Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-05-19
HAWkER STARTS FLIGHT
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC IN
ATTEMPT TO BEAT YANKS
Continued from Page onel
unsteadilS over the uneven ground ana
with l last lurch took the air"

uusteadily over the uneven ground ana
with L last lurch took the air"
Take New Course.
lIawker and Grieve are flying over
"a course all their own, figured out
last night and this morning with the
one object in mind OF how to head
off the Americas" Early today
they hurried to the offices Of the
royal air force meterrlogists. Find
ing conditions imp owed a little,
though not rs favorable as they would
have demanded had not the Ameri-
cans been well started on their pass
age, they went direct to the Mount
Pearl plateau where the Sopwith was
waiting in the airdrOme and began
preparations for the flight,
Hawker followed his announced in
tcnuon when he dropped the under
carriage Of his plane. Some persons
thought the act was intended as a
challenge 10 his rival, Ravnham and
quoted almost the last words OF Haw-
ker before he started:
How about old 'Ptnsides?' Tell
lanyham IN greet him at BrookIands,
England"
Al the start the sun was only
little over two hours beyond the me
rdien. The flyers had its aid in nav
iGatinS for -four or five hours as they
sped eastward. After that they
plunged into darkness over the ocean.
With the prospect of starlight ana
moonlight to break the monotony Of
SKY ana seat at night and to serve
as NAVIGATION guides.
+ Meet sun In Mid Ocean
Earring untoward events the plane
NJ tn l.,
of mid-Atlaiftic and race against its
westward sv ing to reach the Irish
coast before darkness falls again.
Mackenzie Grieye declared before the
start that the Sopwith would heal
straight for Ireland
Indications tonight were that west
erly winds would favor the fliers for
the first thousand miles of their
course. The remainder of the way
will be ''ticklish" sailing and it is
thought possible that Grieve will have
to bend his course somewhat south
to avoid wind and weather dangers IN
the last half of The flight
In the Sopwith pane Hawker ana
Grieve are without landing devices
other than light "skids" which must
do the work of the undercartiag
which he dropped at the start The
possibility of accident to Hawkcr'a
plane is considered great Unless he
drops down gently under the most
favorable conditions, with q very
short run" he viii! smash his pro-
peller and wreck the little craft at the
conclusion Of the flight
If the Sopwith is forced into the
sea the flyers have little hope of res
cue Both men aae wearing water
htnl A.,
keep them floating many hours but
as their course is outside the lanes of
shipping the chances Of their being
picked no are virtually nil.
Wireless Very Weak.
Hawkers wireless set will allow him
to receive wireless messages from
ships long distance off and the radio
calls he will be able to intercept will
aid his navigator greatly in keeping
on his course. But the sending appa-
ratus cannot transmit over $50 miles,
it is said, and once beyond the trans
Atlantic shipping lanes it is doubtful
whether an S.. O. S. would be picked
up by a steamer.
What was probabIps the last mess
age to the Sopwith from shore was a
wireless tonight telling of fresh at
mospheric depression developing over
Ireland. II was photographed from st,
Johns upon receipt of meteorological
advices from the open sea.
Both aYiators said before the start
thar while they anticipated some ply
steal and mental strain through the
long hours in their cramped positions.
unbroken by any prospect of being
able to spell each other by chang
ing seats. they expected to find some
oh
ing carried on the Sopwith for food.
The fuel supply was three hundred
and forty gallons of gasoline.
Raynham. after he had recovered
from the temporary collapse he suf-
fered when his craft broke down made
this statement:
- was just beginning to get a lift.
] felt the undercaIfiage weaken and
pulled back on the control stick in an
attempt 10 assist the machine clear Of
the ground. But the propeller struck
and we spilled. Another Is yards and
we would have been away"
liawker had provided against such
a mishap by installing an al-steel
undercarriage on the Sopwith aud n
device for dropping it when wei off
the ground
st. Johns, \. f.. May 1S'-Harry q.
Hawker, the Australian aviator. start
ed in his attempt to cross the Allan
tic from New Foundland to Ireland
in q Sopwith biplane at 5;55 p. m.
Greenwich time today 1:55 p. m.
New York time1
Captain Frederick p. Raynham,
learning that Hawker had started.
prepared to take Oft with his Martin
syde plane with Captain c. w. +.
Morgan as navigator.
The axle of the Martinsyde machine
broke when Raynham attempted to
leave the ground. The machine was
wrecked and both Ranyham and Nor,
gan were injured although probably
not seriously.
Last Message from NC-i.
Fonta Del Gada, May IS, (by the
A Associated PROSE Tho pTlliSpr Co