END OF ATLANTIC FLIGHT

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22436, 24 June 1938, Page 18

END OF ATLANTIC FLIGHT

Miss Batten’s Arrival At Natal, Brazil VISIT TO RIO DE JANEIRO Long Southward Journey [Published by "The Press” under special arrangement.) CHAPTER XI (Continued). When the refuelling was completed we left the aerodrome and drove toward Natal. The car was well sprung, and sinking deep into the comfortable seat I breathed a sigh of relief. Closing my eyes, I could still hear the roar of the 200 h.p. engine, and it was difficult to realise that the flight was over and I was really in South America, and not still over the ocean. The terrible storms seemed a long way off now. I must have slept for a few minutes, for on opening my eyes I'saw that we were driving along a track above which the dark green trees of the jungle towered like a gyeat arch. The road was not good; it was fortunate that the car was so well sprung. At one stage to pass another car we had to mount the bahk by the roadside and drive along at an alarming angle. [“What a tejrible road! Is it the main one, and do they drive the air line passengers along this to the aerodrome?” I inquired. "Therfe aren’t any regular passengers,” said my companions. “You see, the trans-Atlantic aeroplanes don’t take passengers—only mail—and the Clipper ships of the Pan American Airways are flying-boats, and they land down at the port.”

Car Stopped by Armed Guard As we were about to enter Natal the car was stopped by an armed guard. My friends were closely questioned. I was very glad that I had left my revolver at Thies, for in all probability it would have been confiscated. It appeared that special precautions v " were being taken because of recent trouble and the imminent possibility. *. of a revolution. On being assured that the car contained no firearms the soldiers allowed us to drive on into the town. We stopped outside a large ' - house, and traced our way through a garden, the beauty of which I did not realise until next morning, when daylight revealed it in all its glory. After a refreshing bath I changed my fly-ing-suit for a frock and joined my friends, who were genuinely surprised at the sudden transformation of the tired aviftor. “If you listen to the radio you may hear the announcement, of your flight being broadcast from London,” said my. host, looking at his watch, “It’s just about time for the news broadcast,” he added. Drawing a chair close up •to the radio set I sat down and listened intently. I could still hear the rpar of my engine, which had made me practically deaf “There it is,” said my friend, and through the roaring far, far away, 1 heard a voice speaking. There was a pause, then quite, clearly the voice, came through again: “Miss Jean Batw ten successfully completed her flight from England to South America by ■ landing at the aerodrome at Port ill Natal, Brazil, this afternoon. Her total time for the flight from England was 61 hours 15 minutes, and this lowers ... by almost a whole day the record ri previously held by Mr James Mollison." The voice paused again, then continued broadcasting the rest of the news. I turned to my host. “It is wonder•ful to think that within a few hours "1" of .the landing the news is being sent out from London.” Until I heard the voice broadcasting the news it had all seemed unreal and more like a aM dream, but now the realisation that the flight was accomplished came to -1“ me, and I experienced once again tne greatest and most lasting of joys: the joy of achievement. CHAPTER XII , V lOn arrival at Natal I had considered the idea of flying on to New York and seeing the United States, but owing J to-the further texpense involved decided instead to fly southward and 1 ‘ see Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, and 111 Buenos Aires before shipping the Gull - back to England. The flight southward was an interest- - ing one: storms had been forecast, but I was not expecting the series of flerce,tropical rain-storms which I encountered. More than once I nearly - ; turned back. The storms, although of almost monsoonal intensity, did not extend over a very great area, however, and it seldom took more than 10 or 15 minutes to fly through one of . them. On one occasion, flying low over ■'' the tree-tops. I opened the windows, “ for. the heat was intense and gteat columns of steam arose from the hot jungle. A strong, exotic perfume was wafted into the cabin, and I realised that among the trees of the steaming jungle must be thousands of glorious IT' orchids. Often I would look down and , search the dark green, tropical vegetation for some glimpse of the lovely flowers. Although I knew that some of the rarest of orchids were to be

found growing on the tree-tops there was no sign of their exquisite colouring in the jungle beneath. Here and there I would see great purple patches of bougainvillea. A Vast Country - Gazing down on the tropical vegetation as mile after mile slipped by on the long flight southward, I began to realise the - vastness of the great country to which I had flown. I tried to .remember some of the overwhelm- ~ ing details I had come across while studying the flying conditions in Brazil before setting out from England. The , fourth largest country in the world, . with an area of 3,300.000 square miles, T' . approximately four-fifths the size of !! I" Europe, with a seaboard of 4000 miles, there seemed very little that the great country was unable to produce. With the rarest of orchids and exquisite Morpho blue butterflies (whose wings are used for jewellery), the wonderful mineral riches and infinite variety of precious gems, the huge coffee and cotrv’r'lßt* plantations, great cattle stations. ->. n and the thousand million acres of timber-producing forest area which form only a percentage of its vast natural resources Brazil seems to the flier . almost a world in itself. I remembered how my host at Natal had smiled at my disappointment when it was found that there was no room for

the huge pineapples which had been brought to the aerodrome for me. “Perhaps one will be all right there,” I had said, balancing one of the large fruits on top of the auxiliary where it had looked so comical. Realising that it might fall forward and interfere with the controls I reluctantly removed it from the cockpit. There were plenty of pineapples to be had in Rio, my friend assured me. A ripple of amusement ran round the crowd at my astonishment on learning that nearly 90,000,000 pineapples were exported each year from Brazil. - Deadly Fish of Brazilian Rivers Innumerable little islands dotted some of the great rivers as they curved toward the Atlantic. Flying low over them, I searched vainly for a glimpse of any crocodiles such as I had seen on my flights over Sumatra, in the Dutch East Indies. There was no sign of life, however, but swimming in the deep waters were probably shoals of the deadly little native fish which live in many of the Brazilian rivers. These fish, although so tiny, swim in vast shoals and are particularly vicious. They will set upon any living thing entering the water, and within a few minutes will have nibbled every ounce of flesh off its bones. One story I heard was of a man who, when trying to cross a river, was attacked by a shoal of these fish and dragged under the water. Only a few hours later his skeleton was found without a single piece of flesh left on the bones.

One of the most interesting-looking cities over which I flew was San Salvador, or Bahia a sit was marked on my map. There were innumerable' churches to be seen, and it is said that at one time there was a church for every day of the year. I believe the full name of this city, the third largest In Brazil, is Bahia de Sao Salvador de todos os Santos, meaning “Bay of the Holy Saviour of All Saints.” At one time Bahia was the capital of Brazil, long before Rio de Janeiro was discovered by the Portuguese sailors, who thought that the harbour was the mouth of a great river and named it Rio de Janeiro—“ River of January.” Flying over Bahia I saw that it was built partly on the side of the bay and partly on a plateau about 200 ft high. Connecting the lower part of the town to the upper I could see a high white lift. It appeared to be a very prosperous town, and I learned later that it is the centre of the cocoa and tobacco trades, also that it was from Bahia that the navel orange was transplanted to California. Safe Landing on Beach Only 50 miles north of Rio a bad petrol leak exhausted my fuel fortunately I was able to land safely on a beach. I telegraphed to Rio. and kind military pilots from the Cainpo dos Aflonsos air base brought succour on this occasion. When the thirsty Gull was rc -:n>shed I flew on to the Brazilian capital. (To be Continued.)