The Omaha morning bee., 1925-01-26

when they knew that they ought To
be able to get through to Greenland
long ahead of us.
AT any rate. they finally stopped
stalling and circling, and shot past
us. The last v" ever saw of theit
big monoplanc = when 1t vanished
over the horizon ahead of us. OF
course. when we eventually got
through, after one of the most trying
experiences of our lives, we discovered
to our deep regret that Locateli had
not reached Fredericksdale We wait
ed anxiously for hours and still NO
sign of the speedy Italian plane. In
fact, 1t never arrived. But that's get.
ting ahead of our story"
Strung out between Iceland and
Greenland were five American ships
the cruiser Richmond with Rear Ad-.
miral Magrnder on board, the cruiser
Raleigh, and the destroyers Barry
Reir, and Billingsley. Capt. Lyman A.
Cotton, in command of the admiral s
flagship. described this stretch from
Iceland to Greenland as the longest
and most difficult leg OF the trans
Atlantic flight"
Bad Weather Ahead.
The Richmond was the first of the
naval vessels that the flyers passed.
Next in line was the Reid; then the
Billingsley, and finally the Barry and
Raleigh. The destroyer Rillingsley
was the boat on which Smith and
Arnold had dropped their message
near the Farce islands telling about
the forced landing of the Boston.
I'VE knew when we passed over
her this time" said Lieutanent Smith.
that it would be the last time we
wauld see her. So We flew low over
her deck to wave to our old friends,
and we We're surprised and greatly
cheered to find that the sailors had
painted In huge white letters on the
deck the two words, Good luck
Next we passed the Barry with Wade
and Odgen on board en- route to
Pictou, Nova Scotia. Displayed from
our yard arms were two flags This
was a signal to notify us that there
was dangerous weather ahead.
For the first 300 miles we had
flown through perfect sky, but short
ly after passing the Barry We plunged
into fog and rain and wind. The fur
ther we flew the denser grew the fog
and the greater became the velocity
hinatlon. but as luck would have 1t
we encountered both.
Fog and Ice Plentiful.
I'VE we're forced to fly close to
the water on account of the fog. But
even then 1t was so thick that we
flashed over the Raleigh without see
ing her Seventy-five miles out of
Greenland we struck the first ice
floes. As we neared the coast the ice
increased until the last 50 miles We
were flying over a seemingly endless
exp9nse of 1t. Something we would
cross ice packs miles in extent. Then
again we would encountere berGs of
every size and of weird fantistic
shapes. Some looked as high as the
Chicago Tribune tower on the Wool.
worth building.
In the dense fog II wasn't always
possible TO see them, and as we were
flying down near the water we had
some close shaves. Several times in.
deed we saw wall OF ice looming
up just ahead and had TO put our
nose upward and zoom blindly over
them, out among towering bergs and
praying to God to guide us through.
at one time Erik and Jack were
so close behind us In the New Orleans
that when we saw massive wall Of
ice right ahead ! banked steeply to
the right and they turned TO the left.
Both our wings just missed the berg
by inches. When we got beyond the
we were separated in the fog. But We
didn't dare circle about looking for
each other for fear we might collide.
I headed the Chicago In toward shore