Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-17
THOUSANDS SEE TAKE OFF.
Flyers Maintain Radio Contact With
Home on First Leg.

FLYERS Maintain Radio Contact With
Home on First Les.
Special Dispatch to This Star and New York
Times.
ROCKFORHse ElL. August -i7s--s1itii
10000 loyal citizens who had contributed
to the repairs of the plane after a
crash three weeks ago cheering them
on. Bert r. j. Hassell and Parker Craner
took off from Rockford airport in the
Greater Rockford bound for Cochrare,
Ontario. on the first lap OF their pro-
iscted flight to Stockholm via Green
land. at 6:42 yesterday morning.
Carrying much lighter gasoline load
than on their ill-fated start three weeks
ago, the plane rose easily. circled the
field and disappeared In the nists TO
the north. escorted by three sister Stin-
son inonoplanes and Fairchild, piloteu
by Fred Machesney. proprietor OF the
local airport. Seven hours later they
landed at Cochrane. 800 miles away.
their first scheduled stop.
The flight to Stockholm Is being car
ried out to pioneer a practical overland
route between the Middle West ana
Europe, a route which brings the Middle
West Just as near to the mainland OF
Europe as Is the Atlantic seaboard
route, being overland most of the way
and on which weather conditions aver
age much better than the Newfound-
land-to- Ireland crossing,
Plans Two More Stops.
There are 10 be two more stops used
bv Hasseii, the next TO be at Mount
Evans. Greenland. some | $50 miles from
Cochrane, where the plane will take on
scientific instruments for the University
the third near Reykiavik. Iceland.
From Reykjavik the route crosses the
North Atlantic over the Farce Islands,
thence over the suburbs of Oslo and
on into Stockholm.
Hassell has been planning the trip
for almost two years. The City OF
Rockford through its Chamber of Com
merce financed the project as a COM
munity venture. There were many
dark hours during the preparatory
period Twice the plane was damaged
in test flights. calling for more money
from budget not too ample. Then
came the unfortunate mishap of July
26. when Hassell. taking of with a
load OF 400 gallons of gasoline in a
thick ground mist, ran into knoll on
the hills surrounding the city when
the plane did not climb fast enough
to top them.
It crashed in fence corner In n
cornfield and was greatly damaged. But
the flight committee and Hassell and
Cramer had no thought Of quitting
The Chamber of Commerce announced
a Rockford won't quit day and started
a new drive for funds TheaterS gave
benefits and an air circus was held
and two weeks later the plane, COM
nletely rebuilt. returned here from the
factory at Worthwhile. Mich,
Weather Delays Start.
The plane was tuned up as rapidly as
possihle. It's instruments we're adjusted
and Hassell announced himself III readi"
ness to start wednesday, Weather condi-
tions caused a poStponement OF "a
hours, but late "wednesday night the
Dominion weather bureau at toronto
announced its belief that conditions
would be favorable over the route to
Greenland for the next two days. im~
mediately the plane was placed in posi-
ton to start.
On arrival at the field yesterday
morning the same misty condltiohs
which existed at the time of the pre-"
vious unfortunate hop~off we're Iii evi~
dence Hassell and Cramer voted for
a DELAY untll the haze lifted at $50,
They considered conditions favorable
and they left the ground ID minutes
later.
There were al least 10000 persons ON
the field. Some had spent the night
there to get positions of ADVANTAGE
They swarmed about the guarded In
closure In which the Greater Rockford
was being given its final tuning,
Hassell and Cramer arrived shortly
after s o'clock and superintended the
nIarina of water and food aboard the
plane. There we're brief farewells, Has
sell bedding good~by to his wife and
his oldest SON john years old, VIC
tor. : years old. and Rosalie, year old,
we're still sleeping. Hasseil's mother,
Mrs. Ellis Hassell, also embraced him.
Cramer, who In unmarried, had brief
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