Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-10-17
Last Heard of Between
500 and 800 Miles
Off Land.
HEADING FOR ENGLAND
Last Goodbye" Sent Direct to
Shore-TraveI by Wind to
Save Fuel.

New York, Oct 17.-Wireless sta
tions along the coast as far as heard
from at $3.50 today had nothing to re-
port as to the progress of Wellman's
balloon America across the Atlantic.
Follows Steamship Lines.
New York, Oct. 17.-Swept on
ward by a steady westerly breeze,
Walter Wellman's great dirigibIe
balloon, America, first of air craft to
hazard transatlantic passage, was
following the steamship lanes up the
Atlantic coast at midnight last night
out Of wireless range from shore
noints, but presumably continuing
its unbroken course with all well on
board. The giant craft had passed
Nantucket island early in the after
noon with propellers idle and had
held brief wireless communication
with the Marconi station at Siascon-
sett-
Location Not Known.
LII oil IAS ObuSE MSSSdSSS lueTe
was no hint of the airship's Ioca-
ton, but a signal "goodby'' indicated
that Wellman, whose dream is to be
the Columbus Of the air, on passing
Nantucket, turned the nose of his
craft in a more northerly direction
with the British isles as his goal
A wireless message, amplifying on
those of the day, was relayed to
ponac. L. I. 1t was faint and hard
to decipher, but as patched togeth-
er was as follows.
''All well. Machinery working
well. Have turned more northerly |
to reach transatlantic steamer |
track Exact position not sure, |
miles of shore"
Last Word Received.
Siasconsett, Mass, Oct. 17-Some- !
where east of Nantucket island, off
the coast of Massachusetts and ap-
proximately 500 miles from Atlantic |
City, the starting point, Walter Well |
mans airship, America. signaled a !
wireless "All's welI,' and a goodby |
at 12:45 o'clock yesterday afternoon
and swung on through the fog.
But all seemed not so well for !
Wellman also flashed in a message |
to the effect that ''the outlook is not |
so favorable, but we are keeping up
the fight"
This message. the last of the days !
wireless conversations, was received |
here by A. H. Ginman, Marconi op-
orator, who had been on the alert |
since dawn.
Close to Station.
At 9 o'clock yesterday morning |
Siasconsett came in touch with the |
dirigibIe. Then the station was sur
prised to hear it's call followed by |
Wv" code signature of the airship.
Judging from the strength of the |
signals, it was assumed the America |
was in close proximity to Nantucket |
and Immediately all the life saving
stations and lighthouses on the is
land were notified.
But the fog, which had enshToud-
the Ar.erica since it's departure still |
hung over the ocean, shutting off the |
view The Marconi station began a
rapid fire of interrogations and |
learned from Jack" Irwin, the
Americas operator, that the ships
motors had been stopped and that
the dirigible was heading east
northeast and making 25 miles on
hour with the wind. The operator at
Siasconsett calculated that the Amer
lea probably was several hundred
miles at sea.
Could Hear Breakers.
Intermittently the operators here
exchanged greetings with their re-
cent associate, who was the man who
received at this station the &C. d.
O." from the illfated steamship Re-
public. At 1890 a. m. signals from
the dirigible became suddenly
stronger and it was momentarily
expected the America would come in
sight at the station.
Irwin, in fact. flashed that he
thought he could hear the sound of
breakers. but the fog shut the craft
from view, although it was probably
passing over the shoals surrounding
the island.
Just before the farewell note, this
w"rd was sent in about the stopping
of the motors: Have shut down mo-
tor and am heading east-northeast,
making 25 knots on hour without en-
gine. Saving juice for wireless: dyn-
amos not working. Thick fog. No
observation obtainable''
Faint .'GOod-Bye" is Flashed.
From that time on the signals
from the airship grew steadily weak
e; until at 12:45 a message was
flashed from here asking if every
= ng aboard was O. X. Family came
the reply. Yes then fainter still, 6
the two letters, &c. B." .lGoodbYl }. Is