New-York tribune., 1921-12-31
Stinson and Bertaud Bat
tie With Frostbite and
Exhaustion; Stay Up 26
Hrs, l9 Minis, 35 Secs.
Worlds Mark Set
ln Crippled Plane
Fingers Frozen i'm Getting
Needed Oil After Feed
Line Supply Congeals

q,
plotting an American JL-6 all-metal
moAoplanc, established new worlds
record for endurance and continuous
fight at Roosevelt Field, Mncola, Long
Island, yesterday. Their official time
in the air, carefully checked by "a corps
of observers, was determined as TWEEN
ty-siX hours nineteen minutes and
thlrty-fivc seconds. They oclipsed the
former record by two hours and thirty
three seconds.
The remarkable record was completed
under dramatic circumstances in the
worst weather ever encountered during
test fight: At o'clock yesterday
morning, when they had more than
seven hours' flying before them to
achieve their task, the feed line of the
emergency oil tank congealed from the
cold and clogged the lubricating system.
At this critical moment the two
pilots, exhausted by lack of sleep and
benumhed by the icy blast from the
propeller, debated the advisability of
Landing. After a brief discussion con-
Quoted by gcsticulation amid the roar
of the propeller, they decided to con-
tinued the fight until they had estab-
llshed a new record
Stinson Freezes Fingers
Stinson then went into the cabin.
where the emergency oil tank was
lifted, and removing a gauntlet sue
ceeded in punching hole in the tank
Four of his fingers are badly frost
bitten as a result.
For the next nine hours they contin-
ued the flight under the most desperate
conditions. Alternately at the con-
trolls of the machine they each took
turns at drawing off oil from the emer-
gency tank, quart at u time and pour
ing it into the main tank to keep the
engine going. Throughout this time
the oil splashed from the emergency
tank and bespattered them until they
we're saturated with it and barely able
to see.
While this was being done the tenn
perature in the machine was several
degrees below zero and a sixty mile
gale was sweeping over the reaches
OF Long Island.
The record breaking fight began at
the official time of S:5S:15 o'clock
Thursday morning, when the mono
plane took off from Roosevelt Field
in heavy snowstorm. For three hours
it flew while huge white flakes set
tied upon the field below The diff
Guilty of flying under this condition
was described by Bertaud when he
had recovered his voice after landing:
"At times" he said, eve were only
fifty or sixty feet above the ground.
We had to dodge church spires and
chimneys frequently. Once when was
at the controls l almost hit the old
chimney of the Camp Mills Hospital,
which is about 100 feet high: We
were then going about ninety-fve
miles an hour, far too fast for en-
durance purposes, but we were so close
to the ground we didn't dare cut the
motor down, as we would have lost
altitudc.''
Aviators Battle With Cold
AS soon as the freshening wind
cleared away the heavy clouds the two
feet, and maintained that altitude for
the rest of the figh., which was con-
tinued in terrific gale.
The monoplane landed at Roosevelt
Field at 11:17:50 o'clock yesterday
morning, according to the chronom-
eters of the official observers. John Nj,
Larsen, owner of the machine, raced
across the field to meet the airplane,
but Stinson TAXED over toward a tenn
porary hut that had been erected for
the judges.
The two exhausted pilots clambered
out of the cockpit, weak, tired, grimy,
but happy, and laughed while Larsen
showered his congratulations upon
them. They were deafencd by the con
tinuous roar of the motor, and it was
fully half an hour before they could
hear thing.
AS fast as they could get their breath
in the gripping cold they told their
story in snatches, as follows:
"The monotony was awful, and the
fatigue from the cold was terrible
We did not dare to go to sleep, fearing
that we would become so chilled and
numb that when we awoke We would
not be able to handle the plane con-
stantly in order to keep it at an alti-
tudc where it would use the least
amount Of gasoline.
"When we left Roosevelt Field the
CONTINUED on page thres)