Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-06-16
Alcock and Brown Succeed
in Reaching Ireland
Without Stop.
GREAT. RECEPTION
FOR BOLD AIRMEN
Cover More Than 1900 Nautical Miles
in Sixteen Hours and Twelve Min
utes-Plane Damaged While Ali9ht-
ing and May Have to Be Disrantled
- Men Almost Plunged Into Sea
When Compass Freezes Up.

London, June 16.-London celebrated
today the achievement of the two Brit
ish airmen who yesterday completed
the first nonstop transatlantic flight,
meanwhile preparing a formal recep-
ton to the air victors. Capt. John AL
cock and Lieut.. Arthur Brown.
Formal examination Of the Vickers-
Vimy bombing type airplane in which
the two men flew 1860 nautical miles
in sixteen hours and twelve minutes
from ST. Johns, Newfoundland, to
Clifton. near Calgary Ireland, has been
completed by aero club officials, who
found the seals intact on the marked
parts of the airplane. thus OFFICIALLY
esta blishing the authenticity of the
flight.
Meanwhile the aviators. tired but
happy are on their way to London and
may reach here tomorrow. Both are
well, but Lieutenant Brown. the navi-
gator of the plane, suffered bruises on
the nose and face when the machine
landed in bog. The biplane was bad
ly damaged and may have to be dis
mantled.
Features of the trip were the carry
ing of the first aerial mail across the
Atlantic and the transportation of two
mascots, a dog and cat.
Have Marrow Escape.
Enthusiasm over the success OF the
trip, it is commented, has not been ac-
companied by any minimizing of the
great dangers the aviators encounter
ed. Once, the airmen said. they barely
escaped being plunged into the seas
when the machine went into flat
spin.
!, Early in the flight the half gale in
which they took off from st. Johns
tore off the propeller that drove the
wireless dynamo and made radio COM
munication impossible. At the same
time, Lieutenant Brown said stay
wire had broken. but of this he did not
speak to his companion until they
landed. Captain Alcock said he would
have turned back had he known this.
Bad weather. accompanied by fog,
permitted only three observations for
layinc the course, while sleet stopped
the working of the. perol indicator. The
plane was covered with ice and at
times the ayiators did not know for
certain whether they were flying level.
The two aviators said they wefe only
once in real danger, when the machine
went into flat spin, owing to the plot
heine unable to tell how the machine
was moving. s
Lieutenant Brown, noticing that the
compass needle was swinging IRON
side to side, the first INDICATION tha'
something was wrong-managed &c
get Cantain Alcock to understand the
; difficulty.
Travelled at High Speed.
The plane travelled at a rate OF l4'
miles an hour at times and the piio'
once found himself diving straigh'
toward the surface OF the ocean. he
was so near the water that ne had &c
snatch" the machine from its dive SC
quickly that 1t almost looped the loop
He says the machine would have
crumpled up had it touched the water
at the speed it was then travelling.
The biplane is being guarded by SOL
diers and it is probable it will be nee
essary to dismantle IT.
Congratulated by Americans.
Major Murray of the United States
army air service, has telegraphed the
/ following message to Captain John AL
cock at Clifden, Ireland:
,"As the representative of the United
States army air service in Great Brit
ain, take great pleasure in extending
to you and your splendid crew hearth
est congratulations on your brilliant
achievement"