The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1920-10-29
FIRST CUBAN MAIL PLANES
LAND AT ROANOKE ISLAND
Giant Passenger Carrying Airplanes Stop at His
toric Island and Fake Passengers and Copies
Of The Independent on First Flight

q
The biggest sensation in Dare :
County since Walter Raleigh's
ships sailed in among the Indian
canoes in Manteo Bay, occurred
this week when the Santa Ma
ria and the Pinta, two big air
planes of the Aero-narine West
Indies Airways, Inc. sailed across
Albemar1e Sound on their way
from New York to Havana and
alighted for a few hours rest at
the same historic, spot; and al
tho the Government made Man
teo an Aeronautic station during
the war and despite the fact, of
the NC 4 Stopping there last win
ter during its southern flight,
these two great planes created
and caught more interest than
the rest of the lot put together.
| These machines of the navy F.5.L.
| type were new when bought from the
| government and have been remodled to
| carry u S. mail and passengers be-
tween this country and Havana, Cuba.
The bodies of these planes are about
A feet long. besides the rudders and
are equipped with two 400 III. P. Lib
erty motors, with tanks to carry 800
/ gallons of gasoline. The wings are
about 100 feet long and a complete ma
chine with supplies weighs upwards of
four TONS They will carry u passen-
gers with hand baggage, besides crew
of three and 500 pounds of U. S. mail.
1t is claimed that utilizing these ma
chimes will save % hours over the pre-
i sent steamer schedules BETWEEN this
country and Cuba.
The president of this Company is
| Albert Tilt of New YoEk.ssWhQ~ iS~alsO
president of the Phoenix Silk Mills,
which comprises the largest silk manu-
factory in the world. The general man
ager and e-president is Godfrey II.
Bonnell, r. A. f., and the Assistant
General Manager is George Tiffany. All
of, these men are from New York and
accompanied by their wives, and repre-
2 Esentatives of the New York Times and
+ New York Evening Post, are ma ing
with the ships the initial voyage for the
enterprises, They are also accompan-
led by James W. Morse an aerial cine
photographer. who is, making pictures of
the various stops in their flight, which
will later be released for exhibition un-
der the title of "Around the World in
Eighty Flights"
This is the first and only corpora
ton ever authorized to carry U. S. mail
between this country and a foreign port;
the contract for this service having been
made with the Post Office Department
in August The firm intends also to
! operate these machines as mail and
passenger carriers between Palm Beach
and Miami and Nassau in the Bahama
: Islands, during the winter months. The
members of the firm are enthusiastic
IS over this proposed service and are plan
ming to later extend it to South America
n There are six in this fleet of machines
n owned by the line, third one. of which
n is named the Nina, making aerial repli-
cas- of the fleet with which Columbus
r'e first sailed the Caribbean.
lie When the two planes stopped at Man
e e teo Monday evening for supplies, the
lg crew, and passengers became interested
le in the place and decided to stay over
Is night before resuming the flight. The
n ships were moored in the bay and next
morning when they were brought to the
I'd wharf, they proved such an attraction
sa sa that the Dare County Superior Court
h. which had convened that same morning
sss was really obliged to. give recess sc
n that everybody might be present to
10 observe the departure OF the planes
at at Everyone in town turned out and the
Il crowds of court spectators from va
p u rious parts of the county were there, SC
nd that all together the wharves were. ut
y orally packed with people.
rs. When the machines finally left the!
ne carried copies of THE INDEPENDENT
he and took away. also, three Manteo yount
ns:i ladies, who were to be put out at South
ne n7 port where they intended making Wis
If it. They were Misses Mable Evans
tad Augusta Pee1e and Louise Davenport
n three up to date girls who believing IL
n taking things by the forelock decided
D. to accept the invitations to become tn
er first bona fide passengers OF the tlrs
or foreign mails plans in the country.
gh Others with the party were of cours
No. operating personnel which was release
a from the Navy for this purpose by spe
ne ne cial request. The names comprising
those in the compliments follows:- 0
he the Santa Maria, Capt. Jack IseRar
en- officers Ward and Burling and mechan
of ician Ebert; of the Pinta, Capt. I.
nd Ma Tibbs,N first officer Nyegard and me
hoj chanician Kelly and Barber.
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KICKED BY A cow