The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1922-07-28
ARMY D|R|G|bLE
IN LONG FLIGHT
bEsTs F0G BANK
CO Completes Flight from Washing.
ton to New York and Return: In
Air II Hours; Nears Wreck
Over New York.
MISSES BIG SMoKESTAcK
BY MARGIN OF FEW FEET
Battered by Wind. Rain and Dense
Fog; Reporter Tells Story Of
Thrills Experienced; Radio
Goes Out Commission.
by GEORGE DURNo,

Omitted Press Staff Correspondent
Aboard the Dlrigible c.2. Aberdeen.
Md. July 2S.-A thrilling alknIght
flight through dense fogs. rain and
wind storms, with narrow escapes
over New York skyscrapers was the
experience of three army officers
and four newspaper men who last
night flew from Washington TO New
York and return in the giant army
dirIgible, the C.2.
For more than an hour the big
ship. It's radio apparatus out of COM
mission, was lost In a dense fog over
New York harbor. BY the narrow
margin OF 20 feet II missed a high
New York smokestack. due to the
quick work on the part of the pilots.
A short time later the powerful
beams OF searchlight on a harbor
patrol boat saved the CO from crash.
ing into the Whitehall Building at
the Battery. New York harbor.
A proposed flight over New York
City had to be abandoned because
the fog hung so low over the sky.
scrapers.
On the return flight the big ship
was again lost in the air for two
hours and was forced to descend
and fly about so feet above the Della
ware river In order to reach Whining
ton.
The ship was I'm the air nearly IA
hours and its motors worked perfect
ly. Captain William Ketner. In
charge OF the craft, said the .og en-
countered was the worst he had ever
experienced.
Clouds were encountered soon after
leaving Washington late yesterday.
The C.2 skirted the ends of Baltimore
and then In inky black darkness flew
on with the pilot watching the radio
compass. Suddenly thousands of
tiny lights burst out OF the darkness
and the ship passed over Wilmington
through gap In the clouds.
The fog became extremely dense
just after the C-2 passed Philadel.
phia. Coney Island finally was sighted
and the pilot decided to follow the
elevated line into New York. About
this. time the radio failed. Suddenly
Just ahead big black smokestack
loomed up.
Captain Ketner shouted orders to
Sergeant Albrecht, then plotting the
ship.
Albrecht jammed on levers, maxi
ing the big ship swerve sharply to
the right and It seemed almost to
Craze the smokestack.
Orders then were issued for more
elevation. Finally bright light
stood out of the darkness. In the
hope of establishing bearing the
big ship came down. The light was
shining from the Statue Of Liberty.
For nearly an hour the C,2 was
lost over New York City. 1t was un-
able to obtain any answer to radio
calls. Finally after lowering over
the city at an altitude of about 1900
feet, powerful search lights from the
Battery were switched on. Using
these to establish its bearings, the
return trip was started.
The big ship was in the air con-
tinuously for nearly fourteen hours,
and air service officials believe the
flight demonstrated the practicability
of night air mail service, despite
the narrow escapes at New York.
These dangers would be averted
by a systematic use of powerful
searchlights, it was said.