Evening star. [volume], January 13, 1935, Page A-5, Image 5

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Wirephoto Shows Throng Engulfing Amelia Earhart s Plane When She Lands at Oakland
Copyright, A. P. Wirephotos. '
Milling thousands surround Amelia Earhart's plane as she climbs from the cockpit after a 2,408-mile flight from Honolulu to Oakland, Calif. Photo taken late yesterday after woman flyer made a daring landing, coming
in straight toward hangar instead of circling the field.
Miss Earhart receiving the plaudits of the crowd and bouquet of American beauty roses as she emerged from the plane.
I
Solo flyer taxis craft to hangar as crowds cheer her daring feat. Her first words were: "I'm tired/'
AMELIA EARHART TELLS
HER STORY OF FLIGHT
.FROM ISLES TO OAKLAND
(Continued From First Page.)
• Jjreannounced departure. It was easier
to have no "Aloha." So I let most
•ef those Immediately concerned un
derstand that it was to be simply a
.test take-off with load, but I was de
termined that if all went well I'd head
(or California.
It was at 4:45 p.m.. Honolulu time,
that I left, and at 5 o'clock I saw
Makapuu Point, the last island out
poet, fade into the distance. It had
been raining, the wind was almost
non-existent, and the field somewhat
muddy. When I started out there
were clouds all about, and I was among
clouds all night. The moon hung
brilliantly »in the sky until about mid
* right and millions of stars seemed near
enough to touch.
Acting upon the advice of the United
Etates Naval Aerological Bureau, I
flew at an average of 8,000 feet, and
X ran through many rain squalls dur
ing the night. But never, in my many
flights, have I ever seen so many
itars or clouds. So much water was
half hidden from my sight by little
coolly clouds.
Found No Bad Weather.
I didn't encounter really bad
Weather throughout the entire flight,
but the greatest hazard I had to over
i come was the criticism heaped on my
[s head for even contemplating the flight.
Γ For this reason the flight was infinitely
*
more difficult than my two Atlantic
flights. The criticism I had received
before taking off from Hawaii was
entirely unwarranted and manifested
itself in a physical strain more diffi
cult than fatigue. Throughout the
night I felt this, yet I never experi
enced actual nervousness.
On the flight I carried the charts
prepared by Clarence Williams. Los
Angeles consultant in navigation.
These showed alternate courses, one
to Oakland, the other to Los Angeles.
The choice depended upon weather.
Before the take-off, I picked Oakland,
shorter by 150 miles, and I was able
to stick to this course because of the
favorable weather conditions. The
charts required almost hourly changes
in compass course, calculated on an
average speed of 150 miles per hour,
a speed that I did not live up to
through the entire trip. On them, too,
were plotted the Department of Com
merce airway radio beams reaching
westerly from Oakland and Los An
geles.
To maintain the flying schedule
planned, I had three compasses and
three clocks. One of the timepieces
was set at 12 so that it ticked off
from the commencement of the flight
the actual minutes elapsed.
Radio Telephone Accurate.
Besides being the first solo flight
across the Pacific, this was the first
long flight In which the radio tele
phone was used, and I found it al
most miraculous in its accuracy.
I had remarkable reception through
out the night and had splendid co
operation from Stations KFI and KPO,
after 7 ajn., that kept open all night
to assist me. I bad my response·
from them in 12 minutes, and some
times less.
I wasted some time in my 18 hours
and 15 minutes flight because the type
of compass I used proved very diffl
cult to follow at night. Great accu
racy is required in using a compass
for a successful long flight, and I
found it important to keep a true
course all the time.
Feeling I was losing time. I throttled
down in order to save gasoline. The
ship's normal speed is 160 miles per
hour, but I averaged throughout the
flight a little over 140.
I was constantly over fog banks, but
I didn't find these at all disturbing.
For food I carried with me canned
tomato juice, hot cocoa, some sand
wiches. chocolate and water. I also
carried a lunch prepared for me by
the wife of an island officer. I sipped
a bit of tomato juice, drank a little
water and ate a hard-boiled egg. But
I really wasn't very hungry.
Carried Few Letter·.
For cargo, I carried a small bunch
of letters and a number of unique
covers painted in miniature by Olaf
Seltzer of Montana, and, as special
philatelic treasures, a few envelopes
that had already crossed the Atlantic
by air with me.
As some safeguard in a forced land
ing at sea, the plane contained a
collapsible rubber boat. Instantaneous
ly Inflatable from a cylinder of com·
pressed carbon dioxide. This I found
to be the only really unnecessary çargo
I carried.
In addition I wore a life jacket simi
larly ' arranged. Appropriate emer
gency ration· were packed In the
watertight pockets of the raft.
Three times toward the end of the
S *
flight I thought I saw land, but I was
wrong twice. Whit I saw were
shadows of clouds reflected in the
water.
Surprised at Receptoin.
Then, when I actually saw the Cali
fornia coast shortly before 1:30 to
day, I knew ray goal was near.
I was surprised to find a reception
at the Oakland Airport. The thou
sands of people were waiting to see a
bedraggled pilot climb out of àn air
plane.
It never occurred to me that any
one mignt be interested in the flight.
What my sensations were during the
trip I cannot tell. Any one who wishes
to know should attempt such folly
himself.
Certainly . I didn't experience
nervousness, knowing well enough to
save whatever nervousness I might
have for the time when it would be
necessary. I only know I sat a very
long time and got exceedingly dirty.
But always when I fly I am im
pressed with the beauty of it, the
loveliness of what I see. My thoughts
at the moment are that I am here in
Oakland. And my husband, George
Palmer Putnam, is on the high seas
bound for San Francisco, vastly Irri
tated at my having taken a short cut,
leaving him to travel the long way.
Lauds Two-way Radio.
At this time I should again like to
stress the advantage of two-way voice
communication in the air, and, inci
dentally, It was Lieut. George Spar
haWk, Army radio expert, who helped
generously and expertly in the final
preparations.
Some kinds of flights are too un
certain to be worth talking about In
advance. Up to the very last minute
there are so many things that can
happen to plane or pilot or weather. .
It helped my peace of mind to
know that I was obligated to do noth
ing at all beyond the fulfillment of an
ambition Mr. Putnam and I have long
cherished—to visit the allurlhg south
west corner of the United States that
is Hawaii.
(Copyright. 1P35. br North American
Newspaper Alliance. Inc.)
PUTNAM HOPES WIFE'S
HOPS WON'T BE HABIT
Congratulations on Success of
Flight Wired Miss Earhart
by Husband.
By the Associated Press.
HONOLULU. January 12.—Relieved
and happy upon receiving news of
the arrival of his wife, Amelia Ear
hart Putnam, in Oakland, George
Palmer Putnam telegraphed her con
gratulations and the hope that such
flights would "not become a habit."
"Swell Job," read his message.
"Hope it doesn't become a habit.
Love."
Putnam sailed on the Lurline, for
Los Angeles at noon to rejoin the
flyer. With him - went Paul Mantz,
mechanic for Mrs. Putnam's - plane,
and Mrs. Mantz.
Tariff Favors Japan.
Manchuria's new tariff is said to fa
vor Japanese textiles and ainery.
"NO PURPOSE" IN HOP,
MISS EARHART SAYS
"Worse Than Atlantic Flight,"
Aviatrix Terms Journey
Over Pacific.
By the Associated Press.
OAKLAND. Calif., January 12.—
Her daring solo flight across the Pa
cific "had no purpose or reason,"
Amelia Earhart declared today after
completing the long journey.
"But it was worse than the Atlantic
flight," said the only woman who has
flown both wide stretches of water
alone in a plane.
"There was no purpose or reason
for it." she said, speaking of the 2.408
mile journey she had just completed.
"Only I believe that a radiophone
should be used on long flights."
CROWD INJURES YOUTH
California XT. Freshman Hurt at
Oakland Airport.
OAKLAND. Calif., January 12 (A>).
—John P. Evans, jr., 18. a University
of California freshman, was knocked
down and trampled by the crowd
' that surged to greet Amelia Earhart
I Putnam at Oakland Airport today.
{ He suffered a broken left elbow
I and leg.
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