The Wisconsin weekly blade. [volume] (Madison, Wis.) 1916-1925, 1922-07-29

eastern coast of Newfoundland. A
prize of $4,000 had been offered to
the aviator who made the first non.
stop flight across the Atlantic ocean,
and dozen or SO Britishers had gath.
eled there to make the attempt.
Among them was Captain Alcock,
later Sir John Alcock, a famous ace
during the war, who piloted the first
English plane that bombed CONSTANT.
nople. Captain Alcock, with a navi-
gator, Arthur w. Brown, also knighted
later, hoped off in June, 1919, and
astonished the universe by flying from
Newfoundland to Clifden, Ireland, in
16 hours and II minutes.
1t was just six months later that
fate overlook this intrepid aviator.
While flying in France, merely taking
Il seaplane to an exhibition at ROuen,
he miscalculated his distance from the
earth, in fog, and was instantly
killed when his plane struck the
ground.
One Of Captain Alcock's rivals in
the transatlantic flights was an air
man who was equally we'll known
among aviators. This was Harry G.
| Hawker. Hawker was the first to hop
off at Newfoundland, starting on May
| Is with Lieutenant Commander Mac
kenzie Grieve as navigator. In vain,
the next day, they waited for news of
| him In England. HaWker and his COM
rade and their plane had disappeared.
People said that they had been
! drowned in the ocean. But those who
knew the aviator said: NO; Harry
Hawker has got more lives than a cat.
If he hadn't, he would have been
killed long before this. He's the
luckiest airman that ever lived"
Sure enough, six days later Danish
steamer, the Mary, came rolling into
port with Hawker and Grieve on
board. She had picked them up $50
miles off the coast of Ireland. floating
along hanging to their frail craft.
Hawkers luck still held.
A year later, July u, Hawker went
aloft near the HendOn airdome, in Eng
land, TO test plane for the aerial
derby. He was flying probably 1000
feet up In the air when those who were
watching saw the plane suddenly ca
reen and come pfunging to the earth.
Hawker died in the arms of the doctor
WHO had been hastily summoned. A
coroners jury found the accident had
been due TO sudden stroke of paral.
ysIs which the airman had suffered.
His physician testified that Hawker
had long beer victim of tuberculo sis
of the spine and had been warned
against flying.
Sir Ross Smiths Death.
During the year that Captain AlcOck
and HaW Ser were busy with their eff
forts to fly across the Atlantic, another
British aviator sprang into promi-
nence by plotting plane from Eng
land to Australia. 1t was Ross Smith,
later Sir Ross Smith. who had a gal
liant record for daring during the war.
A few months ago, Sir Ross and his
brother Sir Keith Smith, were get
ting ready to fly around the world.
They had completed their planes and
the feat seemed almost accomplished.
Early one morning Sir Ross arrived at
Brooklands where his machine was.
His brother was not at the field. and
he went up with Lieutenant Bennett,
a friend of his. Al ieight 81 3,OOO
feet above the ground the airman be
gan series of Svolutions that he had
gone through n hundred times in order
10 test thoroughly every strut and guy
IN his plane Those watching were in
terested, but not alarmed, and when
they saw the huge plane diving
straight for the earth they only cor
sidered it a special sort of trial. Sir
Ross was killed instantly and Lieuten
ant Bennett lived but few moments
after being put into an ambulance.
And 50 the list continues. There
was Capt. A. c. Resnati, the Italian
aviator. who was killed when Cap
roni plane collapsed at Mineola. There
were the Frenchmen, Nedrines, who
ACCOMPLISHED the feat Of landing on Z
roof in his plane. who won number
Of aerial trophies for speed and att
tude. and who finally fell while flying
from Paris to Rome, ald Gabriel Vol
sin. the famous ace, who was klllet
while trying 20 fly his plane low Il
enable him to shout to his brother-n
law that he would be home for dinner
Aviators are asking each other what
is the answer to Il all. Is man wht
has come unframed through exception
al peril apt to pay too little heed Il
lesser dangers? Is 1t. after all, Just {
matter Of luck?