Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-29

man. said today when told by the AS
sociated Press Comdr. Byrd was re.
ported over Nova Scotia.
Generally speaking" Scarr said,
the conditions for the flight are good.
They will not encounter much rain.
It is cloudy over Newfoundland, quite
generally, but at Sydney, Cape Breton,
it is clear. They will be able to get
their last bearings while passing over
Newfoundland or Cape Breton.
1--WE have only one report from a
ship as to conditions over the Atlantic.
That ship is due south of Newfound-
land. where the plane will not pass
| If on its course. There is a little dis
turbance neaer this ship, but they will
miss that. I think.
"Over the rest of the Atlantic, con-
ditions are quite favorable. They may
find clouds near Ireland. and broken
clouds pretty much all the way, but
conditions are pretty fair. The wind
will not be much help to them, but
they will not find much head wind"
Chances Held Good.
After the plane had left and while
newspaper telegraph wires were load
ed with accounts of the take-off in the
groups on the field discussing the hop
off and specializing on the flyers
chances for success. 1t was generally
agreed that the man who commanded
the first plane ever to fly over the
North Pole would have no great diff
Guilty in following an air trail that mas
alreaedy been twice blaZed.
The America was brought to Roose-
welt Field from the Fokker factory in
New Jersey on May IL before Charles
Lindbergh left for France. 1t was still
here when first Lindbergh left for
France and then Clarence Chamber
lin and Charles Levine made the trip
to Germany.
In explaining the many delays Byrd
repeatedly said that if he had been
flying alone he would have gone long
before he did, but that he felt his re-
sponsibility toward the three men fly
ing with him and would not go until
the Weather Bureau told him that
atmospheric conditions were good. In
the end, however, he left without any
definite assurance that he would nave
good weather all the way.
Started Against Wind.
The America started on it's journey
against head wind, but 1t was so
light as hardly to stir the flag atop
the hangar.
Byrd stressed repeatedly through.
ont the long wait to start that speed
was not of prime Importance, as he
was not trying for any prize nor try
ing to beat any record.
"Lindbergh was an entrant for the
Orteig prize" he said, land Chamber
lin and Levine were trying for a dis
lance record. But this flight Is for
purely scientific conditions and 1t
would be foolish to lessen our chances
Of finding out what we want to know
by rushing away to a hurried start.
Despite his repeated assertions that
he was in no hurry, however, 1t was
generally believed that Byrd left when
he did today at least partly because
he felt that he was losing prestige.
1t became known that he was receiv-
ing in recent days many sarcastic
letters and kilograms concerning the
delays of his flight and it was thought
these might have carried enough
weight with him to tip the balance in
favor of a take-off when the weather
became fairly favorable.
Empties Gas Tanks.
An hour after the take-off the
crowd had all disappeared and polo
ponies were being exercised on the
field which so shortly before had
known the pounding thud of the air
steed's passage.
The America will follow magnetic
course 1OS" most of the way to Paris,
making a journey of 1857 miles, or
81 miles longer than the Great Circle
course. with which it almost coin
cides.
Informed by the Associated Press
at $50 am. today that Comdr. Byrd
had wirelessed from the America the
request for all stations to stand by
while he pumped" gas, Grover A.
Whalen, vice president of the com =
pany backing Byrd's flight to Paris,
| explained arranged plan to
meet the emergency which has de-
veloped in the difficulty with the
| Americas compass.
The Associated Press message
means that Comdr. Byrd Is emptying
into his main gas tanks the gasoline
he carried along in II extra t1ve-gal.
| lon tins, Mr.. Whalen said, This
pumping is being done by hand, and
the cans, which Comdr. Byrd reported
were interfering with the compasses
will be dumped overheard. While this