The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-10-15

A recent picture of Walter WeIIman
and the immense building at At
lantio City, in which was stored
the WeIIman dirigible airship,
america"
hour when his balloon, the America,
left the hangar here and disappeared
to the eastward in heavy fog.
After weeks of delay which aroused
doubts in the minds of all but the
staunchest of his supporters that any
real attempt would be made to start
the flight, news was flashed at 4
o'clock a. m. today that a start would
be made this morning. Melvin Vani-
man, chief engineer, and F. Murry
Simmons, navigator, had paced the
balloon shed throughout the night,
halting their work Of examination of
every part of the balloon only to look
out of doors at the weather.
Shortly after midnight the wind
dropped to a slow southeast breeze fol-
lowed by a settling of one of the heav-
lest fogs known on the cost. Friends
of Vaniman were overioyed when at 1
o'clock he declared the America would
leave the ground within the next few
hours.
It took more than two hours to get
the airship out of the hangar with the
assistance of policemen and firemen
and it was S:03 when the craft left the
ground. It floated into the fog off
shore and within five minutes was lost
to sight About one thousand persons.
who had lost faith in the expedition
saw the start.
He Was Uncertain.
When the airship left the ground,
Mr.. Wellman did not know whether
only a test would be made, or whether
the trip to Europe would be started at
Nonce. It depended on how he found
things when he got into the air, he
said.
When he left here it was his inten-
tion to go north, following the New
Jersey coast as far as New York. If he
found the airship working to his sat
he intended to follow the route of
steamers up to Nantucket and then
turn eastward and follow the track of
the Transatlantic liners across the
ocean. He expected to make every ef-
fort to keep in the steamship tracks so
in case he met with accident he would
be close to steamers with wireless and
could be quickly rescued if the crew
was compelled to take to the life boat
attached to the America
At Sol the great cigar-shaped bal
loon went up in the air and started
seaward. In two minutes it had dis
appeared in the dense fog which pre-
walls.
What little wind that was blowing
at the time was from the west. As the
balloon went into the air a parting
cheer was given by about 1000 per-
sons whose faith in the enterprise had
stood out against all attacks.
The trip was scheduled as a trial,
but the statement of Chief Engineer
Melvin Vaniman tEat I'VE won't come
back until we have had a try at Eu-
rope" is believed to mean they will
not return unless some accident befalls
the ship, or the crew is forced by ad-
verse winds to come back.
Quickly Out of Sight.
The balloon was out of sight almost
Immediately. The last reported sight
Of the America and its crew was Sc
cured by the crew of the yacht Olive,
beIonging to Col Thomas Potter of
Philadelphia, which guided the bal
loon out of the inlet
lust before starting, Chief Engineer
Vaninan Informed Mrs. Vaniman and
friends that there is every reason to
believe the weather conditions will
warrant the effort to cross the ocean.
thousands of people are on the beach
and board walk watching for the big
balloon in case a return is made and
11,ire1ess operators on pier stations are
T,einp besieged with inquiries in the
hone of some word of the progress of