METEOROLOGIST'S REPORT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20601, 27 June 1930, Page 13

METEOROLOGIST'S REPORT.

STATE OF THE WEATHEB. TRIP FROM NEWFOUNDLAND. FOG AND RAIN PROBABLE. RECEPTION BEING ARRANGED. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received Juno 25. 5.35 p.m.) NEW YORK, June 25. Dr. James Kimball, Federal meteorologist, stated this morning that the Southern Cross would encounter fog, rain and wind en route to New York. At first conditions would be the same as those tha fliers met yesterday. All south-east of Newfoundland is showing dense fog with overcast sky, and rain as far west as western Nova Scotia. A south-west wind of 15 miles an hour should meet the monoplane from Halifax to Cape Cod, particularly at an altitude of 2000 feet. At Nantucket the wind should drop to 10 miles an hour from the west, and the remainder of he flight to New York should be through very little fog with a slight chance of rain and the best winds of the entire flight. A New York oil company received a message from Kingsford Smith shortly before 10 a.m. to-day asking it to authorise the supply to him of 400 gallons of petrol and 12 gallons of oil to enable him to fly to New York to-mor-row. The officials of the company advised him that fuel was available at Harbour Grace and would be supplied to him immediately.

No explanation was offered for the apparent change in the airmen's plans. At first it was understood they would resnme the flight to-day.

Plans for the reception of the fliers at New York are indefinite until the time of their arrival is known.

The British Ambassador, Sir Ronald Lindsay, and the Australian Commis-sioner-General, Mr. Herbert Brookes, will meet the fliers upon their arrival. It is hoped that if the Southern Cross reaches either the Roosevelt field or the Curtis-Wright field before dark it will be possible to fly the personnel to the Statue of Liberty in an amphibian with the Mayor, Mr. J. J. Walker, and a reception committee, then to land at the Battery and proceed up Broadway to the City Hall under escort for a mayoral recention.

OPINION OF CEEW. THRILLS OF THE JOURNEY. ONE SUCH TRIP ENOUGH. (Received June 26, 6.5 p.m.) NEW YOKE. June 25. The opinion of the crew of the Southern Cross is that the steamer Majestic will be good enough to take them home. Only once is enough to cross the Atlantic in an aeroplane. The second pilot, Mr. Van Dyk, who haß thousands of flying hours to his credit, said he never experienced anything like this trip. He said: " At times we were flying 1000 ft. high and then skipping the waves so closely that we could see fish—particularly sharks. We were so near them as to be able to distineuish their wide-open mouths. Then we would be hidden in fog-banks so dense that we were wondering in what direction we were flying." ATLANTIC CEOSSINGr. TIME IN THE AIR. THIRTY-ONE AND A-HALF HOURS. NEW STORK, June 25. Despatches from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, stats that the Southern Cross, having landed there a few minutes before 6 a.m.., New York time, had covered 2190 miles after being 31 hours 28 minutes in the air. For 20 hours the flight was through fog. Strong headwinds also bothored the fliers for the greater part of the journey Nothing was visible all the way across the Atlantic but two stars, which were sighted early last night. Heavy clouds obscured the sky and the ships with which the airmen communicated were invisible because of clouds and fog. When daylight broke the fliers discovered that they were about 100 miies from tho coast of Newfoundland. Without knowing their exact position they headed for the land and had only occasional glimpses of headlands.

The airmen actually passed over Harbour Grace without seeing it. They then flew westward for an hour and returned with hope almost abandoned. Then thev sighted the port and descended.