SOUTHERN FLIGHT

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20926, 4 January 1938, Page 6

SOUTHERN FLIGHT

CENTAURUS AT LYTTELTON THOUSANDS THRONG PORT TO PASS OVER TIMARU THIS MORNING By Telegraph—Press Association CHRISTCHURCH, January 3. Gloomy weather and low lying fog over Lyttelton this morning blackened the prospects of the arrival of the Centaurus, but by 10 o’clock the morning was gloriously fine and the great flying boat made her debut in the South Island in perfect weather. The flight from Wellington was made in Ihr 34mi»s. The Centaurus experienced fog for part of the trip, but from Cape Campbell south she had a clear passage. The Centaurus came into Lyttelton Harbour over Quail Island and landed in the outer harbour at eight minutes past 10. She slowly taxied into the inner harbour and was moored to a buoy. The crew and passengers then came ashore for the official welcome. Seldom has Lyttelton seen such a crowd as that which eagerly awaited the flying boat's arrival. Thousands were packed on the wharves, Evan's Pass and the hillside houses overlooking the harbour. While the Aero Club machines j circled overhead, the Centaurus slowly came in over the harbour making a wide sweep by Corsair Bay to take the water facing upwind towards the Heads at 10.8 a.m. Escorted by launches and yachts, the Centaurus taxied slowly in between the moles using only the two outboard of her four motors. Spectacular Touch As the Centaurus came slowly up to her mooring buoys, 200 yards out from the reception jetty, lines were thrown out and the flying boat was made fast at the first attempt. Cameras clicked and heads craned to get a better view as the gleaming aluminium hull swung round. Just at this moment an added touch of spectacle was given to the occasion by the arrival of the Union Airways liner which circled low over the port in salutation before speeding away on her northward flight. A Harbour Board launch carrying the Harbourmaster (Captain J. Plowman) nosed under the great wing of the Centaurus and soon was speeding towards the wharf with her crew and passengers. As the launch approached the landing steps applause and cheering broke out from the huge crowd in the vicinity of the wharves. At the steps Captain Burgess was welcomed by the chairman of the Lyttelton Harbour Board (Mr R. T. McMillan). As passengers on board the Centaurus were three Cabinet Ministers: the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, the Hon. F. Jones and the Hon. F. Langstone and Messrs N. S. Falla, manager of the Union Steam Ship Co., F. N. Clark, manager of Union Airways, B. A. Blythe, chief pilot of Union Airways, A. G. Gerrand, another Union Airways pilot, and Group Captain Cochrane, Group Captain T. M. Wilkes, Wing Commander L. M. Isitt and Captain Burgess, senr., father of the commander of the Centaurus. Hundreds of people in Christchurch were disappointed when the Centaurus did not pass over the city as was anticipated, because of fog. The flying boat did not follow the ordinary course and approached Lyttelton from the south. Whether the arrival of the Centaurus attracted a record crowd to

Lyttelton is doubtful. Old residents ol the port claim that the crowd to-daj was not so great as that which at-

tended the jubilee regatta of New Year’s Day in 1901. On that day there I were 32,000 visitors to the port, but a comparison based on reliable figures cannot be made between the attendances on that day and to-day, for to-day many came by motor-car, but when Lyttelton had its record crowd in 1901 there were few who did not come by rail. Dislocation of Train Service Nearly 12,000 tickets were sold in Christchurch to-day for the trip to Lyttelton, and the railway department did excellent work in coping with the rush. Its efforts to give a smooth and swift service, however, were hampered by an unfortunate delay to the 9.30 a.m. train which was the largest on the run. According to the District Traffic Manager (Mr E. S. Brittenden), the Westinghouse emergency brake was twice released, once when the train was in the tunnel and again just after

it had emerged from the tunnel. This thoughtless and mischievous action, Mr Brittenden remarked, made the train 12 minutes late. The result was that all who were on this tram were too late to see the arrival of the Centaurus. This delay naturally caused considerable dislocation of the 20 minute, schedule arranged to cope with the unusual demand. Only one train, however, was removed from the schedule in the morning, and in the afternoon the department was able to keep to its original plan of running 38 trains to this 20 minute schedule. Hundreds of people walked over to Lyttelton from Sumner and all vantage points were taken. Had the weather in Christchurch not been so unfavourable—there were heavy clouds until well on in the morning—many more would have gone to Lyttelton. In Lyttelton the threat of bad visibility was not realised, and the sky cleared before the flying boat arrived. Crowds Inspect Craft It was a brilliantly fine day when the Centaurus appeared in the distance over Gebbie’s Pass, and the huge craft made a thrilling sight outlined against the dark background of the hills behind Teddington. No sooner had the Centaurus been moored in the inner harbour than it was surrounded by hosts of launches and dinghies. Many visitors Saw it from close quarters, for there was a steady demand for launch trips during the day, and in the afternoon the boat was open for inspection. Only twice, it is believed has there been a comparably large crowd at Lyttelton. For the two days of the Lyttelton regatta of 1901 I the attendance was estimated at 50,000

—32,000 on the first day and 18.000 on the second, day, and when Captain Robert Falcon Scott left Lyttelton cn his first trip to the South Pole, there was an estimated attendance of 24,000 To-day’s Timetable Following are the approximate times at which the Centaurus may be expected to pass over towns en route to Dunedin on its southern flight to-morrow: — 6.0 a.m.—Leave Lyttelton. 6.20 a.m.—Pass Ashburton. 6.45 a.m.—Pass Timaru. 7.0 a.m.—Pass Waimate. 7.15 a.m.—Pass Oamaru. 7.45 a.m.—Arrive at Dunedin. The times given are only approximate. It is staled that the visit to Ashburton will be entirely dependent on the weather. It might be necessary to omit Ashburton from the itinerary and fly at sea if the weather demanded. The Centaurus will leave Dunedin at 6 a.m. on Wednesday for Wellington.

BLENHEIM DISAPPOINTED By Telegraph—Press Association BLENHEIM, January 3. Keen disappointment was felt in Marlborough at the failure of the Centaurus to adhere to the itinerary oroviding for a flight over the Sounds, Picton and Blenheim on the way to Lyttelton this morning, especially as the weather was ideal for viewing the flying boat. Coupled with the disappointment is a feeling of resentment at the omission. The authorities were given adequate information of the change in plans. Various radio announcements resulted in general confusion regarding the intentions, but right to the last it was confidently expected that the Centaurus would over Blenheim, especially as announcements from 2YA gave no clue to the alteration.

From shortly after 8.30 people in a state of expectancy occupied the streets and vantage points in buildings where they patiently waited in sweltering heat. It was not until a wireless report circulated stating that t. ° machine had passed Kaikoura that the hopeful watchers gave up sky-gazing. In the absence of an explanation the feeling locally is that the district has a genuine grievance in not being advised of the departure from the scheduled itinerary.