Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-04-19

The attempt to cross the atlahtic ny
seaplane is the most difficult and haz-
ardous enterprise in the spectacular his
5 tory of flying.
M If It succeeds. it will be an achieve
ment comparable to the discovery OF the
North Pole.
Major Wood. a British .flier the first
actually to start the transatlantic
fight. met disaster yesterday when ms
nIane tumbled into the Irish sea. lie
had chopped off" from East Church,
England.
But he will try again. and there are
other airmen on both sides OF the Al r.
Iautic waiting at this very moment for
: an auspicious time to start.
Explorers strove for a hundred years
TO master the icy waters that lie between
civilization and the top of the world
It was only in 1914 that transatlan,
tic air voyage began TO be discussed
seriously.
Virtually it was only after the sign
ing of the armistice that the nSlns eN'
perts of the Allied governments 1naue
definite preparations for tlght from
shore to shore of the Atlantic.
War Mother of New Daring
1t was the war that made the under
taking possible success, instead OF
probable failure. War needs brought
marvellous advances in airplane ana
seaplane construction. No aircraft de'
yelopmept in the earlier days of expert
mental fying had either the carrying
power or the capacity Of sustained hlght
necessary for an undertaking of this
magnitude.
Super planes of the type entered in
the ocean race Were first made late III
the war for bombing purposes. The
Italians astonished the world with the
carrying power of the earliest Caproni
planes. Russia likewise developed
gigantic biplane. but the revolution
came along and nothing more was heard
of it.
Britain and America turned their at
tention to huge seoplanes, used to hunt
German submarines and kill them with
INT depth bombs. Some of the best
of these were manufactured at the
Philadelphia Navy Yard, in the great
aircraft factory there, and it was
rumored recently that one of the giant
American planes. greater than all its
prototypes. which would be used in an
American attempt TO conquer the At
lantic. was being built at League
Island
All Nations Want to Try
England. France and the United
States announced their entrance into
the race for air supremacy that was
to be decided by the first plane to cross
the Atlantic Ocean. Individuals as
well as governments went into the con
test with enthusiasm. Some of the
worlds best aviators announced that
they would try to fly across the sea.
The prize to be gained by the sue
cessful competitor is huge. in both
money and fame The man first to
chart an air track through the skies
over the Atlantic will fly straight into
the pages of history. He will come
''sky hooting' into fortune too. for
the cash prizes offered for the first
non stop flight across the Atlantic
reach the alluring total OF something
like $4,000. including the $50 1000
prize put up by the London Daily
Mail
Choice Of Routes Problem
Various air routes have been sug-
gested. The one most favored by eX-
perts was the New Foundand to Ire
land track. The chances for crossing
we're considered better from the New
foundland side, because of the prevail
ing winds. Weather conditions at st.
Johns held up the aviators waiting there
for chance to make the attempt.
The distance over the Newfoundland
Ireland route is estimated at 1850 nau-
tical miles. 1t is considered the short :
est, safest and most practical.
Startling French Scheme
The French talked recently of com
netting in the transatlantic race over
the most difficult route of all those sug
gested, from Paris straight TO New
York. This would mean journey OF
1000 miles, and if it is made in the
/ near future will be a more notable trip
In point of danger and difficulty than
the Ireland New Foundland attempt.
Several weeks ago a French army
+ officer. Lieutenant Fontan set off Oh
what was to have been the first leg of a
flight to America. He chose a route
radically different from any proposed
by the other contestants. He proposed
to fly frcm France to Dakar. in Scne
gambia, where there is French ali
station. and from Dakar to launch out
on transoceanic flight with Pcrnam
huco, Brazil, as his immediate OBJ,
}active.
From Senegambia to Brazil is about
the same distance as from Newfound
land TO Ireland. Unluckly, he crackcc
an engine cylinder during the first stag,
of his fight and had to abandon th,
attempt for the present.
Bermuda StopOver Once Favored
The American fers at first propose,
to go from Norfolk to Bermuda. 60,
miles, and from Bermuda to Ireland
2800 miles more. Another suggestion
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