Evening star., 1928-06-05
Find Field Where Southern
Cross Landed Too Small for
Start of 1,700- Mile Trip to
Brisbane.
NEXT JUMP HELD MOST
DANGEROUS or FLIGHT
Four Airmen Cheered by Thousands
Of Many Nationalities on Ar
rival at FIJI in First Plane Ever
Seen by South Sea Islanders
Public Holiday Declared,
Bv the Associated Press.

GE the ASSo.kNFtl EtFSS
SuvA. Fiji Islands, June S (Wednes-
day. Having successfully traverseo
approximately 5.53s miles of ocean be-
tween Oakland. Calf; Hawaii and
Suva, the flyers Of the monoplane
southern Cross today start preparations
for the next ]. I.70o-mile hop to Bris-
bane. en- route TO Sydney, Australia.
They secured long rest last night
to make up for the more than 80 wake
f,,l. tempestuous, anxiety -fraught hours
that were passed during their flight
from Kauai, an island of the Hawaiian
group. to Suya-
There were many things to be done;
checking Of the gasoline supply remain
ing in the fuel tanks OF the oouIneIn
Cross. locating Of site from Wnlcn
the refueled plane can take on safeiy
for its fight over the sea toward Aus
fralia- examination of the three motors
that labored faithfully through miles
ard storms and to study weather charts
and mans to decide the time and course
of the shortest but perhaps the most
hazardous leg of the unprecedented
fight.
tralian pilot: Charles Ulm. Austrahan
co-pslot: Harry w. Lyon, former sea
skipper and navigator, and James
Warner. radio operator, were regarded
IS cutie important personages IN SuFa
TODAY. They were objects OF adn1lra-
ton by all, from the bus1y-haired ma
tive Fiiians to the white inhabitants.
The four men who few in from the sea
YESTERDAY afternoon in the strange.
powerful blue and silver bird OF cloth,
vood and steel were centers OF attrac-
tion wherever they went
Seek Take-Off Place.
One Of the most important problems
before the flyers was 70 select take
OF point. Albert Park. where the
Southern Cross landed yesterday after
noon, was barely large enough TO ac-
co-rnaodate the plane On its ARRIVAL.
TTrveighted by a large store OF gaso-
line. the pilots missed running INTO
the side of the inclosure but ny ~
Yards. and then only by making =
sharp left turn up onto a rise grouno-
taking OF with 800 gallons OF gaso-
nre and oil the amount estimated re-
CURED for the fight to Australia, VIII
~en1rire a straight, lengthy runway
Fead8ng into the wind. Kingsioro-
cvzsTff trtinated that he intended look-
trg ever a stretch of beach near the
cftv. q sandy, level bit OF grouno ia
,71ioi1F Accommodate the plane during
11ar tide. Possibly, he thought. tneIe
rasght be other places even more SUIT
able E. rras.
s~~ that each member OF the cIe" eol
t-4uuted invaluable service toward tne
xvrcess Of the fight thus lar. DuI-
srSg ) reneutioa IN the Grand PACING
Tsn+ei shortly after the plane landed
fFe r-,ayor of Suya Izuded Capt Kings
Trrd-sraith. pilot Of the expecitlon.
.TF1e cauta.n parried the compliment oy
savfug that had It not been for MS Two
American friends, Lyon ana warner
~ eretIG not have accomplished tne
trip successfully.
Praises Kingsford-Smith.
Then Warner spoke by saying that
curing the crews anxiety during the
s@vers rain. thunder and lightning storm
a. SUNDAY night when the plane wa wa
vnsswav between the Hawaiian and F1li
Teien6s II was fully realized thAe
s1fs,nstfly" was the only man that co0lo
have brougfl: them safely through;
warner referred 70 Kinggfcro- -sinitn
y4aneuyerlng o4 the controls 80 tIaat tIe
fs1ge plane lodged and woYe through
9fse storm clouds up from an aliitune o.
GO feet 10 nearly S.OyO feet, seehnliss.y Liss.;
70 miss the full fury of the tropacai
blasts.
~gfs, IS navigator Of the plana sfio'
what stars ne could find through ne ne
f.szess clouds 20 chart the course 70 Itie
skrgy dot Of land DeYiati0T2S from tfif
fsf,ssrse meant wasted gasoline ana pos
sssgle disaster. The plane LETT kaua
early Sunday morning with bare zoo
rasleg gasoline safety margin.
The flyers did not try To conceaI W "
sanst that the storm had them Woffh.u
Ysnggfgrd Smith declared that NJ
sswegsIl6 Ye4er have " ny through sien
weather again In thousand years.
Next Leg Dangerous.
The course between SuPa ana Aus.
tYallz, although a comparatively Siaos|
leg u the fraTaspac1tlc GlRht, ~ coIisio
eFee by many here as being particular
d dangerous at this time of tils yeaf
ssaogt violent storms peculiar " tht
South Seas are known " sweep the sea-
curing the Summer months when caC
Sir currents swinging norm clahn VIII
tropical currents and the Te%u!& SJs
mighty. s8iriing gales.
Bat the flyers who successfully crossed
ss4e sea between Oakland and Hawai-
ane between Hawaii and G0ya Wer'
confident that they would not fail.
WIN ~ hours and 80 minutes re-
CURED tn tie fight from Hawaii, tb'
Southern Gross mad 4 total nyIug tim
Df G2 ilolfg and one minute Tor La
frs Two iegs " tfe z 7s10-ocd miles "
Sydney Gne eoyered the 2,400 mile
from Oakland Calf, " Wheeler Field
Honolulu, III n hours and rs minutes
sJgais far she has averaged about b;
4s9Ilss an hour.
After the bGp " Brisbane the ayi
a19rg face fight u shout 500 mile
~ Egoney
Public Holiday Declared,
a pubic holiday waA declared her
Yesterday III honor II Inc Eoutnsg1
Cross aud tEle four men u itS Au
stralisB~ American crew.
The plane was the first ever seen Il
T33l and IL excited the gOndsrnleut o
fhalsagaog ~ natives and the adHnifs
ton ~ theiT mare Travelled kufopesi
sd American friends.
-Four Prinning temporarily dssf eli
GContinusa oaa FsGs 4. CeiAsais 81