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About The Omaha morning bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 1924)
.■■ ■■ ' - i Globe Girdlers Vexed by Calm, Glassy Waters of Orient; Planes’ Pontoons Glued to Waveless Sea Told by LOWELL THOMAS (Copyright, 1924.) “Finally we gave It up and taxied •before the wind to the lee of a small Isinnd about a half mile away,” T.es’ Arnold continued, telling of the jump to China. “While waiting here for the de stroyer to pick up the moorings and come over and drop them again, we were all en Jtaged in looking K t the pope and »hen we turned i iin'ur.d the Chica go was only a few fiom tne rocky island, the New Orleans was If* tlie same dangerous’ position, and the Boston was rapidly being blown in. "Of course I,ow’d] and Krlk and T.dg'1 at once started tin the motors and taxied farther out, but it was another rinse shave, and had we gone on the rocks we probably would not have been able to save cither the planes or ourselves. "After we had finally secured the cruisers we went on board the Pope for the night. The leading officials of Koshimoto had arranged to come out to the destroyer and welcome us to southern Japan, but the sea was so rouglit that they couldn’t even get a boat alongside the Pope, So we spent the nigh in slumber—that Is, all of us did but Smith and Captain MeC'laran. who discovered the planes were drifting. Without arousing us. they got some of the sailors, launched a small boat with difficulty, and then went cut and attached an extra anchor to each cruiser. It was raid ing and tlie typhoon was still raging. Smith said he had never been more thoroughly drenched in his life. Receive Many Moinentoes. "Next morning after the storm had subsided we went ashore, listened to another flock of speeches, and re oelved more medals, an enormous ar tificial flower trophy, which is now in Oeneral Patrick's office, and six fascinating little Japanese dolls. “Nearly every city In Japan had shipped something to Tokio for us. Among these were six exquisite pan els with scenes painted on them by one of the foremost artists of the country. They are valuable and we all treasure them very highly. "Among the decorations we received were three presented the day we landed at Kasumngaura, near Tokio. But Powell Smith only agreed to ac cept them upon the proviso that three more would he made for Jack, Hark, and myself. He explained to the Japanese officials that we were all together and that he wanted all to be treated alike. “The rest of us-were mighty grate ful to Smith for this, and of course Ogden was, particularly pleased when Smith cabled Washington asking Hen era! Patrick to make, him a lieuten ant so that he would lie a commis sloned officer like the rest of us. Begin I lop In China. “About 1 the weather cleared up enough to enable us to hop on south to the city of Kagoshima where we were to begin our great flight across the junction of the Yellow and China seas to Shanghai. We had to buck a stiff head wind the first part of the way which cut our speed down to 40 miles an hour. We flew from Island to island and had thret open water jumps of approximately fill miles each. As we crossed the different is lands the flooded paddy fields glist ened in the sunshine and the shadows of our planes pursued us In tha water. "In the midst of the long water jumps we frequently passed steamers, junks and fishing craft of all kinds. We also spotted two of our destroy ers, the Perry and Stewart, out pa trolling for us. Wade had consider able trouble with Ills motor overheat ing. Once he landed in a little bay, filled his radiator with salt water and then took right off again. "It was getting late now, and the sun, sliding out of sight Into the Yel low sea, tinted the landscape a har mony of colors There was a range of mountains ahead of ns, and we knew that if we flew around them just to keep over water with our pontoons that It would he dark before we could get to Kagoshima. So we flew right over them, and came down in Kago shima hay. fireat Reception Committee. "The shore was black with people. There must have been 50,000 or 00, 000 of them. Fully 20,000 of them were school children who had marched in from all the surrounding country. Kvery child was waving a flag, and iit was really a great sight. When we got ashore the hand from the U. H. S. Black Hnwk and this vast throng of Japaneses 'kiddies' burst forth into •My Country, 'Tls of Thee,' which they sang In Knglish as they waved their American and Japanese flags. Tt was ns inspiring as seeing old Fujiyama, and was one of the most impressive receptions that we en countered on tile entire world flight. “Although our visit to Japan fol lowed on the heels of the passing of the Japanese exclusion bill by con gress. at a time when feeling was run ning very high against Amerlcns, we saw not the slightest evidence of it. In fact, we were uterlv amazed at the enthusiasm of all the Japanese educa tional authorities over our American attempt to fly around the globe. The children met us In throngs, every where. “The day we went by train from the naval air base to Tokio, school children were drawn up in military formation to see us and give us their Japanese yell at every little station where the train even slowed down for a moment. Although we hadn't yet flown even half way around the world they seemed to feel that here was something to Inspire the younger gen eration. I,and on Historic Ground. Kagoshima is the southernmost clt> of Japan proper. It is situated on a hay which forms one of the finest rteajgaaaasgiaas harbors in the orient. Right In the midst of this hay is the Impressive volcano of Sajurajlma. Near here was where the three first Europeans to visit Japan ramp ashore. They were shipwrecked Portuguese sailora. Here It was that one of the greatest mis sionaries who ever lived, St. Fran jis Xavier, first landed In Japan. This city has been the scene of many a selge. Here only a few decades ago the old Satsuma nobles made their last stand against the leaders of mod ern Japan. It was here also that the far famed Satsumaware was made un til the Industry was moved to Kyoto. "Here at Kagoshima we learned many things we had never known be fore. After the reception we dined with the officers of the U. S. S. Black Hawk, mother ship of the Asiatic destroyer squadron, and one of them told us that Japan really had not always shut out foreigners until the time when Commodore Parry pushed his way into Yokohama har bor. It seems that the priests from SpMin and Portugal were welcomed, then came the protestant Hutch led by a vigorous English evangelist. “All of these sects started quarrel ing. the Japanese became bewildered, they sent their learned men to Eu rope to find out just what this west ern religion of ‘brotherly love’ was like at Its source, they came back after seven years with the verdict that western nations were so corrupt and vicious that they should lie 1 avoided. So the shogun of those days issued nn edict stating that every Kuropean should get out hag and bag gage, and get out before he got thrown out. Those who didn't hurry fast enough were beheaded. Only a few Dutch trailers were allowed to remain, and they were held virtual prisoners on a tiny Island, hut allowed for a time to act as Intermediaries between Japan and the outside world. "Two hundred years went by. Then came Commodore Perry with the American fleet and reopened the island empire. Takeoff Tough Job. "We stopped one day in Kagoshima, only long enough to enable the do stroyers to string themselves across the sea between Japan and China. The following day we planned to get away for China at daybreak. 1 he water was calm and glassy, and there was not ^ breath of wind. Disturbed water, full of fairsized ripples or waves, is necessary to enable a sen plane to get off. In smooth, mirror like water, when there is no wind, the attraction of the water for the pontoons makes It almost Impossible to break this suction. To overcome this we used a system of taking off in formation. One plane would taxi over the water to disturb it and then the other two would follow in its wake and thus get off. Then the leading plane would get off on the rough water kicked up by the two others as they swung around In front and rose Into the air. But this day A we missed the waves made by the New Orleans and Boston. Seeing us still on the water, Erflt and I,elgh circled around, but Ix»well waved lo them to proceed to China. "We taxied back to our moorings to nee If we could find anything wrong. Donning the bathing suits , which had been presented to us by the people of Portland, Ore., we spent the rest of the day swimming about under the pontoons. We discovered that a me'il strip had been torn away by the force of the water. It had re- | suited in just enough resistance lo * prevent us from getting off the water. "Swimming around underneath those pontoons was a tough job and we swallowed quarts of water. But we got It fixed, and the next morn ing the Black Hawk sent two speedy motor boats in front of us to stir up the glassy stirfai e of Kagoshima bay. So we finally got into the air and on our way to China." 'Read the next installment of the thrilling story of th« 'round the world flight in The Omaha Bee tomorrow. 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