Evening star., 1936-09-04
Gy the Associated Press.


pm, Eastern standard time)
Iy the Associated Press.
KANSAS CITY, September A.
Drama involved two contestants in the
transcontinental Bendix air speed race
today as they shot westward from New
York toward Los Angeles.
Joe Jacobson, 81, Kansas City, para
chuted to safety when his Northrup
Gamma plane exploded near Stafford,
Kans., after he had flown from New
York to Kansas City at a speed ex-
ceeding 1876 miles an hour.
Amelia Earhart Putnam, famed
transoceanic woman flyer. battled
Tapping emergency door on her West
ward flight to Kansas City, with loss
of time she estimated at 40 minutes or
more.
Three plants were refueled at Wich-
ita and another at st. Louis.
Howard Is Favorite.
Benny Howard, Chicago, favorite to
win the race, landed here at a:o3
am. after flight of 4 hours and 81
minutes from New York. He took of
Is minutes later, and said he planned
no other stops on the 1,421-mile
flight to Los Angeles.
jacobson telephoned report Of his
experience to Gale Enos, friend, at
the airport here.
Gale, I've had some terribly bad
luck and some good luck" he said.
IT was flying at about 5000. feet
when suddenly the plane exploded.
1t felt like some one had hit me in
the face.
Il was thrown clear of the plane
"I pulled the rip cord of my para
chute and the lines tangled and
fouled. After falling some distance
the parachute opened and I landed
unhurt.
Everything is o. K"
Jacobson told EnoS he planned to
board transport plane at Wichita
and go on to Los Angeles, where he
plans to compete in the Thompson
Cup race, which starts today. Jacob
son has two planes at Los Angeles.
Flying a Lockheed Electra Flying
Laboratory" ship. Miss Earhart, New
York, and Helen Richey, Pittsburgh,
landed here at 7:27 am. &C. S. T),
after thrilling struggle with the
emergency hatch.
I'VE had serious trouble for several
hours" Miss Earhart said.
The top of the hatch blew open
right after we left New York and
almost pulled us right out Of the
cockpit"
The two succeeded in overcoming
the wind suction and tied down the
door with rag. 1t was wired down
securely here before they took off
at 7:50.
They covered the distance from
New York here in hours 40 minutes.
Howard made the shortest pause of
any of the racers to land here.
William (BusteO Warner and his
team, all of New York, landed their
Vultee ship at Wichita. Kans., at
7:35 am. &C. S. T) and took off Is
minutes later after refueling.
Louise Thaden, Bentonville, Ark,
and Wichita, and Blanche Noyes, Los
Angeles, refueled at Wichita and were
away again at 1892 am. central
standard time.
Laura ingalls,, New York, unreported
since her take-off, landed at Wichita
for refueling. She took off again at
1904 pm. central standard time.
George Pomeroy, Washington, D.
c., and his team sped toward Los
Angeles after refueling at ST. Louis.
Airport attaches here said the con-
teStantS would have good flying
weather after reaching Amarillo. An
overcast sky, with ceiling ranging
to 5000 feet, was reported from here
to Amarillo.
A varied crowd of aviation enthu-
siasts watched the early departures
The rules of the race are simple.
Race officials called the derby stern
test of airplane speed and stamina.
Each racers time was checked at
the moment his wheels left the
ground. The second check will be in
Los Angeles when the planes sweep
across the finish line.
Between New York and Los Angeles
everything goes Some Of the flyers
planned stops, others suggested pos
sible nonstop performance as they
left. They must reach Los Angeles
before pm. g pm, Eastern stand
ard time) today.
WAS STATIONED HERE.
George Pomeroy, flying in the
Bendix Trophy Race, was stationed
in Washington for more than four
years as a pilot for the former Lud-
ington Airlines and later for Eastern
Air Transport, now Eastern Airlines.
Pomeroy left Washington two years
ago to become aviation expert for
Cities Service Corp. and now lives
near Floyd Bennett Airport, New
York.
Pomeroy is accompanied in the
Bendix by Louis Brewer former East
ern Airlines flight
xSssswa. mechanic and op-
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