Evening star., 1933-12-24


natural feeding grounds.
The early feeding which has just been
accomplished Is intended to provide
becomes entirely covered with snow, SO
that they VIII be In better condition
70 Withstand the rigors Of the months
to come. The area covered is ap-
proximately $500 square miles.
The grain Is packed for dropping In
one-pound paper bags. The bags burst
upon striking the ground. scattering
the grain over an area Of 10 to Is
feet, permitting large number of birds
to feed. The airplanes confine the
major part of their grain bombing"
activities to the more heavily wooded
portions Of the seven counties.
This. years bird-feeding fight was
the second carried out by the organi-
zation of New Jersey sportsmen; Last
year the group gained the distinction Of
being the first to have fed birds by
airplane.
"Air Cathedral" Progressing.
New Jerseys noted Cathedral of the
Air, famous even before completed, soon
is expected to be ready for service as
q national aviation shrine, unique
among places of worship in the world.
Standing near the Naval Air Station.
Lakehurst, N. j., from which the ILL
fated Shenandoah and Akron went to
their destruction as pawns in the battle
Of progress, the Cathedral Of the Air
will be presented, upon completion, to
the people Of the United States.
Funds still are required for the COM
petion Of the interior of the chapel, but
patriotic organizations of the country,
including the American Legion, the
New Jersey branch Of which sponsored
the cathedral, are at work to make up
the $125,0 900 necessary to bring the
dream to final fruition.
The Cathedral of the Air is built Of
stone, after u modernized Gothic de-
sign. and is intended to be a lasting
memorial to members of the American
air forces. There Is a memorial chapel
which will seat ESQ persons, a smaller
chapel to accommodate about SO and
an open-air amphitheater outside,
among the Jersey pines, which will be
used for the largest services.
The memorial chapel is provided
with 10 large stained glass windows,
each composed Of Is panels, tracing the
history Of fight from the myths Of the
ancients to tine modern express air
transport. Another three panel window
near the chancel traces American avi-
alton history from Franklin's kite to
Lindbergh's fight across the Atlantic.
Two other windows are reserved as me-
MORALS to combat pilots of the United
States Army and Navy who died in the
World Ward. Still two other windows
are reserved for memorials to Gold Star
Mothers and War Mothers
Story of Aviation Depicted.
The story Of aviation, as outlined in
the panels, begins with Elijah's chariot
of fire, the first Biblical record of hu-
man flight. There are shown the four
eagle-power flying throne of King Kai
kaoos OF ancient Persia, the legendary
hight OF Daedalus and his ill-fated son,
Icarus; the wing-footed Hermes or
mercury; Pegasus, the flying horse; the
and other fabled stories of flight.
The first balloon flight, Claimed To
have been made by Chinese more than
SIX centuries ago, is recorded in glass,
as are the balloon ascensions of the
Montgolfier brothers. Other pioneer
ing balloon flights are depicted and
among them is shown the first Dara-
chute jump, made in 1877, or there
ABOUT, by Andre-Jacques Garnerin, who
cut himself loose from q balloon and
came safely to earth. Another exploit
of the redoubtable Garnerin. a balloon
ascension with horse as a passenger,
is shown. The Civil War balloon serv-
ice is recalled. as are the early Ameri-
can balloon ascensions of Jean Pierre
Blanchard, who carried a flight au-
thorization signed by George WASH
ington.
Other panels depict q Lilienthal
glider, the first flight by the Wrights
at Kitty Hawk, N. c.; Langley's air
orome efforts and other pioneering
American achievements. The American
Lafayette Escadrille is shown in action
In France and the series of panels
continues with the first ocean crossing,
by the Navys NC-4; Byrd's flight over
the North Pole. the birth of the air.
mail and other notable events in aero
nautics. A panel is devoted to the
shenandoah and another Is reserved for
memorial to the Akron.
The Cathedral of the Air, in short,
is expected to become one of those
shrines to which men will go from far
points, not only because of its i'm
pressive beauty, but because of the
sacred memories recalled of those
pioneers OF flight who have cleared the
way for the new civilization.
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