Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-04
|WORLD RACE NOW
| VIRTUALLY WON
Evans and Wells Arrive in
Yokohama in Time to
Catch Pacific Ship.
BY EDWARD s. EVANS.
pecial CORRESPONDENT of The Star and the
North A merican NnWanaper Alliance.

North American Newspaper Alliance.
YOKOHAMA. Japan, July g.
Linton Wells and / arrived here at
$50 this evening. as planned. In 20
minutes, aboard the Empress OF Asia,
we sail for America.
The race to break the record for
circling the globe is virtually won.
Only q most extraordinary catastro-
phe can prevent us from reaching
New York in % days or less, lowering
John Henry Mears' record Of 35 days
II hours 35 minutes and As seconds.
which has stood for 10 years.
At Shimonoseki with only a train
ride between us and the steamer,
Wells and | at last felt safe to jubilate.
II was only with great difficulty that
| restrained Linton from leading this
dispatch with "WhOopee." 1t Is i'm
possible to describe the pleasure which
we feel in our achievement, convinced
as we are that nothing can now inter
fere between us and our record.
Mingled with this feeling is the i'm
mense relief at having the race off
our shoulders. 1t has been the great
est sport in my experience. but 1t has
been hard work. Just as a matter of
energy expended and thought given.
Have Only to Wait.
Now we have only to sit tight-a
pleasant ride on a great liner across
the Pacific; dash across America by
plane-and the record is ours.
We have not yet completed our
eighteenth day of travel. 1t was at
1890 am. Eastern standard time,
June 10. that we touched off from
the curb in front Of the World Build
ing in New York city for this race.
The events since that time have been
so crowded that neither of us can
remember more now than a confusion
of train connections, plane flights,
hasty arrangements for the transmits
sion Of dispatches. food and snatches
of sleep.
Twice catastrophe threatened our
fight. A dash by automobile from
Cherbourg to Paris and a hazardous
night flight into Germany saved the
trip at its inception. Linton and ]
are quite ready for the lazy days 10
come across the Pacific, with the
Empress of Asia throbbing on a speed
run beneath us.
Plan Fourth Celebration.
Tomorrow we are going TO buy all
the firecrackers we can find and cele-
brate the Fourth of July. Our time
being almost a full day ahead of that
of our countrymen in the land of the
free, the celebration will begin before
even the earliest risers have begun
waking the neighbors with five
inchers. Mixed in the general cele-
bration is going to be a little celebra.
ton of our own.
Our progress from Mukden TO
F'usan by railway. from Fusan TO
Shimonoseki by boat, and from Shi-
monoseki 10 Yokohama by railway
yesterday was long triumphal pro
CeSSion.
Every station was crowded with
shouting Japanese. Officials greeted
us with speeches and flowers. Dur
ing the night reporters and photog-
raphers boarded the train at every
point, and the popping of flashlights
and questions was continuous and
quite in the spirit Of approaching holi-
day.
Chose Train to Plane.
The japanese We're greatly con-
cerned at our refusal to use their
commercial planes between Shimono-
seki and Yokohama, but we thought
| it would be foolish to hazard our
changes on a night flight at this stage
| of the game. The Empress of Asia
had agreed to wait until the arrival
of our train, and in fog and dark
both Of us still prefer rails to air
ways.
| The Empress Of Asia Is scheduled
to reach Victoria at o'clock the
afternoon of July II. Fifteen minutes
later we will be flying toward SO Park
Row, the home Of the New York
| World and North American News
paper Alliance. from which our start
was made. We expect to reach there
a little after noon on the 18th. about
2712 days from New York to New
York. However, the Empress of Asia
| will attempt to cut this time by q
speed run, and in dispatches to fol,
low Wells and I may be able to an.
nounce the lowering of that time.
| Copyright. 1926. by The Star and the NORTH
| American NEWSPAPER Allance.l