The Wrangell sentinel., 1924-04-10

flyers in the around the world flight arrived from Prince Rupert at 12:45 o'clock this afternoon Alaska time.
 The following account of the ar rival of the planes at Prince Rupert is taken from the Daily News of mat city.
 Prince Rupert, B. C.-The hum of the motors of three United States army round-the-world flying ma unines was heard at 4 50 yesterday from several hundred citizens who had waited for an hour or more ill drenching showers of alternate rain and snow at the Seal Cove landing p.ace.. fe wminutes later the ma chimes swooped into visibility from binding snow squall and effected landings. Major F. L. Martin, com mander of the squadron, came down Ilrst, sweeping to the water near the buoys with an impact which broke two struts in his machine. Lieut.. -owell Smith and Lieut.. Eric H. -,elson, approaching at some height, uircled round overhead to reduce all titude and made long approaches landing very gracefully on the water further out and taxied into their mooring places. Lieut.. Leigh Wade, who was over an hour and a half later in leaving Seattle, brought his machine in at 5:25, having made the flight north in forty minutes less time than his companions.
 Major Martin took off from Se- attle at S:35 Sunday morning and Lieut.. Smith and Lieut.. Nelson got away at $50, landing together at 455, the first machine made the flight in eight hours and thirty minutes, and the two other ma- chimes in eight hours and fifteen minutes. Lieut.. Wade, taking off from Seattle at 10:O5 and arriving here at 5:25, accomplished the voy- age in seven hours and twenty min utes.
 In Snow Storm
 The snow squall, which unfortu- nately was in progress while the three first machines were landing, was the cause of Major Martins trouble. After six hours of very difficult navigation with poor visi- bility owing to showers of snow and rain and fog, Major Martin, with the two accompanying machines close behind, came into the harbor and sighted the buoys at Seal Cove. Understanding the distance on ac- count of thick snow, it was too late when he perceived his perdicament and, after unnecessarily opening up and attempting to regain con- trol in order to rise again, he was forced to shut off his motor and pancake" down to hitting the shore or mill buildings. The result of the sudden impact of the pontoons with the water was the breaking of the two struts on the outer left hand side of the machine with the conse- quent breaking of wires and crack ing of wings.
 After having flown eight hours under most adverse conditions and finishing up in a strange harbor, Major Martin took his accident very keenly to heart q have been in many tight corners but this is the first machine I ever cracked" he said. While he is more than ready to accept all the responsibility for the mishap, his flight associates and the many citizens who witnessed the landing endeavor to point out that his landing was made under the most difficult circumstances. The damage, while not of very great ex- tent, may cause the delay of the flight here for ten days or a fort night. New struts will either have to be fabricated here or brought from the south and repairs will re- quire the utmost care and precision. Moreover. it will be difficult to ob- tain the parts for there are only the four machines of their kind in ex- istence. They were built especially for the world flight.
 Commander Tells Story
 The following was Major Martins account of the flight from Seattle to Prince Rupert:
 "We rose at Seattle Sunday morn ing at o'clock as we have done for the past three days. After having breakfast we had to install . new