The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1931-07-09
unable TO REFUEL,
THEY LAND SHIP AT
SOLOMON, ALASKA
Projected Nonstop RefueIing
Flight From Seattle to Tokyo
Meets Sudden End
WERE MAKING FAIR SPEED
Stretch From Fairbanks to
Nome Is Covered at Average
of 70 Miles Per Hour
WERE MAKING FAIR SPEED

Solomon, Alaska, July 9.-R-The
projected Seattle Tokyo flight Of Reg
L. Robbins and Harold s. Jones. Tex
as a~viators. ended here at $50 a.. m.
(E. S. T.) Thursday, when unfavor-
able weather forced the monoplane
Fort Worth" down, unable to make
a final r~efueling contact for the long
dash.
Bunny weather made 1t impossible
for the two ships to establish contact
long enough to transfer enough gaso-
line to the tanks of the Fort WORTH"
the filters said. The refueling ship
landed oon after the Fort Worth
came down.
The filters were convinced the
weather prospect ahead on the haz-
ardous route over Boring e to
Tokyo was bad and for that reason
gave up the flight.
The transpacific plane had passed
Nome at 2:10 q. m. (8:10 q. m, E. s.
To and was accompanied by its re-
fueling ship.
The planes appeared over Nome out
Of a heavy fog bank lying to the
east, with all of Monies citizens as
sembled to await them. Over the sea
to the west good visibility faced them.
On the 520-mile stretch from Fair
banks, the planes made q flying speed
of about IS miles an hour. They were
sighted here even hours and 81 min
,,t.e of$o~ <Aa Top< Uyor$h $ipe$ eaopad
over Fairbanks.
During that time q refueling was
successfully completed. The foggy
weather undoubtedly also slowed
them down.
Robbins and Jones were close to
their schedule when they scared over
Fairbanks at 1888 o'clock last night.
having flown about 1000 miles In II
hours and SO minutes. They had es-
timated their time to Fairbanks at IS
to II hours.
In its first contact with tie re-
fueling plane, flown by James ]. Mat
tern and Nick Greener, the Fort
Worth took aboard 200 gallons Of
gasoline.
, Approaching Fairbanks from the
south, the white monoplane was met
by an escort of three planes, with the
refueler waiting on the ground until
the monoplane had circled twice over
the city. No messages were dropped
and the ~refueler. with 572 gallons OF
gas aboard, got into the air slowly.
!. After brief maneuvering by the
!. planes a man believed to be Jones ap-
: peared from a cockpit in the Fort
4 Worth and seized the refueling hose.
The gas "a quickly transferred at an
> altitude Of about 1000 feet. AS the
contact was broken a shower Of gaso-
line went hurting through the air
:. No time was wasted in making con-
tact. The Fort Worth then straight
= ened out and headed for Nome &C.
companied by the mother plane.
Just before taking off here Natter
said the refueler probably would bt
. landed at Solomon, IS miles east o.
. Nome, after a refueling there. to take
on more gasoline before continuing
across the Bering Sea to Siberia fol
the third and final refueling.
With the completion Of the Seattle
:. Fairbanks lap, the highest mountain
I ranges to be encountered were flowr
over by the aviators.
Weather reports said no disturb
ances were to be found north o
Japan on the projected course Of tn
} Fort Worth.
In quest of q $25 900 prize offere<
by q Japanese newspaper for the firs
nonstop flight across the Pacific
Robbins and Jones incidentally set
e new speed record between Seattle ant
Fairbanks.