Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-01
Down Hill Now, Says Post
Flyers Hope to Reach Gotham Tonight, for Nine.
Day Record if Skies Are Favorable, and
Pldn Long Sleep on Arriral

ME Mae, heavily loaded. People In the
North have believed that the flight
from Fairbanks to Edmonton would be
the worst Of our journey. The worst
barovsk-Nome hop. That trip was worse
than the Atlantic crossing, and the lat
ter was bad enough. We had heavy fog
and rough air almost all the way.
Fly BY Dead Reckoning.
Closer to Edmonton the country Is
rolling and heavily wooded. almost. but
not quite. as wild as the Siberian coun-
| try we crossed. But we were too tired
have been flying by dead reckoning al
most all the way. checking bits Of occa-
sional landmarks.
Landing in Edmonton see m d
strangely like home. There were pho
tographers, reporters and radio men
all pressing in on US, wanting us TO
talk. Ofncials were good and steered
the crowds away as much as possible.
Gatty says he would sooner ny the
Of photographers pleading for lust
We were welcomed here by the acting
premier Of Alberta and by the mayor,
speaking a few words over Canadian
and United States radio chains.
I am looking forward to landing in
New York, and wondering Just how Mrs
Post managed to arrive there so quickly
telegraphed to Oklahoma from Fair
banks. and when in Edmonton received
word that she was in New York.
We were tired last night and ready
for bed Last night we ate the first
real meal for days. It seemed so good to
be able to get white bread again, for
we were a little tired of Siberian rye
bread.
May End Flight Tonight.
The Russians were very good to us,
though. and gave us the best they had.
We are very grateful to them.
We managed to get about six hours
sleep last night before getting up for
the start on the last lap. Weather re-
ports will be available before we start
We are confident now that our jour-
ney Is so nearly over that We can make
New York tomorrow at the latest for
about q week of sleep-then back to
work. We will need a lot of sleep, for
We have had less than IS hours since
We |eft New York.
The time of our arrival In New York
depends entirely upon the weather to-
day. and upon the length of our stay
in Cleveland and Detroit if We touch
the latter point. With good conditions
We could land at Roosevelt Field to-
night. Otherwise it will be tomorrow
morning. II we can make it tonight
We will, but 1t will be late when We ar
rive.
At Fairbanks, Alaska, We were almost
too tired and too deafened to talk, but
We were over the worst of it.
When we landed at Fairbanks at $50
pm. $3.50 am. Eastern daylight saving
time) We lacked only hour and half
OF being seven days out from New York.
This time element is hard to figure
out with the local time changing so
rapidly, and right now we cannot figure
out, without going into the log book,
where We are keeping Greenwich time,
what time we were at places in Siberia
only Monday and the day before
In Siberia we had difficulty in get
ting messages out and really could not
communicate until We reached Fair
banks.
Delayed at Moscow.
Starting back at Moscow, from where
We more or less got out of touch with
the world, We found the hospitality
there so great that We could not get
away as we planned and had to stay
for a banquet We had intended to
leave that same night for Novo-Sibirsk,
but they forced us to stay; so We held
back until the next morning and left
Moscow at o'clock, local time, Thurs
day.
We arrived at Novo-Sibirsk that eve
ming It was very good country to fly
over. We crossed the Ural Mountains,
separating Europe from Asia, but they
really don't deserve the name noun
tains, as they were only hills, We did
not have to 60 much higher than 1000
feet to cross over them.
That night we stayed in Novo-Sibirsk
They took us to a hotel where we got
about an hour and half Of sleep, and
then we left there at am. local time
{6:45 pm. Friday, New York time) for
Irkutsk, 1,450 miles away. The flying
over that stretch was not so good. High
mountains and concentrated transforms
had to be flown through. 1t was as
rough country as any man would want
to fly over. Because of the restricted
visibility we flew low, not much above
the treetops, but had TO trouble along
the way and landed at Irkutsk without
incident.
From there the hop to Blagovest-
chenSk was LOO miles, and meant
more rough country to be covered be-
tween those points. We landed at Bla-
govestchensk at dark g am. Satur-
day, Eastern daylight time), and be-
cause OF olmculCy IN securing DEFINITE
information about the fields, came
down on a field full of water. The
plane mired tightly.
Plane Unhurt In Miring.
1t had been raining there steadily
for two weeks, and we faced the plopo-
sition of landing there or on the tun-
dra, because the nearest other field was
500 or 700 miles away and our gas
supply was low. None of the fields is
lighted.
We worked until late that night try
ing to get the plane out with the aid
of soldiers and horses, but did not sue
coed until the next morning, when we
pulled out with the help of lots Of men
and horses. The plane was not dam
aged, and that morning we took of for
Khabarovsk. short hop of $50 miles.
The field there was good and we had
an unexpected rest.
We were ready to take Off the same
night, but one or two little things that
happened to the motor caused us to
wait over until the next day. In the
meantime, we changed the spark plugs