Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-05-15

| hold the plane which. in la ndlnc,
would crash through Ia destruction.
We were flying now At 1000 feet, and
the temperature was s degrees above
zero. or IA degrees below freezing. No
wonder none Of the ice was melting
| into pools of water.
After about three and a half hours
Of flying il became advisable to pour
some gasoline into the tanks from
the FIVE gallon cans we carried. We
we're well established on the course. so
took the wheel to pilot, giving Ben.
nett y short rest and enable him to t1ll
the gasoline tanks from the loose
cans. did not put much faith in the
magnitic compass. so | held the sun
compass in my left hand and pilot ed
with my right. After Is or 20 minutes
Bennett was ready To take the wheel
again.
Gasoline Goes Fast.
He wrote on his pad that we had
burned 81 gallons of gas an hour since
starting the motors. Thai was Two
gallons an hour more than We ca!cu-
lated on. SO | was somewhat appre-
henslve about trying to make Cape
Morris .1essup after leaving the Pole.
How ever. we were averaging q GOOD
speed about 90 miles an hour and
there We're $50 gallons Of gasoline left,
as we'll as some that was used for
heating up the engines before starting,
so Il lhoked as II we would have
enough gas 10 make il hack 10 Kings
RaN
While had been plotting took the
time 10 >xamine the ice pack more
closelv It had changed little since my
'rst examination Of II. I looked hard
for some rort Of life. hut there was
npno--not polar hear track. NOT a
! /aal. nor = bird.
Possibly. | thought. we Nnre' too
! high to observe life. We had passed
| the place wh%re Andres. in his great
balloon. was last heard from. At so
degrees latitude. 10 degrees from the
| Pole. he had lot out one Of his - car.
| riar pigeons and the bird was pick Ell
M with the message reporting his
position and good progress.
Radi" Reports Progress.
We had inst sent a radio reporting
good progress. What vast difference
between the method of travel and
communica ton we had used Who're
| had poor Andree come down"
! was again back At inceSsa MT ma vi.
eating with Eennett At the wheel.
could not let IN for single minute
| ! was putting every ounce Of my mind
energy and knowledge into making
/ our course 50 straight that We could
! MOI devia'e half mile from the
! imaginary line leading us on toward
/ the goal. Such a straight course would
/ We time and gasoline and greatl>
( increase our chances of success.
was sighting So constantly on the
! bright Sunlit snow beneath us that
my right eye began TO show the FIRST
( 4. 2
had 70 shift to my left eve. hoping
| that it. too, would NOT give out. After
an hour I relieved Bennett again At
/ the wheel. and when he returned from
/ the cabin to the pilots seat I saw that
/ he was Just finishing A sandwich.
Gives Pilot Hot Tea.
/ had not thought of food before
leaving. hut | was not hungry.
! found some sandwiches and two
/ thermos bottles Of hot tea had
/ taken these thermos bottles out he
fore leaving to save weight. hut the
doctor. always solicitouS of our
physical wellheinc had sneako them
back into the plane. and ! certainly
was grateful to him al that moment.
took several drinks Of he steam
inE tea forward 10 Kenneth and
could soc how very much he on.
joVed it,
Good old Floyd. He had flown 7 O0N
miles with me in the Arctic last year
and here he was again risking his life
iihout turning hair. Without hin,
( last wear doubt IL | would have got
ten much over 400 miles instead nj
5000. and now again | knew that II
we succeeded il should he Bennett n
HON the world should give most nj
the credit. But this time he would
have 70 share honors with Lieut.
Neville. who had been superhuman In
; the work " preparation.
After another hour Of the greatest
concentration I was capable Of in con
tinuous checking NJ drift, speed and
course. ] took the wheel again. We
were now looking into regions never
before seen by man. unless il was
i'll -fated Andree. I kept sharp look
ont for possible land. but there was
nothing to disturb the monotonous
contour OF the horizon.
Think Of IT, Ira yelling AT the rate
Of mile and a half minute over
UNEMPLOYED regions.
We would he over the uneXplored