The sun., 1919-07-08
General Maitland's Log.

II the journey which ended at
Roosevelt Field on Sunday morning
were not assured OF Immortality by
the fact that 1t was the first balloon
passage across the Atlantic and the
longest voyage ever made in the air
the log Of Brigadier- General MATT
LAND would Of itself save it from ever
being forgotten.
This official observer for the British
Air Ministry might easily have been
excused IL his journal had been de-
voted entirely to the scientific side Of
the adventure and If he had remained
to MAITLAND; he has been at it for
at least ten years, having taken it up
soon after he came out Of the Boer
war, young officer Of % years. He
was in the air for England all through
the greater war, entering 1t as wing
commander and coming out of it with
his present rank.
But there is nothing blase about
the log of the R-34. These six or
eight thousand words, written while
the great diriglble buzzed across the
sea, are narrative not surpassed in
human interest by any of the more de-
liberately prepared diaries of the Arc
tic explorers. There are no heroics
in It, no etrivings for the dramatic,
no shooting over the heads of the
hundreds OF millions Of people who
are keen to know Just what q man
sees and does in the wilderness OF
the air. Every one who read the log
In THE Sun yesterday must have had
feeling of envy for the fortunate
voyagers IL not genuine desire to
go and do likewise.
We know from General MAIrLANDs
log that there was no suffering from
cold or wind, and that when rain
finally came there were windows to
shut It out. Little noise or vibration
reached the traveller unless he was
directly over the power units. There
was plenty Of room for exercise, max
ing 1t certain that when the crew Of
n watch turned in slumber soon WIS.,
tied them in their snug sleeping bags,
How different from the discomfort of
ALcocK and Brown, driving day and
night through the storm, tortured by
cramp and sleepiness
In scenic beauty the voyage lacked
nothing. A sunrise "like n wash
drawing" the sea blue river flowing
between banks of fog, complete
rainbow that encircled the ship, a
close look at cirrus ventosus. 'llttle
curly clouds like u blackcock's tail
feathers; the sight of land and then
sail over n forest so near that MATT
LAND smelled the pines; view of
stacked tree trunks that Cooked like
punches of asparagus; these we're in
cidents. The R-34 put the wind up
big brown engle" and "all agreed
we must come TO Nova Scotia for
shooting and fishing"
Food: Certainly. \ breakfast or
cold ham, hard boiled egg and tea
may have made the American OBJ
server, Lieutenant-C Commander LASs-
powSE, shudder little, but the feast
was helped out by the strains from
the ships monograph of "The Wild
Wild Women" Tea (the Engllshman
will have 1t whether he is in earth,
sea or sky was better with its hot
brew cooked over the exhaust pipe
of the forward engine, its bread and
butter. greengage jam and fruitarian
cake, "sickly to- taste, but very nour-
ishlng'-''the whole assisted by Miss
LEE WHITE on the gramophone."
There's fame for one lady. And, O
Tragedy. the use of First officer
GREELAND's toothbrush to stir the
luncheon mustard was discovered.
Hitherto the most celebrated gar
ment in Atlantic adventure history
has been the coat which COLUMBUS
offered as a prize to the sailor first
sighting land. Now 1t has mate In
the lady's stocking worn around the
neck OF RIBS engineer officer as n
tallsman. Observer MAITLAND Is care