Evening star., 1938-08-10
CORRICAN is GREETED
BY SHOUTING THRONCS:
MOBBED AT THE AIRPORT
Police Lines Give
Way as Flyers
PlaneLands.

Sedate old Washington. accustomed
as it is to visiting royalty, potentates
and dignitaries. took off its top hat to-
. day to give smiling Douglas Corrigan
rousing welcome.
Thousands of men. women and chill
dren shouted their acclaim to the
daring young Irish-born American,
whose only claim to fame is wrong
way flight across the Atlantic in an
antiquated plane.
The intensity of the reception must
have dinned into his ears even more
than the monotonous thunder of the
old motor in his now famous 5000
crate" as it churned through the
clouds across the Atlantic on his solo
flight from New York to Dublin.
Corrigan responded with the in
fectious grin by which all men now
know him, and not once lost his poise.
Airport Hinged Solid.
Out of the skies in modern plane
that would make Corrigan's 1928 con-
traption look like a museum relic by
comparison-the flyer dropped into
the washington Airport at ll:35 am.
5 minutes behind the time scheduled
for his arrival
The plane which brought Corrigan
to Washington from Baltimore did not
lose its sense of direction, and it
landed at the Washington Airport, in
stead of New York, just as the pilot
had planned.
The long oval ring surrounding the
airfleld was packed with a mass of
humanity long before the "Corrigan
Special" arrived. While still a mere
speck far out over Maryland. the
plane was discovered by the impa-
tlent hero worshippers at the airport,
who Immediately began what resem-
bled an Indian war dance. There we're
cries of Here he comes!" and a
hundred or more spectators rushed
onto the field only to be pushed back
by scores Of policemen.
Police Line Broken.
As the plane circled the airport
there was a roar. And as it TAXED
down the runway scores defled warm
ings of the policemen and attempted
to crawl through the emergency lines
around the field. Almost simulta-
neously there was a burst of cheers
from the crowd. Corrigan, riding in
the cockpit beside Pilot William
DUNN, pushed his head out of the
window Of the plane as it TAXED to q
stop and surveyed the crowd. He then
waved and smiled.
For few heeting moments he again
surveyed the crowd, as 40 or more po-
Finally, Corrigan emerged from the
plane and on the gangplank radio
announcers stopped him to say few
words of greeting The crowds
shouted again and again Corrigan
smiled in response.
BY the time he came down the
gangplank there were at least 1,0OO
persons on the landing field. The
flyer couldn't move. AS last resort,
80 policemen locked arms forming a
human barricade, and cleared a path
for MIN from the air field to a watt
ing car, which took him to the Lin
coin Memorial for the official recep-
ton.
Cyclists Follow.
Escorted by squad of IA motor
cycle policemen, Corrigan and the
reception party rode along Mount
Vernon Memorial highway and across
Arlington Memorial bridge to the Lin
coin Memorial.
Sitting in the back seat of the car,
Corrigan waved to groups of c. c. C.
boys along the highway. The rear of
the speeding procession was brought
up by Is or 30 boys on bicycles pedal
ing furiously to keep up with the flyer.
At the memorial the procession
stopped briefly. while about I 500 peo-
pie crowded around Corrigan shout
ing greetings. The flyer spoke briefly
into the radio microphone while news
mems cameras flashed again and
again.
The procession stayed at the me-
mortal for about S minutes and then
continued on around the circle,
through lanes of cheering people, to-
ward the start of the parade route.
Continues to Smile.
Even while being rushed through
the crushing crowd Corrigan continued
to smile A policeman pulled him
away from newspaper reporters and
photographers so he could be led to
the special car that was to carry him
to the Lincoln Memorial and thence
along Constitution and Pennsylvania
avenues NV. to receive the plaudits
of the thousands waiting along those
thoroughfares.
Irish flags were waving. Vendors
were selling miniature Corrigan
"crates" and buttons and pennants.
At the Lincoln Memorial Corrigan
was officially received by Melvin c..
Hazen, chairman of the Board of Dis
trict Commissioners, and Maj. Ernest
(See CORRIGAN, Page A-3.)