WATER SPEED RECORD

Evening Star, Issue 23350, 21 August 1939, Page 10

WATER SPEED RECORD

SIR MALCOLM CAMPBELLS TRIUMPH BLUEBIRD ll.'S 141.74 MILES AN HOUR Press Association—;By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, August 19. Sir Malcolm Campbell established _» world record of 141.74 miles an hour in Bluebird 11. on Lake Coniston, Lancashire. Hundreds of holidaymakers lined the lake at dawn. , The conditions. were perfect and there was no incident throughout the attempt. , , ■ ',. ' Sir Malcolm said that the Bluehuji » performance was a credit to the designer and British engineering. “Thera is a devil of a lot more speed in her yet. We are only on the fringe of her capacity,” he said. “I hope to try again after modifications to the hull.’* He revealed that ,he was halfrchoked by’ fumes from the exhaust on the return run and had to stand 1 up several times with his head out of the cockpit struggling- for air. This reduced the speed several miles an hour. He finished with a scarlet face and gasping for breath. The Bluebird’s engines are 12 years old. The designer. Commander Peter du Cane, said the lessons of the Bluebird should be of the greatest value m the future design of flying boat hulls. The average speed for the first of the runs over the measured mile was 140 miles an hour, and that for the return run was 142 miles an hour, IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES OF USE IN NAVAL CRAFT DESIGN* LONDON, August 20. (Received August 21, at 10 a.m.) Sir Malcolm Campbell revealed thafl his world record or 141.74 miles an hour, which he established yesterday on Coniston Water, resulted in most important discoveries vitally affecting the design of high-speed naval craft. “ There is no need to improve on tha new speed,” he said. “1 have dropped on discoveries far more important than merely installing a .new engine and slightly raising the record. - Obviously I am not going to hand them on a plate to either Italy or’ Germany.”