Evening star., 1934-05-20

Frances greatest airmen, Ambassa-
dor Herrick and his embassy staff all
declared the intention of meeting
Endbergh at the airf1eld and render
ing to him reception worthy of Ma
poleon's return from his greatest VIC
tories.
The Lindbergh flight was so well
publicized in Paris and in France dur
ing the thirty-three and one-half
hours that Lindbergh's Spirit of st.
Louis was covering the $500 miles be-
tween Roosevelt Field and LIE Bour-
get Field that an immense crowd had
gathered at the airport, five miles out
side the gates of Paris by 9 o'clock on
the evening of May 81, 1927.
Excitement Grows Tense.
Earlier in the evening excitement
was tense. There had been little news
of Lindbergh's position since the liner
Empress of Scotland reported plane
believed to be his at noon, though re-
ports had circulated that he had been
sighted over Ireland and only served
to heighten public suspense. Then
came word from Cherbourg that a
plane resembling the Spirit of st.
Louis had passed over that city at
8:25 o'clock flying in the direction Of
Paris
Every one felt that this probably
was correct and the rush was on to
LIE Bourget. There was little to do
for correspondents of New York
morning newspapers except TO cable
some preliminary matter which would
be of general interest. This accom-
pished, wrote and took personally
to the Office of the Commercial Cable
Co. on the Boulevard des Capucines a
brief bulletin to be sent on the New
York cable when and if Lindbergh
landed safely at lie Bourget. 1t said
merely that Lindbergh had landed
and was to be held for release.
motored to LIE Bourget at pm.
Way Paved To Send News.
After consultation with a friendly
gendarme We agreed that the best
guarantee of quick exit was not in
side the enclosure at all. Hence, I
parked my car about one hundred
yards down the road in the direc-
ton CT Paris. I then located two as
sociates and planned with them that
they were to get as close to the Spirit
of st. Louis as possible when the
landing was made and register every
thing that Lindbergh said or did.
In the meantime I reserved for
myself a rowing assignment which
would permit a size-up Of the gen.
eral scene and situation or any un-
foreseen contingency. I investigated a
small storeroom on the upper floor of
the buffet building. and found per ar
rangement the representative Of the
Commercial Gable Co. standing by
with a private telephone open to his
Office in Paris.
About 9 pm. a large crowd had
gathered and began to press on the
high iron fence. Police stationed at
short intervals alcng the barrier ad-
monished enthusiastic ones to desist.
Floodlights inside the fence were
being tested. The crowd thickened
and put greater pressure not only on
the fence, but on the patience of the
police.
Police Have Difficulties.
At 10 o'clock it was almost impos-
! sible to move in the crowd outside the
fence. and the police were having their
difficulties. The fence was already
askew in places.
had arranged to signal the ca
BILE representative at the window of
the little room above when time came
to release the bulletin that Lind
bergh had landed. It dawned on me-
however that, in view of the i'm
mense crowd, it was better to watch
the crowd and Lindbergh's arrival
if he succeeded-from the second
story window. I entered the buffet
building with difficulty and found the
cable man still in undisputed posses
sion of his hiding place. Its window
swept the airfield like the lens Of a
camera.
1t was at this vantage point that
saw Lindbergh's plane circle the field,
its motor hurlming sweetly. and
come back in a gentle glide, lower
and lower. I saw the crowd break
down the rigid iron barrier as if it
were bamboo and surge over it toward
the center of the field. 1t was like a
great nd-Silver-crested flood
moving with incredible swiftness and
converging on a tiny silver moth still
in flight. The flood lights caught the
thousands of people at the shoulders
and extended out beyond them. 1t all
happened in less than a minute. Lind
bergh had arrived.
I did not see Lndbergh at close
range at the airfield that night at
all. The first saw of him was when
he sat on the side of bed in the
American Embassy a few hours later
| and told the story of his flight.
Carried by Crowd for Half Hour.
Some correspondents who were in
| the vanguard of the great crowd saw
the young flyer. One of them opened
the door Of the Spirit of st. Louis
! and helped him into the arms of the
waiting crowd, which, once, they had
him, began to mill aimlessly around
in melee of joyful celebration with
Lindbergh sometimes upright on their
shoulders and sometimes not so up
right.
l do not believe any one, even
Lindbergh, had very clear picture of
just what happened. According to
Lindbergh's own story in his book
We" he was for nearly half an hour
unable to touch the ground.
For my own part it seemed but a
brief time after had dispatched the
flash to New York and had cabled a
small amount of supplementary mat
ter. that 1 climbed down into the
crowd and began to bore my way
toward the center Of the field. I had
not gone far when police, soldiers and
civilians were seen carrying a hatless
blond young man in the direction of
the administration building. Progress
was being made with the greatest diff
flculty. Thousands of milling humans
were whooping their enthusiasm and
were seemingly intent on blocking the
way. I followed this spectacle.
The young man carried a flyers
leather helmet grasped in one hand.
He was protesting with energy but no
one heard or paid attention. His shirt
was torn, his necktie askew and his
hair was rumpled Finally his protec-