Evening Star Newspaper, May 27, 1929, Page 5

TEXANS' FAGETIOUS NOTES BARED SPIRIT Robbins and Kelly Little Im- pressed by Own Diary on Endurance Hop. BY S. L EVANS. Speclal Dispatch to The Star and the North American Newspaper Alliance. FORT WORTH, Tex., May 27.—From the mechanical routine of railroad shops | and the open life of a Texas cattle range to international fame in having established the world flight endurance record is the story that was dramatical- | ly climaxed yesterday afternoon when Reg Robbins and Cowboy Jim Kelly in their monoplane dropped to earth. ‘They landed at 4:05 p.m., Fort Worth time, and were aloft 172 hours and 32 minutes, almost 22 hours longer !han\ the Questicn Mark. The chief preparation for the flight was_overhauling the ship. ‘There wasn't any bother about finan- elal backing. They didn't have any. It was Reg's ship and Reg's big idea and that was about all he and his co- pilot needed. They made arrangements for gas and oil and for food. They took tie necessry steps to make the flight legal. And then they went up. ‘They went up to stand the strain of keeping a ship aloft for at least 150 hours, with the monotonous sound of the motor beating into their brains. Kelly Greased Rocker Arms. ‘They went up to keep alert for days with only a few hours’ sleep nightly snatched in a hammock that rolled around one like a diver's suit, espe- clally after Kelly nearly broke a rib in falling from the hammock on the floor in a space three feet square. They took to the air to run the risk of having to abandon a ship with a burned out motor. No one has ever proved just how long & motor might run. -They left the ground, trusting to a steady nerve, ex- pert piloting, and a knowledge of the ship to save them from crashing in midair when the ticklish job of refluel- ing was executed and to luck to keep them from spinning to earth in flames during the same process. Kelly took some extra chances, served up as a side dish to the list above. He had to climb daily out of the cockpit and make a hazardous journey over a mnarrow cat walk with only a few planks between him and the checkered green earth, hundreds of feet below, to grease the rocker arms. They might have used mechanical devices that would have been less efficient, but they were going to stay “until they busted something . besides a record.” Furthermore, Kelly had a wife, a bride of six weeks, whom he left down on the ground when he went up. The ranks of the long-time married will now smile a broad grin, but Kelly miss- ed that girl. There was a love story in 2 magazine in the ship, and before the flight was well underway, Kelly had read it through twice, according to the 'd.e;tlmnny of notes Robbins dropped W, Once Robbins wrote, “I'm_afraid I can’t stay up much longer. Kelly has a parachute and is thinking of his wife. I can’t refuel alone.” Little Impressed by Daring. Many notes in a similar facetious tone indicated that the fiyers were little impressed with their own daring. They wrote humorously of the eccentricities -of the hammock, of the temperature in the clouds and gratefully of the fried chicken which was lowered to them daily. One note read: “I am wondering how I can divide this time up and sell it for passenger hops, like the farmer sold the old well for post holes.” Arain: “4,400 feet over Dallas, just foolin’ around. Some one from Love Fleld just came up to look us over.” ter one of Kelly’s visits over the cat walk this note came down: “Every once in a while I think I smell meat frying. I look and Jim will show me the back of hip :l::nmt pipe, which is red hot all the e.” Admit They Were Tired. ‘Their confidence in their ability to the record was demonstrated when Cowboy Kelly wrote a note say- ing: “Will stay up until we break some- thing besides the record.” Eventually notes began to come down intimating fatigue on the part of the fiyers, but they stuck. At the same time they admitted they were “a little tired.” ‘They reiterated their determination to stay up there as long as there was a revolution left in the engine. irday night they had beaten all hand where he hit the | | refueled near the end of THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MONDAY, MAY 27, 1929. 5 I REFUELING THE FORT WORTH | The monoplane Fort Worth, which established a new air endurance mark, being its history-making flight. PROPELLER FORCES TEXANG T0 EARTH Flight Ends in 173d Hour. Blade Cracked by Striking Belt Buckle. (Continued From First Page.) of three Frenchmen, is headed for Paris. The American plane, Green Flash, manned by Roger Q. Willlams fid Lewis A. Yancey, is bound for me. TEXANS CATCH UP ON SLEEP. Flyers Divide Credit for Feat as Each Praises the Other. FORT WORTH, Tex., May 27 (#).— Having added almost a full day to the world endurance flight record, R. L. Robbins and James Kelly eschewed the admiration of the Nation and slept to- day while experts made a careful ex- amination of their single-motored mon- oplane Fort Worth, which they brought to earth yesterday after soaring almost seven and one-half days. The two pilots, one an ex-cowboy, the other a former railroad mechanic, added a new line to the illustrious rec~ ord started by the Wright brothers’ one-minute flight at Kitty Hawk, N. C., in 1903, by keeping the Fort Worth aloft in good and bad weather for 172 hours, 32 minutes and 1 second. The record beats the mark of 150 hours, 40 min- utes and 15 seconds made by the Army monoplane, Question Mark, by 21 hours, 51 minutes and 59 seconds. The Army plane three motors, 2 crew of five men and an expert ground crew. Kelly Just Off Ranch. Robbins has had six Years’ experience as a fiyer, but Kelly came off the ranch only a year and a half ago and a course in flying which he took technically ended in April. although his skill gave him a job with the Texas Air Trans- port. Corporation long before that time. The two flyers divided credit for the success of their flight. Kelly pointed out that Robbins’ ability to get the most out of the motor, without straining it, 'was largely responsible for its perform- ance. Robbins attributed a large share of their success to the intrepidity of Kelly, who frequently crawled -Yl around the hood of the plane to grease the valve rocker arms. The Question Mark was brought to earth by valve trouble, Accident Forces Down Ship. It was on one of these trips to grease the valves that Kelly had :lal M':f;ent which eventually forced the plane down. A loose buckle on his safety belt knicked both blades of the propeller. During trated the scar on the blades and caused the propellor to swell and split. Shortly after noon yesterday the pilots dropped a note saying the propellor was vibrating badly and that they would have to descend soon. They kept the plane in the air, however, until a mo- records in the world for sustained flight, still roaring through the skies to answer the famous interrogation first suggested by the Question Mark. One a mechanic who dreamed of flying while in the shops of a railroad and the other a cowboy who watched ships floating over West Texas plains from the back of a cow pony—just two young aviators with a dream and plenty of grit, and they beat the whole (Copyright, 1929, by North American News- paper Alliance.) FOG FORCES FAHY DOWN IN 21 HOURS Flyer Seeking Solo Record at Los Angeles to Make Another Start This Week. By the Assoclated Press. LOS ANGELES, May 27.—An at- tempt to wureak the solo endurance flight record, started Saturday morning by Herbert J. Fahy, ended here yester- day after 21 hours 16 minutes in the air. Fahy, a test pilot for the makers of the Locheed-Vega plane, said a gusty wind rolled banks of fog in upon him, forcing the descent. Fahy said another start would be made this week, probably tomorrow. ‘The record, 35 hours, 33 minutes, 21 seconds, was made by Martin Jensen in New York recently. Lockheed Co. of- ficials explained that stipulations of the insurers of the plane for the flight had obligated Fahy to remain in the vicinity of the Los Angeles Metropoli- tan Afrport throughout the night, pre- venting him from moving away to avoid the wind and fog. WOMEN TOUR CAPITAL. Montgomery County Home Club Members Make Annual Trip. Bpecial Dispatch to The Star. ROCKVILLE, Md., May 27.—Under the leadership of Miss Blanche A. Cor- win, home demonstration agent for the county, five busloads of Home Demon- stration Club women, approximately 140 1n all, left various parts of the county this morning for their annual sight- seeing trip to Washington. Their first stop was at the Washing- ton Cathedral and from there they went to Arlington Cemetery, Arlington Farms and Rose Gardens, Bureau of Engraving and Printing and United States Agricultural Department. A group dinner was held in Washington. Gov. Byrd Attends Church, WILLIAMSBURG, Va., May 27 (Spe- cial) —Gov. Harry Byrd occupied ment after 4:05 pm. They decided that the risk of the propellor fiying to pieces :‘l:;l l;m?p' %uhxéx;gs them to crash was eat. mads oo le a perfect Crowds Crush Plane. ‘The plane had scarcely touched the ground before the enthusiastic crowd, sloshing through mud was upon it. A fence, a cordon of police and a spe- cial guard around the plane wilted be- fore the rush. The special guard was crushed back against the fuselage and the committee of 100 which was to greet the flyers had to take its turn with the other spectators. Some semblance of order finally was obtained and Mrs. Robbins and Mrs. Kelly were carried to the plane over the heads of the crowd. Police and volunteers fought the crowd back inch by inch as the plane ‘was brought up to the line. The jam in front of it was so tight that many daintily shod women lost their shoes and went home with their hose and dresses covered with mud. Content to Grin Joy. ‘The flyers had very little to say. They were slightly deaf and contented them- selves for the most part with grinning happily at the news reel cameras and the crowds. Each of the pilots won a total of $1,100 from several air transport com- panies and a purse of $15,000 is being raised for them by the Fort Worth- As- sociation of Commerce. ‘Tomorrow they will attend a banquet given in their honor by 1,000 local citi- 2zens. ‘The plane used 1510 gallons of gaso- line on the flight and it is conservatively estimated that it traveled more than 10,000 miles, Speak Over Radio. Before starting the long sleep they have been looking forward to all week, they, Robbins and Kelly, spoke briefly over the National Broadcasting Co. hook-up through WBAP, the Fort ‘Worth Star-Telegram’s station, Robbins declared that much of the credit was Kelly's, but that neither of them had faced any more difficult situ- ations on their flight than hundreds of commercial fiyers face daily. Kelly dwelt upon his experiences in the cow country. Both praised K. K. Hoffman, and H. S. Jones, the refueling pilots, for their co-operation. Hoffman and Jones also spoke and Lady Mary Health, English fiyer, said a few words, as did the wives of the flyers. Although there is no doubt but that the record will stand, it will not be- come official until the barograph car- ried in the plane has been calibrated in Washington and photostatic copies of the graph certified to the National Aero- nautical Association. GERMAN CLAIMS RECORD. Dessau Pilot Believes He Reached 41,000 Feet in Junkers Plane. “DESSAU, Germany, May 27 (®.—A German air pilot, Willy Neunhofer, has reached what he believes to have been Spotswood’s celebrated canopied pew in Bruton Church yesterday —morning, attending church with his staff upon N a height ot 41,000 feet, just less than eight miles, setting a new world altitude record. -~ His.8gure, if allowed, by.the Interna- Saturday night'’s rain moisture pene-: . A. A. Congratulates Two Texas Flyers on Record Airplane Hop The National Aeronautic Asso- clation _took _official _cognizance of the feat of R. L. Robbins and James Kelly, Texas flyers, today, when the following telegram ad- dressed to them was sent by Sen- ator Bingham, president of the National _Aeronautic Association. “The National Aeronautic As- soclation sends its heartiest con- gratulations to you on the occa- sion of your magnificant flight. “You have brought great credit to your State and city, to the Amer- ican aircraft industry, and above all, to yourselves. tional Alr Federation, betters the recog- nized altitude record of Lieut. A. Soucek, U. S. N., who was credited with achiev- ing a height of 39,140 feet in a Wright- Apache biplane on May 8. First Attempt Foiled. Neunhofer spent 2 hours and 20 minutes in the air. On his first flight he climbed to a height of 35,080 feet, and his oxygen tube burst. He lost con- sciousness, and his plane started in a dropped to within two miles of the earth, he regained consciousness and pulled his plane out of its spin in time to land safely. His oxygen tube was repaired, and he tried again and succeeded. His pur- pose was to test the effects of rarified air and cold on his motor and fuel. He used a Junkers monoplane of the Bremen tvpe. Neunhofer credited the safety appa- ratus on his plane with saving him when he lost consciousness on his first altitude attempt. “My hand must have automatically pressed the safety button on the steer- ing wheel,” he said. “That cut off the motor and the plene glided in a light- ning descent for 7,000 meters. When I recovered consciousness, my hand lay loosely on the wheel. I realized the situation, gave the motor the gas and was able to land as if nothing had happened.” Cold Freezes Eye Shut. Describing his second flight, he said: “I wore only a flying suit and a fur coat, but no glasses, as they would be clouded by the cold at a great height. I climbed to the 11,000-meter mark (approximately 34,220 feet). ‘Then came the hardest moments for me. In the tremendous cold—55 below zero cen- tigrade—the tears forming froze and one eye closed. Then the 12,000-meter mark was reached. The air was thin- ner and breathing grew more difficult. I scarcely know how I made it, but the meter mark finally showed 12,500 (ap- proximately 41,000 feet). I knew that I had reached the goal of a world rec- ord for Germany, stopped climbing and in an iznstant shot down in a marvel- ous experience—the glide to the earth.” “MISS RANGER” AFTER RECORD. Plane Up More Than 40 Hours n Endurance Attempt. MINNEAPOLIS, May 27 (#).—Better than 40 hours of continuous flying had been marked up by the single-motored monoplane Miss Ranger as she soared over Minneapolis early today in an attempt to break the record of the Fort Worth. Notes dropped by the pilots, Gene Shank and Owen Haugland, indicated that all was well, allaying fears that Sunday’s heavy rain and the resultant fog might have impaired the efficiency of the motor. The endurance flyers took on fuel and food twice Sunday, both operations being performed without a hitch. They arrived above the Robbinsdale Airport at 1:40 pm, Sunday and after flying above Minneapolis for several hours returned to the airport for the first refueling contact. The ship took off from the Wichita, Kans,, field shortly before 9 a.m., Satur- day. She spent the day and Saturday night cruising about the vicinity and departed for Minneapolis at 7:15 am., Sunday. The supply ship, manned by O. H. Harrah and Verne Nelson, fol- lowed a short time later. Haugland and Shank plan to fly over Minneapolis for two or three days and then proceed to Ranger, Tex. after which the ship is named. If she con- tinues to function satisfactorily, they then plan to return to Wichita, where the flight is to be finished. WET NEWSPAPERS HIT BY BISHOP CANNON Declares They Are Partly Respon- sible for Disrespect Shown Prohibition Laws. Responsibility for much of the dis- respect shown toward the prohibition laws was laid partly at the doors of “wet newspapérs” by Bishop James Canron, jr., of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, in an address yesterday before the Citizens’ Service Association at Foundry M. E. Church. metropolitan_dailies, especially in the cities with large foreign-born popula- tion,” for making “a determined war- fare to break down the morale of sup- porters of prohibition.” “But the President has not yiclded to this doctrine of defeatism so widely ad- vocated by the metropolitan press,” he said. Rev. Dr. William S. Abernethy, presi- tion, introduced Bishop Cannon, who was followed by two_other advocates of law enforcement, United States At- torney Leo A. Rover and Representative Stalker of New York, co-author of the Jones-Stalker liquor law. With passage of the Jones-Stalker bill, the New York Representative said, he ‘was convinced the laws were suf- ficlently strong to enforce prohibition effectively. Every election has been more dry than the previous one, he de- clared. Mr. Rover termed the local law en- forcement outlook as “promising and cheerful” and pledged his co-operation in prosecuting offenders, dive toward the earth. When he had | ‘Bishop Cannon scored “the leading dent of the Citizens’ Service Associa- | CHURCH DEDICATES MEMORIAL TOWER President Joins Preshyterian Congregation in Paying Tribute toLincoln. President and Mrs. among the hundreds of persons who yesterday knelt in respect to the mem- ory of a great President, as the Lincoln Memorial Tower on the New York Ave- nue Presbyterian Church was formally dedicated. i The Fresident 4nd Mrs, Hoover were seated in the same pew which Lincoln occupied more than half a century ago during the dark days of the Civil War. This is the only dne of the original pews which has been preserved, and it is oceupied only on state occasions. The tower, with its floodlights, chimes and clocks, is a gift of the Lincoln family. Distinguished Guests Listed. Among other distinguished guests at the degication services were Secretary of State and Mrs. Henry L. Stimson. Secretary of War and Mrs. James Good and Dr. Hubert Work, chairman of the national Republican committee. Rev. Dr. Joseph R. Sizoo, minister of the church, preached at the morning service on the “frontfer virtues” of sim- ity, steadfastness, honesty and kind- sonified in Abraham Lincoln. X as his text the Biblical quota- tion, “And the Lord came down to sce the tower which the children of men had builded.” Dr. Sizoo emphasized the dominance of spiritual values in leadership. “The history of all civilization throughout the ages,” he said, “establishes that the seed of national decay is planted when people turn their backs upon their God. Symbol of a New Vow. “Rome pointed to her power; Greece to her culture; Venice to her sails, and Babylon to her gardens. All of these great empires have passed. We dedi- cate this tower today as the symbol of a new vow that this Nation shall never forsake its God.” At the early morning service the Sun- day School united in a pageant dra- matizing the 126-year history of the church, which was established in 1803. John Quincy Adams was one of the original trustes Its roll bears the | nfimes of these seven Presidents: Adams, Fillmore, Ja Pierce, Harrison, Ligcoln and Jo! Dr. Gurley's Family Represented. Two grandsons of Rev. Dr. Phineas D. Gurley, minister cf the church while Lincoln was a member of the congrega- tion, were present at the services yes- terday. They are Rev. Alvin B. Gurley, assistant pastor of the Second Presby- terian Church of Philadelphia, and Rev. Richard H. Gurley of St. Martin's Rec- tory, Radnor, Pa. Rev. Richard Gurley made a short ad- dress, complimenting xev. Dr. Wallace Radcliffe, pastor emeritus of the church. He also told of the Sunday school as it was when he attended as a small boy. Dr. Sizoo, in speaking of President Lincoln, told of one incident when Dr. Gurley announced to the yangregation that the chuzch would have¥g be closed s0 it could be converted i.™ a tem- porary hospital for wounded Union sol- diers. President Lincoln, who was in th;:dconxregatmn, arcse in his pew and said: “Dr. Gurley, we are too much in need of this church these days; we cannot let it be closed. I countermand the order.” Dr. Radcliffe’s Sermon. Walter C. Clephane, Washington at- torney, presided at the evening session. Dr. Radcliffe, in a short sermon at. this service, touched upon the history of the church, and dealt generally with spirit- ual history. “This was the first Presbyterian Church in the Capital,” he said, “and was founded by a small group of Scotch i under the leadership of a Dr. Lawrence. This _church stands conspiculously as the church of the people. It is a church of the Presidents, but 1s also the church of the poor and uncared for, and the Presidents who have attended here would invite the poor into their pews to worship with them. “Lincoln, every time he sat here in his pew, heard the call of the church. In the darkest days of the war he turned to the church for his spiritual guidance and comfort.” ‘The new spire is capped by a large silver ball. Its converging fides are made of an especially prepared silver glass, illuminated from the inside at night, “to cause men to lift up thine eyes to God.” The belfry contains a set of West- minster chimes and four illuminated clock dials are set up in the facades of the square Colonial base of the spire. . Planes Leave Cumberland. CUMBELAND, Md., May 27 (Speclal). Fifteen Keystone private twin-motored bombers forced down here two weeks ago by weather conditions, took off this morning after having been forced down again yesterday by rain. They were nearly out of fuel when they arrive We Offer You CREDIT Uselt - We want you to be one of the many who use our sensible CREDIT PLAN. We _are placing the most modern housefurnishings within our immediate reach. Ail you need to do is COMEIN. Peter Grogan & Sons So. GROGAN'S 817-823 Seventh St.N. Homefurnishers Since 1866 _ i amond Engagement ing and Wedding Band Combination Hoover were | ROBBINS AND KELLY TELL EXPERIENGES Lightning Flashing by Side of | Plane Caused Worst Scare of Flight. (Continued From First Page.) air was smoother and neither of us are susceptible to airsickness. Our future plans are at present rather vague. We have received offers of con- i tracts of many types, including several vaudeville contracts. Flying is our game, though, and that is what we are going to stick to. We| have no intention now of signing show contracts, regardless of the financial in- ducement. - ‘We feel that we have been amply re- paid by one fact of our flight alone. That is the endurance qualities and airworthiness of a single-motored ship. ‘When plans for our flight were in the preliminary stage a tri-motored plane was considered. This plan was dropped, though, as we felt our chances for suc- cess were greater in the type of ship we were both accustomed to handling. This 1s not intended as any reflection on tri-motored jobs. Their capebilities are too well known. We spent a lot lof time studying the facts about the Question Mark flight and reached the conclusion that success was as probable with one motor as with three, if the load the tri-motored plane carried was so heavy that two motors would not keep it up. Particular study of the rocker-arm troubles of the Question Mark was made also. The rocker arms on our motor were greased twice dally. No other work on the motor was necessary, although we were prepared to replace spark plugs if necessary, or change other engine parts. One Set of Spark Plugs. One set of spark plugs carried us through the flight. No fih“ part of the engine was badly worn and when we came down today our motor was gone over and declared to be in excel- lent condition by E. M. Walsh, engine expert from the Wright Aeronautical Corporation. ‘The linen was somewhat frayed on parts of the plane, but the covering was not in :Bdnfiondltlfig. ‘The ship was recovered with new linen in preparation for flight. i The Ryan brougham in which we made tHe flight, was rebuilt according to our own ideas of aviation engineer- ing. The roof was removed from the back half of the cabin in order to make refueling easier. The funnel, connecting with the extra gasoline tank which occupied the middle section of our Fort ‘Worth, was on the right side of the ship. It was on the outside of the ship. ‘We considered this safer than-to have the funnel in the center of the ship, One of the gravest dangers in a flight of this kind is the possibility of fire. We had to exercise unusual care in preparations for refueling as well as the actual process of transferring gasoline {from plane to plane for that reason. Generation of electricity either from the propeller or from friction was guarded against by a cofllper ground wire attached to the refueling hose and clamped to the funnel during contact. K. K. Hoffman, pilot of the refueling ship, and H. S. Jones, co-pilot of the ship, deserve much of the credit for the success of our flight. Their iron nerve and remarkable piloting skill were responsible for 17 successful refuelings. Ten or fifteen gallons of gasoline' was spilled once when we failed to make contact because a rag stuffed in the refueling funnel had not been removed before contact was made. ‘The last refueling, this morning, was accomplished in a driving rain. We are not sure but belleve this is the first time an airplane has ever been refueled in midair during a rainstorm. The refueling ship, which was also a Ryan brull%hl; , had a hole in the bot- tom of it through which Jones dropped the hose. This hose was 37 feet in length. Contact was usually made by using only 20 feet of the hose. Several le;s only 10 feet of the hose were used. We refueled three times daily during the flight, with the exception of one day, when our reserve supply of gaso- line was so high that we refueled only once. Early morning and early evening were the hours we chose for this deli- cate and dangerous operation. ‘The air is smoother at that time, and there is less danger of p:anes being buf- feted by air “bumps” while flying close together. In the morning, usually around 6 o'clock, we took on 110 gal- lons of gasoline. At night, in two con- tacts, we would take 130 or 140 gal- lons. Four and one-half gallons of oil were given us twice daily. Got Food With Fuel. With the oil we got our food, letters and other supplies, which were lowered in a canvas sack dropped by the re- fueling ship immediately after the re- fueling contact was broken. Hoffman had worked out a definite set of signals with us, and the refueling was accomplished with almost clock- like precision. Some persons consider a remarkable feature of our flight the fact that the first transfer of gasoline between our endurance ship and the @he Foening Stae B ot O’Donnell’s 3rd & Pa. ADVERTISENENTS f RECEIVED HERE Is a Star Branch Office A properly worded and clas- refueling plane was made after the flight had been in progress almost 24 hours. ‘We did not consider this remarkable, as we had full confidence in our ability to perform the feat. The day before the Fort Worth took off we practiced | the refueling contact three times with Hoffman and Jones. However, no fuel was actually transferred. We took off with 250 gallons of gasoline, which last- ed us through the first night of the flight. In case of an accident we agreed on the procedure we were to follow. The endurance ship was to pull to the left and down while the refueling ship was to pull to the right and up. In order to flv close enough together to permit refueling. in the air we had to obtain a special permit from the Department of Commerce. After an inspection of the Fort Worth and the refueling ship and an explanation of our plan they waived their rule forbidding commer- cial aircraft to fly closer than 300 feet apart. Trip Something of a Lark. Despite its serious nature, our flight sometimes was more or less of a lark. We wrote many notes and dropped them to our wives and friends on the ground. Before dropping notes we would circle the municipal airport at a low altitude to attract attention, and then on the second trip over would drop the notes. ‘We carried a supply of small canvas . sacks for this purpose. Strips of bed sheeting had been attached to the sacks and the long streamers helped attract attention to the messages, and also aided in their location after they fell to_the fleld. ‘The jocular tones of notes we re- celved while in the air helped us while away the time and keep our spirits up. Once we playfully tossed a loaf of bread to a visiting aviator and got a great kick out of his astonished look. During the daylight hours we flew in circles 100 or 200 miles from the municipal airport. At night we kept closer to the field, and usually were not more than five miles distant from its floodlights. A supply of flares was carried in the Fort Worth, but we preferred the safety of a well lighted landing field in case of motor failure or any other sudden and serious trouble. Altitudes during ;het flight ranged from 500 to 10,000 eet. In the morning and at night we flew closer to the earth, due to favorable atmospheric_conditions, but during the heat of the day we maintained altitudes of 8,000 to 10,000 feet. Take 110 Gallons of Gas. For refueling contacts we usually sought an altitude of between 2,500 and 4,000 feet. About half of this altitude would be lost during the operation. Eight minutes were required for the transfer of 110 gallons of gasoline, while the two night loads usually were | taken on in contacts of three to five minutes each. At the time of the take-off we had not secured the parachutes we had in- tended to wear throughout the flight. Rather than delay the start of the ven- ture we decided to go ahead without the parachutes. ‘The third day of our flight found us still without parachutes. In the mean- time we had realized that we were tak- ing an unnecessary chance and had dropped a request for the parachutes. The task of greasing the rocker arms on the motor was particularly danger- ous. ‘To perform this task twice daily, it ‘was necessary to crawl through a small window on the left side of our plane. ‘There was no opening on the right side, and to grease the rocker arms on that side of the motor the fuselage had to be mounted, in pony fashion. The one of us making the trip faced the pilot and. slid carefully across the motor to| the right side of the catwalk. This op- eration had to be reversed in order to re-enter the ship. We are particularly grateful to Brig. Gen. F. P. Lahm, who was instrumental in our securing. chutes. Lahm, who is in charge of aviation activities for the Eighth Corps Area, volunteered to take one of the “seat” type parachutes, which had been secured for us, in exchange for a parachute which conformed to the shape of the back. This was used by the man on the catwalk and added to his safety, as there was danger of the “seat” type of parachute catching on some part of the motor and opening. ‘The day after our parachutes were de- livered two more were sent up from Kelly Field at San Antonio for Hoff- man and Jones to wear during the re- fueling operation. Another compliment we received from the Army was the personal note from Capt. Ira C. Eaker, the chief pilot on the flight of the Question Mark. Eaker came through Fort Worth twice during our flight and on his last trip stopped long enough to send us a note wishing us_success. It mad feel good to ) ) e Quality, Low Prices and Service At This Reliable Lumber House Lumber Millwork Hardware . 3 Building Coal Supplies Small Orders Given Careful Attention No Delivery Charge J. Frank Kelly, Inc. 2101 Georgia Ave. N. 1343 Lumber—Millwork—D: ConHiardwareBuriding ™ Sappiies s e Drug Store Ave. S.E. know that Capt. Eaker was unselfish | some apprehensions though. As we be- enough to hope to see his own record fall for the general advancement of aviation. Our Jiving quartsrs during the trip were confined to a space about 3 feet square. That was llving room, dining room, bedroom, etc., during our more than seven days in the air. A dual control had been installed in the back part of the ship for use during refueling, but this was abandoned when we discovered the ship was much easier to handle with the regular control stick in front. That space after the control was removed made a comfortable cor- ner in which to rest when we tired of the Navy hammock siung across the in- terior of the plane. Regular periods of rest were taken by both of us. We each got four to six hours of sleep every day and night of the flight, with the exception of our last night up. Stormy weather removed all thoughts of sleep then. Delicious meals were sent us twice daily. We had hot meals every night and during the day enjoyed hot coffee or iced drinks from thermos bottles, which were replenished regularly. We both ate heartily and suffered no loss of appetite during the trip. This and the fact that we secured enough sleep probably was responsible for our excel- lent condition at the end of the flight. ‘When we first started our flight we had every reasonable confidence that we would be successful. Naturally we felt TUNE IN ON “RADIO JOE AND HIS BUDG gan to approach various woild records for sustained flight we became more determined than ever to stick it out if humanly possible. Our rebuilt monoplane has bettered | every world record for endurance flying. We are proud of its performance and of our part in setting up a recod, which we hope will aid in promoting public confidence in air travel and the safety and durability of airplanes. No more endurance flying for us though. At least, not for some time. (Copyright, 1929. by North American News- per Alliance.) REPORT ON GOTHAM SPAN. Engineers Send Recommendation to Secretary Good. The Army engineers’ report and rec- ommendatior on the application of the North River Bridge Co. to construct a bridge across the Hudson River at Fifty- seventh street, New York City, have been placed before Secretary Good, who will announce his decision on the ap- plication Wednesday. The petition of the New York & New Jersey Bridge Co. to build a bridge at Fifty-ninth street will be considered separately from that of the North River Co.. in which the Baltimore & Ohlo Railroad is interested. T BOY! Every Wednesday, WMAL, 7:30 P.M. L;sten, Folks: Decoration Day and the “open” season’il soon be here—time to get out and “dress up.” Any honest men can “dress up” on my Kauf- man Budget Plan. Pay Y, cash. Balance in 10 weekly payments or 5 semi-monthly fpay- ments. Jes’ depends on the way you get paid. P. S—Shop early this weck. 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The Star prints such an over- whelmingly greater volume of Classified Advertising every day than any other Washing- ton paper that there can be no question as to which will give you the best results. the Corner” is Branch Office $34.75 Forty-five Dollars® Worth of “Suit™ $5.00 Panamas and Leghorns $5.65 $8.00 N Featherweight Clothes are Ready PALM BEACHES ........$15 AND $16.50 MOHAIRS ............$19.75, $22.50, $25 LINENS ................$16.50 AND $20 TROPICAL WORSTED ....$25.00 TO $35