Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1919-06-27
FLIES OVER OCEAN
AT SINGLE: JUMP
IN sixteen HOURS
Starting From Newfoundland,
Captain lack AIcock Lands
Safely in Ireland.
NEAR 1925 MILES AN HOUR.
Aviators Follow Direct Course Through
Binding Fog, at Times Flying Up
side Down Ten Feet Above
the Water.

London.-The final goal Of all the
ambitions which flying men have ven
tured to dream since the Wright broth
ers first rose from the earth in a
heavier than air machine was realized
wien two young British officers. Cap
tain John Alcock and Lieutenant Ar
thur w. Brown, landed on the Irish
coast after the first nonstop flight
across the Atlantic ocean.
Their voyage was without accident
and without Unforeseen incident, so far
as can be learned. 1t was straight
away, clean-cut fight, achieved i'll 10
hours and II mnutes-from New
foundland to .Clifden, Ireland, dis
tance of approximately 1850 miles.
But the brief and modest descrlp-
ton which comes from the airmen at
Clifden tells of an adventurous and
amazingly hazardous enterprise. Fog
and mistS hung over the North At
lantic, and the VickersYimy biplane
climbed and dove, struggling to eX-
tricate herself. from the folds of the
airplanes worst enemies.
Describing the experiences Of him
self and Lieutenant Brown, Captain
Alcock in. message from Galway
says:
"We had terrible journey. The
wonder is that we are here at all. We
scarcely saw the sun or moon or stars.
For hours we saw.n0ne Of them. The
fog was dense, and at times we had
20 descend within 800 feet Of the sea.
"For four hours our machine was
covered with sheet of ice caused by
frozen sleet. At another time the fog
was so dense that my speed Indicator
did not work, and for few minutes it
was alarming.
1--WE looped the loop, l do believe,
and did IA steep spiral. We did some
comic stunts, for l have had no sense
of horizon.
"The winds were favorable all the
way, northwest, and at times south
west. An hour and half before we
saw land we had nc certain idea where
we were, but we believed we were at
Galway or thereabcuts.
"Our delight in seeing Eastal Island
and Tarbot Island five miles west OF
Clifden, was great. The people did
not know who we were and thought we
were scouts looking for Alcock.
"We encountered no unforeseen con-
ditions. We did not suffer from cold
or exhaustion. except when looking
over the side; then the sleet chewed
bits out of our faces.
"Our fight has shown that the At
lantic flight is practicable, but thim:
it should be done, not. with an air
plane or seaplane, but with flying
boats.
"We had plenty OF reserve fuel left,
using only two-thirtls of our supply.
"The only thing that upset me was
to see the machine at the end get dam
aged. From above the bog looked like
a lovely field, but the machine sank
into It to the axle and. fell over on to
her side"
The Daily Nails correspondent
found Alcock and Brown at Clifden,
packing their gear in a huge sack.
.Alcock's face lit mp with a smile when
he was congratulated by the cuire-
spondent. Brown, who was bending
over. packing, said quietly:
1--WE didn't do so badly. did we?" ..-
Alcock said with a laugh: Il am not
at all tired"
. Brown, however, confessed: II am a
bit tagged out"
The correspondent says Browns
eyes were slightly bloodshot, but that
otherwise the men did not, look as if
they had travelled across the ocean.
When the officers, operators and SOL
diers from the wireless plant rushed
toward the machine after it had land
ed Alcock said:
"This is the Vicl;ersVimy machine.
We have just come from Newfound-
land"
Tile little crowd gasped and then
cheered and chtered again.
Alcock, in telling his story, said:
1--WE landed in the softest spot in
Ireland, but l really wonder that we
got here, with our wireless out of ac-
tion. Neither of us got much fun out
OF the flight. 1t was job of work"
Brown said: 1--WE were too near it to
realize what it is we have done"
Brown was able to take only four
readings Of the airr!ane's position
one from the sun, one from the moon,
one from the Pole Star and one from
the star Vega.