Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 October 1910 — BROOKINS VICTOR IN LONG AIR RACE [ARTICLE]

BROOKINS VICTOR IN LONG AIR RACE

Daring Aviator Flies From Chicago to State Capital. WINS SIO,OOO PURSE OFFERED Birdman Cheered by 50,000 People at State Fair at Springfield on Arrival from Chicago—ln Air 6 Hour*, 41 Minutes. Springfield,, 111., Sept 30.—Walter R. Brookins, the young aviator, landed at the state fair grounds Thursday afternoon at 4:25 o’clock, and was cheered by the 50,000 spet tators after he had finished his flight of 185 miles from Chicago, lie left Chicago at 9:16 a. m. The time, including stops, was 7 hours, 10 minutes. The actual time In the air was 5 hours 41 minutes and his average speed for the distance, with stops eliminated, was about 32 miles an hour. Brookins arrived in Springfield two | minutes ahead of the special train with which he had raced from Gilman. 1 In accomplishing this feat he won the SIO,OOO prize for which he was striving, and demolished two records, one I of them the world's record for conj tlnuotis cross country flights, and the i other the American record for susj tained flight. Another record, that of the longest sustained flight ever made in the world, barely missed being set by the young man from Chicago, a piece of bad luck forcing him to descend to the ground a second time just beyond Mount PulaSki. This was 88'miles from Gilman, where, a first stop was made, and 169 miles from Chicago. Brookins’ second stop of the day at Mount Pulaski, was a brief one, the aviator being down only 25 minutes. No harm had befallen the Wright aeroplane he was driving, and the flight to Springfield was resumed after 25 minutes. It was 3:19 when the descent near Mount Pulaski was made, and 3:44 when the flight from the capital was resumed. At this point he was orly 18 ml|es from the capital. In reaching Mount Pulaski only a little over six hours had elapsed since the young aviator left Washington park in the morning. One hour of this time had been lost „&t Gilman, eightyone miles from Chicago, and his average speed, while traveling, had been 33 miles an hour. This was better progress than Brookins had predicted before his First of the records to he demolished by Brookins, was Hamilton’s American cross country record from New York to Philadelphia. * This was surpassed when Brookins went over Mt. Pulaski, eighty-eight miles from Gilman, this dastance being two miles greater than the mileage record of Hamilton. The second record was hung up by Brookins when his total distance travelled from Chicago exceeded 141 miles, set up by Glenn Curtiss In a flight from Albany to New York as the world’s record for a continuous flight between two geographical points, including necessary stops. It took Brookins only 1 hour and 51 minutes to fly from Gilman, eightyone miles from Chicago. where he was forced to stop to replenish his supply of fluel. to Berbeck. sixty-three miles farther on the way to Springfield.