The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-06-14
Huge British Plane VIII At
tempt Nonstop Flight.
Flyers Intend To Follow Haw-
ker's Course Across.
CAPTAIN ALCOCK At WHEEL
Lieut.. A. w. Brown, American,
Is His Navigator.
Machine Has High Speed and
Full Wireless Equipment.

St. Johns, June 14.-Off on an at
tempted nonstop flight over the At
lantic from Newfoundland to Ireland,
the British vickers airplane left st.
Johns at 12:13 p. m. today, New York
time.
The machine. with Capt. John AL
cock at the wheel, made a good start,
rising from the ground after run OF
$50 yards. The plane swept north of
the city and disappeared over the
sea in northeasterly direction.
At the start, the Vickers scudded
close to the ground then rose grad
ually to an altitude of 1000 feet.
Crowd Cheers Start.
A crowd of spectators gave Alcock
and his navigator. Lieut.. A. w.
Brown, an American in the Royal
air force. a cheer as their plane
hoped off. The streets quickly filled
as people ran out of their houses and
out of the shops to see the aviators
starting for Ireland. All points Of
vantage were thronged with New
foundlanders, who watched the plane
as it grew smaller and smaller over
the wide expanse of ocean, and finally
dwindled out of sight.
There was a strong west wind
which will probably help the aviators
over the first part of their perilous
voyage.
Navigator Brown expected to fol-
low generally the course laid out by
Hawker, this being the most direct
route from Newfoundland to Ireland.
The Vickers was equipped with a
wireless which operated successfully
over a wide range in preliminary
trials. Brown intended to keep in
touch with ships by radio all the way
across.
Only 67 Feet Wide.
The machine has a wing spread of
only siXty-seven feet, and is equipped
with two $50 horsepower Rolls-Royce
motors. said to be capable of develop
ing speed of more than 100 miles
an hour. The capacity of the gasoline
tanks was recently enlarged to S65
gallons. and the lubricating oil tanks
to so gallons, which is believed suf-
ficient to carry the plane 2,440 miles
under normal weather conditions. A
wireless telegraph set capable of send
ing and receiving messages over COM
paratively long distances is part of the
equipment
Cap. Jack Alcock. the pilot, was
among the British pioneers in avia-
ton. He obtained his flying certifi-
cate in 1912 and joined the Royal Ma
val Air service Immediately upon the
outbreak of the war. He acted as an
instructor at first but was later sent
10 the Turkish front where he held the
record for long distance bombing
Turks and held prisoner until the ar
mistice was signed.
Lieut.. Arthur Whitten Brown, navi-
gator of the Vickers- Vimy plane, also
is veteran of the war, having served
first as an infantry officer and later
in the British aviation service until
an accident to the machine in which
he was an observer late in 1915 forced
descent in German territory where
he was wounded and taken prisoner
Fought Flames in Air.
Lieutenant Browns first notable ex-
plot was in plane in which he was
acting as senior observer. A shell sci
the machine afire 5000 feet above the
German positions and while the pilot
raced to reach the British lines
Brown fought the flames to prevent
ignition of the ammunition. succeed
ing after nearly all his clothes had
been burned off In another all
cruise he helped to bring down ar
enemy albatross, and in November OF
the wars second year, he set out IL
a squadron on a long distance recon
naissance from which his plane did
not return. The carpureter froze and
when the pilot landed far within the
German lines, Brown, unable to straI
himself in, because he was busy de.
stroy!ns papers of military impor-
lance was catapaulted into the fusel.
age and had to be cut out
one thigh was dislocated, one lee
broken and his lip cut.
After what he described as "the
kihGest treatment in a German hos
pltal, the aviator was transferred tr
a prison camp. eventually being IN.
termed in Switzerland, and returned
10 england in 1917, when he became
lec'urer for the air ministry.