The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-07-07
MATTERN GRIFFIN
AREUNREPORTEDON
FLIGHT TO MOSCOW
Would Be Forced Down at Noon
When Fuel Supply Would
Be Exhausted
INQUIRIES BRING NO WORD
Officials Say They May Have
Passed Russian Capital
During Night
INQUIRIES BRING NO WORD

Moscow, July 7.-(P)-James Mat
tern and Bennett Griffin. missing
between Berlin and Moscow on their
round-the- world flight, were unre-
ported Thursday.
If they were still in the air at noon,
E: S. T., they had to come down
wherever they were, for that was the
time when the fuel they took aboard
at Berlin would be exhausted.
They had full tanks when they took
off from Berlin at o. m. EST. We'd
nesday. That was approximately 900
salons, enough to keep them in the
air 81 hours.
Officials at the flying field here
sent inquiries to all points along the
route from Berlin, but there was no
word.
There was possibility they had
passed Moscow in the night without
being seen and kept on toward Onsk,
1000 miles to the east. Another sup
ply of fuel awaited them there and
1T was assumed they knew the way.
Not Sighted at Kazan
But the airport at Kazan. three
hours flying time east of Moscow, re-
ported that the Century of Progress"
had not been sighted there.
Onlsk, however, is without good
communication facilities and If the
fliers had landed there, word of their
arrival might be delayed in reaching
Moscow.
1t was possible also that they might
nave been forced down between Ber-
I'm and here. The terrain in that
vicinity Is such as to make an emer.
ger1cy landing possible, but there, too,
communications are not of the best.
The only word of them was a be-
lated dispatch from Koenigsberg this
morning which said they had crossed
the German frontier into Poland at
1902 a. m. 6:05 p. M, EST, We'd
nesday). They were sighted ove.'
Lake Wysztyt, near Hegelingen.
The Berlin Moscow hop was cover
ed by Wiley Post and Harold Gatty,
last years round-the-w team, in
a little less than 8 hours. At 9 a. m..
Thursday Mattern and Griffin had
been gone from here IL hours.
Faced Bad Weather
The newspaper Zwoelf Uhr Blatt
said at Berlin its reported indicated
the filters faced unfavorable weather,
with thunderStorlns and transforms
over Russia.
The sun had already set when they
left Berlin at 0 p. m. g p. m. ES.T.)
wednesday night and the reports
then indicated good weather for the
950-n1ile hop Both were in excellent
spirits and said they were not a bit
tired after their long hop from,
America.
Berlin looks great-hope to see you
this Weekend" Mattern said in a
message to his wife back home jus.
before they took off. Hermann Koeh.,
friend of Mattern, who crossed the
Atlantic east to west in the German
plane Bremen, predicted they woul6;
reach Moscow ''in no time. with thu
weather as it is"
The filters then had margin of
nearly IL hours over the time of Pos:
and Gatty taking off from Berlin.
They had a brief delay here over
postal regulations. The two filters are
carrying letters around the world Will,
them as souvenirs and they wanted
the stamp of the Berlin postoffice OIL
them. A Templehof airdrome postal
official informed them. however. that
to postmark the letter without stamp
ing it was against the rules.
Solemn Procedure
So the filters had to address the
envelopes to themselves, buy stamps.
push the letters through the little
mailing window and wait for them
at the delivery window. In the
meantime the officials gathered the
letters solemnly from the mailing
drop inside, stamped them and took
them to the window for delivery. AS
soon as they got the letters back
again the filters dashed away
The Berliner Tageblatt praised
Mattern and Griffin in the highest
terms, hailing their fantastic speed"
There was a possibility the "Cen-
fury Of Progress" might have come
down between Berlin and Moscow.
The terrain in that area is not too
rough for a successful emergency
landing, but It is not thickly settled
and communication would not be
easy.
On the other hand it was possible
Mattern and Griffin passed ever
Moscow in the night and drove on
east toward Omsk, 1000 miles fM
Their along their route.
They had no fuel depot at Moscow
because the quality obtainable there
was not satisfactory. There is, how
ever, a supply awaiting them at
OmSk
Both filters have had some expert
ence In navigation and, since they
studied their projected course very
carefully before leaving New York,
it seemed likely If there were no diff
ficulties of weather or trouble with
the plane they would be able to find
their way to Omsk handily.
Others who have flown this course
followed the trans-S Siberian railway
from Moscow to Onsk, distance OF |
1900 miles. This, added to the $50
Continued on Page seven)