The Holly chieftain., 1923-09-06
Sky-uke Sea Now and Then
Betrays Men Who Put Their
Faith In It.

81 va.
New York.-For centuries the sea
has given US thrilling tales Of adven-
ture, yielding romance and treasure,
the while 1t has taken It's annual toll
In men and ships. Throughout the
long years, though science has done
much to lessen the dangers Of ocean
travel, we still hear of missing ships.
Today there is another element be-
ing cOnquered-the air. Like the sea,
the air has now and again betrayed
the men who put their faith In 1t.
Some have had only adventure, others
sheer tragedy, and others have left
US only mysteries.
Men have been known to 60 up into
the clouds without being heard from
again. One hears the stories wher-
ever flying men gather.
When Col. Francis Marshall and
Lieut.. Charles Weber Of the army air
service disappeared last December
while flying between Snn Diego,
Calf. and an army post In Arizona,
their brother officers kept up the
search for two months. 1t was re-
ported that their plane had been
sighted on the course and evidently
bound for Mexico; and the supposi-
tion is that failing again to regain
their course they were forced to land
In unfriendly country The Mexican
government conducted an investiga.
ton and found no trace Of them or
their plane among the semi-outlawed
bands near the border This Is one
OF the rare instances where expert
enced pilots have lost their way over
a familiar course. Possibly fog or a
severe storm negatived the value Of
their compass.
Lost In Arctic.
For a number Of aerial voyagers,
however. their supreme adventure has
been the beginning and the end. OF
such was the disappearance OF Capt.
Mansell r. James, British ace, who on
May 70, 1919. left Lee, Mass, continu-
ing flight from Boston and Atlantic
City. No trace OF him has been dis
covered, though the air forces Of three
governments, British, Canadian and
American, sought for many months.
Unlike the Sight Of James, who was
flying over Land and with distinct land
marks to guide him throughout the
course, was the polar expedition of
Prof. 8. A. Andree. the Swedish scien-
tist, and his companions. Knut Fraen-
kel and Nils Strindberg, the last a
cousin Of the dramatist. Theirs was
the first aerial disappearance of rec
ord, and one Of the most striking.
They set out in a free balloon on a
July afternoon In 1897 with the object
of flying across the North Pole from
Spitzbergen. Their craft was the
largest Of its kind. 1t measured 81
feet from the top Of the gas bag to the
floor of the wicker car, which was ef-
ficIently equipped for the voyage-food
for 80 days. lifeboat. dog sled, snow
shoes, dog harness, picks and shovels.
Andree believed, as did scores Of his
colleagues who gathered to see the
start, that swift trade winds blew from
Spitzbergen straight across the pole.
Two days after the outfit had disap-
penred in northerly direction a mes
sage arrived by carrier pigeons taken
to keep the world Informed OF Andree's
progress. 1t read: July 13. 12:3O p.
m. s2.2 degrees north latitude, 1873
degrees east longitude Good progress
toward the north. All well on bourd.
This message the third by carrier pig.
con. Andree."
1t was also the last. It was gener-
ally believed the party had perished
on top Of one OF the North Greenland
glaciers.
Two Navy Balloons Lost
The Antree venture was almost par
alleled by the flight Of the United
States navy dirigible C-5 in May, 1919.
The bsimp, after making record hop
from Montauk Point, L. l., to st. Johns
Newfoundland. stood ready to jump
cut over the Atlantic and win the
trans-ocean race against field of the
latest American and British planes.
There being no mooring mast nor shed
TO house the C-5. It was parked ID an
open field at st. Johns. and the crew
went aboard navy boat to rest after
thar I-opl,a'.a flight from the United