Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-12-23
Friends Fear That Grace
Has PeriShed in
North Sea.
LEAVES CALAIS ON RETURN
AND DROPS FROM SIGHT
Channel Waters Alive With Craft
Searching for Missing
Air-man.

LONDON. Dec 23.-There was no
news this afternoon of the fate of Cecil
S. Grace, the American-born aviator,
who disappeared in the fog while at
tempting a return fight from Calais.
France, to Dover yesterday. It Is
feared that he fell into the North Sea.
A great fleet of motor-cars were out
all night searching every nook of the
| east coast of England. while werships
scattered along the shores and dotting
the North Sea swept the waters with
man. These futile efforts were con-
tinued today.
Grace went out for the Baron De
Forest prize OF $4,000 offered to the
British aviator who in a British-made
aeroplane shall cover the greatest dis
English channel, during the present
year T. Sopwith had set mark of
174 miles. Grahame White prepared for
the competition, but met with serious
accident before he could get under way.
| The days during which the records Of
Sopwith might be eclipsed were few,
and Grace decided to make the try yes
terday in the face of adverse weather
| conditions.
Fog Hangs Over Channel.
A heavy fog hung over the channel
/ and obscured the aviator soon after he
ascended at Dover. He crossed the
channel safely. and two hours and a
half from the start passed over Calais
He reached the Belgian frontier and
was going fast after Sopwith's figure
when he encountered adverse winds
that compelled him to turn back. He
alighted west Of Calais, and at 2:lo
o'clock again ascended, pointing his
aeroplane toward Dover.
| Grace was soon once more enveloped
in the fog, that had become more
dense. Those who saw the start say he
took a northeastely course 1t Is evil
| dent that he lost his bearings, for mad
he taken his proper direction he would
have reached Dover without trouble,
for he had the power and his aeroplane
must have behaved we'll Instead OF
approaching Dover, however, he was
| sighted later far to the northeast, over
| the Goodwin Sands, the exceedingly
| dangerous shoals that extend off the
southeast coast of England, some seven
miles east of Deal.
Heads Out 10 Sea.
At this point the air-man made
| grave mistake in his reckoning, for
with land but few miles to the west,
he yeered to the east, and when last
seen was heading over the North Sea-
| At this point he was swallowed up by
| the fog, and since then, except for the
negative inference to be deduced
| from the absence of news, nothing
whsteyer has transpired to throw light
| en- his whereabouts.
| false report that he had landed at
Deal for a time cheered anxious friends,
hut when this was disproved, every
possible resource was appealed to to nnd
him. The warships and merchant yes
sells along the east coast were instruct
ed TO keep a sharp lookout, but their
wireless exchanges were all OF the same
tenor-nothing seen of the air man.
| Automobile Parties Out.
! Meantime automobile parties secured
the coast in the hope that Grace nao
descended at some out-o -the-way spot,
from which the lack of easy communi-
cation might account for his failure TO
notify his friends of his safety. This
afternoon his friends chung to the hope
that the aviator. through discovery
of his error in reckoning or by some
lucky chance, had reached the coasts
of Suffolk or Norfolk. while the more
optimistic talked of record flight
terminating in the north of England.
Here again the wish was farther to the
thought, and grave doubt of the air
mans safety was felt generally
Many vessels arrived from the North
Sea during the day, but none brought
word of Grace.
Particular interest Is felt in the pre-
sent adventure, as Grace is a sports
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