New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1927-07-01
Forced Down at Ver-Sur- Mer, About Us Mile.
From Paris FGers Float Ashore on Pneumat-
ic Raft All Four Exhausted Estimates Place
Flight at 200 Miles Compass. Went Wrong.
Bad Weather Encountered
All Way Across Ocean
Giant Aircraft Wrecked
About 200 Yards From
Shore. Z

Ver-Sur- Mer. France. July / Re
Out of gasoline and cropping blindl1
through fog and rain to find Z safe ,
haven. the transatlantic plano
America descended safely in tho
sea early this morning near THU
town on the coast of Normandy.
Were F7oated To Shore
Successful in their brave achieve
ment against great difficulties II
crossing the Atlantic, and only 17E
miles west Of their goal, Paris, tho
American aviators headed by Cons
mander Richard E. Byrd made tho
way through the sea 200 yards ID
shore with the aid OF a pneumatia
raft which they had been able Ia
initiate just before their plane struck
the water.
All Were Exhausted
Tired by their long air voyage that
had carried them across the Atlantic
and in vain cruise in the fog and
rain above France to find the flying
field at LIE Bourget, the exhausted
men went to bed almost as soon al
they had made their way to shore
with the help OF fishermen and tho
keeper of the lighthouse here.
1t was 2:20 a. m. French time that
the American fliers. seeking land
and safety after their long voyags
through the air, dropped into the
sea about zoo yards from shore and
were quickly into the water to their
elbows.
Manning their rubber rowboat
| raft. which was part of the equip
ment OF the plane, they made sew
eral trips to shore, saved all the
most important equipment of their
ship and then went to sleep at the
homes OF their French hosts who
took them In with gracious hospitals
ity.
Only the top edge Of the planes
wing was above the surface OF the
sea. but the fiiers, their minds once
more easy after their long battle
with fog and rain, slept peacefully
until called at 3 o'clock this afters
noon at their request.
Was Very Tired
Commander Byrd, who had added
to his laurels Of being the first man
to fly across the North Pole, the new
distinction of spanning the Atlantic
through unusually unfavorable storms
conditions, was very tired. but was
not too tired to write up his log "a
the flight.
He chatted with his hosts AMI
drank a glass of milk before rettyp
ing in the home OF Joseph Croifffe&
deputy mayor of Ver-Sur-Mer.
Commander Byrd declared on an
irving In this little picturesque re-
sort, that the America had encouno
tered bad weather all the way froaa
the United States and that fog had
kept him and his associates from
finding the air lane to Paris and
had forced them to grope blindly In
the air until they had no choice but
to make a descent as best the1
could when their gasoline ran out,
Make Things Shipshape
With things made as shipshapa
aboard their plane as possible, the
American aviators divided, going to
different houses, to obtain much
needed rest.
Commander Byrd and Lieutenant
George 0. Neville. radio engineer
and alternate pilot. went to the
home OF the deputy mayor. while
Bert Acosta, pilot and Lieutenant
Bernt Balchen, fourth member Of
the crew, went to the home OF the
lighthouse keeper, Lercop. They
We're sound asleep in few minutes
and their hosts set up a guard to
keep them from being disturbed.
Compass Went Wrong.
Commander Byrd, explaining the
wandering of the America in the fog
over France for many hours and his
final landing in the sea at ver-Sur.
Mer, said that his compass had gone
wrong shortly after the America
had reached the coast of France in
the vicinity OF Brest. Then the thick
fog held the plane and they did not
know where they were. 81,
He said that they might have
been near Paris at one time but that
they could not be sure. When their
gas and oil was nearly run out,
Commander Byrd said. the America
was headed in the direction where
the sea was thought to lie In the
hope that a safer landing could be
made there than on unseen land.
The commander avowed that tho
America was driven until the fuel
was virtually used up. He sent down
| a fare and then followed with thu
plane.
Commander Byrd said that th1
plane struck shallow water and tho
landing gear was torn on. The
plane quickly submerged to the
wingfs where the flisrs chung somf
time until they succeeded IN lAuncls
(Cnntin ma An RanAn 441s N.Y. X