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Show WINS FAJEJN I Glenn Curtiss Long Interested in Aviation. Had Little Time to Prepare for Con- test in Which He Captured International Inter-national Aviation Cup His Remarkable Biplane. New York. By his achievement in winning the International Aviation Cup at Rheims recently, Glenn H. Curtiss has jumped into world-wide renown in aerial circles. That his victory was a surprise even to his closest friends in this country is expressing ex-pressing it mildly. When Mr. Curtiss left for France on August 5 his machine ma-chine had never been tried out, and he admitted that he was afraid he was taking a big chance with the limited time left him to get in condition at Rheims and try out his motor thoroughly. thor-oughly. But after two or three days' tuning up on the field the machine performed admirably at every appearance, ap-pearance, and when he established a world's record for speed at eight minutes min-utes 32 2-5 seconds for the circuit his American friends predicted that ho would win, and he became a favorite at Rheims. If there is one thing that Curtiss does know thoroughly it is something about motors. He was an enthusiastic enthusiast-ic motor cyclist a few years ago, and held many speed records. He has been manufacturing motor bicycles for several years at his factory in Hammondsport, N. Y.. Quickly realizing real-izing the future of aerial flight, he was one of the earliest in America to devote careful attention to the manufacture manu-facture of aero motors. He was invited in-vited by Prof. Alexander Graham Bell to become one of the six members uf the latter's Areial Experiment association, asso-ciation, and with the exception of the experiments carried on at Baddeck, Nova Scotia, last winter, the greater part of their work in solving problems of aerial flight was done at Hammondsport. Ham-mondsport. It was there that the four aeroplanes designed by members of the association were built and tried out. The third machine, which was the most notable previous to the longdistance long-distance flights of the Silver Dart over .-. .... il -ki Curtiss at Wheel of His Flying Machine the ice at Baddeck last winter was the June Bug. It was with that machine ma-chine that Curtiss challenged for the Scientific American cup, and won in one minute 42 seconds. He was only required to go one kilometer, .621 of a mile. When the Aerial Experiment association asso-ciation was disbanded last spring Mr. Curtiss directed his attention to making mak-ing practical aeroplanes at Hammondsport. Ham-mondsport. and the machines he has turned out embody many of the ideas gained from his work with the association. asso-ciation. The first machine which he completed com-pleted was purchased by the Aeronautic Aero-nautic society of New York city. Mr. Curtiss gave some creditable exhibitions exhibi-tions with it at Morris park in July, and then transferring his flying experiments ex-periments to the Hempstead plains, near Mineola, made his best flight in this country, of 52 minutes 30 seconds on July 1? last, covering 29 miles, which is now the record flight for the Scientific American cup for 1900. Mr. Curtiss' machine which he took to Europe is practically a duplicate of the one he used here with the exception ex-ception of the motor and therein lies the secret of his success. Instead of using a four-cylinder motor he built a special eight-cylinder one, water cooled. It develops 60 horse power, and weighs complete about 200 pounds. He carries a thirteen-gallon gasoline tank and a three-gallon oil tank, the fuel weighing 60 pounds. The engine develops propeller thrust of 280 pounds, against 160 pounds on the old June Bug. His machine, a biplane, is about 30 feet wide, with a total expanse of surface sur-face of 225 feet. The total weight of the entire machine ready for flight Is 700 pounds, about 100 pounds heavier heav-ier than the first machine used at Mineola. It is interesting to note that Curtiss Cur-tiss was the second choice of the Aero Club of America. Efforts had been made to induce one of the Wright brothers to represent America but they declined on account of othei duties. Mr. Curtiss was definitely no 1 i Red of his acceptance by the Aerc club within six weeks of his departure o Europe. |