Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-10-18
CAPTAIN DONALDSON
ARRIVES IN OMAHA
Only Flyer, Besides Maynard,
to Reach Ak.Sar-Ben Field
Friday-Lieutenant Worked
All Night Preparing Machine.
Cleveland, Oct. l7.-Lt. May
nard landed here at $50 p. m.
from Bryan. He was followed
three minutes later by 1t. ]. T.
Richter. They remained here to-
night. ..

Undaunted by his accident Thurs
day which temporarily put him Out
of the transcontinental aerial derby
in which he was the leader. 1t. Bel
win w. Maynard resumed his east
ward fight shorty after 8 yesterday
morning, following the transfer OF
the motor from the plane, wrecked
at Yutan, Neb., Tuesday morning
during dense fog, to that of his
own machine.
Flew Over Lake.
Dispatches from Chicago late in
the afternoon stated that in his et-
fort to make up as much time and
as many miles as possible. Maynard
had cut over Lake Michigan {, his
start from Chicago, making directly
for Michigan City across the wide
stretch Of water. This lite has
not before been travelled " trans
continental flyers. who have stuck
to the round -lake-shore route.
A mail flyer who left few min
utes after Maynard refused to fol.
low in his wake, and. clung to the
shore! ~
With the exception OF Lieutenant
Maynard the only other arrival dur
ing the day at Ak-Sar-Ben field was
Capt. ]. 0. Donaldson, who arrived
on plane No. 50 from the west at
2:4o and resumed his fight to the
east at 3:1o.55.
Awake All Night. =.
The flying parson" and his pas
senger-mechanician, w. c. Kline,
remained awake all night superin-
tending the transfer of the two mo-
tors and as soon as the work was
completed by a corps of mechanics
yesterday morning, the pilot and
his passenger, after a short trial
flight, took to the air and headed for
Omaha, arriving at Ak-Sar-Ben field
at S:14. g.
Here additional adjustments were
made to the newly installed motor,
during stay Of 50 minutes. and at
8:47:33 a. m. the plane again took
the air and made off for Des Moines,
arriving at that place at 1918 a. m,
or | hour, Is minutes and q sec
onds after the plane left Ak-Sar-Ben
field. This is somewhat slower time
than the majority Of sviators have
made in flying the 1872 miles, but
this was undoubtedly due to the
pilots unfamiliarity with his motor
and his desire to take no chances.
Make Record Change.
The feat of transferring the two
motors was accomplished IN re-
markably short time, even in less
time than estimated by the War de-
partment Thursday, when author
ization for the change was given.
At that time it was figured that
Lieutenant Maynard would be
forced to spend at least two days
time in effecting the change. The
rapid change, however, was made
possible through the effort of 1t. H.
r. Wells, control station officer at
the flying field here, who, as soon as
the Martin bombing plane, piloted
by Capt. Roy N. Francis, was
wrecked at Yutan, Neb., dispatched
a force of mechanics to the plane to
dismantle it.
At the time Of the forced landing
of Lieutenant Maynard's machine,
due to a broken crankshaft, the mo-
tor of the Martin plane had been re-
moved preparatory to boxing it and
shipping it to the flying field at Min
cola. Orders were given to load the
motor on truck, preparatory to
hauling it to Wahoo. to be placed in
Confinned On Paxa Two. Column Onel