The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1920-12-10
Flight of Daring Army Aviators to
Alaska Means the Dawn
of New Day.
GREAT REJOICING IN WRANGELL
Thrilling Story of Their Arrival in the
Land of Ice and Snow Is Told
AIaskans Hold Celebration
In Honor of Event.

New York.-When, in 1916, President
Polk signed with Great Britain a COM
promise treaty which extended the Ca
madam border line from the Rocky
mountains to the Pacific ocean on par
allel 40, he settled the long-drawn-out
controversy over the Oregon boundary
and hushed for ali time the campaign
slogan, "54-40 or fight" which had
come to be a very insistent one during
the middle forties.
There was wait of twenty-one
years before more prophetic imagi-
nation, wider vision, flung our coast
line to the farthest limit of the CONT
nent by the purchase from Russia of
that vast storehouse Of mineral, agri-
cultural and timber wealth, the Won
der world Of Alaska.
A new era in the history of our far
northland, says Aid Service News Let.
ter, began on August IA, 1920, the date
on which the four army airplaneS
piloted by those daring aviators, Capt.
ST. Clair Street and Lieuts. Clifford G.
patrick, with observers and mechani-
clans, Sergt. Edmond Henriques
Lieut.. Eric III. Nelson and Sergts
James Long and Joseph E.. English, in
the 9,000-mile transcontinental flight
from New York to Nome and return,
made the jump from Hazleton, Do
minion of Canada, to Wrangell, terri
tory of Alaska.
A Dav of Joy.
We can picture what the scene was
like when the fliers first reached Alas
kan soil. 1t was Saturday, and, when
1t became known that the fiiers were
expected that afternoon, the mayor of
Wrangell declared a holiday. Flags
were hoisted over the principal build
ings of the town. Mill whistles blew
and bells rang that all might set out
for the landing field at Sergief island,
made ready for the arrival and in
charge of Sergt. w. w. Mclaughlin.
All during the afternoon small boats
were leaving, loaded with passengers.
At noon the Darlington Transporta-
ton cOmpanys Hazel B. No. 3" left
the dock, floating a big scow, both boat
and scow loaded to the limit with
Sight-seers Meanwhile no news had
come from Hazelton saying just when
the fliers had left for Wrangell. There
was no way of guessing the hour when
they would arrive. All eyes scanned
the sky. The hands of the clock
turned relentlessly, cutting away the
| afternoon. One o'clock, 2, 3, 4. Some
discouraged spectators turned their
faces. homeward. making ready to
take the boat back to Wrangell.
Suddenly there was shout: There
they come" And the four planes came
humming overhead. circling the land
ing field With dip and whirr that
thrilled the spectators, Lieut. Kirk
patrick came to earth at sixty miles
an hour. The three other planes fol-
lowed in quick succession. plane No.
| /, with Capt. Street, commander of the
| squadron, being the last to leave the
air. In seven minutes from the time
| the first plane landed, all four had
come to earth, and in spite of recent
| rains that had caused a wet field. all
were happy landings.
No One Worked That Day.
So the great deed was done. The
work was accomplished. The 5000
miles between New York and Alaska
had been cut to less than fifty flying
hours. The journey itself was to con-
tinue 1900 miles farther, to Fairbanks,
to Ruby, to Nome. But the reality Of
the accomplishment was established
when they touched Alaskan soil at
Wrangell