Transcontinental

A swarm of airplanes rose boisterously over Roosevelt Field, L. L, and buzzed westward in quest of $5,000. They were small, light Class B land planes of the commercial type, flying for a money prize in a transcontinental race to Spokane, Wash. Twenty-five started; that night pilots of twelve went to bed in Chicago; the first official stopping place. Thick, drizzly weather and brutally bumpy air over the Alleghenies stirred pilots to call it the most dangerous hop they had ever made. Over half of the planes came down short of the stopping point owing to weather, engine or equipment defects. No one was injured. Two planes landed ahead of the field at Glendive, Mont., the following day. On the afternoon of the third day 12,000 people waited eagerly at Felts Field, Spokane, for the winners. To while away time, Army flyers stunted over the field. Specks appeared in the eastern sky. The winner of the Class B race was C. W. Meyers of Detroit, flying a Waco plane. Twelve minutes ahead of Flyer Meyers had landed C. W. Holman of St. Paul, flying a Wright-motored Laird biplane. He was winner in the Class A race for larger planes over a similar course but, with fewer stops, had flown in two days instead of three. Mr. Holman's prize was $10,000. Fifteen planes started. Richard E. Hud son and his mechanic, Jay Radike, were killed when their plane, struggling through ugly weather, crashed at Long Valley, N. J., a few hours after the start. Second place went to E. E. Ballough, onetime Royal Flying Corps (British) pilot, and Charles Dickenson, 69, "Santa Claus of the Air Mail." Said Mr. Dickenson, alighting; "Well, there weren't any mosquitoes up there." Flyer Holman's flying time from Long Island to Spokane was 16 hours, 42 min., 52 sec.

Pacific Coast racers, coming up from San Francisco, landed the same afternoon; the winner of $1,500 for the 900-mile flight was N. C. Lippiatt in a Travelair biplane.

Another $10,000 prize went unclaimed. Prospective entries in a non-stop race from New York to Spokane dropped out so that when starting time came only Eddie Stinson and C. A. (Duke) Schiller hopped off. Both flew Stinson-Detroiter monoplanes, manufactured in Stinson's name in Detroit. Both, nearly there, dropped in Montana. After flying all night through difficult weather, Mr. Schiller was forced down at Billings, almost out of gas, Mr. Stinson reached Missoula, which has a flying field, with his motor balking from a stuck valve. Fearing wild intervening country, he decided not to chance it with the cranky engine, and quit the race.

The next day at Felts Field were held minor speed races for various trophies from all over the U. S. The Army raced the Navy; Marine Corps raced Army; commercial planes of various specifications raced one another; private planes raced; stunt flyers gyrated; parachute jumpers floated. No astonishing speeds were made. Twenty thousand Spokaners cheered and shivered to see the ships go by. At the Lido, Venice, Plight Lieutenant Sidney Norman Webster, one of the British entrants for .the Schneider cup, broke all speed records with an average of 281.488 miles an hour. The best previous record, 246.496 miles an hour, was established last year by Major Mario de Bernardi, of the Italian air force, who wrested the cup from the U. S. at Hampton Roads.