The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1919-06-19
FLY ATLANTIC IN
SIXTEEN HOURS
Nonstop Flight Is Achieved by
British Naval AirpIane
Officer.
AMERICAN NAWGATES PLANE
Both Pilot and Navigator in Good Spr.
its When They Came Down Near
Clifden, ireland-FIew Upside
Down at Times.

London, June Ito Jack 'Alcock, q
captain in the British royal air force,
and his navigator, Lieut.. Arthur w.
Brown, an American, goes the honor
of having made the first nonstop flight
across the Atlantic, from Newfound-
land to Ireland. The Daily Mails $780,
| 600 prize is theirs.
Forty minutes after eight o'clock
Sunday morning their big Vickers-
Vimy biplane landed on the beach near
| Clifden, Galway. They made the
flight in 16 hours and 81 minutes, hav-
Ing left st. Johns, Newfoundland, at
Alb Saturday afternoon Greenwich
time), II :13 New York time.
Both pilot and navigator were in
good spirits, but terribly fatigued.
Every mile of the flight was a terrible
battle against the elements. OF the
human qualities that combined to con-
quer the air on this direct transatlan-
tic route unshakable pluck was un-
queStiOnably the decisive factor. I'm
mediately after landing, Captain AL
cock said:
I'VE were tired, being alone in the
fog and drizzle. Sometimes we found
ourselves flying upside down while en-
veloped in the heavy blanket of fog.
Our wireless was useless for the
greater part of the flight. The wire
less propeller blew off soon after we
started from st. Johns. Our receiver
was much jammed by strong signals
not intended for u.s."
Both Alcock and Lieutenant Brown
were in good spirits when they made
their landing. The machine suffered
some minor damages through coming
down rather heavily on the sandy
shore, but neither Alcock nor Brown
suffered any injury.
The remarkable flying time, averag-
ing close to two miles a minute, is
creditable to a favorable wind, which
at times added 80 miles an hour TO the
speed Of the biplane.
The sanding was rough. The fuse
lage bowled into the sand and the lin
en- on the underestimate of the lower
wings was ripped. Neither Alcock nor
Brown was injured. Stiti1y they
crawled from their cockpits and shook
hands.
The flight was triumph of air navi-
cation, Lieutenant Brown plotted a
course that brought the alrplane to a
an Tho N1-acf IyiSb coast Clif-
den is a seaport and market town %
miles southwest Of Westport.
Shortly after the plane took the air
at 6:13, Greenwich time, Saturday af-
ternoon III :13 a. m. Chicago time),
the propeller of the wireless sending
generator blew off This explained the
silence of the radio instruments. The
receiving apparatus remained in work
ing trim, and throughout the flight
wireless signals were picked up.
A heavy fog enveloped the ship dur
ing part of the flight and made navi-
cation difficult and at times impossi-
BILE.
The course flown was the same
which Harry Hawker planned. The
bomber flew almost directly above the
spot where the little Sopwith Topped
into the Atlantic.
While a thousand persons witnessed
the take-off, only a handful of startled
villagers were within seeing distance
when the plane crashed to its landing.
Several fishing vessels off the west
coast sighted the airship as it swept
in from the Atlantic.
Within few minutes after the land
ing Citizens thousand inhabitants
were pressed about the plane. The avi-
ators were carried to the town on the
shoulders of the enthusiastic residents.
Captain Alcock flashed to London the
news of completion of the flight. The
Vickers-Vimy company has wired re-
quest that he and Brown wait at Cliff
den for the arrival of mechanics who
will repair the plane. 1t is planned to
have Alcock continue the flight to Eng
land and give an exhibition over Lon
don.
Both Alcock and Brown stood the
journey well.
Except for difficulties with fog and
the loss of our wireless propeller, the
trip was uneventful," Captain Alcock
said. Both engines performed in
splendid fashion. From the minute we
took off there appeared to be no doubt
Of our success"
The plane was built originally to
bomb Berlin. The armistice was
signed before 1t could be put into war
service. 1t has a cruising radius of q
440 miles.