Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-17
SAILING ALONG WITHOUT POWER
lNAL "ALL's WELL" FROM CRAFT
PASSED OVER SHOALS

Formerly stationed.
sIAsCoNsETT, Mass, oct 15.-some-
where east Of Nantucket island, of the
cost Of Massachusetts. and approximately
800 miles from Atlantic city, the starting
point, Walter Wellmans airship, America,
signaned a wireless "Alls we'll" and
goodbye at l2:45 O'Clock this afternoon and
swung on up the coast through the fog.
This message. the last Of the days wire
less conversations, was received here by
A. II. Gilman, the Marconi operator who
had been on the alert since dawn.
At o'clock this morning siasoonsett
first came into touch with the giant
dlrigibe. Then, although the wireless
range OF the craft is comparatively short
owing to necessarily limited power and
antenae, the station was surprised to hear
its call-"Ms" clear and strong followed
by "W" the code signature OF the air
ship. 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 sations and
| light houses on the island were notified
by telephone to keep sharp outlook.
But the fog, which had enshroudcd the
America since her departure yesterday
morning, still hung over the ocean shut
| ting off the view The Marconi station,
| however, began a rapid fire Of interroga-
tons and learned from Jack" Irwin, the
Americas operator that the ships motors
| hda stopped and that the dirigible was
heading east-northeast and making twenty
! five miles an hour with the wind.
Close to Nantucket.
| Nantucket's excitement was acute, but
with motors idle the airship sailed along
as silently as a phantom in the sky, where
ordinarily then engines exhaust could have
! reverberated along the coast. However,
the electric voice Of the Marconi station
filled in at times what the eye and the
ear were denied and internationally the
operators here exchanged greetings with
their late associate who. Il will bd recalled
received at this station the dramatic &C.
Q. D." from the Inflated steamship Re.
public at lO:SO a. m. signals form the ddA,,
gible became suddenly stronger and. 1t was
momentarily expected that the America
would come in sight of the station Irwin
in fact, flashed that he thought he could
hear the sound of the breakers, but the
fog effectually shut the craft from view,
although she was probably passing over
the shoals surrounding the island.
(From a staff Correspondent)
From that time on the signals from the
airship grew steadily weaker until finally
at 1916 a message was flashed from her
asking II everything aboard was all right
Family came the reply yes" and fainter
two letters &C. B." Good bye.)
Assume VIII CrOs the Ocean.
Unable to take observations in the fog,
the Americas exact position remained un-
known throughout the day as has been
the case since Il set sail. It's course how
4 ever, has been along the steamship lines
and as no word to the contrary has been
received, the assumption is that Mr.. Well
man, with fifty days fuel and fifty days
provisions aboard, is adherIng to his plan
of crossing the Atlantic and landing on
the British isles. 1t is likely that no
further wireless word from the alrship will
be received here, but a dozen or more
liners fitted with wireless were in its zone
tonight
The airship America, bound across the
Atlantic, was sighted fifty miles north of
Scotland lightship at clock last evening"
This is the latest message from It. II was
sent by wireless at 9 o'clock last night ana
announced that the America was working
steadily In a northeastern course, making
fifteen knots an hour.
She looked like a large sailing vessel
up in the air" was the descriptive pas
sage in the message Of the Cosmos wire
less man.
1t was very foggy, but the message said
the glitter Of the balloons wireless ap-
paratus was sighted overhead before the
sound Of the message itself rang on the
steamships keyboard.
The first attempt to make a flight over
the Atlantic ocean from continent to con-
tlnent began at o'clock yesterday morn
ing. when the huge dirigible balloon
America started from Atlantic city with
Walter Wellman in command a party of
five men, one OF whom is also a navigator
one an expert wireless telegraph operator
and the others engineers.
starts Ont in "a Fog.
The start was made in the thickness OF
great fog and with a slapping breeze
blowing to the northeast. In ten minutes
from the time the America rose-a mon
strOus creation with a cigar shaped gas
bag 225 feet long and fifty feet in diameter
in it's center, bearing two motors, one
ninety the other eighty horse power, and
two big propellers-the giant airshlp had
slipped out OF sight In the gray haze II
went away with motors silent and pro-
pellers motioness, taking the wind TO sea
for her motive power.
But though the America swiftly faded
from the sight Of the watchers on short,
Jack Irwin, its wireless operator, kept up
q running fire OF messages, describing the
progress Of the big machine-messages that
were picked up at different stations. Gen
orally these messages told OF the America
maIdng steady progress at the rate OF
about fifteen knots an hour. its motors
, running smoothly. its rudder working per-
fecuy and everything shipshape on the
first days attempt 70 make history
: Wenman. head Of the exposition, said no
5 hoped 20 cross the Atlantic ocean ia eighl
or ten days At fifteen knots an hour ht
is making the speed OF a slow liner Hs
] carries gasoline sufficient to work the
o motors fifty days and the America Is fitte(
q with a device by which the navigator ex
poets TO be able to conserve the Gas