The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-22
CAPT. SMITH THIRD
/ IN $500 MILE RACE
Filler Guest of Honor in San
Francisco After Trip Across
the Continent.
DONALDSON'S TIME FAST
Unofficial Figures Put Him in
Air Less Time Than May
nard, the Winner.

: --
Capt Lowell II. 4mith flying a De
Haviland Bluebird, landed yesterday at
Fan Francisco at 9 IA A. NJ, the third
Iiier to finish the transcontnental race
pnd the first TO make the return trip to
San Francisco. The first man in the
race. Lieut.. Belvin w. Maynard, reached
4 Mineola Saturday and the second Capt.
r. o. Donaldson, an ace, on Monday.
. Capt. Smith left New York last
Wednesday at 2 81 and flew to- Buffalo.
That night his airplane burned while
mechanics were working on it and he
remained at Buffalo until the next after
noon, when Major Spatz surrendered to
him his own Bluebird, declaring that
Capt Smith. being a mechanic as well
as pilot, stood the best chance of beat
ing Lieut.. Maynard. He then flew to
Cleveland and hoped to Chicago the
next day. From Chicago he flew to
Sidney. His next days flying took him
to Reno. New. From there he hoped to
San Francisco, by way of Sacramento.
yesterday.
The only other fier still in the race of
the fifteen to start from San Francisco
Is Lieut. r. S, Worthngton, who is now
about half way across the continent on
the return trip. Both Major ]. Bartholf
md Lieut.. ]. 2. Richter, who reached
Mineola, have announced that they will
not fly back.
Capt. Smith was the guest of honor at
n reception yesterday in the San Fran
disco City Hall. He was greeted by
Mayor James Rolph, Lieut.-Gen. Hun
ter Liggett and Col. H. II. Arnold, chief
of the Air Service. His flying time has
not yet been calculated.
Donaldson Ahead OF! Time.
An unofficial calculation of the flying
time of Capt. Donaldson indicates that in
this respect he beat Lieut.. Maynard who
arrived at Roosevelt Field first. 1t is
snof1icially estimated that Capt. Don
aldson in his fast little SE-5, one man
scout machine equipped with $50 horse
power American built Hispano-Suiza
motor, travelled twice across the con-
tinent, distance of 5.400 miles. in 40
hours Sc minutes and IL seconds.
. Lieut.. Maynards time In the air was
Jnofflclally stated to be so hours, 10 min
utes and "a seconds, to which must be
added in the official tabulation a period
Of eighteen hours in which he was on
the ground between control stations
between controls, according to tho reg
ulations, are counted in the flying time
Of the contestant
Details Of Capt. Donaldson's expert
ences were told at a dinner given to him
by the American Flying Club. Unlike
Lieut.. Maynard he paid no attention to
the compass but flew by instinct, travel
ling as low as possible and picking up
landmarks and checking these up on his
Il
Especially on the trip from Buffalo to
Cleveland.
with high compression engine, such
as had. the propeller revolves SO swift
~ that the tips travel at a speed of 800
miles per hour" he said You can i'm
agine then with what force the propeller
blade strikes the rain drops. The rain.
before 1 had gone great way out or
Buffalo, had worn off the tips of the pro-
pellers for two inches and had chewed
It along the side to a depth of one inch.
This made flying exceedingly difficult.
Yet, bad as the rain was, l feared the
fog most and was compelled to fly within
ESQ feet OF the ground in order to note
the land marks"
Flew Through Rocky Passes.
Capt Donaldson said he Rugged the
earth most Of the way westward, know
were blowing at 5000 feet. In crossing
the Rockies instead of flying over the
peake he frequently SKINNED through
the passes at an elevation of only TWEEN
ty-five feet or so.
At Green River Capt Donaldson wit
messed the unusual sight of a DH
piloted by Lieut.. Webster failing to get
into the air because of its thinness and
shooting off the edge of the landingt1eld
into a canon 1877 feet deep, at the bot
tom of which rolled the Green River.
Instead of crashing downward the ma
chine was borne up by a current of air
rushing through it and the pilot gayly
continued his journey.
II think this race will wake up the
people to the fact that aviation Is here, -
Capt. Donaldson said in summing up the
benefits to be derived from the contest.
1T may be four or five years before it is
commercially profitable, but we are fly
ing to-day and flying will become popu-
lar and will increase in safety just as
soon as the public itself provides the
necessary landing fields If we get a
separate department of aeronautics I
shall remain in the air service. If we
don't I do not believe l shall. It won't
be worth while"
Seventeen fiiers from Mineola still re-
main in the race. OF these eight are
now on their way from San Francisco,
while the others are still in that city.
Lieut.. Alexander Pearson reached Cleve-
land yesterday afternoon in driving
rain. Lieut.. Earle AIanzelman, who
reached Cleveland on Monday. is still
held there by broken radiator Lieut..
T, Hynes, Lieut. w. c. Brown and Lieut.
Col Fl r. HartpgV Gtartad hOn1e w nd