Evening star., 1924-06-29
WORLD FLIGHT PROGRESS
Bv First Lieut. R. Brown ir Chairman World Flight

The arrival of the three United
States Army air flyers at Calcutta
on June % marks significant
achievement in the annals of avia-
tion. More than 1900 miles of the
journey around the world have now
been completed-only 10000 miles
remain to be covered by the flight
before the continent of North Amer
ica has been reached. The Amer
lean airmen have proved that air
craft can be operated. in all the
climates of the globe-by success
fully flying across the Pacific ocean.
encounterings the gales, snowstorm
and freezing temperature of the near
Arctic and by successfully traversing
the shores of the China Sea, with it's
tyPhoons and torrential rains and by
forcing their way through the equa-
torial heat of French Indo-C China
Siam and Burma, along the shores of
the stormy Bay of Bengal to Cal
cutta. the gateway of Asia.
During the last week the last two
stops of the third division have been
successfully flown by the American
expedition. At Rangoon difficulties
were encountered which threatened
TO delay the expedition. The flight
commander, Lieut.: Lowell H. Smith,
was taken suddenly ill, but in a day
was again sufficiently recovered to
continue with his work. The air
cruiser New Orleans. piloted by Lieut..
Erik H. Nelson. was rammed while
anchor by 0f M natlye y sampani eE, dam !,
was thought that it would be neceS-
sary to send wings which We're at
Calcutta to repair this ship. but the
ingenuity of the officers of the flight
age was successfully repaired in two
DAYS and the New orleans was
launched on the 25th. After the
United States destroyer Sicard had
reached the mouth of the Bassen
River. at which point it was decided
to establish an emergency refueling
base, the flight took off for Akyab,
45G miles by way of Bassien.
Trouble Getting or.
' Cons sdera Bile difficulty has been eX-
perienced by the flight in getting the
planes off the water with their full
gas capacity. This is attributable to
three causes. In the first place, the
overheat very rapidly. Secondly, at
Saigon, Bangkok and Burma, the
planes have landed in the fresh water
Of river, and strange as it may
seem, this makes d great deal OF diff
ference in the rapidity with which the
airplaneS can rise from the water,
their pontoons being less buoyant in
fresh water than in salt water. Third
ly. due to water soakage, as the
Result of being partially submerged
every night for more than a month,
the pontoons weigh from 300 to $50
pounds more than when entirely dry,
no that it has become practically a
necessity to establish emergency re-
1ueling bases between main stops, in
the last portion of the third division.
in the afternoon, after having re
fueied at Bassien. At this place they
saw Capt McLaren, who had just
taken off TO continue his fight around
che world. Akyab is seaport town,
the capital of the district of Akyab
IN the province OF Arakan, Burma, 1870
miles southeast of Calcutta, across the
Bay of Bengal. Although former
5shing village, it has become a -four
ishing city since 1926, at which time
II was selected as the port and
capital of the province. 1t now has
a population of about 10000. Akyab
S situated on an island at the estuary
Of three rivers. on low lying ground.
The town is unhealthfuI, subject to
occasional epidemics of cholera and
balaral fever is endemic. The rain
fall is very heavy. with an annual
average of over two hundred
soon, the whole country becomes in
hndated and the rivers swollen.
Journey to Calcutta.
/ After remaining over night in
Akyab, the flyers proceeded to Call
sutta, 400 miles by following the coast
Ine, stopping to refuel at Chittagong
On the eth. The town of Chittagong,
the most picturesque in the plains
Or India. The town, extending over
an area of more than four and a half
Square miles, is a collection of small
loo iv,tr II TIL i
fields and small hills. Chittagong is
the terminal of the Assam Bengal
railway. 1t is not only the principal
civilian station in the district, but
also the administration headquarters
of the district of the same name.
After leaving Chittagong the flight
had to cross one of the most impenetra-
Bile and forbidding jungle swamps in the
world, the delta of the Ganges, known
ss the SundarbanS, extending for 10
miles along the coast, with a depth of
from sixty to eighty miles. The Sundar-
pans are believed to have been at one
time extensively populated, but are now
enly very sparsely settled. There are no
towns or villages, and the Inhabitants
pre- scattered in small hamletS. The ma
tiVeS of southern Bengal, over which
fhe flight passed in crossing over the
SundarbanS to Calcutta. are of the low
est caste, poor, good-natured people
The average size of the native-owned
ambition in life is to own some cows
Ind an umbrella. They are, on the whole
y simple people, bound by caste, re-
1gion and tradition. Bengal is the great
labor mart of India The forests con-
tain valuable timber, especially Chitta-
gong wood, or Indian mahogany; canes
and bamboos are luXuriant and ferns
and orchids grow everywhere. The vege.
tation is that of a moist, tropical eli.
hnate. Tigers, black and clouded leopa rds
anG
elephants in addition to numerous
Species of the smaller mammals. Birds
and reptiles are numerous. All the sea
snakes are venomous. The land snakes
are the great hamadryad. the Indiar
python, the green rattlesnakes and
cobraS.
The fight landed at Newabanj. near
achepore, about fifteen miles north o1
calcutta. Arrangements had been COM