Evening star., 1937-06-20
Nom Stop Plane From Mos.
COW Passes Canadian
Coast, 500 Miles From
Seattle, at Midnight.
RADIO SIGNALS HEARD
AFTER 12-HOUR LAPSE
San Francisco Expects Trio This
Morning After Radio Messages
Indicate Flyers Change Route,
Turning Southwestward to Pass
Over Rockies.

BACKGROUND
Thursday three oWcinl heroes of
Sor1et Russia took OF on erplora-
ton trip across the North Pole to
America. Ultimate purpose Of flight
Is proof OF feasibility of U. S.
Mosco1D airline orer 5000 miles OF
Northern territory. FLIGHT tollors
mope OF MoScotU to establish per-
mdnent base at pole and complete
exploration OF area. Success OF
latter venture is still uncertain,
R7 the Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO, June la.-Dron.
ing near their goal, Soviet Russias
pole-crossing flyers reported tonight
they were skirting the Canadian Coast
about 500 miles north of Seattle on
their hazardous flight Of 5000 miles
from Moscow to San Francisco Bay.
Estimates OF possible arrival around
. am. Eastern standard time Sun.
day were advanced by observers.
AT 1908 am. Sunday Eastern
standard time) the planes position
was reported over Queen Charlotte
Islands on the British Columbia Coast
by the Anchorage and Ketchikan sta
tions and the Seattle Boeing Airfield
station.
At HAS pm. eastern standard
time) the ship, which left Moscow
Thursday night, reported it was going
over the islands and everything was
going we'll" the Signal Corps said.
The route over which the flyers
must pass is a shore line heavily
studded with BAYS on both islands
and mainland. Dense timber covers
the terrain.
Follow Seattle Alaska Route.
The route roughly follows the "in-
side passage ships travel from Seattle
to Alaska.
The 40 message received by the
Signal Corps was the first publicly
announced word from the airmen
since 4:4O pm. Eastern standard
time) today. However, it was revealed
in Seattle over five hours later that
the radio station at Digby Island near
Prince Rupert heard at 3 pm. the
flyers then were over Great Slave
Lake, Alberta, roughly 500 miles north
Of Edmonton.
Definite word of the flyers progress
! alleviated growing fear for the safety
Of the intrepid trio
The Russian Embassy reported here
shortly after 9 pm. it had received
word from Seattle the plane was
flying down the British Columbia
coastline, and the flyers were ex-
pected to pass over Seattle within
-four or five" hours.
Route Believed Changed.
The route indicated by the airmen
differs from that originally expected.
Veteran flyers had expressed the
opinion the Soviet airmen would fly
via Edmonton. Alberta, and Spokane,
Wash. The decision to cut southwest
ward from the Great Slave Lake. over
the Rockies and Coastward. meant the
plane probably would follow estab-
lished airlines from Seattle to Oakland.
The 11:4o pm. message broke the
second period Of silence that enveloped
the flyers today.
Unreported earlier today for more
than II hours. their wireless signals
finally were picked up by the Royal
Canadian Signal Corps, which reported
them about 100 miles south OF Fort
| Norman, Northwest Territory. at 4:25
pm. Eastern standard time). They
said all was well.
At 4:40 PM. the Canadian agency
said they were believed to be over the
confluence of the Mckenzie and
Lizard rivers, $50 miles northeast OF
Edmonton.
The second report indicated they
had picked up speed greatly.
At the last previous official report,
800 Am. Eastern standard time)
they were only 800 miles south of the
pole. The Canadian report showed