The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-10-22
WELlMAR AbAhOOhS AIRSH|P.
STEAMER PICKS UP CREW OFF
NORTH CAROLINA COAST.
Blown From his Course by Strong
Winds, Aviator and Crew Decide
To- Give Up the Ship.

tempt to cross any ocean in an air
ship has failed, but Walter Well
man. five companions and kitten,
who essayed the voyage, are safe.
The airship-the Giant America--is
battered aerial derelict, abandoned
at sea, perhaps still in the air. per-
haps beneath the waves with her
costly equipment. When deserted she
had been in the air probably ~
hours, a new worlds record for dir
igibles and, driven by the wind had
tavelled doubtless 500 miles. Wheth-
er the distance recorded for dirigibles
$40 miles-also will be broken, re-
mains to be computed.
Picked up by the steamship Trent
early this morning off the North
Carolina coast, Wellman and his fell
low air navigators are due in New
York at noon tomorrow. They left
their craft because she was in dis
tress and blown so far from the
course of the steamers travel that a
continuation of the voyage to the
British Isles was hopeless. So, sum-
moning aid by wireless, the difficult
and dramatic transfer to the Trent
was accomplished and the America
left to it's fate.
For an incident without parallel in
history-the transfer of passengers
from an airship to a steamer-mea-
gre were the details obtainable by
wireless during the day. Wireless,
at all times more or less uncertain,
was rendered more so by the tropi-
cal wireless station in the vicinity OF
New York picked up from the Trent
q word here and word there am
plifying on the earlier dispatches.
1t was learned that Wellman had
found 1t necessary to rid the airship
of the burden of most Of it's gasoline,
retaining only enough to reach land
in the event the Trent had not come
to the rescue. When the steamship
needed the call of distress and drew
near it's aerial sister, Wellman shout
ed his predicament through a mega
phone and decided that he would
lower his life boat, which swung
from the dirigibles belly. AS a pre-
caution the Trent lowered her life
boats, which stood by until the trans
fer was effected and Wellman and
his companions, even down to the
| frightened squirming kitten were
safe on board the line, surrounded
| by the excited passengers.
[ The rescue was accomplished at a
time when two continents awaited
| breathlessly the fate Of the dirigible
| and her crew.
Having been spoken by wireless.
J presumably in the vicinity of Nan
| tucket. at 12:45 +. NJ. on Sunday, it
was surprise then when the news
| came that the America had encoun-
tered the Trent. homeward bound
from Bermuda, in a longitude and
latitude nearly 400 miles southwark
| and $50 miles northwest of Bermuda.
Thrilling must have been the ex-
per!ence of the Americas command
er and crew as they were thus swept
| out of their course.
Capt. Down, of the Trent, flashed
first news of the rescue In a mes
| sage to the New York Times, which.
with the Chicago Record Herald and
the London Daily Telegraph, con-
tributed $4,000 for the purpose of
the expedition.
Capt. Down also advised Sanderson
& Son. New York. for the Royal
Mail Steamship Packet Line.
subsequently more details came in
a dispatch to the Associated Press.
Further wireless messages reach
ing New York tonight say that one
| of the motors had broken in the
America, which had made more Sc
rious the predicament created when
all the gasoline that could he spared
was cast into the sea.
The America is, or was, 228 feet
long and 52 feet in diameter, with
lifting capacity Of 1850 pounds.
The envelope alone weighed two
| tons. There were three gasoline en-
| gines aboard, two of from 80 to 90
horse power for the propeller and
the smaller for the operation of a
donkey engine. Taken as a whole
the craft was practically the same in
which Wellman made his two starts
for the North Pole in 1907 and 1909.
! respectively. Neither of attempts
we're successful. both were made
from Spitsbergen and one from a
group Of islands In the Attic Ocean.
between Franz Josef Island and
| Greenland.