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About December 1st Kearney started flying his new Day hydro at Newport Bay, and was so well pleased that he began making plans to fly it from Los Angeles to San Francisco over water via the shore route. Kearney started on this flight December 14[th], 1912, carrying Chester Lawrence as a passenger. After flying about 45 miles they ran into fog and a bad storm and became lost. Their [this] total disappearance led to a concentrated search, and their bodies and some parts of the plane were found several days later. Both Day and Glenn Martin helped with this search and identification.

Day's shop kept busy and in January, 1913, he sold a plane to a Japanese graduate student from the San Diego Curtiss School. He also made several pontoons for hydro equipment at that time and his shop overhauled one of the Sloane Company's school planes. In February, Day sold a plane to another Japanese graduate aviator and in March, overhauled a plane for Frank Bryant and another for the Sloane Company. In late April, Day completed a new special 50 h.p. Gnome-engined "Day Tractor" for a customer in Portland, Oregon.

In May, 1913, Day announced the merger of his business with the Glenn Martin Company and he teturned to Martin as General Superintendent. There, Day helped Martim start a special new plane for the Great Lakes Reliability Cruise scheduled to start from Chicago on July 8th. This was a competitive Event for water flying craft from Chicago to Detroit, via the shoreline of the Great Lakes, through the Straits of Mackinaw. Called the "Martin Aeroyacht," it was a 38-foot-span tractor biplane with an 80 h.p. Curtiss OX engine, and designed for either land or float undercarriage. It was flown in California for four days then shipped to Chicago, arriving on July 5th. Day was with Martin on this expedition and was to accompany him, as his mechanic, on the cruise.

Five contestants were entered in the event. In the rush to get ready Martin and Day had a mishap with the plane which delayed their starting on schedule. A severe storm in the area on July 8th nearly put an end to the event, but they got