Evening star., 1937-08-15
Bv Jack Parker.


paper extras over period OF
Il several days to read about
F the latest catastrophes on the first
and last San Francisco to Honolulu
airplane race, in which seven ships
and 10 lives were lost competing for
first prize of $4,000 and a second
prize of $4,000 offered by James D.
Dole, pineapple king of Hawaii
A news item Of a few days ago
ehronicled the fact in tiny paragraph
that the Pan-American China Clipper
ship, flying its regular run between
California and China, dropped a
wreath into the sea between San Fran
cisco and Hawaii in memory of the
lost airplanes in the Inflated race
of 1927.
Although one is not informed what
spot the navigators of the clipper
selected for this commemorative serv-
ice, not having the smallest clue about
where any of the Dole ships went
down. the fact that they did speaks
eloouently of the achievements of
brief decade of aviation Persons fly
across the Pacific with their wives and
children now, dressing for dinner on
remote islands. but 10 years ago air.
planes and navigation were different
as the story Of the ill fated Dole flight
shows
IT IS the morning of August l6, 1927,
at Bayfarm. Oakland Calf Lind
bergh's flight to Paris is less than three
months old. Eight airplanes stand
ready to fy to Hawaii, remaining en-
tries of numerous applicants eager
to try for the prize money in spite of
email gas capacities in their aerial
craft. One girl and Is men are ready
to take off, each confident of reaching
the goal, 2,400 miles away Instru-
ments? Navigation? Few knew very
much about them. But Lindbergh had
found Paris and two Army Air Corps
pilots. Lieuts. Hegenberger and Matt
land, had Just flown to Hawaii, so why
couldn't they do it?
Originally scheduled for August II
the race has been delayed and post
poned
On August 9 the pilots of IA ships
met and drew lots for starting posi-
tions.
On August 10, a Tremaine low wing
monoplane crashed and burned, kill
ing its pilot and its navigator, Lieuts.
George w. D. Covell and Richard S.
Waggener The day before Lieut..
Covell had drawn number 13 for his
starting position. He scratched his
entry, and who can say that he
wasn't right?
On August II The Spirit of Los
Angeles, a tWo-engined tripane, dove
into San Francisco Bay. James L.
Griffen, pilot, Ted Lundgren, navi-
gator and Lawrence WE'LL, passenger,
were flShed out of the water uninjured.
On August II The Angel of Los
Angeles, Bryant monoplane flown
by British war ace, Capt. Arthur V.
Rodgers. crashed near the city whose
name she bore, killing her pilot. A
third entry was scratched.
Two other prospective racers have
withdraWn-the ships unfinished in
their factories
The City of Peoria, an Air King
monoplane, has been ruled out, her
gas capacity deemed insufficient for
the hazardous flight
The remaining eight ships and their
crews, checked and passed as fit by
Department of Commerce inspectors
and the Rules Committee of the race,
are lined up in semi circle, awaiting
the starting signal. In two respects
all eight are similar, each is powered
by the famous Wright is engine and
each has on the upper right and lower
left wing surface the letters NIX fol-
lowed by number. The number is
the ships Notwithstanding NIX the
Department of Commerce "interna-
tlonal experimental' designation
showing that the ships are licensed
Tor this one particular flight
In first position in The Oklahoma,
Travelair monoplane, manned by
Bennett H. Griffen, pilot, and Kenneth
G. Hawkins, navigator. The Pabco
Pacific Flyer, Breese monoplane,
has one-man crew-Maj. Livingston
Irving. who has qualified as both
pilot and navigator. Golden Eagle
is a Lockheed Vega, with Jack Frost
at the controls and Gordon Scott
navigating. Miss Doran, named for
her pretty 22-year-old school teacher
passenger, Mildred Doran, is a Buhl
blplane with John A. (Augy) Pedlar
as pilot and Lieut.. V. R. Knope as
navigator. Aloha another Breese
monoplane, has pilot Martin Jensen
and as navigator Capt. Paul Schulter,
master of the steamship City of
Nome. Woolaroc, with Arthur
Goebel as pilot and Lieut.. William
Davis as navigator, is Trayelair
monoplane. The Dallas Spirit is
q Swallow monoplane, flown by Capt.
William P. Erwin with Alvin H.
Echwaldt as navigator. Had Mrs.
Erwin, the pilots wife, been but year
older, The Dallas Spirit too would
have had girl passenger, but under
the rules of the race, all occupants of
eontesting ships must be at least 81
years old-and Mrs. Erwin is only 20.
One minute past noon. A man is
holding a checkered flag aloft. He
sweeps it downward The Oklahoma
lumbers down the runway, gathers
speed and is of out OF sight, into the
West. Again the checkered flag
sweeps down.
Ell Encanto starts down the run
disappearing in the great cloud of
dust spewed up in her wake. Seconds
pass like hours. The dust clears and
far to the right of the runway lies
El Encanto, her right wing pointing
to the heavens, her left wing COM
pletely wrecked. Two figures climb out
of her and wave. Goddard and
Hawkins are okay. A tractor appears
and drags the twisted ship from the
Geld.
A third time the checkered fash
and The Pabco Pacific Flyer tries
her wings, down the runway. Slowly