Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-07-08
Flyers, Bruised in Landing
Near MinSk, En- Route to
Moscow by Train.
FAILURE OF CONTROLS
ENDS WORLD VENTURE
Lights of Borisov, Far South Of
Route They Sought, Mistaken
for Those of Capital.

BY the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, July 8-The ambition of
James Mattern and Bennett Griffin to
set new speed record for flight around
the world was wrecked in a peat bog
halfway between Berlin and Moscow, it
was learned today. Their plane was
wrecked also and this morning they
started for Moscow by train. Neither
was badly hurt.
1t was about am. yesterday that
they passed over the town of Borisov,
so miles fr7.n Minsk, Russia. They
were having trouble with the controls
and they mistook the lights of Borisov
for Moscow. The peat bog was the best
available landing field, but it was not
good enough. First word of their acct
dent came from Borisov this morning.
Of Route to Moscow.
That town is considerably south Of
the most direct airline between the
two cities, however, and the opinion
here was that they were drawn out of
their course by the improper function
ing of the controls.
Minsk is near the Polish Russian
border.
1t was evident they would not con-
tinue the flight, for with the plane
wrecked and the flight already more
than "a hours behind the record of
Post and Gatty the prospect Of beating
the latter'S time was completely wiped
out.
News Quells Fears.
The news that they had landed served
to quell the grave fears for their safety
which had arisen here. When the sec
ond "a hours after their take-off from
Berlin began last night and approached
the 36-hour mark without word today.
even those who kept in mind the slow
areas in which they might have landed
began to doubt.
The Bureau of Aviation had consider
ed the possibility Of sending out an
aerial searching party to try to locate
the flyers, but 1t decided 1t was useless
to do so until there was some means of
locating more definitely where they
might have come down.
Began Flight Monday.
Mattern and Griffin started their
flight from Floyd Bennett Field, the
New York City municipal airport at
4:01 am. Eastern standard time, Tues
day.
they flew through fog on the first
leg of their journey and lost their way,
passing about $50 miles north Of their
first objective, Harbor Grace, New
foundland. They finally arrived there,
however, without having to land, bur
their wanderings had so delayed them
that they were far behind the Post
Gatty time.
They waited In Newfoundland merely
long enough to fuel, and so picked up
little time on the famous aerial team
Of record holders and in a remarkable
that on reaching Berlin they were far
ahead.
Post and Gatty had spent the night
at Berlin on their flight, but Mattern
and Griffin pushed on again after
fueling and thus started for Moscow
some IL hours In the lead.
Fastest Ocean Crossing.
That was the end of their good for
tune. Their performance to that point
had been so good that when they failed
to arrive at Moscow it was generally
believed they had decided TO continue
on to Omsk, because that was the first
place after Berlin at which they had
fuel depot Had they really done that
in one hop they would have been a full
day ahead Of the Post-Gatty schedule
and we'll on their way to a smashing
new record
The ocean hop Of the proposed world
fight was the fastest Atlantic crossing
ever made and the first nonstop fight
from North America to Berlin In
OCT Clearance Cha TnherItY1 and Charlie
CONTINUED on Page 2, Column g.