Jersey City, N. J.. March 6 (F)—
Climbing through cold blue skies more
than five and one-half miles over
Jersey and Manhattan, Miss Ruth
Nichols. New York society aviatrix
who holds coast-to-coast speed marks,
set an unofficial] altitude record for
women today.

The altimeter on her speedy mono-

sealed barograph placed in the plane
by the National Aeronautic associa-
tion, was immediately shipped to
Washington for examination. If it
Shows 28,074 feet, or more, Miss
Nichols wil] be awarded the record

Miss Nichols was informed that to
‘attain recognition as the record hol-
der, she must beat Mis Smith's
 mark of 27.418 feet by more than
600 fret,

She took off from Jersey City air-
port at 12:33 p. m. and was aloft 90
minutes. There was a 30-mile wind
blowing when she circled the city.
swung over Manhattan and started
the long climb.

_ “Everything went fine.” she said.
“The engine worked perfectly. I did
not suffer any discomfort.”
| She wore a flying suit lined with
reindeer skin and the cockpit of her
plane was heated from the motor ex-
haust. She used oxygen apparatus
and had no difficulty in breathing
even in the thin, cold air at high ai-
titudes. The temperature at the top
of her climb was estimated at 50 de-
below zero by Clarence Cham-
lain, who coached Miss Nichols
for the attempt,
 
By ihe Associated Press. :

Los Angeles, Cal. Aug. 27.—A bill
of complaint demanding an account-
ing of $10,000,000 was filed in the
United States district court today
against Edward L. Doheny and the
Pan-American Petroleum and Trans-
port company. The bill which charges
that stockholders of the company lost
this sum thru alleged fraud on the
part of Doheny in the famous Elk
Hills oil scandal, was filed by a Los
Angeles law firm on behalf of Frank
H. Kunkel, attorney, of Cincinnati,
who brought the suit in the interests
of himself and other stockholders.

The bill declares that the $10,000,000
was lost by the stockholders solely be-
cause Doheny acted fraudulently in
connection with the leasing from for-
mer Secretary cof the Interior Albert
B. Fall of the Elk Hills naval oil re-
serve, and thru large sums spent in
development of the fields themselves,
and elsewhere in connection with the
deal. It demands that an accounting
be made by Doheny and that such
money as was expended in the alleged
giving of a $100,000 bribe to Fall, and
in the development of the fraudulent-
ly leased fields, be returned to the
stockholders.

The complaint declares that neither
Kunkel nor the other stock holders
had any hand in the alleged fraud
whereby the money was lost. He al-
leges that demand was made some
time ago upon the board of directors
of the oil company for the starting of
legal action against Doheny to force
the accounting and recovery of this
money and that the board had done
nothing. He also demands that when
the accounting is rendered, the court
Issue a decree and judgment against
Doheny compelling him personally to
repay this money to the stockholders.

 
 