Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-15

NEW YORK, October 15.-The airshlp
America, with Walter WeIIman and his
men on board, was making favorable
progress over the Atlantic in n north
easterIy direction at las pm. this aft
ernOOn.
This information was contained In q
dispatch received by the Associated
Press at pm. Ii was dated ION board
the airship America, crossing the At
lantic, 1:45 p.m., October I5," and read:
"The sea is smooth. We are not
crowdinE the motor hard. Averaging
about Is knots an hour. All going well.
(SignedD "WELLMAN."
ATLANTIC CITY, n. j., October 15.-
Word was received here from the
weather bureau at Washington that
the West Indian hurricane fs coming ND
the coast.
An attempt is being made by Well
mans friends TO reach him and warn
him to clear from the track OF the
storm.
ATLANTIC CITY, n. j., October 15.-
Walter Wellman's airship America is at
last in the air.
After weeks of delay which aroused
doubt in the minds of all but the very
stanchest supporters of Walter Well
man, aeronaut and explorer that any
real attempt would be made to start the
flight, news was flashed at am. today
to officials of this resort and hackers of
the enterprise that a start would be
made this morning Melvin Vaniman,
chief engineer. and +. Murry Simons.
navigator. had paced the balloon shed
throughout the night. hating their work
of examination of every part of the bal
loon only to look out Of doors at the
weather.
Shortly after midnight the wind drop
ped to slow southeast breeze. followed
by settling Of one of the heaviest fogs
man who stood by him and declared their
belief that he would try either with or
without his partner Wellman were over
joyed when at 4 o'clock Vaniman de-
clared that the America would leave the
ground within the next few hours.
1t took more than two hours to get the
huge airshp out of the hanger with the
assistance of policemen and firemen, and
1t was $50 am. when the big craft left
the ground. 1t fioated right into the fog
off shore and within five minutes it was
lost to sight. About one thousand per-
sons, who had not lost faith in the expe-
dition, saw the start.
Undecided at the Start.
When the big airship left the ground
Mr. oil
test would be made or whether the trip
to Europe would be started at once IL
depended upon how he found things when
he got into the air. he said.
When he left here it was his intention
to go north. following the New Jersey
coast as far as New York. If he found
that the airshp was working to his sat
isfaction and that conditions remained
right he intended following the route of
steamers up to Nantucket and then turn
eastward and follow the tracks of the
liners across the ocean.
He expected to make every effort to
keep in the steamship tracks, SO that in
case he met with accident he would be-
close to steamers with wireless. with
which the airship is also equipped, and
could be quickly rescued if the crew was
to take to the lifeboat attached
to the America.
Six Men on Board.
Col Potter's small motor yacht bHl
means of a rope towed the airship tfA
few hundred feet necessary to reach this
waters edge, and when the boat cut loose
the monster balloon fioated in the air like
4 bird. Those gathered to witness the
start declare the sight was a beautiful
%
ballooning. There are six men on the
airship. and they provided with pro-
Visions. mostly Of the canned variety, suf-
icient To last them month. The only