Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-16
SMITH AND bRONTE
SAFE IN HAWAII AS
TREE WRECKS SHIP
Silence Following Frantic
sos Calls Blamed by Flyers
on Damaged Radio.
GAS TANKS FOUND DRY
BY SALVAGING CREW
Flew Whole Way Without Seeing
Water-Mirages in Moon
light Misled.

by deliberately plunginS into kalWe
tree on the Island of Molokai, Ernest
l.. Smith and Emory T. Bronte eX
planned as they rested in Honolulu
after their goal today. why theiI
radio was silent for five hours after
they sent out sos calls and why they
continued on 10 land without inform
ing rescue ships that they still were
in the air.
When still 800 miles or more from
land. Bronte revealed. the failure of
their gasoline pump led them to be-
lieve their fuel was running extremely
low and it caused the plane 10 lose so
much altitude that their trailing wire
less antenna struck the sea and was
torn away.
The decrease in altitude had the eff
feet of resuscitating the gasoline
pump and they shot up into the air
again and headed for land without
knowing how long they would last,
without knowing whether their calls
had been heard and uncertain of their
bearings.
Motor Is Salvaged.
Navy flyers announced they had
Ealvaged the motor and instruments
from the wrecked plane and had found
her gasoline tanks absolutely dry.
When the initial excitement and
confusion had disappeared Smith ana
Bronte had distinguished themselves
as being the first civilians to fly from
California to Hawaii. They had won
a battle with unfavorable weather
.perverse luck and all the natural odds
that flyers face in crossing the sea
with land planes. They had out
snarted fate by diving into the tree
when their last drop of gasoline had
been used, thus forestalling the possi-
bility of being pinned beneath their
plane in an upset.
From the time they left the Golden
Gate at 11:0S am. Thursday until
they were near their destination they
saw neither land nor sea. Several
times Smith reported seeing, beautiful
stretches of land" tempting enough
for the exhausted flyers to alight upon,
hut the sights were only illusions
'mirages cast upon the clouds and fog
by the light of the moon.
Series of Difficulties.
From the time they dived into the
fog bank off the Golden Gate until
they picked the tree as the softest
.lavailable thing to land on, their fight
..
The climax of their trouble came
about 5:l5 am, Honolulu time (Hono-
lulu time is Pa hours behind Pacific
time and 6l2 hours behind Eastern
daylight saving timel. At that mo-
ment they sent out their first sos
after having concluded they had only
enough gasoline to stay in the air
another hour. They presumably We're
about 100 miles from Honolulu and 500
miles from the nearest land.
I'VE are going to land in the sea.
We have rubber life boat but send
help" several ships reported them as
saying.
Three steamers, the liner Wilhel-
NINA, the Army transport kenowis
iand the steamer President Pierce.
turned off their courses almost imme.
tdlately and rushed to their aid, the
'Wiihelmina appearing to be the near
est of tbem-apparent1y about 200
miles away.
Still Asked Help.
Less than 30 minutes later they sent
out a new call for help estimating
their gasoline supply sufficient to last
them four hours. The plea for assist.
snce was continued.
Soon the Wilhelmina wirelessed that
the plane had settled to the water and
miles from it. All radio stations were
stlenced in the hope that further word
would come from the monoplane's s
radio. None came. Visions Of DOS
sible disaster forced the ship toward
the spot at full speed. Then there
was long silence.
Word of their forced landing on
Molokai at 9;46 am. Honolulu time.
then was flashed into Honolulu Res.
tusri
and Army planes left from Wheeler
Field, near here. 10 take them off
the leper island and bring them to
Honolulu.
The little monoplane City of Oak.
land, which had been groomed for
weeks in anticipation of her over
seas flight, was virtually demolished.
tThe plane was in the air % hours
and Sc minutes, during which she
travelled about 2,34O miles. Smith
hopes to salvage the engine, but no
more.
Message Unread Two Hours.
Still 60 miles from their destina.
ton. Smith and Bronte wirelessed
Capt. Lowell II. Smith of Tound-the-
NNorld-iight fame, now stationed at
Wheeler Field. Because Smith was an
sent when the message arrived, it
Law unread for nearly two houts
while thousands were wondering what
, had become of the City Of Oakland
Once their fate became known, Army
rlanes came to their aid and brought
them TO Wheeler Field,
AS Smith and Bronte recei ed the
plaudts of Hawaii they each gave
credit to the other for bringing tht
nlane 10 land. Despite the fact thai
1ha Dlane'S receiving apparatus haC
broken down shortly after the start
and in spite OF fog and apparent dis
trepancies in position reports IS re
ceiyed by listening ships. Bronte ha'
pointed the way unerrinGlN. The
plane never had been far off lis course
and Bronte had been guiding it ONLY
b. dead reckoning.
Gas Pump Failed.
Smith and Bronte declared thei
flight demonstrated the practlcabilt,
Of transpacific air travel. AsekC
what was the hardest part of the trip
Smith smiled and said: 1T was al
hard--it was work all the wa,
through
Conditions for navigating We're no
the best. but ] think The flight ha
proved that it is perfectly feasible I
make hops between San Francisc
end Hawaii" said Bronte. 1T also
proved to my satisfaction that n
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