Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-01
DO-X COMPLETES
FIRST LEG OF HOP
Lands at Las PaImas After
715-MiIe Flight From
Lisbon.
BY the Associated Press.

LAS PALMAS, Canary Islands, jan
uary S1.-Carrying 1s men and $780,
900 pieces of mail, the Dornier Do-x
largest airplane in the world, today
successfully completed the first leg of Its
long delayed flight from Lisbon to New
York by way of South America.
Capt. Friedrich Christensen said to-
night he would take off for Cape Verde,
the next stopping point, at O'Clock
tomorrow morning if the weather were
favorable, but would not hesitate, to
POSTPONE. the time of departure If con-
ditions were no better than tonight.
She left the Tagus Harbor at
lisbon at sos am, the roar OF her
American motors echoed in the cheers
of the crowds which lined the water
front-the same sort of crowd Whlcn
late last wear saw the big plane burn
at her anchorage and later watched
AZ in the course of the reconstruction.
She arrived here, tbs miles from her
starting point, at $40 pm, after an
uneventful voyage, during Wnlch log
made it necessary to aoanoon pan
to drop a mail bag at Funchal IN the
Madeira Islands.
Hundreds Cheer Plane.
AS she circled over the city Ike 9
great eagle, hundreds OF persons s toou
in the streets and hockeo 70 tne VA ,;,.er
front cheering wildly. AS the ar lllieI
anghted gently as gull upon the WaCeL
and TAXED to her anchorage small DoatS
mt out for a closer inspection.
Preparations were begun lmmeolaCey
for the next stage of the flight-to cape
Verde, 845 miles away.
The DO-X, largest thing ever 10 ny
carried as her mascot one OF tne Snan-
est of birds 1t is a canary. ootalneo az
the last moment at the nslSVeHce VI
Condr. Friedrich christensen TO re,
nlace an earlier mascot which died
while tie seaplane waited at LISBON.
AGO Gallons of Gas Loaded.
Tonight the mechanics began f1ltering
into the huge tanks OF the flying poas
the 4l60 gallons of gasoline which II
is estimated viii be required on the mop
to the Cape Verde Islands:
Capt. Christensen told the Assocla.so
Press correspondent tonight that 3.l2u
Gallons were consumed between Lisbon
and Las Palmas.
THE weather during the journey was
fair" Can't. christensen said, ana we
had favorable winds all the way. Al
though there were many squalls, tne
plans showed is airworthiness.
1T took us : hours and 3 minutes to
complete the trip. The motors couo
not have worked better"
Only authorities and Accredited cor
respondents were permitted on the oock
where the DO-X was tied up for the
night and the public generally was
forced to be content with viewing the
worlds largest seaplane from the streets
and nearby hills.
Holds Flights Dissimilar.
Admiral Carlos Cage Coutinho OF the
Portuguese Air Force, one OF the pas
sengers. had an opportunity TO COM
pare this flight with one he made In
1922, and said the two flights were
as dissimilar as bicycle trip ana an
automobile journey.
In April, 1922, Admiral Coutinho-
he was captain then-and Capt. Sa-
cadura required more than two months
time and three seaplanes in one OF the
pioneer ocean flights. They followed
the same route as the DO-8 mas
started, stopping at the Canary and
Verde Islands and then headed for
st. Pauls Rocks, barren bit OF stone
800 miles of the Brazilian coast.
Here they smashed their machine in
an attempt TO land and awaited anotn-
er from Portugal. This was sent to
the island of Fernando Noronha, about
l25 miles of the Brazilian coast, but
they also wrecked this one and had to
wait still another. But eventually
they reached Brazil and received the
welcome of conquerors.
The admiral said the roar of the
IL motors bothered his ears, but he
enjoyed the trip nevertheless.