Evening star., 1924-03-27

All the romance and adventure of
the last five centuries is being lived
over again as the editors of America
view the attempt of the United States
Army flyers to circumnavigate the
globe by air. AS Magellan sailed the
uncharted seas, they see the daring
Army aviators defying the elements
by air and sea A large majority of
the editors see great advancement for
aerial trade routes to be the ultimate
outcome. A few, however, while ad-
mirtng the daring, the spirit of ad-
venture and the spirit OF contest, feel
that the flyers may be too early. in
their desire to map a way for air
machines which are not yet ready for
commercial reality.
The spirit of contest is uppermost
in most minds and many of the
writer's seem almost ready to wager
little that the American globe cir
clers will outdo the single British
airman who seeks to be first around
the sphere and who hopes somewhere
in the circuit to meet the Americans
and throw a defy at them.
IF the Americans blaze the way,
says the New York Times, for an
aerial route across the Pacific,
London, thence to Greenland and
back to California, they will have
won glory enough, though they finish.
in point of time, behind the adven-
turous Englishman." But the around
the-worId fight, The Star pointed
out, should not be looked upon as
merely an adventure to win plaudits
for the flyers. 1t is intended to serve
a highly practical purpose in the de-
veloping science of aviauon' ana Is
which America has lost TO aviation
rivals"
Pointing out four principal objects
sought to be served in the venture.
the Scranton Republican declares the
air service hopes to gain experience
in long-distance flying. There is a
desire to ascertain the feasibility of
a commercial airway around the
world. The United States desires the
honor of being the first nation to
circle the globe wholly by air, and
there is a desire to satisfactorily solve
the supply problem, which is an i'm
portant part in such a flight" The
effort will be expensive, risky and
downright dangerous, declares the
New York Evening Post, "neverthe-
less, it is worth the hazard and worth
all it may cost" because the feast
bility or not of round-the-world COM
mercial airways will be shown"
The desirability of Americans being
first to attain this coveted goal is sx-
pressed by the Knoxville Sentinel,
which observes, SHOULD fortune prove
tickle they may fail, though mebody
will succeed sometime. 1t may not be
until airplanes reach greater depend
ability" While the Waterbury Re-
publican believes that given airships,
either dirigibles or planes, of suffi-
cient strength. durability and self-suf-
ficiency, and we know they can fly
around the world. Just as soon as we
have such airships, airways will be
found feasible enough" and adds that
this fight, in effect. will be "the effort
of daring gnats to slip between storms
to their goal"
Into historical and romantic COM
PARSONS goes the Pittsburgh Chro-
nicle- Telegraph, which declares that
the most dangerous stage of the jour-
ney, 1.-The flight across the Pacific
from Alaska to Japan by way of the
Aleutian Islands, appeals to the
lima agination because it is an unknown
region to the aviator and 1t was prob
ably the route followed, in the re-
verso direction, by the first immi-
grants to this continent from Asia
back to prehistoric times" The Mil
lwaukee Journal harks back to the
days of da Cana and Magellau, comes