Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-10-17
Starts from Atlantic City in 0irigib|e
Balloon America Keeps in Wire
less Touch with Shore for a
Time Messages Say OK,
ON WAY TO EUROPE.

Siasconset, Mass, Oct 1S.-Some-
where east Of Nantucket island, off
the coast of Massachusetts and ap-
proximately 800 miles from Atlantic
City, its starting point, Walter Well
mans airship America signalled a
wireless "All's well'' and a good bye
at l2.45 o'clock this afternoon and
swung on up the coast through the
fog. This message, the last of the
days wireless conversations, was re-
ceived here by A. H. Gilman. the
Marconi operator, who had been on
the alert since dawn.
These messages We're a portion of
wireless communications addressed to
the New York Times and the Lon
don Daily Telegraph. under whose
auspices Wellman is making his re-
markahle fight.
At 3 o'clock this morning SiascOnset
first came in touch with the giant
dirigible. Then, although the wire
less range of the craft is compare
lively short owing to necessarily
limited power and antennae, the sta
ton was surprised to hear it's call
"MSC' clearly and strongly followed
w lllt Cppc SlSIiOl VI Tic az SiiiP.
Judging from the strength of the
signals. it was assumed that the
America was in close proximity to
Nantucket. and Immediately all the
life saving stations and lighthouses
on the island were notified by tele-
phone to keep a sharp lookout. The
fog which has enshrouded the Amer
ica since her departure yesterday, still
hang over the ocean. shutting off the
view The Marconi station never
theless began a rapid fire of inter-
rogations and learned from Jack"
Irwin, the Americas operator. that
the balloons motors had been stopped
and that the dirigfble was heading
east-northeast and making 25 miles an
hour will, the wind. Nantucket's
excitement was acute. but with motors
idle the airship sailed along as silent
ly as a phantom in the sky, whereas
ordinarily the engines exhaust would
have reverberated along the coast
However, the electric voice of the
Marconi station filled in at times
what the eve and ear were denied and
intermitently the operators here eX-
changed greetings with their late as
sociate. who it will be recalled, re-
ceivcd in this station the dramatic
GOD" from the ill-fated steamship
Republic At 1890 A. NJ, signals
from the dirigible became suddenly
stronger and it was momentarily ex-
pected that the America would come
in sight of the station. Irwin. in fact
wired that he thought he could hear
the sound of the breakers, but the
fog effectually shut the craft from
view although he was probably pass
ing over the shoals surrounding the
island.
From that time on the signals from the
airship grew steadily weaker until final
ly at 12.45 message was flashed from
here asking If everything aboard was
10, X. Family came the reply yes" Then
fainter still the two letters "GB" Good
bye).
Being unable to take observations in
the fog, the Americas exact position re-
mained unknown through the day, as
has been the case since she set sail Her
course, however, has been along the
steamship lines and as no word to the
contrary has been received the assump-
ton is that Mr.. Wellman, with 51-days
fuel and 3O-days provisions aboard, is
adhering to his plan of crossing the At
'lantic and land on the British Isles 1t
is likely that no further wireless word
from the airship will be received here.
but a dozen or more liners fitted with
wireless were in her zone tonight.
When last heard from during the day
1o45 p. M.-the America had been in the
air just IS minutes less than % hours
and covered approximately 300 miles.
have averaged in progress between 10 and
II miles an hour. At this rate the craft
will not pass Sable island, 45O miles dis
tant from Nantucket, until O'Clock Tues
day morning and Cape Race, $50 miles
further. until o'clock Wednesday eve
ming.
Brisk westerly winds aided the passage
today and with engines idle while Off
Nantucket, the wireless must have been
operated by storage batteries. This prob
ably accounts for the briefness OF lr-
wins messages for he was douptiess
boarding his limited supply of energy
for an emergency. With the motors IN
operation, a dynamo can be pressed into
service, but the sparkling antefteFes
with the receiving and better results are
obtained when they are silent.