MOSCOW TO ’FRISCO

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 June 1937, Page 7

MOSCOW TO ’FRISCO

RUSSIANS’ GREAT FLIGHT VIA NORTH POLE [by CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] MOSCOW, June 19. Twenty-four hours after their departure the Soviet has lifted the veil of secrecy surrounding the attempt made by the airmen Chakalov, Baydukov, and Belyakov to fly ,to San Francisco via the North Pole. The latest wireless advice received from the fliers states that they had crossed Franz Josef Land and were nearing the Pole. The weather was excellent. The object of the flight is to test the possibility of an air service from Moscow to San Francisco, with an intermediate stop at the special meteorological station at the Pole itself.

A San Francisco message said the Russian Consulate received a report that the Soviet' aeroplane had crossed the North Pole 17i hours after leaving Moscow. It was expected to arrive in San Francisco on Saturday evening. A later message from San Francisco said the Russian airmen sent a wireless message at 9.20 p.m., Pacific standard time. They were then over the Queen Charlotte Islands.” A further message from San Francisco said the Soviet airmen at 12.10 a.ni. Sunday,.Pacific standard time, passed over Vancouver Island. The weather was fine.

FORCED LANDING

(Recd. June 21, 2 p.m.) NEW YORK, June 20. The Soviet airmen, Chakalov Baydukov, and Belyakov, who were attempting to fly from Moscow to San Francisco, via the North Pole,' were forced to land near Vancouver (Washington) owing to a broken oil line. The flyers landed at the army airport at 0.30 p.m.' (E.S.T.)- after sixty-four hours without sleep in the air. They said that they landed to fog around San Francisco, as well as on account of the broken line. Sufficient fuel remained for an additional 750 miles, which was fifty more than the distance to San Francisco. They will await, the arrival of Ambassador Troyanovsky, and then continue the flight to San Francisco. Their first request after landing was for a place to rest, which was quickly provided, and they fell asleep almost instantly.

LATER.

In a telephone conversation with M. Troyanovsky the fliers said that they crossed within a radius of 20 miles of the Pole. It was very cold in the Arctic, and they would have been frozen without their heavy sweaters and fur trousers. Tea and lemon ’juice were the only nourishment during the flight. They lost over a hour through fog over Washington (Oregon) before landing. Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Hull wired congratulations. M. Stalin telephoned to Russian officials at San Francisco, and asked them to convey his congratulations. MRS. PUTNAM. RANGOON, June 19. Mrs. Amelia Earhart Putnam, who is making a flight round the world, has arrived here. SINGAPORE, Juine 20. Mrs Earhart Putnam has left for Bandoeng. TWO AUSTRALIANS KILLED. BRISBANE, June 20. After colliding at an altitude of 500 feet, two Moth machines crashed at Acacia Ridge, on Cooper’s Plains. The pilots respectively were Miss 'Esther Tully, a nurse, and Jack Barrett, and both were killed. The ’planes caught fire. It is thought that Barrett leapt from his falling machine, as his body was some distance from the wreckage. FRENCH STRENGTH. (Received June 21, 1.20 p.m.) PARIS, June 20. The Ministei* of Air (M. Cot), in opening the new airport at Bordeaux, announced that France has increased her modern aerial equipment a hundred and ten per cent., consequently making France’s airforce second only to that of Russia.

CHCH. FORCED LANDING. CHRISTCHURCH, June 20. Engaged on its last flight after the flying display to-day, one of the Canterbury Aero Club’s machines ran out of petrol and had to make a forced' landing in North Hagley Park, -near the United tennis courts, at about 4.30 o’clock in the afternoon. No one was injured, and the aeroplane was undamaged. Tho machine, a Monospar, ZKAET, was flown by Mr J. Kilian, assistantinstructor to tho club. Mr Kilian had looked at tho petrol gauge, and found that there were 15 gallons, according to the indicator. Shortly afterwards tho engine cut. out over pie city, and ho was obliged to make a landing in tho park. Tho discovery was then made that the gauge had blocked, and that the machine's tank w’as empty. There were four passengers in the machine at the time.