ATLANTIC SPANNED

Hawera Star, Volume L, 26 June 1930, Page 5

ATLANTIC SPANNED

Further Laurels for Southern Cross LANDING MADE IN NEWFOUNDLAND Aviators Fly Blind for Hours

(ißy Electric Telegraph —Copyright.) NEW YORK, June 24. Kingsford Smith in the Southern Cross succeeded in crossing the Atlantic from east to west, but he was compelled to land at Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, instead of continuing to New York. . There was a dramatic conclusion to an epic night that was commenced with easy confidence. Dense fog was encountered for hours before Newfoundland was reached and the Southern Cross wandered blindly about amongst the clouds seeking its bearings. For a period radio communicaiton was lost. When at last a broken message came through the ether the tone of nonchalance had given place to one of concern. The intention to seek a landing in Newfoundland was transmitted, but ni the dense fog the landing ground could not be found and urgent appeals were sent out for a ’plane to guide t e lost fliers. At 5.22 a.m. the Harbour Grace field was found and the Southern Cross landed.

At 12.9 p.m. New York time Kingsiord Smith radioed: “OK, old boy. We have been messing about tidying to get our bearings. It is very dark and we are flying blind. The motors are ringed with flames. We axe still 160 miles from Cape Race and are having a dickens of a struggle to keep awake now. The drone of the motors makes one tired. ” For a lengthy period the Southern Cross was trying to work the radio station at Cape Race unsuccessfully. ‘We are within 100 miles of Cape Race and the big stiff doesn’t reply,” said the radio. Then, calling all stations: ‘ ‘lt doesn’t look as if we shall get our bearings just when we wan’t it.” . A message from Halifax Canadian Government wireless station at Cape Race reported at 11.40 p.m. that the radio reception set of the Southern Cross was apparently out of adjustment. The ’plane’s signals could be heard plainly, but attempts to give the ’plane bearings failed. Following the receipt of a brief message, “A faint streak of dawn is showing; we will try for new bearings now,” another period of silence set in, with the radio stations at the “Times” office, Cape Race, the battle ship. Wyoming and the liner Aquitania trying to resume communications. The air, however, was full of interference. It was apparent from the last messages that Kingsford Smith was unable to obtain accurate, bearings, and had rather over-estimated the distance covered. However, he believed he was certainly near Cape Race. Reports from the vicinity of Portland, Maine, indicated that there were thunderstorms there. The “Times” Halifax correspondent reported at 2.40 a.m. that nothing further had been heard on short wave from the Southern Cross. The last communication received there was at 12.20 a.m., when the signals were weaker than when they were previously heard. The ’plane’s silence did not cause undue apprehension, as it may have been due to the fact that the operator had fallen asleep. It was possible that the ’plane was so close that the signals would he experiencing the skip-distance effect. The Cape Breton Flying Club advised Kingsford Smith of the location of the local flying field and offered any necessary assistance. The steamer Transylvania reported that it and another vessel communicated with the Southern Cross, which gave its bearings at approximately 3 a.m. Bearings were given by the Southern Cross to the Cane Race radio station at 12.26 a.m. indicating that the ’plane had been circling the southeastern tip of Newfoundland for some hours endeavouring to establish its position. The Cape Race radio gave the Southern Cross a bearing 70 degrees true at 3.10 a.m. The ’plane had been aloft 29 hours and had nine hours’ supply of petrol left.. The steamer America received a message from the Southern Cross that Kingsford Smith planned to land at either St. John or Harbour Grace, I Newfoundland. 1 The naval radio station at Cape' Elizabeth, Maine, received a message at 12 15 a.m. stating that the Southern Cross had passed over Cape Race. It was obvious that the ’plane had wandered blindly in the fog for a long time, for approximately five horn's after it should have passed Cape Race it radioed the station there that it was “due east of Cape Race. The ships Pennsylvania and Minnesota, were turning their searchlights towards the skv in an endeavour to guide the Southern Cross, which seemed to have its hearings, although it did not report them closely. The “New York Times” resumed communication with the 1 U Cross and received a messages There lias been a very had fog all night. Trouble with the compass held us up nuite a lot. We are afraid we will j have to land in Newfoundland or Nova Scotia for petrol after all. Sorry we have to do this, hut the delay was enormous. We will advise which place i later.” Cape Race radioed at 4.30 a.m.: “The Southern Cross is now hound for Harbour Grace, Newfoundland.” Later the Southern Cross wirelessed that, it could not find the Harbour Grace field under the fog and it. was honed tliev would send a ’plane up. Later the '“Times” radio station heard the Southern Cross calling the Louisbourg radio station: “Please can you do something to guide us to the held. Can von send a machine up quickly a!wive the fog? Please ring Harbour Grace field and tell them to send a machine above the fog.” With increasing urgency the Southern Cross sent out a signal asking nil radio stations to pick up and* transmit a message to Harbour Grace for a ’plane to he sent for. their guidance. The ’plane obviously wandered for three hours in a wide circle in an. effort to get its hearings, and this, it is believed? added to the exhaustion of the fuel, necessitating a descent in Newfoundland. At last came a Harbour Grace message stating that the Southern Cross landed at 5.22 a.m. The “New York Times” received continuous signals from the Southern Cross until 5.15 this morning, when the signals faded out. It is expected, Jrtowever, that the aeroplane will shortly he in communication again. ' A message from Chatham, Massachusetts, states that the Radio Cor-

poration of America, at 7 o’clock local time, picked uo a message from the Southern Cross. The signals, however, were very w-ea.lv. Smith, gave his position as 53degl5min north, 16deg 57mm west. The average ground ispeed was 8-i statute miles an hour. The message stated: “This is satisfactory and leaves us a good margin. All aboard The re-fuelling of the Southern Cross is expected to be arranged later. A report states that a ’plane carrying 125 gallons of petrel departed from the Valley Stream airport for Old Orchard. . . , The “New York Times” received a message from the Southern Cross at 5 a.m. requesting that the following he cabled urgently to England: “Stannage, Snrexton, Buckminster; arrived Newfoundland; landed safely. Love, John.” This is interpreted as Stannage’s desire to reassure his family, although the ’plane was then still in the air.

PARENTS OVERJOYED. NEXT MOVE AWAITED. SYDNEY, June 25. Kin gs fond Smith’s aged parents, residing in the Sydney suburb of Longuevilie. heard the news of Smith’s sale ..•lumiiHg at Harbour Grace at about 9 o’clock Sydney time. They were overjoyed. The mother remarked: “We were not at >aJl worried because the flight had to lie interupted for petrel. The main thing is that the crew landed anilely on the other side of the Atlantic; that’s everything to us. We are' now looking forward to beaming something of Kingsford is next move.” SAFE DESCENT ON FIELD. “HOPE ALMOST ABANDONED.” Received 10.15 a.m. to-day. HARBOUR GRACE, June 25. After circling tho town several times in a heavy fog the Southern Cross landed easily on the aviation field, coming to rest on the ground without any difficulty. Having landed here a few minutes before 6 o’clock, New York time, the Southern Cross had covered 2190 miles after 31 hours 28 minutes in the air. Twenty hours of flying were spent in passing through fog, while strong bead-winds bothered the fliers for the greater part, of the journey. Nothing was visible all the way across the Atlantic save two stars sighted early last night. Heavy clouds obscured the sky, and the ships with which the aviators communicated were invisible because of the clouds and fog. ' When the ’plane was about 500 miles off Newfoundland the compass began to fail, and the aviators believe that thereafter they flew in circles for four hours, their only guidance being the Cape Race signals. When daylight broke they discovered that they were about 100 miles from the Newfoundland coast. Without knowledge of their position they headed for land, with only occasional glimpses of the | headlands. They actually passed Harbour Grace without seeing it, and they then flew westward for an hour. Returning with hope almost abandoned, thev sighted the port and descended. The Southern Cross landed in the same field as that from which Hawker hopped off. Kingsford Smith, commenting on the flight,"said that they would never have I reached Harbour Grace hut for the wonderful radio, without which they would never have got out of the fog. He added that they would have had to fly about waiting for visibility to improve, and with only a few gallons in tho petrol tank, he preferred not to think what might have happened under those circumstances.

Ambassador Lindsay and Commander General Brookes will meet the fliers upon their arrival. It is hoped that if the Southern Cross reaches either Roosevelt Field oi Curtis Wright Field before dark it will be possible to fly the personnel to the Statue of Liberty in an amphibian of Major Walker’s. The reception committee will then land at tiie Battery' and proceed up Broadway to City Hall, under escort, for the Mayoral reception similar to that given Rear-Admiral , Byrd. FLIGHT TO NEW YORK. GOOD WEATHER, PREDICTED. Uoroived 10.30 a.m. to-day. NEW YORK, June 25. l>,\ James Kimball, meteorologist, stated that the 'Southern Cress would I have, fairly good weather for the flignt to- New York after clearing fog in the vicinity of Ne-\vfouudiand. He* adu-ed mat there would be westerly winds oli Halifax and cloudiness and south-west nuis at Nantucket, but these should not, prove a. serious 'hindrance. It is estimated that the flight, which is moie than 1200 statute miles., should, ■however, take only 12 hours.

LEAVING FOR NEW YORK. DEPARTURE AT DAYBREAK. Received 10.30 a.in. to-day. HARBOUR GRACE, June 25. The Southern Cross will leave at daybreak for New York. Kingsford Smith said that a shortage of gasoline was responsible for their failure to reach the United States. They would fly to San Francisco after reaching New York, thereby completing a round-the-world flight. VANCOUVER ENTHUSIASTIC. VTSTT HOPED FOR. Received 10.30 a.m. to-day. VANCOUVER, June 25. In forwarding congratulations to Kingsford Smith ,this city is urging the Southern Cross to fly here on the wav to San Francisco. A huge welcome is being planned, as on the last visit here the fliers expressed tho hope to be able to fly the machine here. NEW YORK PLANS RECEPTION. WAITING WORD OF ARRIVAL. Received noon to-day. i NEW YORK, Juno 25. 1 plans for New York’s reception of j the personnel of the Southern Cross reIjiiaincd in a nebulous state to-day, I pending word from the aviatois as to 1 the time of their arrival.

\' A, I. UE O F W IRE LESS.

PRAISE FOR LAND STATIONS.

Received 11.45 p.m. to-day. HARBOUR GRACE, June 2o

Stannaget, the radio operator, on landing, said that but for directional wireless -they would never have been able to reach Harbour Grace', and lie • raised the Belle Island and Cape Race stations for makuig it possible for them to. land at Harbour Grace.

SHOALS OF CONGRATULATIONS. TRIBUTES TO COURAGE AND ABILITY. Received 11.45 a.m. to-day. NEIW YORK, June 25. A local oil company received the following, message from Kingsford-Smitu at Harbour Grace shortly' before 10 this morning: “Will you authorise 400 gallons of petrol and 12 gallons or oil to enable us to get to New York to-morrow?” Officials of the company advised that fuel was available at Harbour Grace and would be turned over to the fliers immediately. No explanation was offered of the apparent change of plans, which were understood) to provide for the resumption of the flignt today. > Mr Brookes (Australian Trade Commissioner) has forwarded the iolowing. message from Hon. J. Sculliu (Federal Premier) to KingsfordSmitli: “Heartiest congratulations on behalf of the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia. You have added another chapter to Australian achievements in the air.” Rear-Admiral Byrd sent KingsfordSmith the following message: “My companions and I congratulate and your courageous crew on the splendid flight and) upon the care with which the flight' was prepared and carried out. It is noteworthy, and your achievement is one that will, d-o much towards the progress of aviation. I hope to have the opportunity during your stay here to extend personally my congratulations and good wishes.’” The Acting-Secretary of the Navy (Mr Jalineke). telegraphed: “The American Navy extends congratulations to you and your gallant crew. Your courageous feat of crossing the Atlantic and landing safely against great- odds has aroused the admiration of every officer and man in the naval service.”

Walter Himton pilot of NC4 on the first Atlantic flight in 1919 described Kingsford-’Sfnitli’s flight as “his second epochal achievement and! a great contribution. towards the advancement of aviation.”

CONGRATULATIONS FROM PRESS. UNSTINTED~PL AO HITS. Received 11.30 a.m. to-day. NEW YORK. June 25. Afternoon papers enthusiastically herald the Southern Cross. The “Sun” says: “Kingsford Smith arid liis companions must be congratulated upon bringing their ’plane safely to earth on. North American soil.”

The “Evening Post’’ states: “Real feats of valour in the air still have the power to stir the imagination of our people, and they are not air-wearied. As for Kingsford Smith, he will enter all American Valhallas. We arc grateful to him for his radio, and it made us all share in an intellectual experience of his crossing, which saved us the agony of ignorance which accompanied fatal attempts which preceded him.”

The “Evening World” says : “Cheers and congratulations for Kings lord Smith, his companions and the Southern Cross. Theirs was a. thoroughly workmanlike job and was rewarded by a big measure of success.”

AVIATOR'S RESTING MISHAP TO (COMPASS Received 11.45 a.m. to-day. (Copyright in New Zealand by the Australian Press Association. World’s Copyright by the "New York Times.”) HARBOUR GRACE, June 25. Kingsford Smlilt'h arid his associates are now sleeping (noon, Newfoundland time), and wilL be starting at 4 o’clock in the afternoon to oil for the final dash, hut may not take off before daylight. Smith,-when, asked as r to their experience, said: “We had ‘'one licit of a night.’ ” The txip was uneventful until within ten miles of 'Cape Race, although they encountered a heavy gale. For about five hours from this point they encountered a. fog, an d one of their compasses was going wxong. They had to depend on 'directional finding to keep on their icourse, the stations used being Belle Island (in the Strait's of Belle Island) arid Cape Race. The engines and tho ’plane worked like a charm all the way. When they stepped from the ’plane at the landing field' they looked' a's fit -as fiddles, a li'HM'e (bleary-eyed and quite deaf, but there was a. broad smile of contentment on their faces. Their first request was, “Has any one got cigarettes? ’’ and with these they were quickly supplied. The crowd on the landing field gave the aviators a. rousing ovation before ■leaving in taxis for the Hotel Cochrane for ai wash and breakfast. Five hundred miles from Cape Race ,a careful icheick on the instruments was made on a basic position determined from the ships. They decided to rely upon radio information to make their way, since they were then convinced ! that the compass was deranged. They believe they hovered far an hour and a-half over Harbour Grace before determining where they were and 1 making a landing. It is understood chat the aviators will riot- depart before the morning, although they are to be wakened at

4 o’clock in the afternoon, having gone to be'd at 10 in the morning. TRANS-ATLANTIC FLIGHTS. FORMER EXPLOITS RECALLED. Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith’s trans-Atlantic flight recalls a number ol’ attempts, some of which were successful, to cross the North Atlantic. The late Captain H. G. Hawker, an Australian, in 1919 made a bid for the prize of £IO,OOO offered by the London “Daily Mail” for the flight across the Atlantic. On May 18 Commander Mackenzie Grieve, R.N., and Captain Hawker left Newfoundland on the Atlantic flight. Nothing: was heard of these flyers for days, but subsequently news came through that they had fallen into: the sea and had been picked up by a passing ship when they had been almost two hours in the water.

The two airmen kept themselves afloat by clinging to the petrol tank of the machine. When they were taken on board the petrol tank of the machine was also taken up with them, and was at a later date used in the Sopwitli Wallaby machine in which Captain G. C. Mathews left England for Australia a few weeks before the beginning of the Ross Smith flight.

Hawker’s valiant attempt to cross the Atlantic was not without a tinge of romance. When nothing had been heard of him for days, his wife’s faith in his escape from death never wavered.

Two years later, while preparing for the aerial derby at Hendon, his aeroplane was seen to burst into flames at a great height and crash to the earth. Captain Hawker jumped from the machine before it reached the earth, hut was killed. Oil May S, 1929, an American seaplane, NC4, in charge of LieutenantCommander A. O. Read, left for Great Britain by way of tin* Azores. Commander Read reached Lisbon and then flew to Plymouth on May 31. The “Daily Mail” prize was won by the late Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant A. Wliittne Brown, who set out from Newfoundland in June of the same year in a Vickers-Vimy biplane, and landed in Ireland on the followingday. Both airmen received a knighthood.

The South Atlantic lias been crossed a number of times from east to west, but this route is less hazardous than the North Atlantic crossing. No further attempts were made to cross the Atlantic by air until 1925, when Commanders Cabral and Continho left. Lisbon on March 30 for Pernambuco, South America. After forced landings at Las Palmas and St. Vincent de Paul’s rocks, they reached Pernambuco on June 5.

On January 2, 1926, Commandante Franco and Captain Ruiz Alda left Spain, also, for Pernambuco. After leaving Cape Verde Islands their petrol supply failed, and a forced landing was made at the island of Fernando Nornha and the flight, was finished on January 21. . .

Oil May 22 Colonel (then Captain) Lindbergh, crossed from New York to Paris in 33J hours. This was a solo attempt and was one of the most sensational flights on record. Several women have lost their lives in an attempt to cross the Atlantic. In spite of the hazardous nature of such a flight, Miss Amelia Earheart, of Boston, decided to attempt this journey. A tri-motor Fokker was used. She hopped from Newfoundland, on June 17 and landed safely in Wales the next day. The distance covered was about 2000 miles.