GEOGRAPHIC ADMINISTRATION BUILDINGS SIXTEENTH AND M STREETS NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON, D. C. ORGANIZED FOR "THE INCREASE AND TO carry out the purposes for which it was founded forty years ago the National Geographic Society publishes this Magazine. All receipts are invested in the Magazine itself or expended directly to promote geographic knowledge. use, ARTICLES and photographs are desired. For material which the Magazine can generous remuneration is made. Contributions should be accompanied by an addressed return envelope and postage. IMMEDIATELY after the terrific eruption of the world's largest crater, Mt. Katmai, in Alaska, a National Geographic Society expedition was sent to make observations of this remarkable phenomenon. Four expeditions have followed and the extraordinary scientific data resulting given to the world. In this vicinity an eighth wonder of the world was discovered and explored-"The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes," a vast area of steaming, spouting fissures. As a result of The Society's discoveries this area has been created a National Monument by proclamation of the President of the United States. AT an expense of over $50,000 The Society sent a notable series of expeditions into Peru to investigate the traces of the Inca race. Their DIFFUSION CHARLES G. DAWES of the United JOHN BARTON PAYNE Chairman American Red Cross A. W. GREELY Arctic Explorer, Major General U. S. Army GILBERT GROSVENOR Editor of National Geographic GEORGE OTIS SMITH Director U. S. Geological Survey O. H. TITTMANN Formerly Superintendent U. S. JOHN J. PERSHING General of the Armies of the United States STEPHEN T. MATHER Director National Park Service discoveries form a large share of our knowledge of a civilization waning when Pizarro first set foot in Peru. THE Society also had the honor of subscribing a substantial sum to the expedition of Admiral Peary, who discovered the North Pole. NOT long ago The Society granted $25,000, and in addition $75,000 was given by individual members to the Government when the congressional appropriation for the purpose was insufficient, and the finest of the giant sequoia trees of California were thereby saved for the American people. THE Society is conducting extensive explorations and excavations in northwestern New Mexico, which was one of the most densely populated areas in North America before Columbus came, a region where prehistoric peoples lived in vast communal dwellings and whose customs, ceremonies, and name have been engulfed in an oblivion. TO further the important study of solar radiation in relation to long-range weather forecastings, The Society has appropriated $60,000 to enable the Smithsonian Institution to establish a station for four years on Mt. Brukkaros, in Southwest Africa. Copyright, 1927, by National Geographic Society, Washington, D. C., in the United States and Great Britain. All rights reserved. Entered at the Post Office at Washington, D. C., as Second-Class Mail Matter. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Sec. 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized July 1, 1918. THE NATIONAL COPYRIGHT. 1927, BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY. WASHINGTON D C. IN THE UNITED STATES AND GREAT BRITAIN SEEING AMERICA WITH LINDBERGH The Record of a Tour of More Than 20,000 Miles by Airplane Through Forty-eight States on Schedule Time BY LIEUTENANT DONALD E. KEYнOE, U. S. M. C. (RETIRED) DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AIDE TO COL. CHARLES A. Lindbergh With Illustrations from Photographs by the Author E'LL cover about twenty-two up from the United States map on which Milburn Kusterer, advance representative for the tour, glanced at the map and shook his head dismally. "And I have to go all that way by train," he groaned. "I'll bet I'll never see a hotel bed once on the whole trip." "You'll certainly have to move," replied Lindbergh with mock sympathy. "You ought to be traveling by air." It was July 11, and only eight days remained before the start of the United States Tour for stimulating interest in commercial aviation. We had just completed the final plans and had had them approved by Mr. Harry F. Guggenheim, president of the Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics, which was sponsoring the tour. We had decided on 68 overnight stops, at least one in each State. Shorter stays, which were designated as "touch stops," were included. at 13 other places (see text, page 8). ation was to be on time. A standard program was outlined, regardless of the size of the place visited. Kusterer was to travel ahead of us and meet the reception committees, so that he could fit in this program with their plans. Colonel Lindbergh was to use the Spirit of St. Louis, as it would be of much greater interest to the people because of its famous flight across the Atlantic. Making this long journey with the same ship and engine that performed this great feat would emphasize the safety and durability of modern aircraft. TWO PLANES READY FOR THE LONG TOUR The Department of Commerce, through Assistant Secretary William P. MacCracken, Jr., of the Aeronautics Branch, had agreed to send along a plane that would precede the Spirit of St. Louis by a few minutes at each city. This ship was to be piloted by Philip R. Love, Aëronautics Inspector, and was to carry a mechanic and me. Love had flown with Colonel Lindbergh during their Army training days and also THREE HUNDRED SQUARE MILES OF NEW YORK CITY AND ENVIRONS SEEN FROM AN ELEVATION OF 12,000 FEET A wonderful panoramic view of Greater New York, showing Manhattan Island, between the Hudson (left) and East River (right), with bridges (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Queensborough) to Brooklyn. To the right and near the top of the picture is Hell Gate Bridge (see, also, page 3). Beyond it, to the right, is Long Island Sound. The photograph shows the concentration of skyscrapers in three well-defined localities-the downtown, or financial, district at the south (lower end of Manhattan), the Fifth Avenue shopping district (center, south of Central Park, the oblong space in the background), and the Riverside Drive residential district, on the bank of the Hudson, in the northwest. with him on the mail route between St. Louis and Chicago. My flight training had been in the Marine Corps, and I had been fortunate enough to be connected with the Byrd Polar Plane Tour sponsored by the Guggenheim Fund in 1926. The mechanic selected by the Wright Aëronautical Corporation was Theodore R. Sorenson. By July 20th everything was ready. Kusterer had been given his week's start and another warning to travel fast. Each of the 82 cities had Leen notified of the It was date on which we would arrive. THE "SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS" WAS STILL At 12 o'clock Love, Sorenson, and I took off from Mitchel Field for Hartford, and the United States Tour was under way. Colonel Lindbergh followed soon after. In the upper right corner is Manhattan Island, divided from Long Island (left) by the East River. In the foreground is the Bronx, from which the railroad tracks cross Randalls Island; then Wards Island and the famous Hell Gate Bridge to Long Island, from which they reach the Pennsylvania Station by recrossing the East River, this time by tube. The Hudson River and the Jersey shore are seen dimly through the haze at the top of the picture. This first day was a good example of the standard program. We arrived at 1:45, which gave us 15 minutes to meet the reception committee and check the final arrangements. The most important detail was to have the field cleared. The Spirit of St. Louis was still "blind" because of the main gas tank up forward. Taxiing near the crowd would have been dangerous, as Colonel Lindbergh could not have seen any one directly ahead of him, and the whirling propeller could easily have caused a serious accident. For this reason we had to insist that the field be cleared and the hangar space vacant until his engine was shut off. There was no difficulty at Hartford. The field was well policed and the Spirit of St. Louis landed without difficulty. After the open-air meeting, at which Colonel Lindbergh spoke on commercial aviation, he was driven slowly through the crowded streets, while thousands of people from Hartford and the surrounding country showed their regard for the man who had made the first lone "hop" across the Atlantic. The afternoon ceremonies were closed by a press interview. CITIES VISITED ASKED TO MARK THEIR ROOFS The time between this and the banquet was supposed to be our rest period; but we had neglected one important matter: the arrangement of the schedule pushed our lunch hour forward to 5 o'clock in the WAITING FOR THE "SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS" AT PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND afternoon, and the rest of this time was taken up in attending to tour business and getting ready for dinner. The banquet began at 7 and ended at 9 o'clock. The rest of the evening was devoted to planning the next day's flight. This had to be figured very carefully, as there were always requests from cities asking Colonel Lindbergh to circle over them. If they were near the course, he agreed on condition that they mark their roofs to guide aviators on cross-country flights. Such air-markings are helpful to pilots who are not familiar with the country. Without them, a pilot who is lost frequently has to dive down at a railroad station to read the name on the side. This is dangerous and should be entirely unnecessary. When the day's route had been decided, the total distance was measured, and from this we figured the flying time. Half an hour was added to allow the advance plane time to arrive ahead of the Spirit of St. Louis. Two hours covered the time for dressing, breakfast, packing, driving to the airport, and warming up the engines. Subtracting this total from 2 o'clock gave the hour of arising, which was sometimes undesirably early. On the second day we flew to Providence, landing at Quonset Point. The program here was carried out as at Hartford, and the next morning found us headed for Boston. Colonel Lindbergh received a great ovation at this historic city. The next morning we attended a breakfast in honor of Commander Byrd and the crew of the America, and Lieut. Lester J. Maitland and Lieut. Albert F. Hegenberger, of San Francisco-to-Honolulu fame. TAKING OFF FROM BOSTON IN DENSE FOG When we reached the airport we experienced our first trouble. A dense fog covered the bay and the surrounding territory. When Colonel Lindbergh started his engine, there were protests at his flying when visibility was so poor. He went ahead with his preparations, however. "Flying in this fog won't be so bad," he explained. "With these modern instruments, it is easy to fly indefinitely without seeing the ground or sky. All I am worried about is whether the airport at Portland is clear." |