, 1925-01-22

few into still thicker fog. Climb
ing to about $500 feet we got above
1t, and looking around we saw th'
Boston. but not a sign of the New
Orleans.
For twenty minutes we circled
round and round. wondering what
had happened to Erik and Jack. We
couldn't tell whether they had flown
right on through the fog or whether
they had met with an accident and
fallen into the water. Lowell finally
decided that the safest thing to do
would be to turn back and at once
report thai the New Orleans was lost
so that the destroyers could start a
search. II Erik and Jack were ao-
tually lost and II We flew on to Ice
land. It would mean that the boats
might hear nothing of It for another
six or eight hours until we reached
our destination. In that length of
time the New Orleans might sink
and both the boys be drowned. II
they actually got through tho fog,
then the report would be sent back
to US as they passed over the Faroe
Islands n everything would be
fine and we could follow next day.
Back TO Starting Base.
so We turned back and hunted
for the cruiser Richmond, which we
knew to be following along our
course. But in the fog we missed
her. As we flew over the city of
Kirkwall, where Maj. Dawson from
the apahaauxr a., Tn,I1. r.~ -
ping. we dropped a message bag in
n of the streets so that he could
telephone to the wireless station and
have word sent to the Richmond and
other boats, advising them of what
had happened. Then we returned
to our old moorings at Houten bay.
and landed.
A few hours later we learned that
the New Orleans had been sighted
passing over the Faroes, and at 6
that night the Richmond returned to
the orkneys. A little later the fol
lowing wireless message came
through from Iceland:
Got into propeller wash in the
fog, went into spin. partially out of
control. came out of 1t Just above
water. Continued on landing at
Hornfiord. All o. X. Nelson
I'VE were overjoyed at hearing
they had gotten through to Iceland.
But they had had a narrow escape.
When their plan went into a spin In
h fog II they had not come out into
a clear spot and If the fog had reach.
ed right down to the waters edge. as
1t did where We had flown a few
minutes before. they would have
plunged right into the sea, and the
New. Orleans and Erik and Jack
would have vanished. No one ever
would have known what had hap.
pened to them"
Narrow Escape from Death.
Both Nelson and Harding give a
graphic description of this thrilling
adventure through which they had
passed.
After losing sight of the Chicago
and Boston in the fog" said Erik,
lit was so thick that we could sec
nothing above or below. in front or
behind. or on either side of the cock
pit. But we suddenly felt ourselves
being perked and thrown about and
knew that we had gotten into the
propeller wash of one of the other
ships. This threw the plane out
of control. Then. after being buffet
cd about in the propeller wash, 1t be.
came difficult for us to ascertain
our equilibrium and pull out of our
~predicament. With fog, fog every
where there was no basis OF com
parlson. and II was difficult to tell
whether We were flying north, south
east. west, straight up or straight
down. But a second later the instru.
ments indicated that It was the lat
ter. We We're descending in a spin
at great speed.
Finally ! managed to s~traighten
her out. But not a minute too soon.
As we pulled up level again we shot
into a clear Spot and then were
lucky enough TO be able TO fly under
the fog until we had gotten entirely
through this belt. Once clear OF 1t
we flew back and forth for a bit.
hoping the other planes would show
up. When they failed to appear we
climbed higher and after flying for
three hours over another fog bank
we saw something black jutting UP
through the clouds. 1t turned out to
be Sydero island.
Iceland In Safety.
twenty-five miles farther on the
fog ended abruptly. the sky became
perfectly clear. and straight ahead
we sighted the smoke Of the first de.
stroyer we had encountered. Gliding
down, Jack wrote a note asking
them Il they could give US any news
regarding the other planes and re,
auesting them to verify the direc.
tion OF the course ahead OF us. We
flew right across the bow of the de.
stroyer. but the first message bag
fell into tho sea. The second time
We Ind better luck. and a moment
later had u signals MS well as the
news that no other planes had pass.
ed them
Proceeding on our way. We pass.
ed the cruiser Raleigh and then en-,
countered another fog belt that hid
the sea all the rest Of tho flight to
Iceland. This prevented MS from
even seeing whether there were any
more boats patrolling for us or not
As we neared the coast the weather
cleared again and right ahead We
saw the tiny village OF Hornafiord
surrounded by gigantic mountain.
and great glaciers. As soon as we
had moored the plane we hurried
ashore. where we found some of the
naval men from the Raleigh who