Evening star., 1927-08-16
NINE DOLE PLANES
WILL START TODAY
ON HONOLULU RACE
Contenders Wait ImpatientIy
for Take-off Signal in
2,4O0-MiIe Hop
II MEN AND ONE WOMAN
WILL STRIVE FOR PRIZES
Two Awards of $4,000 and
$4,000 Dole Stake Are
Awaiting Winners.

1atH., August lb.-Nlne alfpldneS III
the first transoceanic aerial derby
were at the starting post here today,
awaiting the signal that will send
them away over the vast Pacific to
the thin target Of the Island OF Oahu,
s,400 miles out.
The goal is Wheeler Field. at Scho-
field Barracks, Hawaii, a few miles
outside of Honolulu. The stakes are
the two prizes OF $25,000 and $4,000
offered by James D. Dole Of Honolulu.
Post time was noon, Pacific Coast
time.
Nine trim airpla hes, entries from
five States and the lTerritory of Ha-
waii, to carry II mtn and a woman,
We're drawn to the lead of the take
off course during the early morning
hours.
Fog Menace Appears.
In the background of San Fran
cisco a real menace loomed. so the
weather man reported-fog, piled high
and extending at least so miles to sea.
Racers of today these planes We're,
replacing the nimble, nervous quad
rupeds of the ''paddocks" Graceful
creatures of the air, droning musical.
center of interest for hundreds of per.
sons who arrived at the airport long
before the rising sun.
picturesque setting, red, blue,
yellow, orange, silver and golden
wings. glistened in the morning sun;
runway 1000 feet long. 600 feet
wide at it's head and 300 feet at
the take-off point; faces banked
along the runway fence; roads block
6N, MT 20, 20
parking places before the checkered
flag dropped for the first starter: Of
fetal cars dashing from point to
point on the field; motor cycle police
patrolling the boundaries, and in the
center of it all the planes. surrounded
by their pilots and navigators.
Excitment at Start.
At all the "paddoeks" tools we're
scattered on tarpaulins.
Along the 5000 feet of fence spec
tators found points of vantage. They
understood that the exciting mo-
ment of this novel race occurred
at the start. Skill and luck were
the two factors depended on to
lift safely 1900 to $500 pounds of
flesh, wood, cloth, steel and high test
gasoline from the ground at an aver
age speed of 80 miles an hour. Once
i'm the air the Steeds had only to
keep going"
Constant reminder of the specter
of misfortune was the presence of
'crash equipment" Fire engines,
wrecking crews armed with long
steel cables and graphing hooks. am
balances, hospital tent and two fast
official 'craSh cars" carrying airport
officials from their stations to the
scene of a mishap.
Merely preparedness, not fear,
the field officials declared. I'VE eX-
pect the racers to take off in one,
two. three order. without n hitch.
The runway offers every chance for
success"
For days and late into last night
tractors had dragged harrows,
scrapers and rollers back and forth
along the runway, leveling the sur
race and packing it tight. Water
wagons sprinkled hundreds of gal
Ions of water to lay the dust, yet un-
der the whipping propellors of planes
taking to the air the one bogie, dust,
remained. Only those persons near
the end of the runway were expected
to see the planes leave the ground.
Not until the wings emerged from the
dust clouds could those at the start
ing point know the fate of the roar
ing, speeding crafts.
Interest in Woman Entrant.
Atop spindly wooden tower to one
side OF the runway a man was to de-
scribe TO radio fans the action Of the
ake-offs. Thousands We're expected
only to hear the roar of the motors.
shouts of the crowds and the voice of
the man saying "They'te off"
To the left of the field were the
tapping waves of the Pacific, the
fringe OF the "big drink" the flyers
have joked about for days, reminding
each other. 'if you don't make it, it
Is the big drink for YOU"
Spectators have been keenly inter
ested in the first woman to start
across the ocean toward the isla nd goal
Miss Mildred Doran, The flying school
teacher. of Flint, Mich. CARRIED in
her mans uniform of olive drob. dec
GRATED with Sam Brown belt and
numerous insignia, has attracted at
fention when she appeared on the field
tn pose with her pilot. John "Auggy"
Pedlar, of Flint, and navigator.
Lieut.. Villas r. knope, Naval air off.
Ger of San Diego.
The names of the planes entered in
this classic were no less colorful than
the race itself There was the Aloha:
El Enchanto. Spanish for THE
Charm -: Dallas Spirit; Air King:
Pabco Flyer; Wookaroc. an Indian
good luck name; the Golden Eagle:
oklahoma. and the Miss Doran.
No Cabins on Five Planes.
Five of the nine pilots were pre-
pared to wing their way over the
Pacific with their heads exposed to
the elements, While the remaining
four were protected by inclosed cabins
Marin Jensen, flying the Aloha :;
Mai. Livingston Irving, in the Tabco
Flyer; G.. w. Parkhurst. in the Air
King, from Peoria, H.; Bennett Grif-
fin in the Plane, Oklahoma, and Jack
Frost in the monoplane, Golden Eagle,
must depend on the Windshield alone
to ward off wind or rain.
John Auggy Pedlar in the Miss
Doran, the plane from Flint. Mich;
Lieut.. Norman A. Goddard. in his
home-buiIt FL EncantrO; Art Goebel,
in the Woolaroc. and Capt. William
Erwin, in the Dallas Spirit, are pro
tected by fully inclosed cabins.
The pilots flying the touring" or
omen type planes declared they did
NOT believe they would suffer from
exposure during the 20 or more hours
in the air.
Gasoline Capacities OF Machines.
The gasoline carrying capacities of
the airplanes aggregated $500 gal