Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-13

selves in the midst of 1t, to ny south
ward to get out Of it.
He also predicted moderate south
west winds at the finish or that part
of our flight which lay over the ocean,
but could make no prophecies ABOUT
what sort of weather we might stfiKe
on the other side in the next 4S hours,
combining himself to remarking that it
seemed to be changing for the petter
Impatient to Start.
When we started we knew the
weather was bad across the Atlantic,
but we hoped it would clear. Mr..
Kimball said that if we waited another
day before starting the weather on
the other side would be better, but we
were impatient to be off. we inquired
that we could stand some bad wealth.
err toward the finish of our flight and
still make our goal. But we had no
idea it would be as bad as it turned
out to be.
Our transoceanic fight has shown
the need in the United States Tor
more radio weather reports from
steamers at sea. So that the weather
men can study the movements and
progress in storms and make more
accurate predictions. AS it was. with
wonders.
We found everything as predicted
except the storms in Germany. Re-
garding the weather there, the New
York Weather Bureau told us they
had no information, but warned us
Of possible thick weather. With more
time and better facilities our weather
Bureau could do much better work.
Even as it was, they told us in one
instance which way to go, If we had
storms. and the advice worked out
perfectly.
Although we were reduced to navi-
eating by the aid of one old-style
magnetic compass, the situation was
not quite so serious as might appear,
because we found we could check
our course to some extent while over
the ocean the first night by keeping
an eye on a certain bright star in the
eastern heavens, which made 1t pos
sible for us to keep flying generally
in an easterly direction. We could
also check our position roughly by
observing other stars and constella-
tionS.
When the sun rose over the At
lantic last Sunday morning we had
means of checking our position, be-
cause we knew it rose in the east.
and the time it rose was still another
way. since we knew that sunrise was
at in the morning, Greenwich time.
Then, when the sun set in the eve
ming, we knew it set in the west,
which was a further help. We could
almost have gone ahead over the
ocean and hit Europe without a COM
mass If the weather had been clear.
Every time Levine looked at the
offnr
bad on us he swore like a trooper.
What made him sore was that, after
spending lots of money for it and on
it. the instrumenAfailed to work at
critical moment.
Before the start Levine had an idea
a transoceanic flight would be ter
ribIV monotonous. When Lindbergh
came to him last February and made
q. proposal to buy a half interest in
the Columbia plane for flying to Eu-
rome. Levine couldn't understand why
he wished to go alone-he felt sure
the monotony of the long hours over
the sea and land would surely make
Lindbergh doze off. He pleaded with
Lindbergh to take second man along
chad he consented, it would have been
Chamberlin), but Lindbergh insisted
upon going alone.
Flying Through Fog.
Not only did Lindbergh not fall
asleep because Of the monotony of
his 33 hours of flying, but Levine dur
ing 43 hours felt not single moment
of monotony-there was always some
thing interesting to think about, and
he himself could not sleep, as much as
he tried.
There was nothing more awe-1nspir'
ing, nothing more uncanny on the en-
tire trip than the hours during which
we were flying through dense masses
of fog, often absolutely unaware where
we might be or what we might strike
at the next moment. Fog in the day
time was bad enough, but it was far
worse at night, when we went roar
ing along without seeing anything ex-
cept the blue flames from the exhaust
pipes, which you don't notice at all
in the day time.
We knew only too we'll that II those
blue flames once went out we should
go out with them-for their disap-
pearance would mean that our motor
had failed, and that would mean drop
ping thousands of feet through drip
ping fog until we plunged into the
ocean or smashed against land. So
every glimpse of those blue spurts of
flame was most assuring.
copyright, 1927, in the United. States,
Canada :. Mexico, Cuba. :, South America.
Japan Europe ana the hf5I snro ddipi IN ~