Chicago Daily News 100 years ago: World flyers get big ovation in Chicago

As reported on Sept. 15, 1924, by the Chicago Daily News, sister paper of the Chicago Sun-Times:

America’s ‘round-the-world flyers — “the Magellans of the air” — sailed their giant sky cruisers into Chicago this afternoon, cheered by a million groundling watchers.

The Loop skyscrapers were just emptying their thousands into the streets for lunch hour as the three huge planes swept up into the sky from the smokey Gary horizon. Those thousands joined with a massed crowd in Grant Park, an enthusiastic multitude at Checkerboard field and excited turnouts all along the right-angled route over the city in sending up a welcome that must have been heard above the motors’ roar.

Ten minutes after the Loop had roared and whistled and rung its greeting to them, the history-makers were zooming out of the sky to a safe landing in Checkerboard field, less than 4,000 miles from Seattle, their goal.

It was 12:55 p.m. when Lt.. Lowell Smith, piloting the big cruiser Chicago, touched earth. The 294-mile jump from Dayton, Ohio, where the air explorers spent last night, had been made in five minutes less than three hours. Lt. Eric Nelson, at the helm of the New Orleans, landed while the Chicago was rolling across the field to a stop, and a minute later Lieut. Leigh Wade had brought the wheels of the Boston II down to earth.

“The greatest reception we’ve had,” the bronzed squadron commander said as he jumped from the cockpit of his ship to look at the cheering, flag-waving thousands massed all around the field. “Wonderful!”