Deutsch and his companions watched the fall horror-struck, and jumping into their motorcars hurried to the spot, convinced that a fatal accident must have occurred. But they found that, although the airship was smashed to pieces, its plucky inventor had almost miraculously escaped unhurt. The wrecked machine had fallen upon the roof of a house in such a way that the keel had caught upon a corner, and the car, which was fastened to it, hung at a perilous angle down the side of a wall. Fortunately Dumont was secured to his car by a leather belt, and he managed to hold on, though in considerable danger lest the keel should break and let him fall, until rescued by a fireman with a rope. His machine was hopelessly ruined; but when asked what he intended to do next he merely answered: “Begin again. Only a little patience is necessary.” A new machine, “Santos Dumont VII.,” was ready in less than a month, and tested on the 6th of September. It behaved beautifully, and all went well until the trail-rope caught in a tree. In liberating it the framework became bent, and the airship was being towed back to its shed when a sudden gust of wind tore it away from those who held it. It immediately rose into the air, and on Dumont opening the valve the whole collapsed and fell to earth with a great shock. Again the lucky inventor escaped unhurt, though owning this time that he had “felt really frightened.” Ten days later, in another trial, the airship came in contact with some trees, which pierced the silk and let out the gas, so that it fell precipitately twenty feet. But the aeronaut appeared to bear a charmed life, for once more he was none the worse for the fall. Several other unsuccessful trials followed, and then, on the 19th of October, Santos Dumont made another grand attempt for the prize. Starting with the wind in his favour, his machine travelled at the rate of thirty miles an hour, and rounded the Eiffel Tower in nine minutes. But in the journey homewards the airship had to struggle with a wind blowing at thirteen miles an hour. In endeavouring to “tack” the machinery became upset, and Dumont, leaving his car, crawled along the framework to the motor, which he succeeded in putting in order again. But this naturally occasioned some delay, and though he accomplished the rest of his journey in eight minutes, the Committee at first decided he had exceeded the allotted time by forty seconds, and so had lost the prize. Great popular indignation was excited by this decision, for public sympathy was all with the daring and persistent young Brazilian, and M. Deutsch himself was most anxious he should receive the award. Finally, he was considered to have fairly won it, and the money, which he afterwards divided among the poor, was formally presented to him.