness and absolute control of the machine, for it was necessary to take ont hand from the steering wheel while writing. When Mr. Ovington descended the lower part of his face looked like a bit of old fashioned splatter-dash work. It was freckled and freckled with ink. "I got something of a scare along with that ink," said Mr. Ovington laughingly. "I carried my fountain pen in my mouth, point outward, as that was the only way I could have it ready. While I was whirling along I suddenly felt a fine spray on my face and though, of course, it was the gasolene spraying, and I was jut about to come down when I wiped my face and saw that my hand was covered with ink. I could have written all sorts of letters while I was up there." It was just twenty-five minutes after five o'clock when Mr. Ovington started up. His mail sack weighed fourteen pounds and was quite an additional load, but his machine lifted into the air and soared gracefully away toward Mineola, while the crowd rose to its feet and cheered him as long as he was in sight. Ten minutes later Mr. Sopwith carried off the second mail bag. They were received at Mineola by Postmaster Voorhis, of Brooklyn, and Chief Post Office Inspector Dickson, who tossed the sacks into an automobile and rushed them off to the Brooklyn post office. Relay Races Exciting. The relay races between ten aviators in five teams also around the crowd to almost hysterical excitement. In this face the first aviator flew five miles, descended, delivered his message to his team mate, who took it and whirled off for another five miles. This race was won by Mr. Sopwith, in a Bleriot, who delivered his message to Claude Grahame-White, who dashed off with it in his "Baby Grahame-White." The time was 13m. 15s. The cross country flight was also won by Claude Grahame-White in this baby machine. The trip to Belmont Park, thence to Mineola and back to Belmont Park and then to Nassau Boulevard, a distance of eighteen miles, was done in 17m. 5 2-5s. Mr. Sopwith, the only competitor, did the distance in 18m. 41 1-5s. Summaries. First (Added) Event—Quick Starting Contest.—Won by Eugene Ely, 96 feet; George W. Beatty, 100 feet; Lieutenant T. De Witt Milling, U. S. A., 106 feet 8 inches; Claude Grahame-White, 117 feet; Lieutenant Theodore E. Ellyson, 118 feet 1 inch; Thomas O. M. Sopwith, 118 feet 9 inches; Harry Atwood, 122 feet 8 inches, and J. A. D. McCurdy, 129 feet. First Event—Speed Contest for Bi-planes; Heats five Miles—First heat won by Thomas O. M. Sopwith; second heat won by Eugene Ely; third heat won by Harry Atwood; fourth heat won by Captain Paul W. Beck, U. S. A. Final, ten miles.—Won by Ely, 11 minutes 12 1-5 seconds; second, Captain Beck, 12 minutes 39 2-5 seconds; third, Sopwith, 15 minutes 49 seconds. Atwood did not enter the final. Second Event.—Relay Race Between Teams of Two Aviators; five Miles. Winners, Sopworth, in a Bleriot, relieved by Grahame-White in his Baby Grahame-White, 13 minutes 15 seconds; second Ely and Arnold, 14 minutes 4-5 second; third, Hammond and Atwood, 14 minutes 3 3-5 seconds; fourth, Ovington and Lieutenant Milling, 15 minutes 37 1/2 seconds; fifth, Beatty and Ellyson, 16 minutes 34 2-5 seconds. Third Event — Rodman Wanamaker Trophy for the Greatest Altitude by Women Pilots.—Won, uncontested, by Matilde Moisant, altitude 1,200 feet. Fifth Event—Cross Country Race fo Monoplanes.—Won by Claude Grahame-White, 17 minutes 5 2-5 seconds; second, Thomas O. M. Sopwith, 18 minutes 41 1-5 seconds. The fourth event, the race between an aeroplane and automobile, was postponed until to-day.
