New-York tribune., 1919-10-11
Sky Pilot in
Night Flight
Regains Lead
Continued from page l

Continued from page
ers in the finish of the race, unless
something unexpected develops.
Chance NJ. Vought chairman of the
contest committee Of the club, de-
clared that a matter of seconds in a
fight of 2,7OO miles, after the leaders
had encountered snowstorms, rain
storms and wind squalls, was a remark
able tribute to the efficiency of the
machines entered in the race.
Lieutenant Kiel and Major Spatz, the
Smith at Rock Island. Ill.,, yesterday.
Weather and Accident
They were assisted in their effort
to overtake the leaders by the ill-luck
which befei the pacemakers. Lieuten-
Wyo., for six hours until repairs could
be made to his radiator, which was
damaged in landing Thursday evening"
Captain Smith was held up at Rock
Island, Ill.,, by bad weather and was
not able to get away from that station
until Lieutenant Kicl and Major Spatz
had overtaken him.
The high pitch to which the pilots
in the race are keyed was vividly re-
flected in an incident at Des Moines,
Iowa, yesterday morning. In the neck
to-neck race between Lieutenant Kiel
and Major Spatz, the former beat his
ranking officer into Herring Field, Das
Moines, by twenty-four minutes.
Penalized Two Minutes
Major Spatz Immediately entered a
protest on the ground that Lieutenant
Kiel left Omaha two minutes too soon
The field officials thcreupon penalized
the lieutenant and compelled him to
wait an extra two minutes at Des
Moines.
Maj or Spatz left the Rock Island field
together at 1:45 yesterday noon and
flew neck-to-neck race to Chicago.
This race was continued through the
rest of the day, with the honors finally
in favor of Captain Smith.
Night found Captain Smith, Lieuten-
ant k!el and Major Spatz at Bryan.
Ohio, the former beating Lieutenant
Kiel by thirty minutes and Major Spatz
by forty minutes. All three will re-
main in Bryan overnight.
Captain Harry c. Drayton. his near
est wcstbound competitor, yesterday
reduced the gap that separated him
from Lieutenant Maynard He arrived
at Cheyenne at 2:05 p. m. and left
again al 2:35.
According to the official figures of
the American Flying Club seventeen
Of The siXty-six starters in the trans
continental ain race are already elm
mated by crashes, mostly Of non-seri.
Gus nature.
Lieutenant L. V. Wales, who drove
his plane into the side of Deer Noun
tain, in Overt Pass, Wyoming, on
Thursday, died yesterday as a result
OF his injuries.
This accident brought out the most
heroic Incident of thc race. Lieutenant
Nalcs's observer. Lieutenant William
Go ldsborough, only slightly injured, got
olt OF the wrecked machine and
trampcd three miles through the heavy
snow and forest lands in total darkness
to the nearest farmhouse to seek as
'sistancc for his comraGc. He finally
staggered exhausted on the steps of a
small house twenty-five miles from
Saratoga. Wyo.
believing his comrade would re-
cover. Lieutenant Colds borough sent a
( telegram announcing the accident. Then
hastily organizing a rescue party, he
guided it back to the wrecked plane
The return trip through the deep snow
took several hours, and by the time the
party reached the wrecked plane it was
found that Lieutenant Wales had died
from his injuries. The body of the
pilot was taken to the ranch home of
Charles Paulson, near Milo, Wyo.
Lieutenant Wales was born in the
State of Washington. His mother ant.
his wife both reside in Los Angeles.
lie was transportation officer in charge
OF forest fire patrol work at Mather
Field, Cal. AS an air service officer he
had been stationed at Washington,
Ellington, Kelly and Rockwell fields.
Would Disqualify Maynard
The late arrival Of Lieutenant May
nard at Cheyenne brought a protest
from some of the contestants yester-
day, and his disqualification was de-
violated the rules of the race, which
stipulates that no night or Sunday
flying shall be made.
The contest committee of the Amer
lean Flying Club, after consultation
with the army officials in Washington
sent the following telegram to the Of
hcers in charge of all the control
stations along the route:
"Answoring wire, have been advised
by Air Service at Washington that
pilots delayed or thrown oft course
by rain or strong wind, and arriving at
control stop after sunset, and arriving
at next control stop under normal
conditions but after sunset and before
dark, are not disqualified if after leav-
ing the original stop before sunset they
have a reasonable chance to get into
the Dext control before dark. How
ever, many rulings of this nature have
been left by the Air Service to the
discretion Of the control chief"
Colonel c. c. Culver, radio expert
of the United States Air Service, and
oldest active flyer, who flew u captured
German Fokker in the race, was com
PEELED to land in field too small to
take take off again and was eliminated.
Radio Warnings Urged
On his arrival in New York yester-
day he said:
NINETY per cent Of the crashes which
have occurred in the transcontinental
race could have been prevented had ra-
dlo beacons been sending out signals
of warning or direction"
"ln the next few years." he said,
"the route which army fiers are now
marking across this nation will be
followed by commerce planes.
municipalities, in cooperation with
government agencies, should establish
major landing fields at distances of 100
to $50 miles apart These fields should
be equipped with hangers, repair and
supply shops. They should have a
radio station to which should be sent
weather reports. These messages
could be received by arplanes equipped
with proper apparatus at distances up
to 200 miles. There should be emer-
gency landing fields every ten miles.
The commerce ships of the future