The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1937-06-19
SOVIET FLIERS
MAKING RECORD
FLIGHT, so FAR
Three Airmen Flying Over
Northern Part Of Cam
ada This Afternoon
GALL IS WELL" IS
REPORT RECEIVED
Route Is Over Western Part
of Dominion, to Van
couver, and Oakland

Swimming over the North role,
three Soviet filters from Moscow are
today flying over northern Canada
enroute to Oakland, California, not
only blazing an air trail for a pos
sible commercial route but, If the
flight Is a success, they will break
the long distance nonstop record.
Great interest is centered in the
remarkable flight. In Juneau, as
elsewhere, the world atlas and
globes are being studied, tracing
the route the filters are taking.
First reports today of the pro-
gress of the flight were announced
at 8 o'clock this morning when the
Signal Corps, United States Army,
reported contact had been made
with the plane and operators were
standing by to receive any messages.
Earlier, a report dated some
where In the Arctic Regions" at
1870 o'clock this morning, 20 min
|tltes after midnight said: NOW IN
latitude "a degrees, longitude no
degrees west. Everything all right"
Report Progress
An Associated Press dispatch to
the Empire from Edmonton said
the Russian plane reported at 1925
o'clock this afternoon the location
of latitude "a, longitude 124, or
about 100 miles south Of Fort Nor
man, Northwest Territories, along
the Mackenzie River Basin. The
Royal Canadian Corps said the mes
sage reported all was well. The mes
sage was received by the station at
Fort Smith.
Fort Norman is 1850 miles north
west of Edmonton.
Another Report
Another dispatch from Edmonton
reported the Russian plane flew
over Mackenzie Flats at lao o'clock
this afternoon. The Royal Canadian
Corps Of Signal stations said 1t was
believed the filters were over the
confluences Of rivers at Fort Simp-
son, $50 air line miles northwest of
Edmonton.
In Case Of
An official announcement re-
ceived this afternoon from Moscow
said the fliers will land before they
reach their goal if any complica-
tions developed.
Edmonton came right back with
a dispatch that commercial flights
were almost of daily occurrence
over the 1,750 mile air route between
Edmonton and Aklavik via the
Mackenzie River Valley along
which the Russians are believed to
be flying. The greatest hazard is
the wide compass variation north
of Fort Simpson due to the proxi-
nifty of the magnetic pole. II
forced to land anywhere, the filters
will never be more than 300 miles
from a settlement and there are
many safe landings for wheel planes.
FLIES OVER NORTH POLE
The Soviet filters crossed over the
North Pole at 1880 pm, yesterday,
Pacific Coast time, and the filters
had then been in the air for 1919
hours from Moscow.
At S o'clock yesterday afternoon
1t was estimated that the filters
were then $50 miles south of the
North Pole. This estimate was made
by w. E. Gilmore, retired National
Aeronautical Association Represen-
tative at San Francisco. The plane
reported as being in the vicinity of
Ellsmore Island, near Greenland, at
BIS o'clock yesterday afternoon.
Ready for Greetings
At San Francisco, Gregory Gokh-
man, new Russian Consul General,
said he was preparing a greeting for
the filters. He reported that Rus
sian Ambassador Troyanoysky was
hurrying west from Washington, d.
c., with Col. Vegunov to assist in
greeting the filters.
william Gilmore has been named
Chairman at San Francisco of the
Committee to check the instru-
ments aboard the plane
A. Vartanian, representative of
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