The sun., 1919-06-16

safely through many hours of flying
IN the fiimsy machines of the pre-war
era. and through the many dangers
Of wartime aviation, the plane oil but
crushed Into. the sea In spin or nose
dive. Each time his mind aud body
acting together in perfect unison
brought the plane back to the horl-
zontal once more. despite the fact that
all around him stretched the white
blanket.
1t was reported here that Capt. Al
cock even few upside down for a
time near the surface Of the water,
but this is doubted, because not even
his great skill could right the great
bomber In time to escape plunge Into
the water II this were 90. The big
bombing planes are not built for
"stunting;" and bis engines must have
stopped In such circumstances, their
gas supply from the upper wing cut
OFF by the inversion almost immedi-
ately. Planes that can fly upside
down have pressure gasolene feeds.
The gas Is In one tank in such a
machine, the tank firmly secured in
place. On the. machine Alcock flew
the gas fed by gravity from the upper
wing tank, ana the heavy tanks prob
ably would have torn loose from the
fuselage had the machine been in
verified for more than second.
Radio Sending Apparatus Injured.
Capt. Alcock explained the silence
of the radio Of the alrplane, a silence
which had filled their friends and, in.
deed the people of two waiting conti'
nents, with dread by the explanation
that shortly after the start the little
windmill or propeller which operated
the generator of the apparatus had
blown completely off in the great blast
Of the propellers soon after the air.
plane left Newfoundland. This pre-
vented the using of the sending ap
paratus, but wireless signals could
be heard in the north Atlantic.
"we were much jammed by strong
wireless signals not intended for us,
he added.
Capt. Alcock also despatched imme.
diately official notification that he had
landed and requested instructions Of
the Aero Club as to what they should
do next. In this message the pilot
merely gave tbs time of the flight
sixteen hours and twelve minutes
Seventy-two hours from the coast line
of Newfoundland or other island OF
part of North America to the coast
line of the British Isles was allowed
tc contestants In the Daily Mai
$4,000 prize flight, but the vickers
had needed less than fourth Of that
time to win.
Inspector II on the Way.
Keep machine intact until OBJ
server arrives" the Aero Club tele-
graphed in reply to Capt. Alcock. II
is necessary for the winning of the
contest that an officer Of the Royal
Air Force must identify certain
marks placed on the machine on the
other side Of the Atlantic. The All
Ministry said that probably one Of the
officers Of the air service would leave
Dublin by airplane to speed across
Ireland to relieve the weary team,
mates, but so far no word that this
has been done has reached here.
The speed made by the plane indi.
Gates that the gale of thirty or forty
miles an hour which speeded the fiiers
eastward on their trip when they left
Signal Hill behind them must have
continued to help them for some lime
on their long flight or else they en-
countered with the fog and drizzlt
another favorable wind further out.
The wind at the start of the triI
was of great service to the tive voy
ayers, for not only did 1t help lift thu
heavily laden plane off the landing