Evening journal., 1919-05-19


hawkers departure was entirely un
expected. save by the men Of his crew
and few Of his intimate friends. i
WAS known that since the first o.
April when ne arrived here first o.
the entered Transatlantic fiers O.
reach Newfoundland, he has been un-
der an increasingly great strain a,
the days passed by. The plague Of con
trary winds. storms at sea, tho de,
pressing fogs and searching chill OF
Newfoundland descended upon him In
measure unreasonable even in forbid
ding Newfoundland
Then came Raynham a week behind
him. He congratulated his younger
rival and wished him luck with thl
real feeling Of a sportsman. Then came
the other cOntenders. Col John Cyrl
Portos great Handley Page seaplane
with two engines, able TO ride rough
seas indefinitely: Capt. John Alc0ck
who proposed TO fly a great Nimy-
Nickers bombing machine across The
gap, and Capt. y. 5. Bennett, who
planned TO- span the Atlantic with a
Bolton & Paul thrce-seated machine.
All the other contestants but Rayn-
ham had bigger machines and better
chances-s0 the aeronaulical experts
said with disconcerting frankness-
than Hawker lie welcomed them all
and hoped The best man would win.
Then came the American navy men
With three great scsplanes. llawker
honestly doubted their ability, with
their great welght-a weight which he
considered their four heavy engines
IL add 20 unnecessarily. ON the day
they left Trepassey Bay Hawker siill
was waiting anxiously upon the wealth
en- reports which came TO him from
Great Britain, from ships at sea and
from the local asthoriiies.
Some Of the townspeople, weary OF
ne delay began TO wonder, some more
openly than was polite. when he was
10 get away. But 10 was-when the
Americans reached the Azores that
Hawker's determination TO leave de
spite the absence Of those perfect con-
litlons for which he Representations
which probably would mean the differ
nee between life and death to him.
Wished TO Beat Americans.
He determined TO take 4 chance-or
axe a chance-or rather 90 add an
,ther chance to the multitude which
ne was taking-and leave without posi-
i've assurance that head winds in mid
,cean would not meet and beat back
is plane until with gasoline exhausted
sank.
His decision made after an early
morning visit with his navigator TO the
Office OF the Royal Air Force meteor
0iogist was with the intention Of beat
ing TO England the American seaplanes'
one of which he learned was at the
Azores within $50 miles Of continental
Europe. Hawker Is a professional
flyer. and he would lose none Of the
London Daily Mail prize Of S5O'O0
should the naval flying boats beat MN
10 The British Isles. but his patriotism
urged him on in fair competition.
Immediately after the decision Haw-
ker's spirits scared upward. Despite
the report Of the weather men, which
ne quoted as mot yet favOrable-but
possible" the strain upon him seemed
20 have relaxed The uncertainty was
passed. He felt that within twenty
four hours he would be a live hero or
a dead fool.
WIFI Grieve--who was as unconcern- |
ed as the pilot as became a British /
naval officer I'm the face Of great peril. |
probably greater than he had faced |
during his active service in submarine /
infested waters during the war-wiih |
his navigator Tiawksr TESTED light
heartedly as they packed their saichels. /
Gravely weighing Commander |
Grieve's satchel llawker inquired Of his
companion in the perilous adventure: /
Can't you dispense with paiamas !
Just for the trip?n
And in response TO a question about I
sleep during the voyage, for Grieye has
had some slight experience as a pilot
and may fly a machine for short inter
ials. Hawker replied:
We'll have a long sleep coming at
The end of the trip-anyway.n
An hour before the actual start the
heavily laden biplane was trundled out
81 the hangar for a wind test. For n
moment or two Hawker listened intent
ly to the beat Of the engine-a mere
Ear wrecking explosion of sound to
most Of those about him, but TO him,
he chief pilot Of the Sopwith plant
As fun OF meaning as the strains OF
symphony orchestra to musician.
1OOl tNUuAIs Tic llulititN.
Then after a final inspection OF plane. /
n scrutiny OF the mechanism by which 1
the wheels We're TO be. dropped from
the body to add six miles an hour to |
the speed Of the machine and warm /
ing up run Of the motor the two adj /
veniurers. with the methodical move (
ments OF men with their nerves UNI
der complete control. calmly climbed /
into the little cockpit which they Will /
share until the plane ends It's flight |
on land or in the sea.
After another short moment Of atten-
iion the spinning motor and propeller.
which was .c0rkscrewing the air and
sending It back Of the machine with
tornado like speed. while mechanics
with clothes tapping wildly. moved
about Hawker opened the throttle 20
he full and the ground crew were
foyced to call for aid lest The machine
Tart forward. despite the blocks be-
leath its wheels The thunder OF The
'ngine made nothing but sign language
possible Then, throttling down again.
Ie shouted:
"How about old tin sides? referring
. Baynham Of tho Nartnsyde plane.
Tell him III see him in Brooklands -
Dumping in the ungraceful way OF
n alrplanc out Of its element the BIZ
lane lurched away. both It's occupants
,oking straight ahead. Then came its
lcnacing rO8r. an increasing speed Of
: little wheels. and suddenly a rig :
lily and fixty in FORWARD movement
'hicl was the first indication that the L
lane had taken or.
The noise Of the motor as the ma f
hine rose upward was the first indica- q