JERSEY CITY, N. J., Mareh %.
(P.—Climbing through cold blue
skies more than five and one-half
miles over Jersey and Manhattan
‘today, Miss Ruth Nichols, Rye, N-
Y.. flier, whe holds coast-to-coast
speed marks, set an unofficial al-
titude recard for women.

The altimeter on her speedy
_Lockheed-Vega monoplane showed
nearly 30,054 feet. The sealed
-barograph’ placéd’ inthe plane by
the National Aeronautic associa-
tion immediately was shipped tc
Washingion for examination.
If it shows 28,074 feet, or more,
Miss Nichols will be awarded the
‘record now held by Elino> Smith,
young Long Island flier.

Miss Nichols was informed that
te attain recognition as the rec-
ord holder, she must beat Miss
Smith’s wark by more than 600
feet.

She took off from Jersey City
airport at 12°35 p. M.. and was
aloft 90 minutes. There was &
30-mile wind blowing when she cir-
cled the city, swung cver Manhat-
tan and started the long climb.

“Everything went fine,” she
said. “the engine worked perfect-
ity. I did not suffer any discom-

s

| fort.
| The plane was equipped with 2
'650-horsepower, Supe r-charged,
rine-cylinder air-cooled motor. It
is the same ship in which she set
| east to west and west te east
aes ae ee ee
 
WASHINGTON (UPI) — The
federal government said Thurs-
day it has spent nearly $2
mulion on President Nixon's
homes in Key Biscayne, Fla.,
and San Clemente. Calif.

The General Services Ad-
ministration (GSA), the federal
housekeeping agency, said
$1,180,522.54 was spent on
Improvement and maintenance
at the Key Biscayne compound
and $703.367.20 was spent for the
San Clemente estate. The San
Clemente figure was revised
upward from a little over
$400.000 and the Key Biscayne
total was the first of its kind.

The GSA released the figures
from official audits it took
following varying reports of the
eost to the government for
additions and improvements.

A White House spokesman
Said all of the money spent was
for security or security-related
items.

The spokesman said none of
the work done on either the

(See NTYOXR Baae 9 Gal fi
 