ACROSS THE POLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23222, 21 June 1937, Page 9

ACROSS THE POLE

SOVIET AIRMEN'S FLIGHT POSSIBILITY OF SERVICE MOSCOW TO SAN FRANCISCO (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) MOSCOW, June 19. (Received June 20, at 6.30 p.m.) Twenty-four hours after his departure the Soviet lifted the veil of secrecy surrounding the attempt made by the air aces Shakalov, Baydukov and Belyakov to fly to San Francisco via the North Pole. The latest wireless message received from the flyers states that they had reached latitude 85, longitude 58. They had crossed Franz Josef Land and were nearing the pole. The weather was excellent. NORTH POLE CROSSED The object of the flight is to test the possibility of a Moscow-San Francisco air service, with an intermediate stop at a special meteorological station at the pole itself. The Russian Consulate at San Francisco received a report that the Soviet plane had crossed the North Pole 17J hours after leaving Moscow.

* PROGRESS OF FLIGHT

REPORT OF FORCED LANDING MESSAGE MISINTERPRETED SAN FRANCISCO, June 20. (Received June 20, at 7.30 p.m.) The Russian pilots sent a wireless message at 9.20 p.m., Pacific standard time, that they were over Queen Charlotte Islands. This message led to a report that the plane had been forced down, due to the misinterpretation of the word " down." The message reported that the plane was going "down Queen Charlotte Islands." A message from Edmonton states that the Canadian National Telegraph Company reported that the Russian flyers were forced down on Queen Charlotte Island. They were not injured. ±l _ A later message stated that the report that the plane had been forced down was false. NEARING DESTINATION GOOD WEATHER EXPERIENCED NEW YORK June 20. (Received June 21 at 12.44 a.m.) The Russian airmen sent a wireless message at 12.10 a.m. that they were flying over Vancouver Island. "We are fine; the weather is good," the message stated.