Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-06-24

Australia by flying from London to
Cape Town, South Africa. and back,
covering 1870 miles In ITO hours He
bettered this record later by completing
y round-trip between London and Mel
bourne, Australia, $4,000 miles, In $40
hours.
The American goodwill flyers fol-
lowed with 20000-mile tour of South
American countries.
May 3. 1926. Comdr. Byrd startled the
world by flying the first plane over the
North Pole. He returned to his base
in Is hours and so minutes after COW
ering 1000 miles.
Just three days later the Amundsen-
Ellsworth-Nobile expedition added an
other chapter to the record book by
crossing the Pole in the dirigible Norge.
Following the flight there ensued a
squabble as to which Of these men was
in command of the expedition. Mobile
contending Amundsen and Ellsworth
were merely passengers and they, on
the other hand. declaring that the
Italian was employed merely as a navi-
gator. The fracas resolved itself into
series of polem!cs from both camps and
the breach between explorer and navi-
gator widened.
Mobile and Italy, however. wanted
North Pole honors for their exclusive
possession and organized the expedition
Of the Italia, whose crew is italian from
the cabin boy up to the commander
Operating from her base, the ship Citta
di Milano the Italian sailed twice into
the Arctic wacteS, passing over the Pole
once and not returning the second time,
To the honor of AmundSen 1t may
be said that he offered himself volun-
tarily to the project OF searching for
the lost Italia forgetting the hard feel
ing and differences between himself and
Mobile.
Aeronautical exploration in Arctic re-
gions was carried on successfully by
Capt, George Fl. wilkins on April Is,
1928. He left Fairbanks Alaska, in his
Loekheed plane and made for Spitz-
bergen. where he remained on tiny
island for five days during severe
storm. Capt wilkins crossed the polar
area most difficult of navigation, and
in nonstop flight of 2,200 miles
reached his target, He sighted no
land, but. for a distance of 40 miles
between Greenland and the Pole. he
was forced to fly through fog which
impaired his aerial observations.
y
ToMNIANDER BYRD'S South Polar
flight is the record breaking feat
that Is awaited with expectancy.
For the first time the east-west
transatlantic journey was made in an
! airplane by an Irishman and two Ger
mans, Maj, Fitzmaurice. Capt, Koehl
and Baron Won Huenefeld. The ship
Bremen was plotted down long run
way on the outskirts OF Dublin and by
splendid handling Capt, Koehi was able
to lift her out of the way of trees and
grazing animals The Bremen probably
travelled $500 miles before she found
resting place on Greenly Island. near
the Belle Isle Straits. There was diff
ficulty in getting away from the island,
but II was finally managed
The record of the Bremen may not
remain for long. Other Europeans are
gtrding themselves for the same flight.
grip on a flight record Is hard to
hold. At one time the French felt Sc
cure with an endurance record of
Drouhin. IS hours In the air. On
April IA. 1927, Chamberlin and AcoSta
took honors by remaining aioft more
than 81 hours. Shortly afterward the
record went TO Germany George Halde-
man recovered II for America and now
it is back In Italy. all In space OF
few months, On June 1, press dis
patches reported, the record Is being
claimed by two Helgians, who STAYED
aloft for 90 hours and II minutes, but
their claims may b. DISQUALIFIED he
cause they refueled their engine seven
times by S0-foot hose attached 10 an
other moving plane.