Evening Star Newspaper, July 15, 1923, Page 78

6 BY ED. ¢, KNOLE. 1 HE Pan-American International Committee of Women, created by the women's auxiliary committee of the® United | States of the Second Pan-American | Sclentific Congress, will hold simul- taneous meetings of its national sec- tions in the various capitals of \'nrlh‘{ South and Central America on Colum- | bus day, October 12. The conferences | were originally convoked and the| suggested program dispatched by the | women's auxillary .committee, of which Mrs. Charles Evans Hughes is| chairman. This statement denfou strates that after 4 lapse of many years Christopher Columbus is to re- ceive the recognition he so deeply merits—that after many years this man who, in face of defeat after de- feat, managed to carry out to a suc- cessful conclusion the dream that he had fostered from early boyhood. Part of the recognition to be ac- corded the early explorer is in the *form of ‘the erection of a’ memorial light that will cast its rays for hun- dreds of miles, a beacon that will ever remind mariners of the splendid achievements of one of their kind; a man who, though baffled by many turns of fate, stood by the helm and established communication between two worlds, and by so doing gave to mankind a larger area in which to carry on his undertakings. * kX K HE Columbus light project has been formally indorsed and ‘ap- prdved by the Pan-American confer- ence at Santlago de Chile, and re- newed interest attaches to a project which had Been inftiated s)mo years ago by well known Santo Domingans and fostered by prominent Amerleans, among the latter being mentioned Willlam E. Pulllam, recetver of cus- toms at Santo Domingo, Domfnican republic. The project calls for the crection of a monumental lighthouse at Santo Domingo, where the mortal remains of Christopher Columbus will remain for all time. No more fitting monu- ment than a lighthouse nor a more appropriate spot than Santo Domingo could have been conceived, for it was at Santo Domingo that Colum- bus established the first permanent Christian settlement in what he called the new world. It is the only place in America where he malntain- ed a residence, where he ruled his people and the Indians. It was there that he was, through treachery, tem- porarily shorn of his power and cast into the greatest depths of humilla- tion. He was put in irons, and, in spite of the unpleasant ocowrrences, he always cherished Santo Domingo and before his death requested that his remains be sent to the spot he loved so well. The lighthouse will be a memorial to Columbus in which the peoples of the republics forming the Pan-Ameri- can Union will all participate, and it will for all time direct the attention of the traveling public. Twenty-one republics of the Americas will jointly erect the memorial. This is assured by the action of the representatives assembled at Santlago, all pledging co-operation of their respective coun- tries. The tentative sketch accompanying this article was prepared by Walter F. Bever, consulting engineer, of Washington, who has had wide ex- perience in and is an authority on the design and construction of large lighthouses in this and other coun- tries. He designed and built several of the largest,and truly monumental lighthouses in the great lakes. Beyer also prepared the project for lighting the Panama canal and designed all the structures pertaining to that work. He prepared the scheme of &ids to navigation on the Pacific coast of Panama for the republic of Pan- ama and has made a personal exami- nation and study of the largest and most important lighthouses in France &nd England. THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, JULY 15 Great Lighthouse Planned as Memorial Washington Man Has Drawn Plan for Memorial Which Will Be Placed ‘at Santo Domingo—Twenty- one Republics Will Contribute to Project, Which Will Contain Relics of Columbus—Structure Will Be Ap- proximately 350 Feet High, With Beacon at Top. Lower Portion to Contain Muséum. —ELEVATIOY =350 FT. ___ ABOVE smadE. the family vocation of weaving. The | earlier part of his maritime career | was devoted to journeys of explora- | tion. Columbus claimed to have made a | voyage to the northern seas and to have visited Iceland im 1477. After| his return to Portugal In 1748 he | married Felipa Moniz de Perestrello, | daughter of Bartholomew Perestrello, | who held a rank of captain in the service of Prince Henry, the navi-| gator. Columbus’ wife was a cousin | of the Archbishop of Lisbon. Fol- lowing his marriage Columbus made | maps and charts and in odd moments read carefully the logs and papers | of his now deceased fathor-in-law. He also talked with older men who had “traveled the seas about their] voyages and while it cannot be stated definitely that it was at this time or at an_earller period that he became conviiced of undiscovered lands, | after a period of time his views were presented to the courts of Portugal | and Spain. These views were sep- arated by three principal lines of | argument—namely, natural reasons, | theory of geographers and reports | and traditions of mariners. Colum- | bus was firm in his belief that the | world was sphere shaped. In addi- | tion to the beliofs his contention was | strengthened by the statement that | Martin Vincente, a Portuguese pilot, was alleged to have found a plece of strange wood on the beach, evi- dently from a forelgn land. Pedro Correa, Columbus’ brother-in-law, was also said to have found great pleces of cane. There were also numerous hints and rumors of strange articles being washed ashore | with. hitm Diego, | came s0 shortly afterward. The saflors, be- cause of faintheartedness, refused t6 venture to any greater lengths. When | Columbus discovered this treachery he left Portugal for Spain, taking his son. the only issue of his marriage | Who had dled a few years previously. The next we hear of Columbus is that he has established himself in Spain. There he spent some time in trying to decide whether he should appeal to the King of France. He gav his plans to the Count of Medina Cell, and the latter maintained him as his guest for two years, In fact, Celi be- fmbued with the that he determined to furnish Colum- bus with three or four caravels. Real- izing, however, that the enterprise was too vast for an individual to at- tempt, he wrote to Queen Isabella, who in 1486 ordered Columbus to come to the court of Cordova. Ferdl- nand and Isabella did not have time to glve Columbus the consideration necessary, owing to the fight that “astile and Leon were in, the strug- gle that resulted in the final conquest of Granada Moors, he was placed in the care of Alonso de Quintanilla, who was speedily con- verted to Columbus’ theory. He made many other friends, among whom was Beatriz Enriquez, the mother of his second son, Fernando. The commit- tee, however, who had charge of the matter reported that the plan ot Co- lymbus was impractical. When the court moved to Sala- manca Columbus followed, and it was there that the grand cardinal, Pedro Gonzalez de Mendoza, “the third PART OF THE DETAIL OF THE CARVING ON TOMB OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. HE structure will be approximate- 1y 350 feet high from its base to the focal plaue of the light. The sphere on which will be embrazoned the gontents will be 120 feet in di- ameter and will contaln a magnifi- cent memorial chapel. The lower portion of the structure will consist of memorial museums, in which relics of Columbus will be exhibited. The history of Christopher Colum- bus'is’'a most interesting one. Christopher Columbus. (in Spanish, Cristobal Colon), the eldest son of Domenico Colombo and . Suzanna Fontanarrossa, was born at Genoa oither in 1446 or 1451. Historians do not agree as to the exact date. His father was a wool-comber, & man of some small means. The man who was to startle the world by his dis- coveries as a youth attended the University of Pavia. There he de- voted -himself to astronomy, geome- try and .cosmography, according to the story .written by his son Ferdi- nand. . History .discloses the fact, however, .that at..a.very early. age he became a sailor and later he wa mqun. Mwnmht at different points in the old world. AllL of these facts contributed to the strength of Columbus’ belief” ‘that thero were other ‘lands to be ale- covered. T was necessary because of the vast . Sums needed that some nation or, sovereign aid in any voyage, and upon the accession of John II of Portugal Columbus submitte” to his sovereign this plan for reaching-Asia by western route. The king had been deeply interested in -another project, that of an eastern or south- eastern route around Africa to Indla, this plan having been.initlated by the Genoese in 1291> This scheme hfid been revived for Portugal by, Prince Henry, the' navigator. King John - listened ‘to Columbus and the matter was referred to a-committee of . council for geographical affairs. The council reported adversely. The king, who.was fevertheless:inclined to favor. the theory. of Columbus, again heeded the suggestion -of the Dishap of Ceuta that the project be. carried out without telling Columbus: A short time.afterward .a caravel was Mofl,lg howonl'. * ok ¥ % " proved to be a stanch friend and supporter of the Genoese, and it' was the cardinal who ar- raiiged the first interview ' between ‘Columbus and Queen Isabella. Co- lunibus. had followed the -court from blace .to place, and he Wwas present at the. siege of Malaga. In 1488 the King of Portugal invited him to re- turn. to.that land. -His efforts to ob- tain recognition did not result in a successful outcome -for several years, He was in despair. He went to Huel- va,’a small ‘maritime- village in An- dalusis. * He stopped at'the monastery of La Rablda. 'There he made a firm friend of “Juan ‘ Perez, who invited him to ‘take up his Tesidence in'the monastery. - * k¥ x PEREZ. who had been ‘the confes sor ‘of ‘Queen Isabella, wrote to lier ' régarding * Columbuw, -and 'the queén sent a sufficient sum to' bflnl Columbus once ‘more_to court. ,Co- lumbus, 'in order to secure the best terms imaginable, asked for the.rank of “admiral, of .the. ocean.” .. Nothing ;came. of, these. negotjations, .and.Co- returneg! lumb\u m-mn tor. !'rnoo. In m_l with Felipa, | project | Upon his arrival | To the Explorer, Christopher Columbus meantime, however, the Marquesa de Moya of Luis de Santangel, custodian of the eccleslastical revenues, inter- ceded for Columbus, with the result that Isabella dispatched a messenger and Columbus rgturned to Santa Fe and on the 17th of April, 1492, an agreement was signed and sealed be- tween their catholic majesties and Columbus. Finally the expedition, consisting of the Santa Marla, a deck ship of 100 tons displacement, carrying & crew of 52 men, commanded by Co- lumbus; two caravels, respectively, the Pinta, 30 tons and 18 men, and |the Nina, 40 tons and 18 men, got | under way, the time_being Friday, April 3, 1492, at 8 am. The fleet stood for the Canary Islands. The first mishap to occur to the expedition was when the Pinta lost her rudder. After a turbulent voyage fraught with many. stirring incidents and several false alarms, at 2 am. Friday, October 12, Rodringo de Triana, one of the crew of the Nina, rafsed the cry of “Land!" This was the first view that any member of the expedition had had of the new world. It was an island that the Indlans called Guanahani. Columbus named it San Salvador. In the morn- ing Columbus, wearing rich gar- ments, landed. He carried with him the royal banner of Spain. Columbus took possession, of the island for their Catholic majesties Castile and Leon. Those of the crew who had been on the point of mutiny during the voyage and doubtful as to its ul- timate success prostrated themselves at the feet of Columbus and weeping- ly sought his pardon. Columbus, anx- fous to return to Europe, left & colony and on February 18 he reach- ed the island of Santa Maria, in the Azores. The governor of the island, a Portuguese, refused for some time to recognize the commission that Co- lumbus carrfed. Six days later he was permitted to proceed -and on March 4 he dropped anchor off Lisbon. The King of Portugal received Co- lumbus with the highest honors. The Spanish court was at Barcelona. To their majesties Columbus sent a let- ter by courler announcing his arrival When he entered the gates of the city he was accorded a tumultuous recep- tion and was recelved by the king and queen In full court and at their invitation seated himself and related the story of his voyage. He produced gold, cotton, heretofore unknown plants, parrots, arms, beasts and, last of all, the Indlans. The title of “Don" was conferred upon Columbu: also upon his brothers. He was given the i honor ."( riding at the king's bridle. Other honors were also conferred {upon him. | * Ok ¥ ok ANOTHER expedition welghed an- chor on September 24, 1493. This consisted of three carracks (galleons) and fourteen caravels (1ight frigates). The complement of men was 1,500, The expedition contained eleven mis- sionaries. On Sunday, November Columbus sighted an island which |he later named Dominica. The his- tory of the explorers’ complete ac- tivities is a story of too great length to chronicle in this article. Columbus |returned to Cadiz on June 11, 1496 | HIS reception by hts soverelgns was a most cordlal one. He was presented | | by royal patent with a tract of land ! lin Hispaniola and the title of duke lor marquis. The latter honor he de- clined. He was also to receive one- elghth of the gross and one-tenth of the net profits on each voyage. In ad- dition to other emoluments his two sons were made pages In Queen Isa- | bella’s service. He set sail on May 30, 1498, and on the first of August he | | sighted the mainland of South America, the country for which he had so long been seeking. Historians record the fact that Columbus gath- ered the impression that the different | points of the mainland were Islands. | As usual in the case of men who {have achieved success In countries far afield from their native heath, many whdlwere jealous of Columbus {set out to polson the minds of the king and-queen against him. Demon- strations against him were arranged and Ferdinand, who had never, been overly keen In his support of the discoverer, appointed, on May 21,1499, | Francisco Roldan governor of His- “| pantola, thus displacing and humili- ‘ntlng Columbus. In the meantime Co- | | lumbus had been having trouble with | n..me he had formerly accounted as lrully alds, but he overcame the op- | position in the new world until the | arrival of Bobadilla; the latter put Columbus ‘and his brothers in irons and sailed with them back to Spain. | Columbus managed to smuggle | through a letter to Dona Juana de | Torres, a former nurse of the Infante Don Juan. This letter was read to Isabella, and through her influence popular favor once more turned to- ward Columbus. On December 17, 1500, the day of his appearance at {court, his arms and ankles were no |longer in irons, nor was he in dis- grace; on the contrary, he was dressed |in costly garments and received the {adulation of many friends. Spanish { i | | history is responsible for the state- ment that Isabella was moved to tears upon hearing the story of his persegution from Columbus' lips. Once agaln we find an intrepid ex- plorer sailing, this time in search of a strait through which he might sail Into Portuguese Asla. This was on May 97 1592. It was his last voyage. Christopher Columbus died May 20, 1506. The funeral ceremonies were held at Valladolid and his remains were transferred to the Carthusian monastery at Santa Marla de - las Quevas, Seville. Later they were ex- humed and moved from one place to another until they were removed to Seville after the. Spanish-American war in 1898 I Very Useful Alloys. 1 Now;uuvs chemistry enables man to make over certain of thé most useful metals greatly.to his profit. Abroad, interesting reports have been made on the properties of alloys of copper, aluminum and nfanganese, and these show remarkable peculfari- ties. An alloy of 88 per cent cop- per, 10 per cent aluminum and 2. per | cent manganese showed enormous tenslle strength, a -cold-drawn bar forty .tons per, .square ultimats stress of abaut, M’ tons) per square m | Those first aviation meetings did not the edge of flat fields while men like {Graham. White, Latham, Bieriot, Hamel, and other ploneers, whose having a yield point of approximately | with a friendly word and jest. 2 inch, and an | was,Col.iCody, who, after many kite-|the. amazement of. thé .spectators T is most astonishing &s a re- minder of the rapld progress of mechanical sclence during the | past twenty-one years that a| journalist llke myself, still - young, and almost a babe compared with veterans of Fleet street still on ac- ' tive service, should have seen the| first achlevements in aviation, the | first moter cars plying for hire in the streets, and the first Tnoving ple- tures—three inventions that have changed our human destiny and mentality in an incalculable way, and the last not least. It was, 1 think, in 1900 that I en- countered the first motor “taxi” in! Paris, one of those rattle-bone ma- chines which, as far as Paris is con- cerned, have not improved enor-| mously since that time. But it seemed nothing short of a miracle| then, and it was not until several| years later that they ousted the dear old hansom of London, which now survives only as a historic, relic. * ok % % ] REMEMBER being sent by my paper to describe a night journey in a motor car as a new and exciting adventure, as it certalnly was to me at that time when I traveled down to the Lands End, and saw, for the first time, the white glare of head- lghts on passing milestones and be- wildered cattle, and passed through little sleeping villages where the | noise of our coming was heard as a portent Ly people who jumped out of bed and stared through the win- dow Ulinds. In those days a man who owned a’ car was regarded as a very rich and adventurous fellow, as well as something of a freak, and he was ridiculed with fmmense en- joyment by pedestrians when he was discovered, frequently, lying in the mud beneath his machine, which had hopelessly broken down. Moving pictures have caused some- thing like a revolution in social life, and on balance I believe they have been and are an immense boon to mankind—and womankind, especially in small country towns and villages which, until that invention, had no| form of entertainment. beyond an occasional magic-lantern show or “penny reading.” Looking back upon the almost miraculous progress of aviation, it seems to me, and to many others, that humanity. rose very high and fell very low when it discovered at| lagt the secret of fiight. For thou- sands of years, perhaps from the days when primitive man stood in a lonely world and watched the easy grace, the swift and joyous liberty of the birds above his head, there | has been in the soul of man the| dream of that power to fly. Men lost their lives In valn attempts as far back as the myth of Icarus,| whose waxed wings melted in the| sun. I had no clear vislon of that, spite of the wonderful prophecy H. G. Wells, when I watched the| first feeble attempts of the early| aviators In England and France. in of | air except | For hours, and | we waited on| promise mastery of the by the eye of faith. sometimes for days, names alas! I have forgotten—there | is something terrible and tragic in that quick forgetfulness of herofc adventure—tinkered with their ma- | chi stared at the wind gauge, would not risk the light breeze that | blew, or rose a little, after running like lame ducks around the field, and | crashed again like wounded birds. Death took a heavy toll of them. There was hardly one of those early meetings in which I did not see one or more fatal accldents. * ¥ X % ] 'WAS close to the Hon. Charles Rolls, a very gallant and splendjd fellow, when he fell. That was at the meeting in Bournemouth, when the major challenged noonday itself in an artifictal rose, and everybody seemed bewitched by some spell of midsum- mer madness. That was later than the beginning of flight. The first time I realized the almost limitless possibilities of heavier-than-air machines was at Doncaster, when Col. Cody was among the competitors. The Don-{ caster meeting had been a great fail- the flat fields of the fiylng ground | Dai 1923—PART 5 Watching the First Travelers in the Air : ¥ One of the Early Journalistic Adventures of Sir Philip Gibbs Written By Himself ‘3»4,’)“'. 3 S -4'»".’ GRAHAM WHITE STOPPING FOR REFRESHMENTS ON THE LON- DON-TO-MANCHESTER FLIGHT. and well Harold recommended journalist Ashton—I forward. breathlessly, and helped to drag Cody from beneath the wreckage, dazed and bloody, but not badly hurt. His first words were triumphant: “What did I tell you, bo 1t flew like a bird 1t was patched up again and flew again until Cody was killed. He was truly one of the heroic pioneers, obstinate In faith, heavily in debt, unhelped by any soul, except that son of his who believed in “the old dad.” Tt was he who cured me of skepticism. ran NOTHER revelation of progress rapldly achieved happened which coincided with the Doncaster meeting. I went on from one to the other and found the weather at Blackpool frightful, from the point of view of fiying. Rain poured down heavily, and the wind was violent—so savage, indeed, across 4 at Blackpool, to give him any financial aid, was tor mounted into the fury of the putting the finishing touches to- a|storm. It was Latham, the most homemade biplane, with the help of |dare-devil of the early adventurers his son. It was a monstrous and |of flight. the most passionate and clumsy affair. It had great struts of ill-tempered of them. I think it was bamboo, an enormous spread of win a kind of rage which made him go space, and a petrol tank weighing | up that mfternoon. He was “fed up” |half a ton. This structure, which was | With waiting for moderate weather tled up with string, and old wire, and | and with the little ladies who sur- s of iron was nicknam St. Pauls | rcunded him with ulation and Cathedral, and Noah's Ark, and all Tivalry, as many ef those aviators |Kinds of ridiculous names, by cor-|Were surrounded by girls who were respondents who did not belive in its | their hero worshipers amd their powers of flight, | harpies. It was the most astound- Cody’s plane rose, and, not like a |\nE.flight that had been seen up to bird, but gracefully and gently as u‘:.’;'u e, Latha machiie lwas butterfly, was wafted above our|ike 2 frall craft in a rough sea. heads and flew steadily across the | The Wind furies shricked and tried B y to tear this thing to pieces. It stag- fleld. We chased it. shouting and | ereg and strained, and’ seemed to cheering. It seemed to us like be tossed like a bit of paper in that miracle. It was a miracle—man’s | wilg wind. At times the power of conquest of flight. the engine seemed to be xactly Presently, aftep three minutes, 1|equaled Ly the force of the wir think, ‘something happened.” The and it remained oft, making no great airplane staggered back, | progress, but shuddering, as it were. flagged, and took a nose dive to|until Latham wrenched it round and learth, where it lay with its engine evaded the direct blast. He flew at dug deep into the soil and a con- '@ terr speed. with the wind be- fusion of twisted wires and broken |hind him. rising and dipping with anvas about it. With two or three | tilted wings, like a sea gull in a other men—among them a brilliant Storm. The correspondents on the press stand went @ little mad at the sight and rose and cheered hoarsely, {with a sense of fear, because this {man seemed to be courting death. We expected him to crash at any mément. One voice rose above all the others, and rolled out words which I have never forgotten. “You splendid fool!, Come down! Come down'" - It was Berzini, the Italian corre- spondent, the most brilliant descrip- tive writer in the world. Like an Italian of the Medici family, with} lon; nose and olive skin and dark! liquid eyes, Latham's hegoic exploit | stirred him to a passion of emotion, and tears poured down his face. His description of that flight was one of | the finest things I have ever read * ok K X (QYE of the most cxciting episodes of those early days of record making was when Graham competed with Paulham in a race from London to Manchester, With Ernest Perris, the news editor of the Chronicle, and Rowan,.one of BLERIOT’S' ARRIVAL AT DOVER AFTER HIS FLIGHT ACROSS THE CHANNEL. GIBBS “WAS WITH THE FIRST PERSONS WHO GREETED HIM AFTER HIS UNEXPECTED LANDI ure from’ the public point of view. There was very little flying, owing to bad weatheér and elementary aero- planes, The aviators sulked in their | tents, and the gloomy atmosphere | was deepened by some financial troubles-sf the organizers, so that the gate money was selzed to liquidate their debts. At least that was the jrumor,. as T remember it. But there iwas one. cheerful man, ever ready That Mfll "experiments on behalt of [the ”m.o"m'- which bad: falled, that it uprooteg the poles of the press tent and- made, the canvas flap like clothes hung out to dry on a gusty ddty. - Before this pavilion finally col- lapsed-in the gale I used it as a writing place, and remember sitting there with ‘Bart Kennedy, with our collars tucked up, trying to keep our paper dry and our tempers coGl. There was. “half a. gale as sea- men would have called.it, with the wind &t sixty miles an. hour, and. t. hopes of who _had . given up all. wneh.lnt a:flight’ that day, an avia-| the correspondents, I set out in a powerful motor car to follow .the flight, which, began shortly before dark. Graham White's plan ‘was to fiy by night—the first time such an exploit had been attempted—and he thought that our headlights might help as some guide outside of London. We lost him almost at once, and after wild motor ride at a breakneck pace in the darkness, decided that we hould never see him again. He had orobably, hit a_tree, and was.lying \ead in some field. Many other, corre- spondents . had_motored ‘out, but' we a White i [lost them all, and halted at the side of a lonely road where we heard yoices shouting to each other iy French. 3 “Perhaps they are Graham White's mechanics,” 1 said to Perris This guess proved to be'right, and upon inquiry from the men we found that Graham White had had engine trouble, and had alighted In some garden not far from where we 8100 It was a little country village though I cannot recollect its or whereabouts, and after trampiny across flelds, we saw a wit lights shining from all its windows. It was the village rectory, remote from the world and all the excite- ments of life,“until, out of the dar} , 4 great bird had dropped into garden, with the nolise From the wings of the bi a young man, dirty, half da freezing cold, and drunk fatigue, staggered out, banged at ti door, and asked for food and a placs to sleep. The clergyman's wife an the clergyman’s daughter rose to ti occasion, as Englishwomen do i times of crisis. They dressed then selves, made some coffee, cookeu son boiled egg: lighted blg fires, and unfroze the bird man. He wa Iready abed, after a plea to called at the first gleam of dawu. hen we arrived. Preseatly other motorists arrived, all cold and hun- liry and muddy. house n the dragon. Before the dawn Graham Whi was down from his bed, thoroughl bad tempered and abominably rude fgr which there was ample excuse as word was brought that Paulha was well ahead, zlthough he, toc had dropped into a field. Perris and !1 urged him not to fy again befor jdaybreak, but he told us to go to tI faevil, and insisted on getting awa in the darkness. We took to the ca again, walted untfl we heard t 'ruur of Graham White's engines, ar saw him pass overhead like a gre black bat. Then chased |again and lost him agatn. to earth with more engine trouble | a ploughed fléld not long after dawr A little crowd of people gathered round him, and I saw of correspondents who had started fros {London at the me time selves—now disheveled, pale dirty In the bleak dawn. we He can as our * x % % NOTHER historic event was the il all-round-England race, which became a duel between two famous Frenchmen, Vedrennes and Beau- mont. The first named was a rough, brutal, foul-mouth mechanic with immense courage and skiil The: second was a naval officer of most charming and gallant personality Beaumont came to Brooklands fter his successful nd wonderful flight only a few minutes ahead Vedrennes. A great crowd of men land women, In which there were nummber of pretty ladies wlo had motored out early from Londa», had mbled at Brooklands to che winner, but, as always aviong crowds, thelr sympathy was by the man who had just missed the first prize. When Ved | rennes appeared In sight there w: a rush to meet him. He stepped | out of his machine, and looked fierce f1y When some one told him that Beaumont had arrived first he raised both his clenched fists and cried out a foul and fright- ful oath—fortunately in French Then he burst into tears, and, look ing round in a dazed way, asked ii there was any woman who would Kiss him. A little French woman i the crowd stepped shyly out, and Vedrennes flung his greasy arms about her and kissed her emotion {ally. It was characteristic of the | French soul that in the moment of -I\Ss tragic disappointment he sh |have sought a woman's arms, !a boy who goes to his mothér in dis itress. I have never forgotten that little episode, and I have seen sim flar things in time of war. It was Alfred Harmsworth the Daily Mail which put up all the prizes for these record-making fiights {and the man who was afterward {Lord Northcliffe deserved all th honor he gained for his generous back the English excited around. and far-seeing encouragement of aviation. The Dafly Mail had an immens- staft of correspondents on both sides of the channel for the first channel flight and a wireless installation b which they could signal to each oth ler. Without any assistance of that kind I had to kep my eye on bot sides of the channel, which I crossed almost every day for about a fort night. Latham was vague about th possibilities of his start. He migh go any morning at dawn. Du morning after morning passed the French destroyers which been lent by the French government | to patrol the channel in case. he fell in again prepared to steam away | Seviral correspondents—English and French—used to spend the night o a Calais tugboat lying off Sangatte and I joined them there the night before Latham assured us all that he would go next day. Something happened at that time to Latham—I think his nerve gave way tempora- ! rily, owing to the strain of walting iand continued engine trouble. He went about looking depressed and wretched, and he was as white as & sheet after an interview with the commander of a French destroyer, had who informed him that he could 'wall no longer, * k% % CROSSED over. to Dover, deciding that the English side might be the best place to wait, after all. cspecially as nobody seemed likely to cross. That ¥ery morning Bleriot came over in his aeroplane like bird, and there was not a soul to see him come. The Daily Mail staff were in bed and asleep, and I and other men of other papers were, by ;& lucky fluke, first on the scene to greet the man who had done the worst thing that has.ever been done to England—though we did not guess it at the time. It was in the war that T completed my studies of aviation and its cou- uest. On mornings of great aughter, scores of times, hundreds of times, I saw our boys fly out as, heralds of battle.