New Britain herald., 1929-07-08
HOPS
 OFF FOR ROME AS
 WEATHER IS GOOD
(Continued from First Page)

Atlantic. LIT. hlIn pail mas been lne | unofficial starter of all transatlantic flights, f1iers waiting for favorable report from him before taking off. Mrs. Yancey Back to Bed Mrs. Yancey worn by the many nights of little sleep preparing for the hopoff returned to her room at hotel immediately after the start and left orders she was not to be disturbed.
 The f1iers estimated the distance to the Eternal City at 4,7OO to 4,So0 miles and hoped to reach there in from 45 to 50 hours. Favorable winds will aid the Rome bound plane although some fog will be met until it is 1,60O miles out, according to Dr. Kimball. Relying on these fav- orable tail winds Yancey and Will Hams had their fuel load cut from
 500 to 45o gallons just before the start
 Williams and Yancey on their at tempted take offs with the Green Flash had good visibility. On both occasions the Yellow Bird, which reached Spain in it's proposed flight to Paris was alongside them. The Green Flash was damaged on both occasions before it left the sands the first time only a broken landing wheel-the second time so badly that it was hardly worth salvaging.
 The commercial amphibian later
 returned to the beach. Passengers
 said they stayed with the Pathfinder
 for 45 miles and that the plane was then going fine" and gaining alti-
 tude steadily,
 Charles Ramsgate, New York at
 torney and Williams business man. ager, said the f1iers just before talk
 ing off, instructed him to ship all the
 Pathfnder's equipment to Rome on
 the next boat. sThe pilot appeared
 confident that the plane would make
 Rome, Ramsgate said.
 After receiving weather advices
 indicating that dense fog would be
 met off the coast, but otherwise fly
 ing conditions were satisfactory.
 Lewis A. Yancey, navigator of the
 plane, declared late last night that,
 if these conditions remained un-
 changed, take-off would be at
 tempted before mid morning. A brisk southwest wind which swept up the beach early today was
 expected to materially aid the lift of
 the plane at the start and to ex-
 tend visibility.
 Conditions Fine Today
 With all conditions for a hop off
 apparently favorable, Williams and Yancey arose early today prepared to start for Rome.
 Weather conditions over the At
 lantic were said 10 be satisfactory. The beach was smooth for the take l off and light drizzle here was not
 expected to prevent a hop.
 The two men were cheerful as
 they came down from their rooms
 and ate their breakfast in the hotel : dining room. They laughed and chat ted with Mrs. Yancey and Thea y Rasche, German aviatriX. , After a meal of orange juice 3 scrambled eggs and bacon, and rolls ] and coffee, they made ready to go T to the beach mile away where the light green monoplane rested. Bottle of Liquor Aboard Food for the flight was put aboard the Pathfinder. It consisted of one e roast chicken. three quart bottles o1 y coffee, three quarts of water, si, t chocolate bars, eight oranges, si, '' apples, and a bottle of medicina Il liquor.
 Fuelling of the plane with 500 gal
 Ions was completed shortly befor, s fancey and Williams reached th n hangar. Four hundred and fort, J. gallons were in the tanks and 6l 0 gallons in tins
 l. Its ok" Yancey said after look = ing over the beach. A takeoff tw, q days ago was prevented by the rougl II sands which had been washboardc,
 by the action of the water. Tn g rain which had been falling sic # daybreak stopped and blue sky coul e be seen at times through the clouds l. which overhung
 t. l.. M. Melka ordered the motor 0 y the plane warmed up shortly befor o 7 o'clock. In a few minutes tn 1t Pathf1nder's motor was started an, " mechanics moved about making las e minute adjustments. The plane ha et to be moved up the beach about n. mile before it could take off. SC No Chance For StOwaway IS Recalling how a Portland youtl It slowed away on the Yellow Bird be IS fore it hopped for France on Jun le IS, police Captain Louis M. Fowle n made a careful inspection of the in
 terior of the Pathfinder and the le stayed close by the machine. It Carries Memorial Wreath y- Shortly after z o'clock the Path h, finder started up the beach unde le it's own power to the point fror in which the run would start. le A wreath which will be dropped i, T. 900 miles out at sea in memory 0 IS Philip Payne and the crew of tn
 Old Glory who were lost two veal ,e ago after a takeoff here was place ,n in the cabin.
 ,e Accident Delays start of A coast guard amphibian whic Id was to accompany the Pathfinder fo ,g the first 100 miles became stuck i e. the sand in front of the Pathfinde V and delayed the start. A wind fror le the southeast freshened consider O. ably. which would aid in lifting tn e. heavy load from the sands. Tn
 amphibian was dragged out of tn
 way and took to the air. Circling tn " beach, Lieut. l.. M. Melka, the pilo -. radioed coast guard vessels to watc in for the Pathfinder. One small coa: m guard boat lay just off shore. anotf 10 CT 50 miles out. They were to stal d steaming east along the course to