Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-11-02
Many Thrills Befen Airmen
During Flight to Alaska

= NEW YORK.-After more than
: three months absence, during which
they had flown 5000 miles, much
: of it over territory never before ven
turned into either by air or afoor,
the men of the. army's air s&ryices
Alaska expedition, have landed at
Mitchell Field, Hampstead, with their
planes-the same with which they
had set out-leoking as if they had
just emerged from a thorough over.
hauling.
Every cylinder was popping, every
stay-wire and turnbuckle was shin
ming, every inch of painted surface
was glistening, and every man jack
zof the eight in the four crews was
shaved and set up as for dress pa
-rade. There was nothing in the ap-
-pearance of the flyers of their
out for more than an hours hop. 49,.
1t Is not alone that they had
flown 5000 miles in III hours in
the air without a mishap that is
worth mentioning, although that in
ITSELF Is a challenging record. The
miles; the Cape to Cairo flight; the
London to Sidney jaunt and the
Italian cruise from Rome to Toxic
all earned their place in aeronauti-
scdl HISloFy, DuI none OIL Cnem- pre-
Sented the peculiar dangers and diff
ticulties of the New York to Alaska
journey. 'F't
A very large part of the trip was
over absolutely UNEMPLOYED territory,
unmapped or chartered only on (the
Unreliable statements of trappers.
mountains which it has been said
c.*ere only 5000 feet high proved 20
hrust their SUBMITS more than H.
90 feet into the sky. For stretches
=w
rsilbe landing in the event of engine
trouble.
: Moreover, beyond Dakota such
Handing fields as Capt. Douglas.
scouting ahead of the flyers, had
been. able to locate were of ,the
out of the forest. Other were stub
bile fields from which the wheat had
Just been cut. At Prince George it
was necessary to reimburse owners
of wheat to induce an early cut SO
the aviators could land.
The weather too was such as no
other flyers have been forced to face.
Valleys filled with fog between tow
-ering peaks, sudden gales bowling
around the bases of the hills, Ions
bound for days on end, afforded ma
terial for their Alaska logs. -.r~,.,-
Leaving Mitchell Field on July 10.
the route took them via Erie, Grand
Rapids, Winona (Minn. Mime
apolis, Fargo, Portal, Saskatoon
/ Saskatchewan, Edmonton, Alta,
Jasper, Alta Prince George q. CO,
-Hazelton (B. c., Wrangell, White
-Forse Dawson, Fairbanks and Ruby,
10 Nome. -
Flew Pour Hours q Day
'HThe average distance between
stops was 800 miles. which meant
bout four hours flying a day.
ION the return trip" said Captain
street. eve were held five days by
Southwestern. We wanted TO, get
rex to Wrangel. and were told we
-ould make a landing at Telegraph
,reek. This Vas on bee lineN 70
Edmonton, so we started out. but
IN into clouds over the mountains
nd had to put back $50 miles. The
ext day in good weather we started
mt again. and found that flying at
1000 to 5000 feet we were still. be-
ow the SUBMITS of mountains we
lad Ieen told were but 5000. -,,s
1.-THE field Of Telegraph Creek we
1ad been told was perfect proved to
ie an old beaver dam from which
lay had been cut. 1t was so rough
broke an axle landing and had to
wait four days for a replacement
from WrangeI -.
1--WE set out for Hazelton and ran
nto a snowstorm over the mountains
which drove us back Then we were
held up for another week. Coming