Santos Dumont rounds the Eiffel Tower (1901)
#aviation #airplane #racing PARIS, Oct. 19. 1901 —The Santos-Dumont airship ascended at Saint-Cloud at 2:32 o'clock this afternoon, and five minutes afterward began to round the Eiffel Tower. Santos-Dumont completed his trip successfully, but a question arose as to whether it was done within the time limit. M. Deutsch, who offered the prize, said the aeronaut won. The committee, however, declared that M. Santos-Dumont took 30 minutes 40 4-7 seconds to make the trip. M. Deutsch offered a prize of 100,000 francs for any machine that would make the trip from Saint-Cloud to and around the Eiffel Tower and back within thirty minutes. Santos-Dumont started for the first time at 2:20 , but on leaving the park, his guide rope caught in a tree and he was obliged to descend. He started again at 2:42 P. M., rose 250 yards, and then pointed for the Eiffel Tower, the balloon going in a straight line. it was seen, through field-glasses, to arrive at the tower and round it. The time, up ...