Record Tasman Crossing

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 80, 28 December 1937, Page 9

Record Tasman Crossing

-Press SsBOciatlon.)

THRILLING LANDING AT AUCKLAND Great Crcwds Assemble on Waterfront

UNEVENTFUL TRIP

(By Telegraph-

•! " "• AUCKLAND, Last Night. History was made in Auckland this afternoon when the Imperial Airways flying-boat Centaurus alighted on Waitemata horbour at the end of her 24 days' survey flight from Britain after a fine weather crossing from Sydney in the record time of nine and a-quarter hours. When Captain J. W. Burgess, of the Centaurus, shook hands with Captain Edwin Musick, of the Pan-American Airways Samoan Clipper, across the Union Jack which covered the recepti'on table their meefcing symbolised a new link- between the trans-oceanic setvices of the two great nations which together will soon girdle the earth by air. The arrival of the British flying-boat makes New Zealand 's first direct contact with the civil aviation system of the Empire and the great crowds gathered around the harbour showed that Aucklan&ers took a keen patriotic interest in the event as one of Imperial significance.

The Prime Minister offered a welcomo on behalf of the Government and people of the Dominion to the Centaurus 'a New Zealand-born commander and among the pleasantest incidents of the afternoon was the reuuion between Captain Burgess and his parents, Captain J. W. Burgess, senr., and Mrs. Burgess. The flying-boat 's landing was the inost spectacular of its kind that has yet been seen in New Zealand and gave an unexpected thrill to thousands who witnossed it. Approaching from the west the big craft passed over the Mechanies Bay air base at a height of only about 200 feet, made a narrow circle around the inner harbour and landed right in the fairway between the city and Devonport, finally taxiing to its mooriugs some distance out from the pontoon at w"hich the Samoan Clipper was lying. The Centaurus is to remaia in port until Friday when she will leave for Wellington, going on later to Lyttelton tand Dunedin. - • 1

With the waterfront bathed in brilliant sunshine the crowd assembled to (vitness the arrival of the Centaurusi greatly cxceeded that assembled on* gunday afternoon when the Samoan. •Clipper arrived at Auckland. Hundredsj , of cars lined the waterfront road and, the vacant area adjacent to Pan-Ameri-' can Airways base in Mechanies Bay also held its quota of vehicles. Long before the flying-boat was aue to arrive cars pulled in this morning but few stayed more tlian a few ininutes. From about. 1 o'clock on, liowever, thousands aTrived by trams, cars and taxis. From dll parts of the city and suburbs a seemingly endless stream of pedestrians flowed along the Waterfront road and special buscs did a brisk trade. Tho vantage points on Campbell's Point, Point Resolution and Gladstone road were crowded early in the afternoon and all along the Teclaimed area from the eastern tide deflector to the vehicular ferry landing the spectators were lined four and six deep. A Great Welcome.

Auckland offered the Centaurus the double welcome of a brilliantly fine ifternoon with a gentle southerly brqeze and of waiting thousands who lined the waterfront on both sides of ihe harbour and crowded upon hills and other p^aces that gave a good view. All kinda of craft wej-e out on the blue pvater — small yachts, launches, speedooats, dinghies and sculling outriggers. Spectators, many of them in bathing suits, sat on the rocks all along the eastern tide deflector and small boys perched in. numbers on the PanAmerican Airways' light-floats until shouted orders compolled them to dive off.

The guests within the enclosure at tho air base had much to see before the Centaurus made her appearance. The Samoan clipper moored at the pontoon a few yards from the shore was being refuelled and many large benzine drums were being trundled up and down the gangway. The fast launch belonging to the Royal New Zealand Air Force landed a phrty of aircraftsmen inkhaki drill, while another flying the flag of Pan-American Airways mad6 various trips out into th.6 harbour and. returned to moor at the pontoon.

By the time the Prime Minister arrived at. tho base the Government was already represented by Hons. P. Fraser, P. C. Webb and H. G. R. Mason and several private members of Parliament. Others present included the chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board (Hon. r. Bloodworth, M.L.C.), the Mayor of Auckland (Sir Ernest Davis'), RearAdmiral Drummond, the Controller of Civil Aviation (Captain Wilkes), Mr N. S. Falla, chairman and managing airector of the Union Steam SMp Co. and of Union Airways, Mr. F. Entwkistle, of the British Air Ministry, Mr. Harold Gatty, Australian and New Zealand reprcsentative of Pan-American Airways, Major A. Purvis, military secretary to the Governor-General, who was accompanied by Viseount Coko and by Mrs. Purvis with their Excellencies' children. A fire in some hardwood piles a few yards west of the enclosure providcd a "side-show" for a quarter of an hotu or so, but cau&ed Uttle excitement ex-

cept when the flre brigade arrived to 1 put it out. I At nine minutes past thTee crles of: I "There she isl" turned all eyes to the I west. Over the wireless tower at the I top of Shortland street was the big I flying boat, surprisingly near and low I down, her deep hull showing below the I wide knife-edged span of her single I wing. Closer and closer she came, and I in a few seconds she was roaring direct- I ly overhead at a height of only about I 200ft., a great leaden-grey object I branded with big identification letters I in black paint. I Opposite Point Resolution she turned I to port in a fairly steep bank, passed I up the fairway and completed a narrow I circle of the inner barbour. The second I time past the base she was further to I the aouth end when not very far north- I east ef the tide deflector she descended I rapidly to a beautiful landing. I

Many of those who saw the man- i oeuvre must have been astonished that I so large an aircraft could be handled I with aach apparcnt ease and nonchal- I ,ance. ; On the wnter, the Centaurus taxied I jnp the fairway for a quarter of a mile or so at a remarkably high speed, with the "step" in her keel stili above the surface. Then her propellers slowed down, the hull sank deeper and she came to a full stop in a much sborter distance than the lay onlooker would ever have believed possible.

■^urning round almost in her own length, the big ship made her way slowly to her mooriugs, which were marked by a rea buoy with an Air Force aircraftsman in a dinghy mounting guard over it. As sbe drew gradually n'earer the mooring the hatch in the nose was opened and a white-clad member of the crew could be seen standing in the aperture. A few yards from the buoy the aircraftsman threw him a light line to which a heavier one was attached, ariS in a few minutes the task of mooring was finished with the aid of the Air Force launch, which had drawn along- • side. Two doors opened on the. port side of the hull and after the launch had made a trip tv the shore she yeturned again with a large party, including the port health officer. Some time later the launch brought the crew ashoro on the pontoon. They all paused to be photographed, and this over, the tall flgure of Captain Burgess -led the procession up the gangway. Before teaching the top, he was greetcd by his mother, who came forward to meet him, and a few seconds later he was shaking hands with the official party, his two brothers and other relations.

The formal reception took place around a long table covered with the Union Jack and before the speeches Captain Burgess Teceived comradely greetings and congratulations from Captain Music, of the Samoan clipper. The addresses were brief and as soon as they were over everybody joined.in three hearty cheers for the captain and his comrades. Meanwhile the Centaurus had become the centre of interest for craft of all kinds. Father and Son Talk Over Radio.

' While the Impe'rial Airways flyingiboat was still well over 150 miles away (from Auckland on its flight across tho •Tasman, the commander, Captain Burgess and his father, Captain J. W. Burgess senior, of the Government liglithouse steamer Matai, were talking together in a two-way radio conversation which was arranged from StatiOn 1YA shortly after two o'clock, and father land sun exchanged greetings for the ifirst time in three years. Immediately ;the call was put through from Auckland a reply came from the flying boat: '"Hello, Auckland! Captain Burgess, of ithe Centaurus, speaking." His father |then weleome'd the commander and told ;him Mrs. Burgess would be waiting at |the wharf. He also expressed greet■ings to other officers of the Centaurus. ' Other membefs of the family were jalso in Auckland to welcome Captain !Burgess home. They were Captain D. Burgess, xnaster of the Auckland Harbour B'oard 's tug William C.(Daldy, and Messrs. G. and J. Burgess'. Another son, Mr. W. W. Burgess, is in the empioyment of the Wellington Harbour Board as an engineer.

The only disappointment felt by the. family was that the wife of the flying boat's commander could not be in Auckland to take part in the xeunion. With her infant son, also named John, 6he is a passenger for Auckland by the (Mataroa which is due from England on Friday, the day on which the Centaurus will probably go to Wellington. When Captain Burgess learned that :he v^as to have command of the Centaurus he decided to send his wife and json to New Zealand for a holiday. They iwere married two years ago and Mr. Burgess has not seen his father and •mother since then.