Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-09-12
HOPPING TO THE PACIFIC
Lieutenant Doollttie's Feat Recalls
Rodgers Long and Arduous
First Flight Across
the Continent
r IEuTENANT DooLITTLE's recsn,

l
of travel. This has long been the predic.
| tion of those interested In the conquest OF
the air, and the lieutenant's accomplishment
OF the trip at his own expense is graphic
| proof of its possibilities in the use OF the
Postotice Department as well as in the
actual carrying Of passengers.
| The spanning of the continent by airplane
| was once the goal of all aviators. but their
claim that 1t was possible was cause for pub
| lie ridicule on all sides For several years
thing for men to go from the Atlantic to the
Pacific by airplane, though none of them
has attempted to make 1t with only one
stop. as Lieutenant Dooltte did. The death
on Wednesday of Lieutenant Maynard. the
Flying Parson," again emphasizes this
matter of trans continental flying. for 1t
was Lieutenant Maynard who won the army
flight across the continent just two years
ago.
pUT these flights of today seem far less
- romantic than the first one made. eleven
years ago, by Calbraith p. Rodgers
Rodgers trip would be laughed at today.
but In 1911 1t was an epoch making event,
even though he took from September II to
december 10 to accomplish 1t.
Airplanes In those days were vastly dif-
ferent from the stanch and efficient ma.
chimes that are flown today. The Wright
biplane which Rodgers used was marve!
for Its time, but 1t could not be depended
flight resolved itself merely into a series Of
short jumps, many Of them ending in break
age of some kind or other.
In fact. when the trip was finally COM
pleted and the, enthusiastic thousands of
spectators on the California beach pushed
the biplane down until Its wheels were
Tapped by the waters of the Pacific. the
vertical rudder and the drip-pan under the
engine were the only two parts Of the origi-
nal machine that were left.
Rodgers left Sheepsbeod Roy n v on
Sunday, September II, 1011, and managed
to make eighty -four miles on his first fight,
but crashed into q tree when he landed at
Middletown, n. Y, and was held up for
repairs.
He was under way again on September p
and made flights on the 21st. 22d. Odd ana
24th, but on the last date, after he had landed
at little place called Red House, near James.
town, n. Y, he again met disaster. He had
been having trouble with his spark plugs
and came down to adjust them. With every
thing In working order he tried to take off
again. but just as he was lifting from the
ground a cross wind caught him and carr-Jd
him sideways into barbed wire fence.
Both of his propellers were smashed and one
wing of his machine was badly damaged.
New parts were promptly sent to him and
he was able to resume on September. %,
when he reached Kent. o., GAG miles from
his starting point.
Again repairs were necessary, but he did
little better than 200 miles on September
30 and added thirty six miles to that on
October !, when he was again held up by
a minor accident
on OCTOBER he managed to reach
" Hammond, Ind, putting just over 1000
miles behind him. This In itself was re-
markable enough in those days and made
the scoffers realize that a serious attempt
was at last being made to accomplish the
impossible flight to the Pacific.
be m
G. Fowler. was trying the trans continental
from the Pacific to the Atlantic and was
meeting with so many disasters and failed
SO often in his attempts to cross some of the
Western mountains that the general public
freely predicted that Rodgers would meet the
same fate when he got far enough to the
westward to be confronted by the necessity
of higher altitude.
Rodgers, however. continued confidently
and managed to make flights the Sth,
9th, 10th and 11th. when he was again de-
layed and had to make repairs.
From then on, however, his luck appar-
emily changed and he missed only a few
days until November 5. That date brought
him a triumphant welcome when he landed
at Pasadena, Calf, giving him n total dis
tance of more than 1000 miles to his final
goal, which. according to his contract, was
to be at Long Beach, Calf.
His elapsed time to Pasadena was forty.
nine days, and the actual time in the air
figured out at three days ten hours and four
minutes. with an average speed of fifty one
miles an hour. Doolittle averaged 101 miles
an hour last week. Rodgers longest single
fight was from Sanderson to Sierra Blanca,
Tex, when he covered 231 miles.
WITH so little distance separating Rod
w gers from his goal the whole country was
ready to proclaim him hero when he fin
ished the final twelve miles Of this record
breaking trip. He was held up at Pasadena
fnr IN
his mother. who had gone out to welcome
him. but on November IL, with a great
send off from the crowds at Pasadena, he
again took the air.
1t was noticed as he rose that his engine
was missing and he came down within the
city limits of Los Angeles to make repairs.
Knowing that there were thousands at the
shore resort waiting for him. he hurried
through his work as rapidly as possible and
once more started westward. He had hardly
got ahead of the automobile following him
when about mile south Of Compton he was
seen to come down until he was within 200
feet Of the earth, when suddenly something
went wrong with the machine and he crashed
to the ground.
Rodgers was picked up by passing
farmer, who hurried him to the nearest doc
tor, and 1t was feared for some time that his
injuries would prove fatal. His machine was
totally smashed with the exception of the
rudder and the drip pan, and these were
rescued by some enthusiasts who did not
know how seriously Rodgers was hurt, but
who felt that it would be fitting at least to
have some parts OF the original machine
reach the goal for which the aviator had
struggled so hard.
Rodgers fought his ny gradually back to
health, and on December TO- shortly after
4 o'clock in the afternoon. with 1000 per-
sons crowding the sands of Long Beach, he
landed on the shore and the enthusiastic mob
surged in upon him and pushed the machine
into the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Calbraith Rodgers was Maryland boy
whose home was in Havre de Grace, but
Pennsylvania claimed part Of his honor be-
cause he had been a football player for
Mercersburg Academy.
D ODGERS was never considered really
~ good aviator. That Is to say, he was
unable to compete with other aviators of
his day at exhibitions or fairs, nor was he
a winner of prizes at aviation meets His
hearing was defective and. according to the
theory Of aviators at that time, no man
with defective hearing could have the per.