The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-04-16

she had no power at all. They
noticed that their magnetic COM
pass was performing erratically and
they were not sure of their direc-
tions.
Uncertain of Course
They were utterly unable to COM
pute their mileage, so uncertain was
the forward progress they were
making. But they believed--as it
turned out they were correct-that
they we're nearing the coast of New
foundland, somewhat to the north
of st. Johns, over which they had
expected to fly.
The gas supply, however, was
running lower and lower. They
must reach land soon or plunge
into the sea. They decided to come
down to a still lower altitude in the
hope Of sighting land.
This they did and it was only
about twenty minutes later that
they we're cheered by the knowledge
they were flying over land. What
land they did not know. What part
Of the North American continent or
what island they could not guess.
But it was land, and, however iso-
lated and uninhabited it might be,
it brought fresh courage to them
and they decided to fly on, in the
hope OF getting some bearings.
Still Hoped to Win
Despite all the perils these men
already had been through, despite
the fact their gas was running low.
and despite the fact they were in
constant danger of being plunged
to their death in one of those
treacherous, so-called air pockets,
these three men actually hoped to
be successful in reaching their des-
tination, Mitchell field, and they
kept on flying.
The fact that they we're flying
over land brought them the reali-
zation of triumph and it seemed to
spur them on, rather than give
the man excuse to make the quick
cts landing possible.
And so they battled the gale.
which was becoming worse and
worse, and the snow, which was be-
coming more and more binding.
From information which they now
possess, the hiers realize that they
must have made several circles in
their flight at this point, because
they remained in the air approx
mately four hours after first sigh
ing land, and yet, as they can see
now, it was only about forty or fifty
miles from the eastern coastline of
to the spot where
they came down on Greenly Island.
Knew They Must Land
Finally, however at about $50
p. m, Friday, their fuel supply was
reduced to virtually nothing and
they realized that they must make
a landing, no matter how perilous
it would be, at once.
They nosed downward to make
a closer inspection of the land over
which they we're flying and found
to their CONSERVATION that they
again were over water.
But nearby they sighted an island
and made for it directly. They now
were flying low, ready to land as
soon as they could discover an even
halfway suitable stretch of land.
They found, as they circled over
the island, that tiny lake appeared
almost below them. They carried
neither pontoons to land on water
nor skis to land on the ice.
1t would be a hazardous landing.
with the possibility Of cracking up
their plane, but it was the only
chance they had.
And so they came down, as eau
tiously as these veteran pilots could
bring the Bremen down in the face
Of the gale, to a sharp and skiddy
landing on the ice.
Reach Ground Safely
The ice cracked under the weight
Of the plane and their tail skid was
damaged in the landing; but the
Bremen came to full stop and the