Evening star., 1928-04-29
FLYERS GRAT|F|ED
BY u. S. WELCOME
VaStneSs of America In
presses Aviators-BaI-
chen Is Praised.
BY MAJ. JAMES C. FITzMAURICE,

CIIEII IS r dISCus
BY MAJ. JAMES G. FITZMAURICE,
Onlcer Commanding the Air Force Of the
Irish Free state. Co-pil0t OF the Trans
atlantic Airplane Bremen.
NEW YORK, April 28.-This recep-
ton today has been SO much beyond
anything which we expected that some
how l feel that nothing we have done
is worthy of 1t. Flyers look upon their
work much as other people do, and
even after a flight like ours. 1t is diff
ficult to realize why people made such
a fuss over us. But that we are grati-
fed and pleased is putting 1t mildly.
This whole trip has been such a mat
ter of contrast that Ii is hard to take
1t all in. We have been in so many
different places and seen so many diff
ferent things just think of leaving
Erin's green island and landing on the
bleak, snowy coast Of Canadian Lab
rador. on tiny island buried in the
ice. and then of flying south out of all
that ice and snow to the brown hill
sides of America and the towering
buildings of New York. 1t has been an
amazing experience.
Prefers Irish Scenery.
Ireland is small country and
beautiful country. famous for its scenery
1t Is closely organized and thickly
settled. and its little farms and cot
tages dot its green landscape and line
its curving and flower-bordered roads
There are the hedges and the red
fuchias. which made the roads so
beautiful l can understand why so
many people go to see Ireland now
after the snow and ice and brown fields
we have flown over, for Ireland Is al
ways green.
Your country is so large and the
farms are so scattered and there are
great tracts Of land to house. l think
that struck me as soon as we got away
from the snow, that and the long
straight roads. 1t is not artistic as my
country is although 1t is large and
somewhat oyerpowering as one sees it
from the air. / thought ! knew some
thing OF the geography OF America, but
/ never realized that 1t was so big. so
raw and new. It Is efficient, but you
will understand me when say 1t is not
yet artistic as is our old country.
And 1t Is efficient. very efficient. But
to set off this efficiency there is a
whole e-hearted enthusiasm here which l
doubt could be equaled in any other
country in the world. Certainly our
welcome could not have been surpassed
in any other country.
Fog Hid Manhattan.
The trip down from Canada was ex-
tremely interesting to me, as can be
guessed from what have said. and
after seeing the countryside / looked
forward to a view Of your great city.
L.. 4 4. ol~x eIs
scrapers and wanted to see them from
the air for the first time. We were
disappointed when we arrived over
Manhattan, because of the thick pea
soup fog which almost hid everything
but Bernt Balchen. who knew the city.
managed to bring US down close enough
so that we could see something
It was a wonderful sight. These huge
buildings towering up in the air seemed
TO express all the aspiration OF your
people. There Is nothing like them in
the world. To look down on them Is
astonishing. TO look up at them must
be more so We haven't been able TO do
that yet because We have not yet been
In the city'except in closed car. They
have a very curious formation from the
air, but IL occurred TO me that 1t
wouldn't do to build them too high,
ana 4 remembered AIie AhWGi Va AS"bNA
and the confusion 1t led TO.
That flight over the city. which Bal
chen gave us makes me think of him.
cannot speak too highly OF him. He
has been everything that good pilot
should be, generous. thoughtful and
untiring in his efforts to do what ne
could for u.s. He Is a splendid fellow ana
am glad that / have been able 10 meet
him
Feels Safe With Police.
After our landing at Curtiss Field
Yesterday we were surprised by the way
in which the crowd gathered at the
PENNSYLVANIA Station. 1t was rather
rough going for a time. remember
particularly one big policeman named
O'Grady. who said he had II coat OF
arms In Ireland that went back TO the
dim ages, and that he was damned
proud OF being Irish. feel safe more
or less in New York for / believe We
own the police force and there isn't
much danger of being run in while here.
There is one thing / would like TO
impress on people. and that is that our
visit yesterday was merely for Bennett.
Otherwise We would not have come IN
when we did, for we realized that 1t
was somewhat upsetting to have us
land that way. We wanted to do what
We could to show our deep feeling for
the man who had tried so hard to help
us. I can't express our feelings toward
him or how we feel as the result of his
death l am sure Bennett would wish
that we did not say much about II,
He was not talker: he was a doer. one
of the finest Of men
Now that We are here. We almost feel
that we are being welcomed TO an ex-
tent greater than we deserve We set
out to do Job and we did 1t. but
while people are being kind 10 us let
them not forget the other brave men who
led the way. and pause for a moment to
do honor 10 the dead-Nungesscr and