Dawn to Dusk

Dawn to Dusk

At three o'clock on a dark June morning at Mitchell Field, U. S. Army's aerodrome at Mineola, L. I., Lieutenant Russell L. Maughan was awakened and informed by the meteorologist that he could attempt his dawn to dusk flight from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Lieutenant Maughan got up, dressed, went to the mess, called for scrambled eggs, bacon and toast, wandered about nibbling a cantaloupe.

After breakfast he was driven to the sheds. Mechanics were busy wheeling the twelve-cylinder Girtiss aeroplane out of its hangar. The engine was tested; it ran perfectly. Maughan donned his parachute, climbed into the machine. A few seconds later he signalled to the mechanics to pull away the chocks, he opened the throttle, the engine roared, the 200 early-rising spectators screamed a parting welcome. The aeroplane ran along the ground for a short distance and then soared majestically heavenward as dawn began to dispel the gloom.

Progress was noted as follows:

Dayton, Ohio. At 7:05 A. M. Eastern standard time Maughan landed for repairs to a gasoline pipe. At 8:15 he "took off."

Indianapolis, Ind. At 7:59 A. M. Central standard time.

St. Joseph, Mo. At 10:53 A.M. c.s.t., Lieutenant Maughan landed, ate some chicken sandwiches, drank a glass of milk, left at 11:37.

North Platte, Neb. At 1:30 P. M. Mountain time, Maughan landed to take on gasoline. At 1:34 he "hopped off."

Cheyenne, Wyo. At 2:17 P. M. m.t. Maughan landed, said he felt sick, but became normal on stepping to the ground. A "four gallon" sombrero was presented to him and a satisfactory weather report. He left at 2:54.

Salduro, Utah. At 5:20 P. M. Pacific time. Here he took a brief stop, stated that he was confident he would accomplish the cross-continent dawn to dusk flight which he had tried twice before without success.

San Francisco, Calif. At 9:48 P. M. Pacific time, he landed at Crissy Field. Great arc lights illuminated the scene. The flight (2,670 miles) had been completed in 21 hours 48 1/2 minutes. When the plane came to a stop, Maughan seemed unable to speak. His face was drawn, serious. His mates in the Army Air Service were quick to lift him from the cockpit and carry him indoors. Long and loud were the cheers.