versey City, N. Jd., Maren 6 (4)—
Climbing through cold blue skies
Miss Ruth Nichols, New York soci
ety aviatrix who holds coast-to-coast
speed marks set an unofficial alti-
tude record for women today.

The altimeter on her speedy mon-
oplane showed nearly 30,054 feet.
The sealed barograph placed in the
plane by the National Aeronautic
Association, was immediately sent
to Washington for examination. If
it shows 28,974 feet, or more, Miss
Nichols will be awarded the record
now held by Elinor Smith, young
Long Island flier.

Miss Nichols was informed that to
attain recognition as the record
holder, she must beat Miss Smith's
mark of 27,418 feet by more than
600 feet,

She took off from Jersey City
Airport at 12:33 p. m. and was
aloft 90 minutes. There was a 30-
mile wind blowing when she cir-
cled the city, swung over Manhat-
tan and started the long climh.

“Everything went fine,” she said.
“The engine worked perfectly, I
did not suffer anv discomfort.”
 
WASHINGTON. UPI - The federal
~government—says—it—has~spent-nearly-
$2 million improving President Nixon's
homes in Florida and California, all of
it relating to «security.»

The White House also disclosed that
businessman Robert H. Abplanalp, who
helped the President buy his San Cle-
mente, Calif,, retreat, has been getting
Some money back in the form of rent
associated with Nixons Key Biscayne,
Fla,, place.

A moath ago the White House had
listed $39,000 in federal funds for
improving the.Western White House
at San Clemente since Nixon baught

aa See
 —Ht-in-1960,

Last week, after a. further search
of record, -it raised this figure to
$460,302,

On Thursday, General Services ad-
ministration GSA, the government's
housekeeping agency, said a still more
‘wextensive. audit put .the.totalfedaral
expenditure at San Clemente at $703,-
367 over four fiscal years beginning
July 1, 1969, ‘This included only the re-
Sidence there, not the White House
office space, °

GSA listed for the first time the
federal expenditure for improve-
ments, equipment, operation and main-
tenance at the White House complex
at Key: Biscayne, including both resi-

 

dence and offlcé space - $1,180,522,
spread over five fiscal years begin-
ning July 1, 1968,

Included” in the Key Biscayne figure
was $161,463 for renting two houses in
the complex for the Secret Service and
White House communications staff.

The White House sald one of these
houses is owned by Abplanalp and the
other is owned in the name of Edwin
H, Underwood, trustee for the Indiana
National Bank, Indianapolis,

The White House said all of the tax-
payers’ money spent in San Clemente
and Key Biscayne was for security re-
lated improvements and that all work
was done at the request of the Secret
Service, not the President,

. THE GSA data showed items such as
$53,644 in fiscal year 1970 for interior
security and communications at San
Clemente, It also included $3,303 in
fiscal 1970 for golf carts for the Se-
eret Service patrol at Key Biscayne,
- ‘Two years later there appears ano-
ther item of $5,230 for. three Secret
Service golf carts there.
 