Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-17
KUBALA DESCRIBES
FATAL OCEAN HOP
Polish Flyer, in Story of At.
tempt, Tells of Friends
Death.
BY MAI. CASIMIR KUBALA.

Surviving Pilot of the Polish Transatlantic
Flight Expedition.
wireless to The Star and the New York
Times
HORTA, Azores, July 17.-Before We
morning there assembled quite a num-
Der of people on the field for the rea-
son that we we're not flying alone, and
the French airman, Coste, was also
starting on a semi-off1cial flight.
Thanks to the report on weather con-
ditions by the Meteorological (weather)'
Bureau in New York, Of which we had
been apprised over the telephone from
New York by our friend, Engineer Weis-
blat, we were sure of safe flight to
New York.
A part OF France was covered IN fog.
Over the sea we had beautiful weather
and favorable wind. Up to 8 am. we
met few steamers. was giving hourly
reports that we were flying In good
shape and order. Every steamer with
which I desired to communicate gave
me her message slowly so that I could
u. \
ton both by means of the sextant as
we'll as by the positions given me by the
steamers.
About noon the sky became cloudy.
In some places through which we
passed we met with rain. At 4:40 pm.
Station FNSO gave our position by radio
as 4440 north latitude and 24.36 west
longitude. Our average speed up TO
that time was 165 kilometers (about 2O3
miles, an hour. We still had IN our
tanks about 4,400 litters (about 1850
revolutions, which we were then max
ing, the supply would have lasted for
about SO hours.
Motor Began to Beat.
The motor then began to beat, but
we did not pay any attention. We were
flying in a southwesterly direction so as
to follow along a degrees north lati-
tude as far as Boston. which city, even
with very unfavorable weather condi-
tions, we should have reached in 40
hours after our start from Paris.
At s pm. the motor began to miss
revolutions and to beat more and more,
so that we decided to land at the Azores.
and consequently changed our direction
to the south. A steamer which we met
then verified our position as 1850 north
latitude and $3.50 west longitude.
We were about $50 kilometers (about
was used by me for conversations with
them. told them that because of
motor defect we had to land there, and
they advised me that the place of land
ing is the Island Of Fayal. However:
we were forced to land before reaching
that island. and either on the sea or
on the Island Of Graciosa. which was
in our path. in spite of the fact that
there were no favorable landing facili-
ties.
The trouble was In the motor. which
from 1900 revolutions had slowed down
TO 1900. and in the equilibrium of our
plane, which could not be held In a
horizontal position.
Overcome by Fumes.
AS soon as we were over the island
Idzikowski. in order to facilitate the
landing, emptied our benzine tanks.
The benzine emitted such a poisonous
smell that in spite of my leaning out
to get fresh air and In spite of my
covering my nose and mouth with a
cloth I was half poisoned by gas, and
after few seconds lost consciousness.
I fell down on the floor of the plane,
and regained consciousness only the
next day in a hospital
In the meantime Maj. IdZikowski had
to decide how to land as soon as pos
sible, and this he did on a cornfield.
The fields on that particular island
form small lots about 100 meters (about
$50 feet) long, each divided by a high
wall to shield the crops from winds.
Our plane. after rolling on the ground
for a short distance, pierced one of
these walls and overturned, with the
wheels up, and then rolled down from