Neither flight was made in ideal conditions. The Mercury and the long-range monoplanes had to ght head winds most of the way. The end planes flew thousands of miles through heavy tropical storms and Jelouds which" restricted them, for hours ata time, to navigation by srstruments alone.
They crossed India without seeing steering a course above the clouds a height of 10,000 feet by stellar observations. Nevertheless, both ree-fords. were achieved at a far higher Javerage speed than was attained in earlier comparable flight. The Mercury averaged 142 mph. and the land planes no less than 153 mph—figures which demonstrate the aerodynamical eMlicieney of the sireraft and their high performance in speed as well as in range.
Toronto, Dec. 30, Fuller details on the loss of the young British Arctic explorer, Rey-old Bray, who was drowned 200 miles within the Arctic Circle last September, have been received by wireless from Patricio Baird, who was with him, The message from Baird, who is a cousin of Lord Stonehaven, said that Bray. in an open boat, was blown out to sea and disappeared 200 miles north of Repulse Bay, "Bray and I were alone at the time," Baird declared. "He was carried out to sea. 1 stayed ashore. When T saw his predicament, 1 ats tempted to go to his rescue in a whaleboat, but it was too late."
Bray was 27 years old, and was a member of the 1986 Cambridge University Expedition,—which left to spend three years in the Canadian Two British Inventions These historic voyages spectacular ly justified (we unorthodox British 'The Mercury made other fights during the year, notably its return hight" from' America across the 'Atlantic Ocean and journeys with mails between England and Eqypt, hich further indicated the feasility' of the composite alreratt idea.
At the start of its slight to South Africa, the sasplane was carrying 45 pounds on every square foot of wing, Javea and 20 pounds for every horsepower of its four Napier Rapicr Heshaped engines—a combination of wing-loading and. power-loading, Which "had never previously been carried into the air. It was lifting more than one and a half times its Unloaded "weight.
The record-breaking land plane: were Vickers-Wellesley monoplanes of "geodetic construction, powered teach with a Bristol-Pegasus air cooled engine. The geodetic construction, invented by Mr.
Whilis and developed by him in conjunction with the Vickers Company. for several years past, ranks os a major discovery. This ingenious nuthod of basketwork building is claimed to produce a structure that enormously strong and is yet exceptionally light in weight—Wireless through Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.