The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1910-10-28
WsIIman Says the EQuIlIbTatOT
Mate the TTOu1.G.
IT HELD DIRIGIDLE BACK
SAYS Alrship Was In Good Condition
When Abandoned - Jack ir"'ns
Graphic Story Of the Adventure.

Walter Wellman and his i've COM
,anions. who were rescued al sea rom
he dirigible balloon America by the
.teamship Trent, Captain Charles =
Down. of the Royal Mail Steam P-c-eI
,ompanv. about 375 miles east OF NOR
oil Va. Tuesday morning While a''
.emr. ing to fly from Atlantic CITY TO
Euroae. reached New York aboard the
Trent -
Mr. Wenman. still wearing the
khaki av.a.en clothes which he mas
WON since sailing from Atlantic Ci'y
i'm the balloon last Saturday morning.
showed no u.I sd effects OF tie 'oy-
age than dil his companion o'-er
than tina, be was somewhat pale ana
carried one arm in Stag o"iAs 10
an injury to the little finger oil MS
right hand. -.
Aiter Nr Wellman had greeted MS
wife. his four daughters, Mrs Nanimah
end Mrs. Loud who is the aged motn-
or of Mrs. Vaniman and OF Engineer
Ale Louis Loud. OF the America
crew. the newspaper men worked theF
way to Mr. Wellman's side to ask MN
the reasons for the abandonment Vi
the dirigible and consequent lack OF
success OF the voyage
Mr.. Wellman surprised MS inter
viewers by stating that the airsnlp nao
met with no serious engine trouDles
and that the escape OF gas from the
bag was negligible. In two statements
signed by Mr.. Wellman just after 'ne
rescue and in conversation with cap
tain Down and passengers on the
Trent Mr.. Wellman was cuo'ed as
saving that the dirigihle had he IN
mishaps so serious that the oA-i'ou
when sighted by the Trent could nave
remained above the sea only le"
hours longer and that her macAin'
cry had gone awry.
THE equilibrator was our great
trouble" Mr.. Wellman explained. Be
fore starting out on this balloon Foy'
ace we we're of the opinion that no
dirigible could reach Europe without
an eouilibrator. Now we know tna' q
dirigible cannot get there with an
eouilibrator. The equihbrator Whloh,
being partly formed OF small tanks OF
Gasoline arranged in links and tralilhs
as q tail down into the ocean, was ths
very cause OF our being compelled 70
throw overheard some OF our sasollns
on Sunday night and Monday Inc
trailing tail held the balloon back anc
at times pulled it down toward 1n'
water. and we had to ballast snip a
the cost of a loss of gasoline dropped
n the waves. Try again? Well. som
thing better than our equilibrator VII
have TO be invented. Until 1t is ca
not answer definitely when l shai
make another trial The balloon wa
in good condition when aoal-oneu.
lack Irwin, the wireless operator
said
Nobody felt any fear. even wne
things were going their worst we gu
all right. but we quit only because "
were running out Of gasoline. IN
eouilibrator. holding US back like
new brake. made us throw. out IN
gasoline We seemed 10 be going alon
in the right direction on Saturday an
Sunday, anG as Sunday morning dsWl
al the wind was working around Dac
Of us TO help us along. We found aft'
dusk Sunday night that we were We
of the Long Island coast and ST
heading east by north. But the VIII
helped US only for a little whlle- n
while on Sunday IL had kept
q. working 10 keep of shore, but wh'
observations Sunday night showed
that we we're about 40 miles east
noroth Oh Nantucket the wind beg'
N come ont of the north and start
our troubles.
r. 1--WE held a council Sunday night
O'Clock. che airship was trying
break up I'd ngs before the council "
finished. Tie wind vas beginning
mitch us around and we were LOST
beadwav and drifting of shore iowa
- the south. The more the wind can
the more we bounced We decided
! become sort OF liee TOT an uen'
racy. That's when We started TO thr'
~ the gasoline overheard to keep frc
. hitting the waves crests-
ri tt was during the long drift Of 81
dav nieht and Monday morning We
L man and Irwin said. thar the DEM
racy decided that Europe as an OBJ
tive point now was out Of the Gu
ton because of the compulsory Ia
OF fuel
~ $50 we decided 10 head for
p Azores" Irwin resumed But We
III bufeted some more just after We
cided on tie Azores. so we chang
y our plans again 10 try for the B
mudas. All day Monday we were wo
ed so har, dropping gasoline oy
board and trying TO make the oalio
behave that after another coun