Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-02
AMERICAN FLYERS
FIGHT WAY THROUGH
THRONGS IN PARIS

| Continued from First Page)
| so1,;nc, n few words to the American
and French reporters who awaited
him AZ the hotel. The commander
smoke in a very low voice in English
and Mrs. Gibbons. who had arranged
the suite for the travellers, translated
his remarks into French for the re-
| porters representing the Paris press.
Il am glad to be in France the
| commander said. MY reception has
been overwhelming-in fact, rather
| disconcerting."
In touching briefly on the purpose
of the flight to France, Comdr. Byrd
| added:
ut has been stated that trip of an
| airplane with three engines ana TOUR
| passengers is an advance in the SCI
| ence of aviation, as the machine Is
| larger than the planes which have pre-
viously crossed the Atlantic. But the
| primary object of the trip was 10 lana
on the soil of France. 1t was meant
to show the affection of America for
France We didn't want sto go be
You'd France and the sentimental side
of the trip is highly important.
Luncheon Is Informal.
The luncheon was a very informal
affair without speeches or other dem
onStrationS except the reading by
Charge d'Affaires Whitehouse of the
messages of congratulation from Pres
ident Coolidge, Secretary of war La
Wis and Secretary of the Navy Wilbur
to Comdr. Byrd and his companions.
Paul Claudel, French Ambassador to
A. I,A icsT
and the other guests chatted briefly
with the commander and his COM
panionS.
The principal French guests were
Pierre Etienne Flandin. president of
the French Aero Club; Laurent Eynac.
former minister of aviation; Louis
Bleriot, the famous aviator. who first
flew the English Channel; Gen. Pujo.
director of military aeronautics, and
Rear Admiral Frochot, director of ma
val aeronautics.
Despite heavy rain, the American
aviators who had battled for AZ hours
with fog and storm in their trans
atlantic flight which ended in the
early hours of yesterday on the beach
at Ver-sur- Mer on the coast of Nor
mandy, IT'S miles west of Paris, were
given reception such as that given
to Charles A. Lindbergh, who so
quickly became the darling of Paris
on his own epochal flight.
Crowd Greatest in Memory.
The Place du Havre in front of the
ST. Lazare Station was crowded as 1t
had not been before in the memory of
veteran gendarmes.
Men held women high in the air to
watch the passage of the American
flyers, while children wormed their
way through inconceivably small
places to get into the front line and
the big police force stationed all along
the route had the hardest kind OF
work keeping passage way clear for
the procession.
The tremendous enthusiasm was not
confined to Paris, every station along
the line from Caen, where the Amer
lean aviators went last night from
-Mer, was damned with people
when the train passed
So eager were the crowds to see
their new heroes that the windows of
compartments were broken as passen-
gers jostled and pushed about.
Thousands Shout Welcome.
After the arrival in Paris, the Amer
leans set out for the Continental Hotel
in a drilling rain, while thousands
of cheering Parisians braved the wet
weather to greet them and to shout
Frances admiration of their skill ana
courage in their valiant fight against
the storm conditions they had en-
countered throughout their great air
voyage.
only invited guests and members
of the official welcoming committee,
which included representatives of the
ministries of war and commerce and
the municipality of Paris were per-
mitted inside the railroad station on
the arrival of the train.
Determined to see the American air
men, however, workmen crowded the
car roofs of every train in the vicinity
and passengers craned their necks out
of windows to their great peril in an
effort to catch even a fleeing glimpse
of them.
Some one presented Comdr. Byrd
with a huge bunch of flowers as he
stepped from his train smiling a greet
ing to those who welcomed him. There
were many other bouquets for the
flyers, but their bearers did not get
much chance to present them person
ally so threw them through the air.
Autograph Hunters Busy.
All the way from Caen to Paris.
four-hour trip, Comdr. Byrd and his
companions were kept busy accommo-
dating autograph hunters, and most
of the passengers of the express train
left their own cars at one time or an
other to enter the car where the avia-
tors had reserved compartments.
At each station at which the ex-
press stopped, crowds were waiting
to cheer the flyers and flowers were
given them at every halt. In one
town little girl. carrying a single
red rose-the French gift to those
they would honor-was held up to the
window of the car in order to hand
the flower to Comdr. Byrd.
At the railroad station itself 200 po-
| lice sergeants lined the way to the
small waiting room, where a reception
| committee had its chance to shake
hands with the airmen and offer them
congratulations
The crowd could not be held back,
| however, and the aviators had to ell
| bow and shoulder their Wav mast their
enthusiastic admirers.
One of the first to rush up to the
| flyers and shake hands in congratula-
| ton was Charles A. Levine, who ar
| rived in Paris yesterday with Clar.
ence D. Chamberlin. Levine had
waited Is minutes, surrounded by a
crowd of his own admirers, who were
eager to obtain his autograph.
Ceremony Is Brief.
The ceremony in the waiting room
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