Evening star., 1927-11-14
HEROINE GATHERS
| WITH AIR HEROES
AT WHITE HOUSE
Ruth Elder and Noted Flyers
Here for Lindbergh Cere-
mony Tonight.
GROUP EXCHANGES Ideas
WITH WEATHER EXPERTS
Ocean "Trail Blazer to Receive
Hubbard Medal From Presi.
dent at Auditorium.

! Americas heroic adventures of the
| air-including one smiling heroine
| gathered around the White House
+, luncheon table this afternoon, prepa-
| ratory to watching the youngest and
| shyest Of their number receive to-
night from the hands of President
Coolidge, the coveted Hubbard medal
! of the National Geographic Society.
Col. Charles A. Lindberg, slim vik-
ing of the skies. who blazed a trail
across the Atlantic Ocean from New
York to Paris for others to follow,
is the youthful hero who will receive
the rarely bestowed decoration at
brilliant ceremonies in the Washing
ton Auditorium.
'Lindy" and the. others, numbering
nearly score, from Comdr Byrd, who
conquered the North Pole. on down
the famous list of transoceanic and
round-the-world flyers to the latest
additions to their ilustrious group
Ruth Elder and Capt. George Halde-
man-swapped "reminiscences of their
epic adventures at the presidential
luncheon.
Mete0rOlOSlcaI Forum.
Just prior to the luncheon. a ma
Jority of the group recalled grim in
cidents of their fights against storms
and ocean fogs in a meteorological
forum" held in the office of William
p. MacCraeken, Assistant Secretary of
Commerce for Air. The conference de-
veloped into an exchange OF ides.s be-
tween Government weather experts
o,,I he f.rt .4l1
ton of weather data for transaceanic
lights
The circle Of celebrities which as
sembled about the White House table
represented probably the greatest
gathering Of cotemporary national
heroes in history.
The list included Col. Lindbergh,
the guest of honor: Miss Elder and
Haldeman, who accompanied her on
her almost-successful flight over the
Atlantic: Comdr. Byrd, hero not only
OF the polar flight. but of the attempt
to fly to Paris. which ended in the
English Channel. and who already has
been decorated with the Hubbard
of the Dole prize flight to Hawaii:
Berndt Balchen. companion of Byrd in
the flight to France; Lieuts. Hegen.
berger and Maitland. first to fly
from San Francisco to Hawaii; Will.
liam S. Brock and Edward F.
Schlee, whose round.the.world at
tempt ended in Japan; Clarence Cham
berlin and Charles A. Levine, who
flew to Germany; Paul Schulter. Sec
ond-place winner in the Dole contest;
Emory Bronte, compa nion of Ernest
L. Smith on the Hawaiian flight:
Lieut.. w. c. Davis. who accompanied
Goebel, and George Neville.
Several Are Delayed.
Smith and the following were unable
to reach Washington In time for the
luncheon: Bert Acosta, a companion Of
Byrd on his fight to France. and Mar
tin Jensen, companion of Schluter.
Smith wired the President this morn
ing that engine trouble had forced his
plane down at Rockville, N. Y, and
the others sent word they could not
reach here by o'clock. the time set
for the luncheon. They are expected,
however, to be on hand at the Audi.
torium this evening.
Lindbergh was among the last of
the flyers to arrive here today. He
landed at Boiling Field shortly after
noon from New York, accompanied by
his mother and Daniel Guggenheim of
the Guggenheim Founda ton.
only the flyers, President and Mrs.
Coolidge. Col. Blanton Winship, mill
tary aide to the President. and Capt
wilson Brown, naval aide. attended
the luncheon.
An exclusive audience of Amer
lean and foreign notables, numbering
5000 persons, will witness the presen.
tation Of the Geographic Society
medal tonight. Diplomatic represen.
tatives from all of the countries visit.
ed by the various flyers during their
daring Jaunts over two oceans. many
lands and the top of the world. will
occupy boxes or reserved seats.
The ceremonies will be broadcast
over countrywide network of radio
stations. beginning at S;45 o'clock.
Joins Hall of Fame.
Only seven men before Lindbergh
nave been honored so singularly by
the Geographic Society. When Presi-
dent Coolidge bestows the Hubbard
medal on the fair haired idol of his
country tonight, the name of Lind.
bergh will go down in the records of
rame alongside such names as Peary,
Amundsen, Bartlett and Schackleton.
The program will not be of elaborate
nature.
The President will be introduced by
Or. Gilbert Grosvenor. president of
the society, and Mr. Coolidge then will
confer the decoration. with appropri.
ate remarks. The whole function is
designed to be simple. but of deeply
Impressive character.
The flyers converged on Washing.
ton yesterday and today by air and
rail. Among those, who reached here
yesterday were Goebel, Brock, Schlee
and Bronte. They arrived in planes at
Boiling Field.
Miss Elder and Capt. Haldeman
came by train early today.
Greeted by Admirers.
Crowds Of cheering admirers greet.
ed the distinguished visitors in their
movements about the city today, the
largest throng assembling at the
White House early this afternoon.
Other crowds collected outside the De.
partment of Commerce during the
meteorological conference and outside
the Carlton and Maytiower Hotels,
where most of the flyers are stopping.