﻿THE 
  FIRST 
  ALASKAN 
  AIR 
  EXPEDITION 
  

  

  501 
  

  

  Drawn 
  by 
  A. 
  H. 
  Bumstead 
  

   FROM 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  TO 
  ALASKA, 
  COMPLETED 
  IN 
  53 
  HOURS 
  AND 
  30 
  MINUTES 
  FLYING 
  TIME 
  

  

  slid 
  along 
  in 
  the 
  tall 
  grass 
  for 
  fifty 
  feet, 
  

   luckily 
  stopping 
  without 
  turning 
  over. 
  

   What 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  beautiful, 
  smooth 
  

   landing 
  field 
  from 
  above 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  

   rough, 
  plowed, 
  and 
  bumpy 
  surface, 
  cov- 
  

   ered 
  with 
  the 
  smoothest 
  growth 
  of 
  hay 
  

   imaginable 
  ! 
  

  

  Nome 
  was 
  still 
  but 
  a 
  fraction 
  under 
  

   4,500 
  miles 
  away, 
  and 
  here 
  in 
  Mr. 
  Troop's 
  

   deceitful 
  hayfield 
  my 
  mechanic 
  and 
  I 
  sat 
  

   regarding 
  the 
  broken 
  axle 
  in 
  the 
  pouring 
  

   rain! 
  Machines 
  2, 
  3, 
  and 
  4 
  might 
  be 
  ma- 
  

   rooned 
  in 
  other 
  fields 
  or 
  might 
  be 
  nearing 
  

   the 
  city 
  of 
  Erie. 
  I 
  had 
  no 
  way 
  of 
  learn- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  their 
  whereabouts 
  until 
  they 
  com- 
  

   municated 
  with 
  me. 
  

  

  There 
  was 
  nothing 
  for 
  it 
  but 
  to 
  replace 
  

   the 
  broken 
  axle 
  and 
  get 
  away 
  again 
  as 
  

   soon 
  as 
  possible. 
  I 
  telegraphed 
  back 
  to 
  

   Jlitchel 
  Field 
  for 
  an 
  axle. 
  It 
  was 
  deliv- 
  

   ered 
  the 
  following 
  morning, 
  and 
  after 
  

   three 
  hours' 
  work 
  we 
  had 
  it 
  installed 
  and 
  

   were 
  readv 
  to 
  take 
  off. 
  

  

  A 
  runway 
  had 
  been 
  cut 
  across 
  the 
  hay- 
  

   field 
  to 
  permit 
  us 
  a 
  passageway 
  out. 
  But 
  

   the 
  gasoline 
  and 
  oil 
  I 
  had 
  ordered 
  from 
  

   the 
  nearest 
  town 
  had 
  not 
  arrived. 
  Upon 
  

   investigation 
  we 
  discovered 
  that 
  the 
  fuel 
  

   truck 
  was 
  stalled 
  in 
  the 
  mud 
  of 
  a 
  country 
  

   road 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  us. 
  

  

  All 
  hands 
  were 
  called 
  to 
  the 
  rescue, 
  and 
  

   after 
  several 
  hours' 
  work 
  we 
  disinterred 
  

   the 
  truck, 
  escorted 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  hayfield, 
  and 
  

   filled 
  the 
  airplane's 
  tanks. 
  Darkness 
  was 
  

   falling. 
  It 
  was 
  necessary 
  to 
  lay 
  over 
  for 
  

   another 
  night. 
  

  

  Upon 
  arriving 
  at 
  Erie 
  the 
  next 
  morn- 
  

   ing, 
  after 
  about 
  four 
  hours' 
  flying, 
  I 
  

   found 
  all 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  my 
  flight 
  had 
  

   safely 
  reached 
  there 
  the 
  first 
  day 
  in 
  5^2 
  

   hours 
  from 
  Xew 
  York. 
  They 
  had 
  flown 
  

   through 
  the 
  rain, 
  mostly 
  by 
  instinct, 
  since 
  

   the 
  visibility 
  was 
  bad 
  and 
  the 
  maps 
  we 
  

   carried 
  were 
  of 
  little 
  use. 
  

  

  Western 
  Pennsylvania 
  is 
  rough 
  and 
  

   well 
  covered 
  with 
  woods, 
  offering 
  few 
  

  

  