SOUTHERN CROSS LEAVES FOR BLENHEIM

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18578, 28 September 1928, Page 10

SOUTHERN CROSS LEAVES FOR BLENHEIM

Huge Crowd Gathers To Farewell Flyers.

BETWEEN noon and one o’clock people beqan to arrive freely at the aerodrome, and it was not long before the eastern end of the ground held a considerable concourse. School children arrived in squads and were given favourable positions from which to view the proceedings. A high gusty wind was blowing, which made the job of waiting not too pleasant. Large numbers of Cadets arrived at 1 p.m. and took up their positions in front of the crowd .to prevent any repetition of what occurred on the day of the landing. The crowd was kept entertained by the efforts of the Amateur Radio Transmitters Association, who had established loud speakers at various parts of the ground and broadcast gramophone items.

Some 500 Territorials and Cadets formed up along the space required for the take off and kept an orderly though expectant crowd lined up outside them. Sir Heaton Rhodes, the Mayor (the Rev J. K. Archer), Sir Henry Wigram, and other well-known people arrived on the ground at about 1.35. A few minutes later Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith and Flight-Lieutenant Ulm motored through the crowd, their car stopping almost in front of the main hangar. The crowd was obviously taken by surprise, and Kingsford Smith and Ulm left the car and hurried into the guard room before they could be surrounded by admirers. As on the day of the arrival, the traffic and car parking arrangements worked splendidly, and there was an entire absence of confusion. Due to the fact that there was ample time in which to get to the aerodrome, there was no congestion of traffic on Riccarton Road. By 1.30 the crowd at the ’drome exceeded 10,000. The City Council traffic inspectors, with a number of assistants, had charge of the parking arrangements, and the cars were directed into their places with absolute precision.

Shortly before two, the Southern Cross was taken from the hangar and put in position for the take-off. Thirty members of the Air Force and the Territorials swung the tail of the monoplane and pushed her into position. When Kingsford Smith and Ulm showed up again outside the hangar, a section of the crowd pressed over, but the aviators were not long outside, and the majority of the public drifted back to the taking-off place. All the arrangements were working very smoothly. The crowd was dense, but the knowledge that the Southern Cross needed the room to take off was doubtless a factor in preventing any encroachment on to the ground. A second appearance of the aviators, this time at the big hangar where the machine had been housed, was greeted with three cheers from the assembly. The interest of the people was divided between the machine and the airmen. The cold wind kept coats buttoned up and scarves tucked in. Cheers were then given for Sir Henry and Lady Wigram, and, lead by the Mayor, the gathering sang the National Anthem.

After the ceremony, Kingsford Smith and Ulm chatted for a while with Sir Henry and Lady Wigram. They expressed their deep appreciation of the services Sir Henry had rendered to the cause of aviation. “You will come back, won’t you?” Lady Wigram inquired of Kingsford Smith.

“My word, I will,” he replied with evident enthusiasm.

When Sir Henry had returned to his motor-car, Sir John Salmon d took the opportunity of chatting with him. “We all know at Home what an immense amount you have done for aviation in New Zealand,” said Sir John. Kingsford Smith walked back to the hangar with Captain Findlay. Right up to the last minute he was followed by autograph hunters. He smilingly complied with their requests. The two airmen were also given a number of letters to take with them on the return flight.

Mechanics Get Busy. After two o’clock, mechanics got to work tuning up the three big engines of the monoplane; and those in the immediate vicinity of the machine were almost deafened by the thunder of the motors. The navigator and wireless operator donned their overalls and entered their cabin to finish arranging their apparatus and make sure that evervthing was ship-shape. FlightLieutenant Ulm left the guard room a few minutes after half-past two and made his way in fl)*ing kit to the Southern Cress.

To Mark Historic Spot. At two o’clock a party went over the landing field to the spot where the Southern Cross first touched New Zealand soil, in order to lay the slab which is to commemorate that auspicious event. Besides Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith and Flight-Lieutenant Ulm, there were among those present Sir Henry and Lady Wigram, the Hon Sir R. Heaton Rhodes, the Rev J. K. Archer, Mayor of Christchurch, Mr F. E. Sutton, Mayor of Lyttelton, Air Marshal Sir John Salmond and his staff, and the staff of the Wigram Aerodrome. Sir Heaton Rhodes, on behalf

of the Government, expressed the pleasure of the Government that the stone should be laid. “ One and all, I am satisfied, will agree that Sir Henry Wigram, the father of this aerodrome, is the right person to lay this stone.” Sir Henry then laid the stone, amid applause. After laying the stone, Sir Henry Wigram said: “I understand that I am to be excused from making a speech on this occasion, but that need not prevent me from trying to express my very great pleasure at being associated in the commemoration of what will rank as one of the great achievements of this wonderful century, an achievement which called for high courage and, -what is perhaps even rarer, minute attention to detail and careful forethought.

“ The enthusiasm provoked by the arrival of these young men in the Southern Gross has done much to foster the friendship between the two countries, and I am sure we all hope that some day they will pay us another visit and get to know us more leisurely. Lastly, may I pay a tribute to the memory of those gallant young pioneers Hood and Moncrieff, who failed, though how we may never know or why.” KINGSFORD SMITH PAYS VISIT TO TELEPHONE EXCHANGE IN CITY. At 11 a.m. -Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith paid a visit to the Christchurch telephone exchange, where he was cordially received by the large etaff of operators, many of whom, owfag to the nature of their duties, had

1 been prevented from taking part in outside gatherings arranged to greet the flyers. Upon his departure, the airman received a hearty round of cheers as a mark of appreciation and admiration from the large gathering that had assembled.

AIRMEN DRIVE THROUGH CHEERING CROWDS.

Farewelled by the tumultuous cheering of a crowd which had taken them right to its heart, the airmen left the United Service Hotel at 1.30 p.m., on their way to the Wigram Aerodrome. A large number of people had collected around the door of the hotel at an early hour, and by 1.15 a crowd of nearly 2000 people were waiting. The first sight of the airmen as they came through the doors of the hotel was the signal for a great burst of cheering, which continued until they were out of sight. The airmen entered their car without speaking, and responded to the crowd’s enthusiasm by waving their caps.

For a long time after the airmen had left, crowds continued to congregate outside the hotel in the hope of catching a glimpse of them, and it was not until the engines of the Southern Cross were heard overhead that the people began to disperse.

MAYOR AND TOWN CLERK SEND LETTERS TO SYDNEY BY SOUTHERN CROSS.

Among the letters which the Southern Cross will carry back to Sydney on the return flight are one from the Mayor, the Rev J. K. Archer, to the Chief Commissioner of the City of Sydney, and one from the Town Clerk (Mr J. S. Neville) to the Town Clerk of Sydney. These letters are in reply to the letters which the Southern Cross brought over, and convey reciprocal greetings.

RACING PIGEONS TAKEN IN ’PLANE.

FLYERS ARE PATRONS OF LOCAL SOCIETY.

When the Southern Cross left for Blenheim to-day, she carried a hamper of racing pigeons from members of the Christchurch Racing Pigeon Society, for liberation up the line. During their stay in Christchurch, Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith and Flight-Lieutenant Ulm accepted the office of patrons to the society, and to fittingly commemorate the first race flown by the new club they consented to liberate the birds from the Southern Cross on the return to Blenheim.

Both the airmen evince the greatest interest in the pigeons, and special prizes have been given to the first birds home. Birds from the following lofts competed: A. Willoughby, H. A. Pearson, S. Wiffin, J. Close, H. G: Clarke, B. Pegley, A. Pegley, R. Taylor, Dr A. C. M’Killop, A. Higgs, H. Woods, J. Hitchings, P. Haddon and W. Puddle.