Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-02-24
CROSS CONTINENT
IN 1918 HOURS
Mail FIiers Conquer Mountain
pooks. Snowstorms and Fogs
to Set Record 81
ONE AVIATOR LOSES LIFE

49,. York Feb II. --- Tho I nitcd
80, mir mail ScrviCe yesterday shat
s.aJ ss..rJ nil transcontpental speed records
" transnorting mail from San Fran
D;.oo 70 Ncw York in thirtr-thrce hours
.nd twenty .onc minutes ELAPSED time:
Tbc actual flying time was % hours ana
70 minutes. also record,
20 Tbo phenomenal record was com
,,s,ed When Pilot Il. NJ. All lison let his
hH4 hiplanc gracefully down upon
uuoychurst Field. Mincola. /. L.. NJ
i.i) O'Clock yesterday afternoon WIN
is Ioad Of 800 pounds Of mail from the
Pacific cast. , A.. a., .u
.nots who took part in the test not
rIT prrIy bcat all army records. but a so
r"d m.dc thrilling fight through the
n;Sbt between Chcvennc. Wyo.. ann
rriSicaco-thc first flight of its kind III
Mn anarIs of the air in this country.
Tbev flew through the wintry skies at
=. -. average speed of 100 miles an hour
osor the 2T0O miles. The actual time
"a tho 200 mounds Of mail was in the
.;s vas officially computed to he twen
,r.6rc hours and fifty three minutes.
"I;fteon minutes after the wheels Of
i,I;,on's machine had come to rest on
hs snow covered turf Of ITaHplhurst
Weld William &. Hopson. piloting tho
,,sular mail rlanc. "amc to earth with
,,cther rouCh of the iranSConiincntal
m,n that had bccn left over at one of
hs relay stat one.
Beats MaynarJ's Flight
The achievement superscdes the rec
ard made by Lieutenant Belvin w.
MAYNARD in his fight across the cont
-
~ October. 1919. On that occasion
MAYNARD covered the aT0O miles in
Sdays, 6 bours and IS minutes elapsed
time, but his actual flying time was
Il oply 25 hours. 10 minutes aud ~
seconds,
Unfortunately the air mail service
raid dearly for tho establishment Of
ts record in the death Of Captain viii
liam T.. Lewis. at Elko. New. on Tues
dsy. The mail carried by Captain Lewis
| b proceeding TO this city over the rrgu-
lar air mail service.
The fight completed by Allison ycs-
t.rday began Mt San Francisco at I 80
o'clock. Pacific time. Tuesday morning
After the dangerous course over. the
Sierra Ncvadas stops wCrc made at
Reno. Ncv.. and Salt Lake City. for
fuel, and then the Pacific machine came
to earth on tho lofty fold in the plateau
Of the Rockies Al Cheyenne. Wyo.
At that place mechanics hurricdIy
transferred tho eight sacks from one
uachinc TO another. and at 6:1O o'clock
In tho evening Just after darkness had
pttled ovor tho ice covered field Pilot
Jack Knight took or in tho glare Of
night 1arco,
Already moro than 5000 rccl above
The Sca Lowell. tho pilot. who had never
iovu the course before. cvcn in day
light. experienced some difficulty in get e.
1 ting up nliug speed 10 take off. All
about him. shroudcd in tho darkness Of
thc night. wcr" the high peaks nf the
RocNy mountains.
I.lazes New Trait
Without hesitation he plunged OF
into tho night on the 300 mile flight TO
Chiraso. blazing new trail over the
route already famous in tho pioneer
history Of the country! For Is hours
and 80 minutes he sat at his controls
while his machine sped steadily forward
a. more than 100 miles an hour. Three
times in this flight he came to earth
for fuel and rCfrcshmcnt. In each Of
these eases landings were made in the
light Of specially prepared flares that
marked tho limits Of safety at the fields
located in North Platte and Omaha
Nsb, and Iowa City. la.
he came down to Il perfect landing
t $40 O'Clock yesterday morning
weary, but otherwise unharmcd. As
soon a> tho wheels of his machine
ranc 10 rc>t mechanics at the Chicago
hNId again transferred the mail he had
carried through tho night and placed
II aboard another waiting DII-i This
operation took Just twenty minutes.
ana ai III" expiration Of that period
plot j. -. Webster was in the air
with the mails. Knight announced hc
would have twenty four hours rest and
men take back his regular scheduled
machln" 10 Iowa City.
Hundreds Witness Finish
Webster. pushing steadily forward
reached Cleveland At 1872 O'Clock
itrec hours and fifty two minutes atlr,
nnaTlng ,hirago. At the Ohio city
rnot Allison took over the task Of
rssning tho mail TO this city. lie took
ou % m ms machine at | :03 O'Clock. At
lhC completion of tho fight was wit e
messed by hundreds of spectators. in .
,ndlnG practically all Of the army avi-
ss.orS stat on"d at Mitchell Field. near
"' The flyers themselves took the tri,,
"a matter Of course. and described
.ner thrilling experiences as though
NY OW"r" but commonplace incidents.
~. i.p night between Cleveland and this
o.,E was iraught with danger. because
GnII Ii tne N"avy snowfall experienced in the
| nulN NoClLOm nnar Enlln fnnLn Ia