AERIAL FLIGHTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14148, 25 August 1909, Page 7

AERIAL FLIGHTS.

FRENCH DIRIGIBLE DAMAGED.

THE RH.EIMS CONTESTS.

WORLD'S SPEED RECORD. * By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright. (Received August 25, 12.30 a.m.) Paris, August 2-1. After beating the altitude records and attaining . a height of 1500 metres (nearly 5000 ft), the French military dirigible Clement Bayard, in doing a trial trip before delivery to Russia, and while descending at Maisons Laffitc, was caught in a squall and struck a tree.

The car fell into the Seine, the four occupants swimming safely to the bank.

In the elementary trials at the RKelms contests, M. Paudhate, on a Voison biplane, covered 34$ miles in 56 minutes.

M. Blcriot, in a 50 horse-power monoplane, made a world's speed record, covering 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) in 8 minutes 42 seconds. Mr. Curtiss' biplane then beat this by seven seconds.

The British delegates, headed by General French, are expected to ! arrive at Rheims to-day. AERIAL CHAMPIONSHIP. BLERIOT AND LATHAM. London, August 23. M. Louis Bleriot, the first to fly across the English Channel, and Lieutenant Hubert Latham, the young Frenchman' who twice so nearly got across, are arranging an aerial match, to be decided near London at- the end of September, for a purse of £5000. "MAL D'AIR." The dirigible Clement Bayard, mentioned in the cable, has been built for military purposes, and made successful ascents in the vicinity of Paris a few' months ago. Lieutenant-Colonel Lowther, British Military Attache, and M. Viviani, the socialist Minister for Labour, found themselves fellow passengers on the first trip. Leaving Sartrouvillo, a course was shaped for the Arc de Triomphe. Above this the airship passed at a considerable height. On the return journey, and when above the fortifications near the Neuilly Gate, something went wrong with the motor, and it stopped working. The captain brought the airship's head up to the wind, but while the mishap to the motor w,as being remedied the Clement Bayard behaved in very much the same way as a steamer with a broken propeller in a heavy sea. She pitched and rolled, causing M. Viviani to experience all the sensations of mal-de-mer, which, for want of a better name, one must call " mal d'air." When the airship's engine was got to work -again M. Viviani recovered speedily from his in-

disposition. When the dirigible came to earth he was practically himself again. Asked whether he had enjoyed himself ho replied that he had, except during the breakdown, when the rolling- of the airship made him feel faint and dizzy. At that moment he had wished very much.to bo on solid earth again. Medical science, which has not altogether conquered seasickness, will now have to cast about to find some remedy for its aerial counterpart.