The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-09-17
FOG AND Wind |
FORCE RETURN
OF irish filters
PeriIS of North Atlantic De-
feat Aviators in Al
Iantic Dash.
8 HOURS FROM LAND
Disaster Close to Plane Long
Before Safe Landing Is
Made on Coast.
BY GEORGE MACDONAGH
United Press STAFF Correspondent

United Press STAFF Correspondent
DUBLIN, Sept. 1.-THE perils Of
fog and wind that the north At
lantic holds for those who would f1Y
westward over its restless wastes
were described today by two men
who turned back.
With defeat inevitable, Capt. r.
H. Mcintosh and Commandment
James Fitzmaurice reversed the
course of the monoplane Princess
xenia, after it had sped three hours
from land, and escaped the fate of
their daring fellow airmen who
sought in vain this summer to trace
an aerial path from Europe to
North America.
The Irish aviators encountered
the same sort of heavy weather
which doubtless overcame the crews
of the White Bird and thea st.
Raphael after they had passed out
to sea toward tragedy.
Mcintosh and Fitzmaurice hoped
of from Baldonnel air field, Dublin.
at 1874 p. m. Friday for New York.
Two hours later they scared over
Galway Bay and headed out over
the Atlantic which never yet has
been crossed in a nonstop flight
from east to west.
Near to Disaster
Then into fog and rain and head
winds-disaster was very close to
the Fokker monoplane for two
hours.
At length, beaten, the f1iers elected
to abandon their argosy. They re-
gained the Irish coast over the
mouth of the River Shannon and
circled for landing place. They
shot up signal rockets from their
Verey pistol hoping that villagers
would light the dusk to hid them.
They finally landed at 1870 p. m.
bringing down the craft near Bally-
bunion on the western coast Of
County Kerry. The aviators, tired
and weighed with the feeling that
death had been near, went to bed in
a hotel.
In an interview with the press,
Fitzmaurice sketched the hardships
faced in the brief flight.
Visibility Is Poor
1--WE had been over the sea be-
tween two and three hours when we
encountered extremely heavy
weather." he said.
visibility was unutterabIy poor.
ITO top it all we ran into a
downpour of rain that forced us
frequently to fly only thirty feet
or so above the water.
"At 5 o'clock we found 1t impos-
sible to steer a true compass
course and decided that to con-
tinue would be suicide.
1--WE were then running into a
40-mile-an-hour headwind and fin
ally were forced to empty some Of
our petrol tanks.
Having decided to return we
made good time with the wind at
our backs and reached the coast
about $40 p. m. after flying at a
low altitude for a while we noticed
a fine stretch Of land and came
down. The machine was in perfect
condition"
Ends Years Attempts
Both Mcintosh and Fitzmaurice
were lavish in praise of the per-
Torrance of the Princess Xenia.
named after the wife of William B,
Leeds, principal hacker of the flight.
The monoplane was a sistership Of
the Inflated st. Raphael and Old
Glory and was the one in which
Van Lear Black, publisher of the
Baltimore Sun, few to and from
the East Ind;e=.
1t was believed here today that
no other attempt would be made
from this side of the Atlantic to
span the ocean this year. The
flights thus far have been unsuc-
cessful and autumna1 and winter
weather will only serve to increase
the hazards.