Evening star., 1937-05-16
~ RESIDENT ROOSEVELT was
u delayed in meeting up with two
of the most daring flyers in

- ucldycu III ulcellIlS up Will IWO
Of the most daring flyers in
L the world yesterday when one
of the pair, Dick Merrill stopped to
get shoe shine.
Come on, Dick" Al Lodwick, q
press impressario for one Of the airline
companies said, shortly after Jack
Lambie and Merrill came into the
Washington Airport as "dead-heads
on an Eastern Airline plane. Come
on, the President is waiting to greet
you" 1t was noon and the President
wanted to see the boys at 1915.
Merrill had tagged shoe shine
boy in the airport lobby. Gosh the
flyer said, looking at his mud -caked
shoes, Il can't take all this mud into
the White House"
So they let fast-hying shoe sinner
get to work taking off mud from two
shoes that had trodden two far-apart
airports in two days-Southport. Eng
land. on Friday, and Floyd Bennett
Field, New York, on Saturday Lambie
by getting less sleep after the trip,
had his shoes shined in New York
Consequently, when Merrill and
Lambie arrived at the White House,
they we're spic and span as tap
dancers.
Contract With Reception.
Arrival in Washington yesterday of
these two men, the first flyers ever
to complete round-trip air cross
ing OF the North Atlantic like an
everyday occurrence, was in deep con-
trast to the reception given them in
New York on Friday. Then 5000
spectators gathered on the field and
almost mobbed the flyers.
Yesterday, since no one-outside the
official airship family and a few
newspaper men and photographers
knew the two flyers were on their way
to town, only a small group was on
hand to greet them. They were flown
{ ! from Newark Airport by their
ouddies of the airlines, Bob Min
n..I and Leo Cloney.
Aboard ship were four other pas
sengers, AL Lodwick, Clint Mosher,
Washington correspondent of the
Brooklyn Eagle; Lowell Harding. air
inspector for the Department of Com
merce, and Ben Smith, Wall Street
broker, who backed the fight.
No one knew the boys we're on the
way to see the President and so no
one made arrangements for an official
reception at the airport. There was
no police escort from the airport to
the White House. All arrangements
for the Presidents reception Of the
flyers had been made hurriedly by
Gladstone Williams, a Washington
newspaper man.
So hurriedly were the arrangements
made that even the White House
police force was not notifed-and the
flyers had to be identified as they
went through the doors leading to
the executive offices.
Greeted by McKenna.
When they got inside, however, the
dean Of all White House greeters, Pat
McKenna, knew what it was all about,
ushered them into the oflces Of Col.
Marvin Mcintyre, and final arrange
ments were made for a real fash
ioned presidential reception In the
main part of the mansion-as Presi-
dent Roosevelt had not gone to his
Office yesterday morning.
On the way from the airport to the
White House, Merrill and Lambie sat
on the back seat of 20-cent cab with
their backer, Smith, and recalled
some Of the thrills OF their trip. It
seems the boys had quite bit of
trouble with the gasoline tanks, owing
TO the way the load was distributed
too far back.
1T made her wobble," Merrill ex-
planned.
Next time that ought to be REM
edied," Smith said.
You're telling U.s." Lambie re-
marked, and explained with gestures
how the twin-motored monoplane they
new had a fore-and-aft movement
they had not counted on, until the
best part Of the gas was gone. Incl
dentally. they plan a round-trip to