Northwest History. Alaska. Aviation Crashes & Wreckage Missing Planes.

• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1933
• Subjects: Nome; Bering Sea; Alaska; nonstop flight; Khabarovsk; Siberia; Jimmie Mattern; Texas; gasoline; flyer; communication; safety; Century of Progress; speedy plane; the western coast; the Aleutians; fogs; Walla Walla; Point Barrow; Northwest; Pacific > History > 20th century; Pacific; Watchers; Barrow; Aleutian Islands
• Online Access: http://content.libraries.wsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/clipping/id/89971

Hours Overdue On Nome Flight: Mattern Not Reported Since Wednesday, 10:30 A. M./May Be Down./Objective Veiled By Cold Fogs -- Many Places Afford Landing./Bering Sea Barrier./Few Regions Have Contact With Outside World -- Believe Texan Safe. HOURS OVERDUE ON NOME FLIGHT Mattern Not Reported Since Wednesday, 10:30 A. M. MAY BE DOWN Objective Veiled by Cold Fogs -- Many Places Afoord Landing. Bering Sea Barrier. Few Regions Have Contact With Outside World -- Believe Texan Safe. By Assoicated Press. NOME, Alaska, June 15. -- Many hours overdue here today on his projected nonstop flight from Khabarovsk, Siberia, Jimmie Mattern, Texas round-the-wrold flyer, was believed to have been baffled again by unfavorable weather. Took Off Wednesday. Mattern took off from Khabarovsk at 10:30 a. m. (Pacific daylight saving time) yesterday on his second attempted flight over the harzardous route. Tuesday he returned to Khabarovsk after eight hours in the air. Storms which lay in his path Tuesday had moved out of his way today, but overcast sky and cold fog shrouded Bering sea and presented a formidable barrier to a flyer already wearied by flying alone almost two-thirds of the way around the globe. Seventeen hours' flying time was regarded as ample for the distance from Khabarovsk to Nome and Nomeites began to look for him at 1:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m., Pacific daylight saving time.) Believe Him Down. As the hours passed, however, and the low-hanging clouds stubbornly veiled the sky, the belief grew that Mattern had landed elsewhere. If he filled his gasoline tanks to capacity he should be able to remain in the air until 7:30 p.m. (Pacific daylight saving time) tonight. Ice-coated wings were Mattern's greatest menace. Should he be able to keep on his course he would have to fly high above the clouds or skim along almost at sea level below them. Ice would form quickly should he attempt to fly through the clouds of through the fog. Meanwhile, eager watchers at numerous wireless stations on land and sea were maintaining a constant vigil for a sight or sound of the flyer. News Outlets Few. At only a few places on the extreme eastern rim of vast Siberia are there means of communication with the outside world. There are countless landing places on both sides of the Bering sea where the flyer could have set his trim ship down and be unable to tell of his safety. Nome Landing Impossible. SEATTLE, June 15. (/P) -- Jimmie Mattern's plane, Century of P0rogress, at 1:30 p.m. (Pacific daylight saving time) today would have been in the air 24 hours, or seven hours more than the 2500-mile route should requie in his speedy plane. Weather observers here, scanning latest reports from the western coast of Alaska and the Aleutians, expressed the opinion that Mattern would not be able to find Nome, but would be obliged to land in the interior of Alaska because of overcast skies, if he had not been forced to turn back toward Siberia. A ceiling of 1000 feet or less prevailed at Nome and along the Alaska coast. Fogs were reported off the Aleutian islands. It was snowing at Point Barrow. A minimum temperature of 36 degrees at Nome meant that Mattern would not dare to fly through the clouds because of the forming of ice on his wings. Mrs. Mattern Worried. WALLA WALLA, June 15. (/P) -- Mrs. Jimmie Mattern today revealed for the first time keen anxiety for the safety of her husband. She always has felt that the stretch from Siberia to Nome was the most treacherous of the around the world flight. Mrs. Mattern's anxiety led her early this morning to call the Associated Press representative for the first time since she began her vigil 12 days ago to check on the exact hour of "Jimmie's" Khabarovsk take-off by local time. Always before she had waited patiently at the home of her sister until she was called.