The Butler weekly times and the Bates County record. (Butler, Mo.) 1918-1950, 1919-06-19
TWO MEN FLY ACROSS OCEAN
$4,000 Prize Won by British ~.
ficers When They Make th \
Trip in 16 Hours.

/ Alcock and Lieut.. Arthur Ynrn
in their Vickers-V imy biplane, lande,
at Clifden, Ireland, this morning
completing their first Nonstop sair
plane flight across the Atl&htfc
Their trip, from St. Johns, N. r, Wa!
made in sixteen hours, twelve min
utes.
They win the $4,000 prize of thu
London Daily Mail for the first non.
stop flight across the Atlantic.
Clifdcn is forty-three miles north.
west of Galway and is situated on
the inlet of Ardbear harbor. From
St. Johns to Galway the distanceais
approximately 1860 miles (l6S2 sea
miles.)
1t is calculated that the machine
an hour.
The landing was made at o:4o
o'clock, British summer time.
The brief and modest description
that comes from the airmen at Cliff
den tell of an adventurous and amaz-
ingly hazardous enterprise. Fog and
mist hung over the, North Atlantic,
and the Vickers-Virny piplane
climbed and dived, struggling to ex-
tricate herself from the folds Of the
airplane's enemy. 4Aa
The machine rose to Ii,ooo feet,
swooped down almost to the SURFACE
of the sea and at times the two avi-
ators found themselves flying upside
down only ten feet above the water.
Before coming to earth, near the
Clifden wireless station, Alcock cir
cled the wireless aerials seeking the
best spot to REACH the earth. But no
suitable ground was found, so he
CHANGED it in bog.
The wireless staff rushed to the aid
of the aviators. They found Brown
dazed and Alcock temporarily deaf
ened by the force of the impact. As
soon as they were able to be escorted
to the wireless station they tele-
graphed the news to their friends,
then had breakfast
That is the best way to cross the
Atlantic" said Lieut.. Brown, after
he had eaten.
Capt. Alcock explained the silence
Of his radio instrument during the |
trip by saying that the wireless pro-
peller blew off soon after the air
plane left Newfoundland.
I'VE were much damned by strong |
signals not intended for us"
he added.
When word was received here OF
the accident to the machine in land
ng arrangements were made for me-
,hanics to leave London immediate
y to make repairs.
Less successful but no less daring
han the achievement of the Vickers-
Vimp pilot and navigator was the re-
cent flight by two other British air
men. Harry G. Hawker and Lieut..
Commander Mackenzie Grieve. On
May 10 they covered more than half
the distance across the Atlantic be-
fore being forced to aligh& in mid
ocean. For nearly week they were
given up for lost, but eventually
urned up safe OH board small craft
which took them almost to Ireland
before news of their dramatic rescue
Vas relayed ashore by British de-
;troyer. 49,.
The successful flights of the Brit
sh airplane and the American sea-
blame were made in pursuance OF dif-
erent phases of experiment in aerial
problems. Elaborate precautions
we're taken to guide the NC-4 and her
flyers by destroyers placed
It frequent intervals, the aim being
lot so much to make a record as to
establish the practicability of cross
ocean traffic by air under conditions
If comparative safety. y +