The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-20
Walter WeNnan And His Party Return to New York
 After Thrilling Trip
RESCUE IN M|D-0CEAN
 READS LIKE ROMANCE
Airship Is Abandoned Because Gasolins Had to He Thrown Away and Last Seen of Ship It Was Sinking
 Beneath the Waves

New Yoak, October 19.-Walter We'll man and his five companions were landed here this afternoon by the steamship Trent, which picked them up at sea after they had abandoned their dirigible bal loon America and failed in the first at tempt ever made to cross the Atlantic through the air. A bruised right hand which Wellman carried in a sling was the only physical injury that resulted from their long voyage of approximately 900 miles and a rescue the like of which Is unknown to all history.
 None of the aeronauts expressed regret for the loss of the America. They agreed that it had served its purpose and taught it's lesson. All stand ready to renew the attempt as soon as Wellman and his en- gineers find way to conquer the diff culties that brought their first trip to it's thrilling end last Tuesday morning, 4O0 miles southeast of Sandy Hook.
 Standing on the deck of the Trent clad in the same suit of khaki he wore when he and his crew launched the America last Saturday at Atlantic City, Wellman made this statement:
 we thought we could not get along without the equilibrator. Now we find out we could not get along with it. Our plans for the future are indefinite until we find something that will do what we thought the equilibrator would do."
 Useless Equilibrator
 The "equilibrator" to which Wellman atf frfh h1fo fot of the series of tanks containing gasoline which ioated in the water attached to the airship by a long rope. It's pur- pose was to keep the balloon steady, compensating for the expansion and con- traction of gas due to changes in tenn perature, which would have made the America rise sink erraticaly. The Americas experience proved that this floating tail, jerking at the delicately poised airship, made 1t impossible to steer or make headway in the desired direction and severely weakened the structure. To find another means of compensating for this unavoidable change in the volume of gas is the problem to which Wellman and his engineer, Melvin Vaniman, will now devote their attention.
 The direct cause of abandoning the America was the exhaustion of the sup ply of gasoline, which had to be thrown out to save the ship. hen the crew abandoned the balloon only enough was left to last A hours.
 This is Wellmans description of how he hurt his hand:
 While we were afloat in our life boat trying to catch the Trent tried to grasp a rope thrown from the steamer. In some way the rope got twisted about my hand and before I could get loose it nearly tore off my little finger and badly bruised the rest of my hand"
 Injury Unimportant
 The comparative unmportance of the injury, however, was demonstrated by the fact that as Wellman said this, he held a cigar in his bandaged hand and was not obliged to let the member rest In the sling.
 The others of the Americas crew said they felt as well as ever and they looked 1t. They are:
 Melvin Vaniman, the engineer; J. Mur- ray Simmons. the navigator: J. K. Irwin. the wireless operator, and Albert l.. Loud and John Auburt, the air sailors.
 There was also the kitten which was so pampered by the women passengers aboard the steamer that her sides bulged with feeding. She had made the air voyage as a nameless cat, but on board the liner was promptly christened
  vaniman's shoulder. Vaniman's compan- ions said that even in the haste of prepar- ations to leave the America the chief en- gineer made sure that there was enough air in the compartment of the life boat where the cat was slowed to make her comfortable.
 A thick. gray curtain of fog hung over New York bay this morning and caused of the last scene of the drarna ir whtcb Wal1ynap and b;s crsur were the chief figures. The Trent was forced to anchor off Sandy Hook and there she remained until early in the aft ernoon before the fog lifted enough to make 1t safe for her to come up the harbor.
 Waiting at Quarantine
 Meanwhile party of those nearest and dearest to the shipwrecked aernauts had taken tug and gone as far as the quar- antine station to meet them. In this party were Mrs. Wellman, Mrs. Vaniman. Mrs. Lercy Chamberlain. Wellman's mar ried daughter, and his three unmarried daughters and Mrs. Sarah Loud, mother of Mrs. vaniman and of Albert L. Loud They had long wait at quarantine and 1t was not until AIS o'clock that Wellmaa descended the companionway from tho steamer to the deck of the tug
 With tears in her eyes, Mrs. Wellman embraced her husband and kissed him on both cheeks. The aged Mrs. Loud stood weeping, with one arm around the neck of her son and the other about her son. in-Iaw, while Mrs. Vaniman also in tears of joy. hung on her husbands arm.
 The Trent was anchored off quarantine, awaiting the inspection of health and the revenue officers when the tug Dalzelline with the aeronauts relatives came along side. wellman was standing close by the rail with the members of his crew be- side him. When the passengers, crowding about him caught sight of the women aboard the Dalzelline, they set up cheer first for Welman and then for Mrs Wellman, then for Welmans child ren Then somebody proposed three cheers for the cat. which viewed events serenely from Vanimans shoulder After the Wellman party had boarded the tug, Wellman stood with his arms about his wife and one of his daughters and Joined