The Bismarck tribune., 1925-09-11

with the fleet crews just returned
from the antipodes.
Lost 2lS l-2 Hours
In the 2lS 1-2 hours which had
elapsed after the end of the attempt
ed nonstop flight, the big plane,
buoyed up principally by its empty
I gasoline tanks. had drifted approx
imately $50 miles in a line almost
due westward from the point where
: it had dropped from the air to the
surface of the water. Exactly where
the point was, and just how far the
floating aircraft drifted can never
be known.
The last messages from the fliers
picked up by the Navy ships which
guarded the flight route were re-
quests for compass bearings, admis-
sion that they had lost their bear
ings and repeated assertions to the
effect that "if we have to alight
here, we're goncrs.'
Progress of the plane, winddriven
on the face of the water, was slower
than calculations of the searching
navy forces had indicated. 1t was
sighted at "A position over which the
| flotilla Of naval craft had cruised
/ last Saturday, and was picked up by
! "A submarine heading out to meet the
! searching fleet.
| The location was near that in
which the mine sweeper Whippoorwill
had reported two days after the
! search started, seeing a white flare
and two red rockets, which had oc-
casioned decided increase in the
! area over which the cruising ships
were coursing.
Picked For Experience
The big navy plane, which was
forced down when within an hours
flight of its destination, was cap
tanned by Commander John Rodgers.
veteran flyer of the United States
Naval Forces, who learned to fly .3
a pupil of the Wright brothers at
Dayton, Ohio, IA years ago.
Because of his skill and experience
he had been assigned from his post
in Washington, d. c., as the flight
commander The PN-9 Number had
been designated as the flagplane of
the three craft originally intended
to hop off together from San Francis
co to Hawaii
Under Commander Rodgers direc-
tion were Lieutenant Byron j. Con-
nell of Pittsburg. Pa, assistant pilot;
SkIes N. Pope. Of Dayton. Tenn. as
aviation pilot; VIM. II. Bowlin of
Richmond, Ind, aviation chief ma
chinist's mate, and Otis G.. Stantz Of
! Terre Haute, Ind, chief radio man.
Conquer Elements
; The Nays perseverance, after all
| hope had been virtually abandoned
| that the plane and it's crew might
| be found, conquered the elemcnts
! which had forced Rodgers and his
men down ITS or 200 miles east of
! their objective, Kahului, and hidden
their fate more than week.
Receipt of the news of the safety
of the plane which had carried its
| burden of five men safely more than
J 9 days On an alien element, caused q
scene Of rejoicing among the people
| of Honolulu and the men and Off
| GERS of the fleet here after it's visit
to Australia and New Zealand com
parable only with the celebration at
the time of the signing of the Arm
istice.
| At a hotel where numerous dinner
parties were being attended by Off
GERS of the visiting fleet the news
was announced. A pause and a sill
ence fell and then some one, sensing
the news that the rescue that had
been effected, broke into: "Praise
God, from whom all blessings flow"
and hundred or more guests join
ed in the paean Of thanksgiving.
RIDES SWELLs
Honolulu, Sept. 11.--(P)-Com-
mander John Rodgers and his intre-
pid crew of four of the lost trans
Pacific ai1plane PN-9 No. /, are
alive and we'll. The crippled Eagle.
with it's previous burden of trail
blazing adventurers, was found late
yesterday riding swan-like, atop
choppy seas by a monster of the
deep the U. S. Submarine R-4.
Lost 21s hours after 25 hours in
the air, hurtling from San Francisco
toward Honolulu in the first such
nonstop flight ever attempted, the
brave little force in every sense ex-
cept officially, had been given up as
lost, martyrs to mans efforts to
overcome the elements.
Today, their tiny craft towed by
the submarine, they were en- route
to Hawailiwili, island of Mauai, of
the Hawaiian group. towards which
the U. S. Destroyer Macdonough was
rushing with medical officers to give
any attention necessary.
, That Commander Rodgers and his
/ crew were in good physical condition
was attested by the brief messages
. reporting the rescue.
GET MESSAGE
; Honolulu, Sept. u.-LP)-The Mu-