FORT WAYNE, Ind., Oct. 28. -- (U.P.) -- Admiral Richard E. Byrd's 35-ton snow cruiser lumbered into Fort Wayne this morning some 36 hours behind schedule and still 845 miles short of Boston, its point of embarkation for Little America.
The cruiser's crew of four worked until early this morning installing new pressure equipment that controls the steering of the juggernaut. The original apparatus ceased to function properly yesterday after the cruiser sideswiped a truck at Columbia City, Ind.
They finished the repairs early this morning and arrived in Fort Wayne, 21 miles away, just five hours later.
The cruiser has been slowed all along its route by the crowds of spectators who wanted a look at the gigantic machine and by bridges.
An estimated crowd of 10,000 milled around it at Warsaw, Ind., its first night out of Chicago, and 12,000 gathered to watch the crew make the repairs last night. Police and newspapers across the state have been swamped with telephone calls asking the progress of the steel monster.
But the bridges have proved the major hazard. At three so far the crew has been forced to remove the hub-caps from its 10- foot wheels, exposing the motors that control its movements, to allow precious additional inches of clearance. One bridge took two hours to cross, another an hour.
Because of this, the crew would not venture to guess when they will arrive at Boston. However, they express satisfaction with the cruiser's performance to date.
Cruiser Hits Bridge Overturned in Creek
LIMA, O., Oct. 28.--(INS).-- Admiral Richard E. Byrd's giant snow cruiser overturned one-half mile east of Gomer, 10 miles north of Lima, on U. S. Route 30 today when it hit the side of a bridge.
The left front wheel of the cruiser was knocked off. The cruiser then overturned in the small creek. No one was hurt.
First reports said the cruiser was lying on its left side in the creek bed. Just how long it would take to right the cruiser so it could continue its trip from Chicago to Boston could not be determined immediately.
The accident occurred at about 1:30 p. m. (EST).
