Southern Cross at New York

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 161, 27 June 1930, Page 5

Southern Cross at New York

Epic Story of a Great Flight

Magnificent Feat Splendidly Accomplished

Large Crowds at Roosevelt Field

Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith has justified his own confident optimism. He has “made it,” and made new history at the same time. Shortly after 11 a.m. to-day, by New Zealand time, he made a spectacular landing at New York, thus triumphantly completing a uniquely difficult and dangerous task. This colossal achievement places him in the very first rank of the world’s great aviators and reflects the utmost credit upon Britain’s overseas Dominions. The detailed story" of the flight is given below.

ANOTHER SPLENDID START. (United Press Association—By Cable— Copyright.) Harbour Grace, June 26. The Southern Cross departed perfectly for New York at 3.05 New York standard time. The fliers were fresh after their rest and lost little, time in resuming the Hight when dawn broke over the historic air field. The aviators expect to cover the 1100 miles to the Roosevelt Field, Long Island, in twelve to fourteen hours. They will probably arrive at New York late in tho afternoon. FLYING BLIND. BUT GOING STRONG. New York, June 26. Tho following messages were received trom hingstord-Bimth between 5.37 and 6.02 tins morning;— “Head winds fairly strong. Expect if they continue we will not make New York till about six New York time. The Southern Cross is better than ever alter the night’s rest. Personally 1 greatly regret my not fulfilling my part of the arrangement by landing in the United States, but I do not believe in complaining. Cheerio.” “The weather is now almost perfect. What a contrast to the lust trip.”

“By golly, it’s bumpy this morning. Will land westerly end Roosevelt Field as advised. Old machine behaving .perfectly. Cheerio.” “Inform Grove Whalen (Mayor’s functionary for receiving distinguished visitors) will fly oevr New York before landing. Advise you time some hours before.”

A message was received at 6.30 this morning from the Southern Cross asking for bearings and stating: “Flying blind again.” (Tho “New York Times’ ” operator explains that they probably arc flying in a fog again and are changing from 33 metres to 600, or the compass radio wave, in order to obtain radio bearings.) Having obtained his bearings Stannage then proceeded to send a long stream of telegrams and cablegrams to various parts of the world, thanking persons who had congratulated the Southern Cross personnel. A large number of requests have heen received by Kingsford Smith from cities throughout the United States to bo a guest of honour and participate in entertainment programmes Many of these he is compelled to decline. Kingsford Smith sent the following message to Mr. Scullin through Mr. Brookes:—“Please thank the Prime Minister on behalf of self and crew of the Southern Cross. Glad to keep Australian aviation up-to-date.” PROGRESS REPORT. (United Press Association—By CableCopyright.l (Received 27, 9.10 a.m.) Naw York, June 2G. The Mackay radio intercepted a message from the Southern Cross stating that at 5.30 a.m. they were flying over Burin Peninsula, 140 miles southwest of Harbour Grace, and averaging approximately 90 miles an hour for the first 85 minutes in the air. ’ A Roosevelt field message states that Superintendent Kelly wirelessed Kingsford Smith requesting that he bring the Southern Cross down in the western field of the port, as there they can handle the crowds better, and also because of tho fact that tho reception committee will be there. ALL READY. Everything has been put in readiness at Roosevelt field for the arrival of tho Southern Cross. There is an adequate ground crew to facilitate hangaring the ’piano and a special police force of 50 men to handle the crowds, which are expected to be large. Conditions are idea] for landing. There is a light north by north-west wind prevailing, which will give tho Southern Cross the necessary lift for landing, A Halifax message states that Kingsford Smith sent a request to the Canso Government radio station for bearings at 5.47 a.m. The station replied: “Bearing true from Canso 621/2 degrees.” The steamship America wirelessed the position of the Southern Cross at 6.44 a.m. as being 200 miles west by south of Capo Race. OVER NOVA SCOTIA. (United Press Association—By CableCopyright.) (Received 27. 9.40 a.m.) Washington, June 26. A Gloucester (Massachusetts) message says that a broadcast message was picked up from Kingsford Smith at 7.45 stating that they were flying at an altitude of 2000 feet estimating the speed at 100 miles an hour. The position was not given, At 8.35 a.m. the Gloucester coastguard radio station received a message from the ’piano stating; “Over siuvh. Swtia/' A l-'tei- message

from the Southern Cross stated that the 'plane was over Country Harbour, Nova Scotia. At 10 a.in. (Nova Scotia time) a message states that the ’plane passed Musquodoboit Harbour, 40 miles east of Gloucester, at 10.40 on Thursday morning. FLYING OVER FOG. (Copyright in N.Z. by Australian Press Association—World’s Copyright by New York “Times.”) (Received 27. 10.30 a.m.) NOW York, June 26. Kingsford Smith wirelessed at 8 a.m.: “All well aboard here. Flying at IUOO feet above dense fog, "and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. A little while ago Van Dyke and I got sick from an overdose of petrol fumes and nearly did the obvious, but are now O.K. Very smooth air and warm and pleasant.” Signals from the Southern Cross resumed at 10 a.m. At 10.40 a message stated: "We climbed to 6500 feet to get above the log. There are beautiful masses of cumulus clouds up here, through which the old ship is steadily flying. All of very cheery and making inroads on provisions. Have not seen the ground for many hours. lam keeping the certainty of our position. Everything is grand. Cheerio,” At 11 a.m. a message stated; “Wo are 1100 feet up passing County Harbour (Nova Scotia) on our left. The weathei is good with the sky partly clouded. At 1200 feet were are setting a dead ahead course for Lynn (Massachusetts), over which we will circle once to say ‘Cheerio.’ ” A garbled message received at 12.36 p.m., now corrected, states: “Air speed now 95 miles an hour. All well. Suddenly we got quite bumpy again.” A message at 1.48 p.m. states: “Have just left the coast of Nova Scotia and are crossing direct to Lynn and on to New York. Expect to arrive there about 7 o’clock. Weather is perfect, but still a slight haze reduces visibility. All O.K. aboard ship.” The Halifax radio station wirelessed: “The Southern Cross passed over our station at noon, sending the following message. “Beautiful country. We are flying over lovely little lakes. Have seen all kinds of wild animals, too.”

At 11.50 a message was received stating; “Weather clear to Boston,” and another at 12.10: “We are pushing into fog again. Have just passed Halifax.” The Southern Cross radioed her position at 3.10 p.m. (Now York summer time), latitude 43/16 north, longitude 67/58 west, which is approximately 150 miles due east of Boston (Massachusetts). ARRIVAL AT NEW YORK. (United Press Association—By CableCopyright.l Received 27, 11.25 a.m.) New York, June 26. Kingsford-Smith radioed: — “4.50 p.m.: Have just passed over Boston. Rather wonderful city from the air. A flock of machines came up to see us.” “5.5 p.m.: Passed Boston. Expect to arrive at New Y’ork 7 p.m. Will circle citv and land Roosevelt field.” Later: Southern Cross arrived at New York. SCENES AT ROOSEVELT FIELD. (Received 27, 12 noon). Roosevelt Field, June 26. An hour before the Southern Cross was due to arrive here, only a small crowd of a few thousands had gathered, but automobiles were beginning to roll in in progressively greater numbers, giving every indication that New Y’ork and tho vicinity would turn out to welcome the fliers. The afternoon was brilliant and hot and tho conditions for landing ideal. There were a few Australians among the crowd, and they proudly indicated their nationality and expressed admiration for their compatriot.

Brooks was on the committee of welcome, and A. Alam, New South Wales, accompanied by William Saul, brother of the navigator, were also present. The latter, who is an engineer in New York, had not known of his brother’s intention to ily in the Southern Cross. The first three persons to greet the Southern Cross personnel, however, were the immigration inspector, Mr. Olding, the Customs officer, Mr. Robinson, and tho official doctor, Dr. Shelley. CROWD NOT EXCITED. The crowd was not excited or apparently extremely enthusiastic, although there was every indication that they would give the fliers a heat ty reception. The scone was extremely colourful. The field authorities improved the opportunity to keep the rim of the large field (No. 2i where the Southern Cross was due to land, covered with dozens of brightly coloured sightseeing 'planes, while huge loudspeakers interspersed euphemistic announcements of tho arrival time and approaching the visitor with invitations to “Step right up with your tori friends—lt is only two-and-a-hnlf dollars apiece—and take her up for a j-ida in the Wue, IVa aro not

promising, but it is quite possible that the Southern Cross will arrive while you are in the air, so that you can give her a special welcome.” Young men and women in pairs “stepped up” every few minutes. The Southern Cross landed safely at 6.31 p.m.

Kingsford Smith conveyed the following message, through the Australian Press Association:

”1 am delighted that with my oompanions I have at last been able to complete the undertaking which, having been begun on American territory, had Its significant halfway mark in Australia. and is to be completed here, namely, the Southern Cross flight around the world. To Australians who so keenly shared with me the hazards and fortunate moments in this and previous flights, I can only express my gratitude, as to my fellow countrymen.” CROWDS SURGE ROUND ’PLANE.

The navigator was the first to step out of the fuselage, carrying a despatch case in his hand, with his navigation papers. He was at once swallowed up by a mob of men and women. Someone thrust a huge basket of magnificent roses into his hand, which he promptly disposed of by hanging them on a projection behind a motor-car: then Kingsford Smith, pulling off his cap and showing his face sunbrowned and lean, climbed out at the left and sprang down. He was in fur-lined flying suit with fur collar, ami heavy boots, and here it is sweltering hot. The crowd now swallowed him up, and after the police tugged and ran their motor-cycles through the jam, it was possible for the diplomatic welcomers to meet the two fliers at 7.30. Then the city welcomers were given a chance to shake their hands. After this, Stannage and the assistant pilot were induced to climb down from the fuselage. The party was then rushed to a reception pavilion, where newspapermen tired questions at the tour deaf men. It- was some minutes before they understood speech. A crowd of about 5000 followed behind the fliers as they were being led from the machine, and these surrounded the pavilion which fortunately was from two sides protected by a stout metal fence. The police cleared the doorway and the line of automobiles to carry the party back the 20 mile distance to the city was drawn up in front of the door with police striving to keep the lane open to the machines. The Southern Cross, which looked clean and unmarred after its strenuous trip, was immediately hitched to a truck and tdwed into the hangar, a large ground crew keeping souvenir hunters off. RECEPTION PLANS CANCELLED. Owing to the late arrival of tho Southern Cross all plans for a reception of the Mayor in New York City were cancelled. The fliers go immediately to Hotel Roosevelt, New York City, to rest, and to-morrow, in their street clothes, they will go to the City Hall in the forenoon for a civic reception. KINGSFORD SMITH INTERVIEWED. Kingsford Smith, interviewed by newspapermen, said that his condition was excellent except for deafness, which was usual and not a cause for worry. “1 was really in tine shape, when 1 left this morning, but now I begin to feel tired,” he said. Asked whether the Atlantic or Pacific flight was tho more difficult, he said: “ Navigation of the Pacific was more difficult, but the weather over the Atlantic was a greater trial.” When asked to what could be attributed his success, he said: “To splendid organisation”; and then he added: “It will be better next time.” But he declined to explain what “next time” meant. He denied that the instruments were unreliable during the bad hours over Newfoundland. “The instruments,” he said, “were not altogether bad.” Van Dyke said; “We are going to Chicago on Saturday morning and thence to San Francisco.” When asked whether the roughness of the crowd frightened him, because he appeared reluctant to leave the fuselage, he said ■ “1 enjoyed the roughness.” The reporters, commenting on the fliers’ lack of luggage, Van Dyke said brightly, “We will buy some.” EXHIBITION OF VERTICAL FLYING. TREAT FOR THE CROWD. (pnl*ed Pre*- Association—Bv Cable— Copyright.] (Received 27, 12.55 p.m.) Roosevelt Field, June 26. Though he had flown 1100 miles today, Kingsford Smith treated the crowd awaiting to acclaim him. to a spectacular exhibition of vertical

flying before bringing his ship to a perfect three point landing, directly before the throngs massed behind a high wire fence. (See page 6 for earlier reports.) REFUELLING OF SOUTHERN CROSS. The Vacuum Oil Company, in anticipation of the necessity for Kingsford Smith having to land at Newfoundland, made supplies of Plume and Mobiloil available, and the Southern Cross continued its flight to New York on these products. TRANS-ATLANTIC FLIGHTS FORMER. EXPLOITS RECALLED. Squadron-Leader Kingsford-Smith’s trans-Atlantic flight recalls a number pf 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 £lO,OOO offered by tho “Daily Mail” for the flight across the Atlantic. On May 18th, Commander Mackenzie Grieve, R.N., and Captain Hawker left Newfoundland on the Atlantic flight. Nothing was hoard of these, fliers for days, but subsequently hews came through that they had fallen into the tea, 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 token on board the petrol tank of the machine was also taken up with them, and was at a later date used in the Sopwith Wallaby machine in in which Captain G. C. Mathcwu left England for Australia a few weeks before 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 derbv 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, but was killed. On May the 8th,1929, an American sea ’plane N.C.4. in charge of Lieutenant Commander A. C. Read left for Great Britain by way of the Azores. Commander Read reached Lisbon and then flew to Plymouth on May 31st. The “Daily Mail” prize was won by the late Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant A. Whittne Brown, who set out from Newfoundland in June of the same year in a Vickers-Vimy biplane, and landed in Ireland on the following day. Both airmen received a knighthood. The South Atlantic has 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 31st. for Pernambuco, South America. After forced landings at Las Palmas and St. Vincent dePaul’s rocks, they reached Pernambuco on June sth. On January 22nd, 1926, Cqmmandante 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 21st. On May 22nd Colonel (then Captain) Lindbergh crossed from New York to Paris in 33| 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 17th June and landed safely in Wales the next day. The distance covered was about 2000 miles Mobiloil was also used to lubricate Miss Earheart’s machine.