HAWKER'S ACHIEVEMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 May 1919, Page 4

HAWKER'S ACHIEVEMENT.

The rescue of the intrepid airmen, Haw-1 ker and Grieves, who attempted the trans-Atlantic flight, will be hailed with satisfaction everywhere, for, however foolhardy may have been the attempt without adequate preparation in case of accident, the very pluck and daring of the men appealed to the sporting instincts of the public, especially when they were endeavoring to forestall their enterprising American cousins. The cables state that the airmen alighted because of mechanical trouble, and, after being 90 minutes in the water, were rescued by a passing vessel. It would have been little short of a national disaster had these plucky men succumbed, particularly after getting so near their destination. It was a splendid achievement, and one, it is pleasing to learn, which has been handsomely acknowledged by the Daily Mail, which offered a prize of £IO,OOO, and has now added a consolation prize of £SOOO for Grieve. Flying the Atlantic will, no doubt, be quite a common experience in the near future, but it probably will be by airships and not by aeroplanes, which have obvious limitations, as proved by the mishap to Hawker's machine. For "blazing the track" Hawker will have gained an honored place on the scroll of fame of the sons of Britain, who have ever been to the fore in every field of endeavor requiring pluck, enterprise and endurance.