New Britain herald., 1928-04-21
CAPTAIN WILKINS
 AT SPITzbERGEN
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(Continued from First Page) ing club,' the message received this forenoon said.
 It was dated Svalbard 12:31 p. m. April .1. and was signed Wilkins Eielson."
 Eielson is the Alaskan flyer who has accompanied Wilkins on his pre- vious Arctic expeditions and went with him to Point Barrow, Alaska. early this year on his latest effort to find lost continent and attempt a flight across the top of the world" to Spitzbergen.
 Success came to Wilkins on his third expedition. Two previous at tempts at aerial exploration of the blind spot" lying north of Point Barrow were unsuccessful. In the first of these in 1926. Palmer B. Hutchinson. Detroit newspaper man accompanying the expedition, was killed at Fairbanks when he was struck by the propeller of one of Captain Wilkins planes.
 In the second attempt, made the following year Captain Wilkins flew out into the arctic spaces and was forced down. Several day1 later he returned to Point Barrow, reiterat- ing his conviction that a plane could be flown across the top of the world" to spitzbereen and his determination to try again.
 Checking Other Observations
 Copenhagen. April 21 (UP)- Wilkins flew across the Arctic wastes to determine whether there was any undiscovered land in the Polar re- zion between Point Barrow and Spitzbergen.
 When the dirigible Norge carry ing the Amundsen-Ellsw Mobile expedition flew across the North Pole in 1ae6-in the opposite direc- tion from that taken by Wilkins Roald Amundsen reported he had seen no land.
 Wilkins set out to check Amund- sens findings.
 Oslo. Norway, April q R,-The newspaper Dagbland reports that Captain George H. Wilkins and Pilot Carl B. Eielson have arrived in spitzbergern from Point Barrow. Alaska. after flight lasting 2l hours.
 The government wireless operator at Spitzbergen died several days ago. The new operator left Tromsoe on April 20 and was due at Kings Bay on April e4. It had been assumed that the island was as good as iso- lated by wireless, although someone was able to work the key sufficiently to get out 8 message on the regular operators death.
 The Wilkins flight across the Arc- tic regions was made in an effort to locate land there and chart the only spot on the globe still unknown to man.
 Dr. 1ssiah Bowman. director of the American Geographical Society, said some time ago that the Will kins flight would lend the age Of discovery begun by Columbus, for will then have searched the entire globe.''
 Plans for a polar airplane ex- petition were completed by Captain George Hubert Wilkins. Australian explorer and aviator. on December 2e, 1925. He was to fly across the center of the Arctic ice back.
 His flight. according to wireless to the newspaper Politi- ken in Copenhagen. indicates the expedition must have ex- perienced much of the same thrill as he members of the transatlantic Bremen's crew.
 Landing on bleak Dead Mans sland, only 25 miles from spitzberg- sn, Captain Wilkins was unable to get in touch with civilization. For i've days he was bound fast on the sland, prevented from taking off because of bad weather.
 Wilkins tried to accomplish his feat in 1926 but i'll luck logged his efforts.
 Carl B. Eielson, former mall hier, vas engaged as pilot, while Major Thomas G. Lanphier. commanding officer of Selfridge Field. also joined he expedition as an unofficial ob- 'erver for the United States to ,laim any land that might be dis covered in the Polar basin.
 First one plane of the expedition crashed on test flight at Fair Less than 24 hours later, he second plane also crashed. dam lging the landing gear and bending ,wo propellers.
 Ten days later, the single motor d plane repaired. Wilkins and Eielson made | four-hour flight over 1 he Arctic waste.
 Two other short flights were made l put the attempt to make long light, such as the Wilkins party has ust completed, was delayed by bliz- ards.
 MISS POLLARD sHOWERED
 Miss Marguerite Pollard was ten- tered a surprise shower at East | Berlin Community hall by the Pyth- | an Sisters of which organization she l