Col, Fitzmaurice announced his decision to withdraw as an official entry the race when the stewards dismissed his appeal to be allowed to Face with a load of 8,000 1b.
"The American authorities were no!
lo. to certify the airworthiness of his plane with a load above 5.400 Th, But, despite this, he insisted on being allowed to carry 2,600 1b. more.
"Each British machine that hopped off to-day carries a message fron Lord Londonderry to the peo contents have not been divul will be delivered by the first arrival Melbourne. above the drifting cloud banks. When the plane was brought to a standstill this morning the excited cro away the barriers and machine to the control point amid rounds of cheers.
Hopes inspired by the British alr-men's sensational progress thus fa were somewhat dashed by their announcement that repairs necessary to their De Havilland Comet might delay their take-off. Fortunately, however, they were quickly made and the plane hopped off at 1.35 this after-oon with 2,176 miles still to go before reaching the last control point, at Charleville An hour later after they had taken on supplies, the airmen were off again on the most dangerous lap of the race, the 2,084 miles to Port Dar win, Australia, which entails cross-Ing'the Timor Sea.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.