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About The Omaha morning bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 1923)
H. G. WELLS EXPOSES MYTHICAL EUROPEAN AIR SERVICE Poor Planes Make Flying Big Hazard British Writer Says Trans portation Companies Fail to Maintain Schedules They Boast Of. - I forced Landing Frequent By H. G. WELLS, Author of Tin* Outline of History, .-pedal Cable DJftfmtrh to The Omaha Mummy Bee. London, Oct. 27.—It is probable hat the first adequate and success ful inauguration of air transport will he in North and South America, but it is In Europe that the needs and possibilities are greatest, and were it not for the short-sightedness and pet ty competitiveness of the Europeans, it is In Europe that flying might first become the usual method of travel for distances over 300 miles, Eu rope is so cut up- by channels, sands, bays, Zuydor Zees, Adrlatlcs and Baltic seas and the like, she has so clumsy and ill-planned a railway net work, planned upon national lines to restrict too ready movements across frontiers, that she calls aloud for the airplane to soar over these wet ob stacles and tangled confusions. But the chief Intent and occupa tion of European administrators now adays lbs in spoiling the efforts of— and making life insupportable for— other Europeans, and naturally flying presents itself to them chiefly as a provocation to international sabotage. Most of the air services we hear about in Europe are hopelessly inadequate to the needs of civilized people who want to travel conveniently and beau tifully. They are uncomfortable, un punctual, dangerous, ridiculous and— In view of what might be—pitiful. It Is as absurd to think of an air tour of western Europe as it would be to think of an automobile tour of the Balklns and Asia Minor. The countries concerned are not suf ficiently civilized to allow of such methods of transport. Maps of Air Route*. Occasionally one sees maps In the newspapers showing the most won derful network of air routes all over Europe, London to Moscow, Man* , Chester to Constantinople and the like. Any travel bureau will hand the credulous enquirer neat littfle handbills of air services showing how we may breakfast in London and dine in Berlin, and so forth. Let the credulous inquirer try these services. He will find a few tired and badly overhauled machines, run by com panies with entirely Insufficient sup plies, plying in a mood of hectic un certainty over some of these routes. On others the only thing he will find soaring will be soaring promises. And he will find very little hope In the future of any better services. I tried an air tour of Europe this summer, I did not warn any of the new companies concerned that I meant to write about them. I went r.s an ordinary passenger. Let me tell my experiences very briefly. I started with a ticket for Berlin fic-m London and my first flight was to Amsterdam. I started on a per feet day for flying. But as we ap proached the channel It became evi Beno’s of Council Bluffs Says to You: —Just across the river, friends, in the center of the shopping district stands our splendid store. —We make few superior claims. But we do say that Qur goods are just as carefully selected as in any store. —We do say that thou sands shop here daily, because we are reli able and that we mark fine merchandise at a low margin of profit. “COME ON OVER” A Department Store where you, too, will liko the Good* end Price*. Jtore Hours 8 to 6 Each Day ADVERTIHEMENT. For Grip, Influenza COLDS Think, how many persons you met this summer who r e c o m m ended Dr. Hum phreys’ Remedies, especially "Seventy-seven” for Colds. Small vial of pleasant pellets, fits the vest pocket. Medical Book mailed free. Price, 80c and 81.00. at Drttff Stores, or sent on remittance or C. () D. Parcel Peat. Humphreys’ Homeo. Medicine Company, 166 William tttreet. New York dent that we were not going to cross the water, but that we were swerving round to Lympne. Something had gone wrong. We landed at Lympne. The aviator apologized; he had an oil leakage. Matters were patched up and we got up again and flew to Amsterdam. There the oil leakage wag vvors# than ever and we could not have gone much further. A head wind or a sudden storm might have got us Into serious trouble. We had been flying In a machine that had not been sedulously overhauled, an overworked machine. No Berlin Machine. Next day I should have flown on to Berlin. When I went to the Amsterdam office to start I learned that no aeroplane had come from Berlin for two days—though it was admirable flying weather—and the office could not tell me when a ma chine would be available. Apparently there had been some financial disloca tion of the German service. I had to get round to various European towns X wanted to visit by means of the shabby disheartened railway services of central Europe. Returning, I did secure tickets for Paris from Prague by the Franco Roumanian Air company, which pro fesses to run a swift and regular service from Bucharest to Paris. At the Prague aerodrome there is a vainglorious monument, an olxdisk, to commemorate the foundation of this company. That and the office in Prague, where I got my money back, was as much as I saw of the l^ranco Roumaniati company. Thanks to cer tain fortunate chances whiah made n>o Independent of private enterprise aeroplane companies, I had had some beautiful flying in Czechoslovakia. I made three delightful flights on three separate days and on two of these days the French machines were not going to Strassburg "on account of the weather." The real trouble or that particular I company, however, was not the weather, but a shortage of machines. The company has no understanding with the German government and its route lies over German territory from Czecho-Slovakia to Strassburg. Badly overhauled machines are never safe to get to their destination and. I was told, 11 Franco-Rumaniau aeroplanes, forced to descend on German terri tory, had been seized by the Ger mans, Planes were coming to Prague from Warsaw and Vienna and de positing the passengers there to go through to their destinations as well as they could, but there was nothing going on to Strassburg. I got to Paris from Prague by train via Am sterdam! That is the present route between these two places, and I sup pose It will remain so until our great grandchildren, If any, see what is left of the French rer ’ from what Is left of the Ruhr Start for London. From Paris I started by an Eng lish service for London. We started with an air of tremendous punctu ality and efficiency from the Hotel Grlllon at 3 In the afternoon. I reck oned we should be up by 3:30 and that 1 should dine In London at 7:30 or 8. But we muddled about at the aerodrome of La Bousget until nearly 5, booking luggage, fooling with passports, packing the all too big and clumsy omnibus machine. I sat in a seat with a lot of valises and hat boxes tied precariously with string, swaying in front of my nose. The saloon had a worn and weary look; It was not nearly so pretty as it is In the advertisement pictures. We made a fairly good flight to the coast, except that now and then the engine popped a little. We rose over the water, as usual, to about 5,000 feet. Then as we came within distant sight of Dungeness, one engine began to miss badly. I noticed that we were dropping rap idly. However, we escaped a duck ing. We crossed the coast line while still at nearly 2,000 feet and landed at Lympne. Apologies. The defect ive engine, we were iold, was In a hopeless condition and the company must send us passengers on in cars to a rural railway station and so by train to London, to arrive at heaven knows what hour. There was no at tempt whatever to bring up a re serve aeroplane from Croydon; I pre sume because the company has no re serve aeroplanes available. I had the good luck to find a friend at Lympne who took me to his house for the night and turned my misfortune Into a pleasure, but my fellow passengers were not so fortunate. French I’lane Crashes. Luckily I was not a passenger In the French Goliath which crashed at West Mailing in August last. I have flown successfully on one occasion from Paris to London in a French Goliath and on another have started from London to Paris and had a forced landing at Lympne. Their Goliaths are quite good machines but they seem to he unlucky ones. That West Mailing disaster was only an other such story of "private fenter prise" flying as I have told but car ried to the pitch of tragedy. The unfortunate machine must have been In a shocking cond.tion of maladjust ment. It had already been down at Lympne for patching. It was going on to Croydon. The radiator of the port engine had been leaking. Then as it went on to Croydon the star board engine failed completely. But we have always been told, perhaps untruthfully, that even if one engine of their double engine machines fails, the other suffices to carry on to a safe landing. The port engine was still going. The aviator declared at first that there was a panic among the passengers and that is why he crashed in a nut plantation. I doubt about the panic. But at any rate, here again was a machine in use in a condition quite unfit for passenger traffic, so that It needed only a mo mentary nervous failure to destroy it. The moral I draw here today is to repeat exactly what I maintained up on the British Civil Air Transport commission ill 1918. "Private enter prise" cannot run successful Euro pean air services. However, it is impossible to control the air services of Europe on nationalist lines. You cannot have nearly 40 countries each trying to wreck the air services of the other 39. Europe must be one area for air transport under one con trol, or there can he nothing but a few sorry services in operation. One comprehensive European air trust with hundreds and presently thous ands of aeroplanes in daily (light and two or three in reserve and under overhaul for every one In the air would prove in the end an enormous ly profitable organization. But Eu rope today is as morally incapabte of producing such an organization as central Africa. These risky trips in dud machines and these flowery prospectuses of defective services, are as much organized public flying as this generation Is likely to see in Europe. Married 60 Years. Pawnee City, Neb., Oct. 27. Mr. and Mrs. D. C. Stratton, who have been residents of this county for more than 50 years, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary at their home. Mr. and Mrs. Stratton were married at Germantown, O., during the civil war and following their mar riage he left to join the union forces, serving until the end of the war. When they first came to Pawnee City he operated a grocery store for 10 years, after which they moved to their faim where they lived until they retired a few years ago. They have since resided In Pawnee City. Dur ing the afternoon and evening of their 60th wedding day friend* and neighbors were calling continuously to offer congratulations and best wishes. Members of the I. O. O. F. lodge, the W. R. C., and the elders of the Presbyterian church called at the home in a body. Quinn Returns to Frisco. San Francisco, Oct. 27.—John H. Quinn, newly elected national com mander of the American Legion has returned to San Francisco from his ranch at Delano, and officially em barked upon his new duties. He found piles of eongra’ulatory tele gram* and letters from virtually tvery state In the union awaiting him. Chinese Steamer Looted. Intern..tlontil .New* Service. Shanghai. Oct. 27.—The Chinese steamer ChangRn, carrying a hig con signment of silver dollars, wan mys teriously looted today, en route from here to Hunkow. Fifty thousand dol lars is missing, the captain reported. FINEST IN THE MIDDLE WEST One of the Beatty Co-Operative System BEATTY’S* j Henshaw Cafeteria j In Hanihaw Hotel. FREE! FREE! Only $70 Ten Lessons With Any Teacher You Choose We make this extraordi nary offer to every pur chaser of a celebrated J. W. York & Sons Saxo phone. The only instru ment of this kind that is sold with a bonafide guarantee. Old instru ments accepted as part payment and easy terms arranged to suit you. We Specialize on Teachers’ Material in our Music Department and solicit your pa tronage. Editions such as Wood, Sch inner, Century and Edition Beautiful. Some as low as 15c. Popular Orchestrations 25c. OPEN A CHARGE ACCOUNT 131416-18-Dodfte SL- - ~ Ottudw Ex-Premier and Hughes Confer Lloyd George Sees Hopeful Sign in Plan to Let Ex perts Fix Debt. By Associated Press. Washington, Oct. 27.—While David Lloyd George, wartime premier of Great Britain, devoted yesterday, his second day In (Washington, chiefly to pilgrimage to Arlington National cemetery and Mount Vert.on, and to a call upon the disabled soldiers st Walter Reed hospital, public ques tions did not escape his attention. The reparations situation, in the light of latest developments, at tracted his interest and tonight he i conferred with Secretary Hughes at the latter's home for an hour. Invited to Mr. Hughes' residence an hour in Advance of others who attended a dinner given In honor of the distinguished visitor, the two had opportunity to discuss questions in wh.ch they are mutually Interested. Although no statement was made con cerning the conversation it was as sumed that the latest phase of the reparation question, as well as other matters of public Interest waA dis cussed. t Throughout the day the reparation situation held the Interest of the former premier. Walking from his hotel suite to breakfast with William Jennings Bryan, he remarked to friends that "these are remarkably interesting telegrams between Lord Cvirzon and Secretary Hughes in the newspapers." In conference with newspaper cor respondents he spoke hopefully of the situation and indicated that on the basis of latest advices from Europe he believed a distinct advance had been made toward a solution of the problem. Once an investigation is begun into Germany's capacity to pay, he declared, he would be hopeful i of a successful outcome. There is no necessity of going out side the Versailles treaty in reaching a solution, Mr. Lloyd George asserted, adding that if France desired to keep the question within "the four corners of the treaty," he saw no objection to such a course. There would be no substantial dif ference, he explained, whether the in vestigation was conducted by an in dependent commission outside the treaty, or by an impartial commission under authority of the reparation commission, so long as the investiga tion body was composed of business Pioneer Resident of Gibbon (Neb.) Dies 4 Gibbon, Neb,, Oct. 27.—Hubert Walker, 84, an early settler in this community was burled here Friday. Mr. Walker was born in Ireland and brought to Ontario, Can., by his parents when very young. He married in 1863 and to this union were born eight sons and three daughters. He brought hVs family to the United States In 1881. He and several sons homesteaded farms in Custer county, hut he even tually located in Gibbon. He is survived by hie wife and 10 children. The children are Dr. W. H. Walker of Omaha; A. C. Walker, Omaha; Dr. A. W. Walker, Riverside, Cal.; Robert Walker, Mason City, la.; John Walker, Mason City, la.; Miss Lila Walker, Santa Monica, Cal.; F. D. G. Walker, field secretary of the Illinois state Christian Endeavor union, and J. G. Walker; 8. A. Walk er, and Mrs. J. W. Walker of Gibbon. men or experts of proven ability who actually represented the powers and who had the confidence of the world. The moral force of any report pre sented by such a group, he contended, would give it a momentum that could not be successfully resisted. Too Much for a Kiss. New York. Oct. 27.—Setting aside a verdict of $5,000 for a stolen kiss, awarded by a Brooklyn Jury last Tuesday to Mrs. Alice Mercer against Louis Goodman, Supreme Court Jus tice May aald the testimony of Mrs. Mercer and her husband was un worthy of belief and that the Jury had been influenced by the woman's youth and attractiveness. A motion for a new trial was granted. New Sweater Coats Ju*t the types thiit are most sought by the young fellows who want “some thin* different” Four pocket models, all colors and combinations. Sweaters with piles of good style, $3.50 $15.00 Two Faraam Street Stores— 1) a N 's < h _ The Weighing of the Large Sack of Pillsbury’t Flour Hill take plat’, In the window m , the III KtiliSS VA8H CO. Monday, October 29-12:30 P.M. Under the personal supervision ! of City Clerk Claude F. Bossie. Howe Realm used will be furnished hy the American Ma chinery nnd Supply Co. Scale* will he tnapacted by city > Inspector of weights and measure*. The sack waa filled In the window and weight Is unknown. Judges of Contest Hon. James O, Pnhlman, Mayor. Hart A. Wilcox, Vlen President, Omnhn National Hank Robert S. Trimble, Chairman of Executive Committee, Omaha Chamber of Commerce. 'Vinners will he announced as soon as nudit Is completed hy the I'innha National Hank. 4 Queer World Judge Steps Down Off Bench ftnd Testifies Plaintiff for Damages Against Tramway Is Faker. I.O* Angeles, Oct. 27.—Superior Judge J. Perry Wood stepped down from the bench yesterday to testify against an aged widow who was suing a street railway company for $50,000 damages in his court. After hearing the plaintiff, Mrs. Marlon Boggs, testify that she could not turn around without the aid of crutches, as a result of injuries re ceived here last August in alighting from a street car, the judge swore he had seen the plaintiff moving about without crutches. Then re suming the bench he characterized the case as the “plainest open and »hut bit of fakery we have ever seen.” 1 The jury returned a verdict for the street car company. Now in Those Days. Cleveland O., Oct. 27.—A fish head six feet long and which Prof. Jesse K. Hyde, head of the depart ment of geology at Western Re serve university, estimates must have been part of a fish that at tained a length of 20 or 30 feet, has been unearthed near here. This became known last night with the announcement of Prof. Hyde that excavation tor remains of fish which lived in the ocean that covered the vicinity of Cleve land centuries ago have been in progress since May by the Cleve land Museum of Natural History. The six-foot head belonged to a type known as the Tltanlchtys (or giant fish) of the arthdrdira group, Prof. Hyde said. The fish lived and died in what geologists call the Devonian period of the earth's geo logical history and was the larg est animal that ever lived upon the I face of the earth up to that time, 20,000,000 to 40.000,000 year* ago. The Titanichty* failed to *ur vlve In the struggle for existence, Prof. Hyde auid, "and there i* nothing living today of which the Titanichthya can be considered the progenitor by any stretch of imagination.” Costly. San Francisco, Oct. 27.—What I* hailed as the mostly costly wedding bower of flowers ever assemlbled for a nuptial ceremony, will surround Miss .Mildred Taylor, writer and fem inist of New Vork, and ttlanding Sloan, artist, when they are married tonight at the California fall flower show. Special flowers for the occa sion have been received front flor ists nil over C alifornia, and added to the mammoth display, 'which lias been on exhibition during tlie last week. The ceremony will he perform ed by Judge Ijle T. Jacks, and will be public. Ohio Knox Held in Gang Arrest Boys Nabbed by Police for Al leged Hallowe'en Pranks. Council Bluffs police received sev eral calls last night from persons who complained that gangs of boys were prematurely celebrating Hal lowe'en. l'tolin Covalt, A1 Overton and Ohio Knox were arrested near Elder and Court streets on complaint of real dents in the vicinity. Fred Heath, 419 North Seventh street, told polir-e boys were throw ing. bricks against his house. They lied before police arrived. Leads Film Readjustment. Los Angeles. Oct. 27.—The 10 weeks shut down of the Famous Players-Lasky Studios announced here by Jesse L. Lasky, first vice president of the organization, was characterized a* "the first step in a readjustment that must come throughout the motion picture Indus try from production to exhibition." ln. s statement here by Sol Lesser, vice pres dent of the First National Pic tures corporation. "Producers must get down to brass tacks in the matter of produc tion costs." said Mr. Lesser, "and I for one, am glad to see one of the biggest In the field taking the first step." a s- .- a, r Buccal Lenses Tiki pairs of classes Is a loss of time and patience. l'*e oar Ftiiocal* (two-ln-oae) and sare time, patience and money. Lenses only. $7.00 Large Round Shell Spec tacles for near work, spe cial at. $6.00 Name Seri ice in Onr Snath Side Store - 24th and X—ILL 07S4. Flitton Optical Co. 13th Floor First National Saak J A. IH3 MONO A Y the Season*s Greatest Sale Brand New Hats 'O "f* A Special Sale Embodying All That is New f * Satins, Duvetynes, Brocades, Velvet With Brocade and Tinsel Combinations Sensational \'alues~-Hats that should sell regularly at from $7.50 to $10.00. Our price for this one dap-only Brocade Hats Satin Hats Fur-Trimmed Hats Metallic Cloth Hats Duvetyn Hats Flower-Trimmed Hats Hindu Turbins Russian Turbans Matrons' Hats )tf-the-Face Hats Dainty Poke Hats Large, Dressy Hats Conunt Hotel Building “ ^