The Reality of the Flight's Failure Sinks In
As the days went by and all the sightings and rumours turned out to be false or mistaken, even the most optimistic had to admit that it looked unlikely that any news of the avaitors would be positive. Lord Inchcape had kept the information that Elsie had definitely been on the flight from his wife until he felt all hope was lost. The Glasgow Herald told its readers that Lord Inchcape had, while waiting hour by hour he had been obliged to maintain a courageous mien before his wife, despite his inner anxiety and distress, always hoping that news of his daughter's safe arrival may reach him. Lord Inchcape's biographer Hector Bolitho later described the 'unselfishness and control which would carry him through those five days of anxiety without murmur of open complaint or seeking sympathy' as being typical of the man. He finally broke his silence by sending a cablegram from Cairo to the editor of a London evening newspaper. In it he denied any knowledge whatsoever of his daughter's intention to fly the Atlantic. In a private telegram to Elsie's favourite cousin, Bluebell, Lord Inchcape expressed his feelings on the tragedy. He described Elsie as having the courage of a lion and at the same time a heart full of tenderness for us and everyone. He was haunted by thoughts of her death and wrote that 'the end she must have come to in the Atlantic is a continual nightmare.'
On March 22nd the Secretary of State for Air, Sir Samuel Hoare, rose in the House of Commons in London to reply to a question about the flight. He explained that at the commencement from Cranwell flight officials at the aerodrome telegraphed the Air Ministry with the news that no destination had been given by the Captain and Miss Mackay but it had been assumed they were heading for an aerodrome in Dublin and no changes had been reported to this.
In France, aviaton experts told Le Matin that even using the latest technology the odds could only be slightly tipped in favour of a westward flight. "The attempt by Captain Hinchliffe and the Honourable Elsie Mackay was one of those which must be classed in the special category of sport and adventure. These two didn't seek to advertise any special kind of engine or even to beat any record. It is even doubtful if they seriously considered winning that $25,000 prize or sought especially the glory of being first to cross the ocean in a single leap from east to west. Certainly they sought no publicity for themselves and their adventure before they took the risk. It was sport alone which led them on and has carried the Honourable Elsie Mackay to such a tragic destiny."
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| Lord Inchcape |
On March 22nd the Secretary of State for Air, Sir Samuel Hoare, rose in the House of Commons in London to reply to a question about the flight. He explained that at the commencement from Cranwell flight officials at the aerodrome telegraphed the Air Ministry with the news that no destination had been given by the Captain and Miss Mackay but it had been assumed they were heading for an aerodrome in Dublin and no changes had been reported to this.
In France, aviaton experts told Le Matin that even using the latest technology the odds could only be slightly tipped in favour of a westward flight. "The attempt by Captain Hinchliffe and the Honourable Elsie Mackay was one of those which must be classed in the special category of sport and adventure. These two didn't seek to advertise any special kind of engine or even to beat any record. It is even doubtful if they seriously considered winning that $25,000 prize or sought especially the glory of being first to cross the ocean in a single leap from east to west. Certainly they sought no publicity for themselves and their adventure before they took the risk. It was sport alone which led them on and has carried the Honourable Elsie Mackay to such a tragic destiny."
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