Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-10-18

The first persons to greet him as
he stepped from his machine at the
conclusion of his historic flight
were his wife and two little girls,
who rushed across the field amid
the frantic cheering Of the hun
dreds of spectators.
The first words uttered by Lieu
tenant Maynard when he put his
foot on Mother Earth again we're
generous tribute to Sergeant ~ b.
| Kline, his companion on the flight.
"Greatest Pilot on Earth.7
Sergeant Kline deserves the
greatest credit" said the Lieutenant
| 1T is all up to the lieutenant"
promptly retorted the sergeant, "he
is the greatest pilot on earth"
Between Lieutenant Maynard and
/ his wife, however, il was not a
question Of words. Mrs. Maynard
was at the side of the airplane al
most before It had come to rest,
and her husband leaned from his
seat and embraced her silently.
His two little girls were then
lifted up one after the other TO kiss
their triumphant father.
The official congratulations OF
! the army were given to the victor
ious aviator by Colonel Archie Mil
Ter, commander of the Long Island
flying fields.
WIN Again Cross q. S.
AS proof that neither his cour-
age nor nerve had been affected
by the gruelling test to which they
had been subjected, Maynard de-
clared with a smile that he would
be off again within a few days IN
an attempt to make a one-stop
t-anscontinental fight. The single
stop will be made at Dallas, Texas.
and the lieutenant said that he eE-
pected to make the attempt within
the coming week.
Make Remarkable Time.
MaynaTd's actual flying time
from Mineola to San Francisco con-
sumed about 25 hours, and the ny-
ing time of Spatz and Kiel came /
within the 27-hour limit, they said
Army air service authorities COM
puted Smiths actual flying time.
however, at 80 minutes better than
Maynard's time. In the first l3 I.
hours Of the return journey May .
nard reeled of 1876 miles, while /
Smith made AGO miles during tha I
same period
Death Trails Pilots.
The grim spectre of death winged
its tragic flight with the army's
great trans-continental air derby
Ten lives had been the toll to the
time Lieutenant Maynard crossed
the finish line. Seven had died ac-
tually in the contest, and three in
connection with It.
a..
the route of the flight was dotted I
with disabled planes which we're /
forced to land and quit the race, or |
crashed to destruction from the AIR. Z
Many flyers were injured, and. the I
20 control stations between ter /
minal points saw first aid work |
from day TO day as the derby pre- ,
gressed.
62 Started Race.
Sixty contestants started the big
race-the most adventurous peace
ful air competition the world has
known. Forty-seven took the air 2
from Mineola and IS from San Z
Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 8, for /
the 5,400 mile round trip, high I
speed aerial journey.
Before the first plane shot into
the air for the start, two aviators .
had met their deaths while on the T
way to participate nj the contest .
At Bustleton field Colonel Town .
send F. Todd crashed to his death
on Sunday while making ready to
fly to Mineola. The day before
Major Patrick Frissell was killed
in the wreck Of his machine near
Fort Jervis.
On the first day Of the race three
more met their end, and five ma
chimes were wrecked. Major Dana
H. Crissy and Sergeant Virgil.
Thomas, his mechanic, were killed
when their plane crashed in land.
ing at Buen4 Vista field, Salt Lake
City, and Sergeant W. II. hewitt,
mechanician for Colonel Gerald G
Brandt, died rom injuries sus-
tanned in the smash OF the Brandt
plane at Deposit, N. Y.
One Hits Mountain.
Lieutenant L. V. Wales died on
Friday, Oct. 10, from injuries re-