The Raymer enterprise., 1914-03-26

hi the North Atlantic pursues the well-traveled
air lanes Of Europe safely passes over the bleak
and forbidding wastes Of Siberia and fringes the
almost unInhabited coast line of northern Asia
and Alaska.
But each Of these feats has been exceeded al.
ready In the air records now on the books Now
all that is needed Is the combination OF them The
performance OF one great air Journey after an.
other means luck, enormous luck to greater de
gree than in almost any sporting contest ever
organized
Several ayators have signihed their intention Of
entering. They willing to take the risks
lhey are not nctuaed by the desire for gold for
even the successful contender. who will win the
hiauVOO first prize and also the $50 0u0 offered by
Lord Northellne for the first crossing of the AT
lantic. will find his 100000 and perhaps more
eaten up by the expenses Of his underta king
II Is quite certain, however that plenty OF men
al large fortunes and sporting procivties will be
round TO finance this peerless air event
The eyes Of the world will be upon the brave
cnntendera even more than they were upon the
pioneer aviation racers In that first meet AT
Rheims in 1908
The attention of the close students of the rare
Is centered upon the problem Of the Atlantic
After passing due east from San Francisco across
the sIerFas, through Reno, New: Cheyenne Wyo.,
hRAsas City, st Louis and New York the avia.
tors viii coast along the seahoard to Belle Isle
between Newfoundland and Labrador Here the
flight across the Atlantic Will begin The flyers
will probably head for Cape Farewell. Greenland
eio miles away From Cape Farewell 10 Iceland
me distance Is go miles. and from Iceland to
atornaway, In the Iebrides is $40 miles
Three enormous leaps-6l0 go and so miles
None OF them insurmountabe In itself But to hit
the ouls-eye three times in suecession-thera's
the rub.
Then these seas are not always as hospitabIe as
The Mediterranean, which Roland Garros has now
crossed twice There are fog and wind and rocky
landing places
But If a row OF warshps patrol the course
lent by their governments in the interests of sci.
ence and human progress, the risk will not be
greater tor tnstancel than that taken by the late
John Il, Mossaut when he set off In an untrIed
machine with fog in his face to fly from Paris
70 London at time when the channel crossing
alone was considered almost miracle
compared with the Atlantic crossing. too the
rest OF the journey seems fairly simple
The proposed route Is by way of Edinburgh
London. Paris berlin. Warsaw. st Petersburg
Moscow and the Trans.Siberian railway to Man.
churia ana then south to Nladrostok. The next
lap takes the aviator across the sea to Corea
lie must then cross the Japan sea TO Kobe and
Tokyo turn north TO Kamchatka and travel along
the coast either TO East cape or to the Aeutfan
Islands The distance between the two continents
here varies from 80 TO 200 miles From Alaska
the course will be southwark TO Vancouver, Seat.
Tie, and home to San Francisco
The aFlatOrs who hesitate about pronouneing
the journey possible In the present stage of their
are calling attention to the distances 900 miles
Inc successful hyer must travel an average of
more than 200 miles day for four months VIII
1t be possible to accomplish the trip in the few
months OF summer OF the Northern regions
through parts of which the course lies, yedrlnes
was hye weeks In doing the $500 miles from Paris
to the pyramids. flying at an average of only 100
miles daily.
This explains clearly how greatly the proposed
Journey would outdo anything yet accomplished
Besides the notable flights already mentioned.
Oscar Blder has flown practically every high
mountain In Europe. Garros has made a flight
from Marseilles to Paris without stopping Brinde-
lone des hounais sks toured the capitals OF
Europe and two besides Vedrlnes have reached
Egypt from France Yet these Journeys rale be.
fore the difficulties OF the race around the globe.
II is to be noted however. that the history OF
aviation Is one succession OF surprises Scarcely
anything OF Importance accomplished has not
been called impossible beforehand Ayiators
have done SO much that one hesitates to doubt
their ability to do anything
Special aeroplanes will be constructed for the
race. These will probably be swift, but not built
for the maximum speed. They will make say, so
miles an hour. Reliability will be the object