THE START OF THE "KANGAROO."

Marlborough Express, Volume LIII, Issue 277, 25 November 1919, Page 5

THE START OF THE "KANGAROO."

fPxiKSft ASSOCTATTON.I ; Australian and .N.Z. Cable Association ((Received "Nov. .;24. 5,5 .pun;) LONDON, N0v..23. ■ The crew of ths "Kangaroo" wereJin .theihighest-spirits when they de-' ipaitted ifrxmv Jlounslow an .the bright. .sunshine. ..They repeatedly waved; .their hands and shouted faa-ewells^ to, >the. crowd1, v;ho..gave them a rousing-sendi-ofi". As the machine. boundedi forward the airmen's,, "Cheorios": <could Ibo.heard.above the whirr of the engines. • : The "Kangaroo"' took off cleanly; and mo'untod easily to a thousand; feet. She ck'cledi three times.around; •ithe aeirodirohio, 'tho crew waving: wigorously umtil. out of sight. The commander received sheaves of letters andi telegrams iintil the i moment •of < jiepaartar-Cfe '. sncluiddng: messages fa-am Prince Albert, Colonel .Churchill, and General Sykes. 'iTke machine carries despatches to i-ho Governor-General and others.

'jThere is a .25 or 35 mil© wind at Uvo thousand feet ever the Channel and .'North France rank&som.e: detached clouds, but the weather generally is propitiorcs. JThe .visivility is fair. .Captain Wilkins told the Australian press .representatives that he had :arar.nge<l' Jx> reach Lyons that <>ay. He -was :then hot on tho track of llos^-Siriithj and hoped to bvertalce'Him?soon, Ihal ".no personally was Hess-iiriterested iin winning the prizo than in accumulating all possible scientific iinformation. H© intendedl Lto keep .&■ full and accurate log, .specially*;prapairecL for fifty-tjw.o entries which would be made halfhoui'ly, ' covering ihe minutes of lAeteorologicfll ancl atmospheric conditions, and -which would provide ■valuable 'data, if or tlje future. The (squipmerit includes .a. laa-ge number of instlrunieittis iin oordea- to recotid variations. such as wet and dtt-y valve 'barometer-s, an aiieroid barometet', a odours© and 'd.riffc_ indicator, a position binding nav^atdon iritsn-u----ineht.-.of Jiis own vdesign, and a .density instunmeitti for measuring the humidity. Detailed 'motes will bo kept oi cloud percentage and) the height and thickness '•■ of 'the wadons ; layers; Parriculai' attfintion will also b© paid; to turbulence, <sspeciHlly iin 'the tropics,, whore it :.:t® :-jmticjpaieil that intea-est--ing' obser.vjttions Will be obtiained. Captain Wiltcins's/ Arctic experience was/, usediul 'in determining what food: aad cloiUies oould be carried ill the least space io meet''ah emergency, i