ACROSS THE SEAS

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 53, 11 September 1928, Page 13

ACROSS THE SEAS

Why.. The air speed was 76 knots, and tho altitude 3200 feet. Visibility was poor, so we commenced to climb. At 5.54 M'Williams reported that tho short-wave radio set was out of action, and that he was trying to repair it. "At 7 p.m. we asked Mac to wireless the destroyer Anzae, asking them to I show searchlights. The radio was still out of order at 7.10. Litchfield ' took drift sights on three water lights. The stars were out, but there was only a very poor horizon. At 7.45 tho sky was very overcast on our port beam, but much clearer to starboard. | ELECTRIC STORM AHEAD. "At 7.50 there were very high cloud banks ahead, and at 7.55 wo approached, what appeared to be a very severe lightning storm, and from then on kept a close look-out for the Anzac. At 8.35 Iwe tested our own searchlight, mid found it 0.k., and at 8.45 our altitude was 5400 feet and wo were climbing more in an endeavour to got'above the electric storms ahead. It was commencing to be very bumpy. At 10 p.m. the altitude was 8000 feet. LIGHTNING AND ICE. "At 10 p.m. the altitude was 8000 ft, and it looked as if we could pass over the storm ahead. Three separate lightning storms were plainly visible. It was not very bumpy, but very cold. Up till 10.10 p.m., when we were at 7000 ft, we had not experienced rain, but the flashes of lightning were blinding. At 10.15 we ran into heavy rain, and Smith again was blind-flying. The altitude was 6800 ft, and air.speed 68 knots. We were climbing. The lightning was so close and so severe that it showed circles of fire, covering the diameter of each of the three propellers. It was particularly bumpy, and reminded both Smithy and myself of our hop from Suva to Brisbane. During the next hour we experienced the- worst stretch. We flew the Southern Cross at 6000 feet. Ice formed not only on the windshield, but on tho undereamage, the engine bearer shafts, and of the wing itself.- At 11.20 the pilot tube which controls the air speed indicator became choked with ice. This, of course, put our air speed indicator 1 out of action. , WORST EXPERIENCE SO FAB. "Lots of rain was forced into our cockpit, and I do not think either of lus has ever been so cold before. At 12.15 a.m. we appeared to be through the worst of it, and for a few minutes had neither rain nor lightning, so we glided down to 5500 feet. In this brief spell we both agreed that these electric storms, were even worse- than tho ones we had experienced on the Suva to Brisbane hop. At 12.20 a.m. %yd ran'into another very severe rain and : lightning storm, and at times our Tate-of-climb meter .was registering downward,, and sometimes upward,

! but only a few stars were out. Our altitude was 6000 feet, and no sooner did wo wipe tho ice off the windshields than they coated up again. Wo were both just chilled to the bone. ■ For the next 1} hours we experienced very bumpy weather and ran through several smaller rain storms. . THE MOON SHOWS UP. "At 3.30 the moon began to show up ahead of us. From 3.30 onwards the weather was fairly clear, and I relieved Smithy at tho controls practically all the time until wo got to Christchureh, except for a few spells, as he had had to do practically the whole of the flying in the bad weather during the night. "From 3.30 onwards we had pretty fair visibility, but we were never able to get below 6400 feet on account of the particularly thick cloud banks below. "At 5 o'clock we saw what appeared to be two mountain caps, covered with snow, protruding above1 the clouds far away on tho starboard beam. "GOOD MORNING TO WELLINGTON." "At 5.20, the first time for hours, we were able to see through the clouds, then only a small opening was available to us, but we glided down through it and found a very pretty harbour below us. We cruised around for about five or ton minutes, and eventually located this place as the northern part of the South Island. At 5.45 o'clock we were in Cook Strait, and decided to call in, as we were early, and say ' Good morning' to Wellington. On our way through we flew at about 1000 feet over the city and suburbs of Wellington for ten minutes. At 5.55 we turned away from Wellington across Cook Strait and down the East Coast of the South Island to Ohristehurch. We followed the coast line, and experienced very bumpy weather, and it was still very cold at 3000 feet. WARMEST WELCOME. "About 7.45 we were met by an escort of four New Zealand Air Force 'planes, and at 7.50 a.m., Sydney time, we landed at the Wigram. Airdrome, to be greeted by the most enthusiastic crowd we had yet met. "Immediately upon arrival we were handed congratulatory telegrams from the Governor-General of Now Zealand and the Prime Minister, and other representative citizens. : ''We were sorry to disappoint yourselves, and probably thousands of radio listeuers-in, by tho failure of our radio equipment. As yet we have been unable to deteet-the original causeof 'the failure of the short-wipe transmitter, but' M'Williams worfced on it i for hours, and just when he had it all apart, and felt that he could re-assem-ble it, and start work, we ran into someof the worst bumps we had ever cxperionced, and hisloose-equipment was scattered all over the floor of the.navigating and wireless cabin."

not because they were spectacular, but b'ecauso they went to show the possibilities of building up trade and passenger services by air. Mr. * Coates said tho Government had decided to make a small recognition of the efforts of the airmen in the form of the presentation of £2000. (Hear, hear.) The Leader of the Opposition (Mr. H. E. Holland) said that the Opposition would join with the Government in any move that it mado to give recognition to the wonderful achievement that had been made by Captain Kingsford Smith and those associated with liim in the flight from Australia. Undoubtedly, it was one of tho greatest achievements of the age, and it was the forerunner, ho thought, of the installation of air communication between this country and not only Australia, but other countries. So far as the Labour Party was concerned, its members would like to render sincerest congratulations to the flyers, and express gratification at the fact that they had mado such a successful flight with such a degree of safety. The flyers were to bo commended on their insistence on the observance of safety conditions and their refusal to be drawn into any-thing-like spectacular stunts such as was involved in the challenge made to them recently. Mr. Holland said he did. not know whether it would be possible for the flyers to come to Wellington, or whether a landing would be possible here) but he would like to suggest to the Prime Minister that he should get into communication with them in order to ascertain if it would be possible for them to visit Wellington and make a landing here. Mr. ■ Holland endorsed what Mr. Coates had said witft respect i to Hood and Monerioff, and added that he thought the very least this country could do should be to mako provision for their dependants. The Government could depend upon it that when that provision was being made it would get support from the Opposition benches, j