The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-06-14
ON 2,OOO-MILE
II NONSTOP TRIP
Capt. AIcock, Britisher, and
Lieut.. Brown, American,
Flying to Ireland.
TRYING HAWKER'S ROUTE
$4,000 Prize if Successful
Both Men Are World War
Veterans.
TRYING HAWKER's ROUTE

St Johns, N. F., June LA =
THE Vickers- -Vimy bipiane starteo
an its transa tlantic fig :, at 4ls
O'clock this afternoon 6 reen"'cn
time.
The vickers-Vimy p z ne carried
two men, Capt. Jack ck' a $rit-
isher, as pilot, and 6 .ut. Arthur
Whitten Brown, a : merican' as
navigator. W.
The Vickers-Vir machine mas
wing spread of or feet, ana 10
equipped with tYH so horsepower
Rolls Royce motf.- said to be ca
pable@o developiI. speed OF more
than 100 miles an hour. The capacity
of the gasoline tanks was recently
enlarged to S65 gallons, and the lu-
bricating oil tanks to fifty gallons,
which is believed sufficient to carry
the plane 2,440 miles under normal
conditions. A wireless telegraphy
set, capable of sending and receiv-
ing messages over comparatively
long distances is part of the planes
equipment.
Capt. Jack Alcock, the pilot. was
among the British pioneers In avia-
tion. He obtained his flying certil-
icate in 1912 and Joined the royal ait
service Immediately upon The out
break of the war. He acted IS an
instructor at first, but was later sent
to the Turkish front, where he held
the record for long distance bombing
raids. He was later captured by the
Turks and held prisoner until the
armistice was signed.
Crowd Watches Start.
A good sized crowd was on hand
to witness the start. The big ma
chine took the air gracefully, and
after swinging around over the
the Atlantic.
The big machine carried a four.
pound bag of mail, put aboard her al
the last moment.
Capt. Alcock will win the Daily
Mail prize of $4,000 If he accom-
plishes the fight, as he Is flying di,
rect for Ireland. He expects to reach
the Irish coast in about twent,
/ hours.
The weather was fine for the at
tempt. Reports from abroad sait
| that good conditions were reported
all along the course Capt. Alcock ex
poets to take.
ThefeHs sTas -pcssibilfty that TIL
Handley- Page machine may also at
tempt to start its transatlantic jun,
to-day, VIVA ~
Admiral Mark Kerr, its pilot, how.
ever. said that it was unlikely that
he would start before tomorrow.
Brown, World War Veteran.
Lieut.. Arthur Whitten Brown
navigator of the Vickers-Vimy plane
also is veteran of the war. having
served first as an infantry officer and
later in the British aviation service
until an accident to the machine in
whicn he was an observer, late in
1915, forced a descent in German
territory where he was wounded and
taken prisoner. Lieut.. Browns first
notable exploit was in a plane in
which he was acting as senior OBJ
! server. A shell set the machine afire
5000 feet above the German positions
, and while the pilot raced to reach the
British lines, Brown fought the flames
to prevent ignition of the amfnuniL
tion, succeeding after nearly all his
clothes had been burned off. In an
other air cruise he helped to bring
down an enemy Albatross, and In
! November CT the wars second year
he set out in a squadron on long
distance reconnaissance, from which
his plane did not return. The car
bureter froZe and when the pilot
landed far iwthin the German lines
Brown, unable to starp himself in be-
cause he was busy destroying papers
Of military Importance, was cata-
pulled into the fuselage and had tc
be cut out. One thigh was dislocated
one leg broken and his lip cut.
After what he described as 1.-THE
kindest treatment" in German hos
pitfalls, the aviator was transferred te
prison camp, eventually being in
termed in Switzerland and returned
to England in 1917, when he became
lecturer for the air ministry.