New-York tribune., 1919-04-15
Hope to Get One Day Adj
vantage of Rival Baked
by Persistent Handicap
of Rain and Fog Banks
Final Plans Announced
Hourly Bulletins of Trip
To Be Sent by Wireless;
Ice F1oes Are Perilous

Special Correspondence
81. JOHNS, N. F., April 14.-Heavy
weather with continued rainfall and
1nlsts, which shrouded the harbor
again to-day. made inadvsable the
start of the Transatlantic fight
planned by Captain Harry G. Hawker
and his navigator, Commander Mac
kenMe Grieve, in their Sopwith plane.
When the downpour continued into
the afternoon Hawker gave up all hope
of making the start to-day. The rain
had flooded the flying field, making
the launching Of machine from it
practically impossible
Captain Frederick p. Raynham the
BRITISH aviator, whose Martynside ma
chlne is almost ready to attempt the
ocean flight predicted that if weather
conditions again block Hawkers start
tomorrow both machines would take
the air Wednesday in a real race for
"Thc Daily Mail" prize.
Hawker gave what probably will be
his last interview before starting
across the ocean. His desire to make
start ahead of the Martynsidc mi
chime, which will make trial to-mor-
row, was turned into regret by the
drlzzle. Hawker continues confident of
success and belittles all talk of danger.
Hawker stated that he had completed
his plans for the flight His arrange
ments for reckoning and sending back
word of his success were outlined in
detail to newspaper correspondents
who we're on the field to-day.
Hourly Bulletins Promised
Captain Hawker SAID that immcdiato-
ly after the flight begins the Admiralty
wireless station in the vicinity of the
airiield would issue hourly bulletins.
which will be sent by Commander
Greve to this station. Close contact
also will be kept with shipping so that
all vessels along the route may be in
formed as to the movements of the
Sopwth machine having Hawker and
Grcve on board.
Messages, indeed, already have been
sent to ships traversing the North
Atlantic asking that they keep a close
lookout for news of the fiers. Hawker
believed the general interest in the at
tempt would keep every wireless oper-
ator on every vessel in transit across
inc Atlantic keenly alive to the impor-
tance Of getting news of the Sopwith.
so its progress and the prospect of sue
cess might be learned on shore and
help afforded f such be required.
Commander Mackenzie Grieve, in a
similar fnal interview, said his chief
concern was US to weather conditions
over the ice area from st. Johns to
the Grand Banks.
Commander Grevc explained that
roughly speaking, the Atlantic area be-
tween here and Iceland may be divided
INTO four areas in which storms or
varying weather conditions manifest
themselves. The first is that from New
lo'ndland to the Grand Banks where
conditions are complicated at present
by the existence OF heavy Arct;c iso
noes drifting southwark on the Lab
rador current.
One Area Little known
hencc TO mid-occan is an area ro-
garding which the atmospheric condi-
tons above sea level are verv littlo
Known, but where frequent storms arc
reported in early spring. Further east
IS another area less .iutor,ous ror 20
lent weather changes, and bevond tb;s
again is a region around the irish
coast where, because of the meteorn'
loglca records of the United kingdom
G9ndltlons Gh can be closely approximated
nus the western half oh the f;rb+
would be the most dangerous, he SAID
II ;, serious adverse conditions arc met
at nigh levels after crossing the CranJ .,,,l
bhanks' h;1, the commander said, the ma
chlnc wlll fly at a lower level a1onc
the western section of the Atlant;c on1
Keep within touch of ships. Then If
1t IS evident that the effort to rnacb
the Irish coast is impossible, the ma" ma1
ehime hin WI VIII be headed for the nearest
slble, TO save the lives of the nav
gators, ga the machine being abandoned to