Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1910-10-28
iWELLMAN PARTY
RESCUED IN OCEAN
AVIators Picked Up by Royal
- Mail Packet Trent

Walter Weflman and his five mates
who were attempting to cross the At
lantic ocean in the dirigible balloon
America were picked up at sea by the
Royal Mail steamer Trent and landed
in New York city.
Wellman started from Atlantic City
N. j., Saturday morning in an attempt
to fly across the ocean to Europe.
For the first twenty-four hours after
his departure he was in touch with
land by wireless on his airship. Then
for two days he was not heard from
and fears for the safety of himself and
five mates were keen1y felt.
The rescue was made in latitude
94:43 north, longitude 6S:1 west. at a
point about 375 miles east of Norfolk,
Va, and about $50 miles northwest of
Bermuda.
The America, after a record flight
for dirigibles of about seventy hours,
was sighted close to the water in dis
1ress and was abandoned by Wellman
and his crew, all of whom sought
L
of the dirigible's life boat.
The airship America was sighted at
4:30 a. m. and wireless communica-
tion between the Trent and the air.
ship was begun. In abandoning their
craft the crew of the America lowered
themselves into their life boat, which
swung beneath the gas bag Well
=
in the life boat and were afioat.
Daylight was rapidly approaching
when the airship and the steamer
came in sight of each other. By
wireless the America asked the steam
ship to follow in the wake of the air.
ship. The America was then drifting
above the waters at a speed of twelve
miles an hour. The Trent hove to
upon sighting the airship and spent
three hours in all maneuvering and
picking up Wellman, Vanniman and
their assistant.
A conference was held between
Wellman and his companions aboard
the America as to the best means Of
getting the frame work of the airship
means, it was decided would be to
launch the Americas life boat Much
danger attended the launching and
great deal of time was consumed oW-
ing to the possibility of the life boat
being upset any moment by the long
equalibriator of the balloon-a string
of small tanks of gasoline hanging
in links from the America and the rail-
ing in the waves.
After careful preparations the life
boat was lowered and launched. While
the launching was under way, how
ever, the brisk wind caused the equili-
brator to sway violently and to strike
Operator Jack Irwin and-Louis Loud,
one of the assistant engineers, as they
were lowering themselves. They
were not seriously injured.
Upon being free of the weight of
the crew, the airship Immediately shot
skyward as the life boat was taking
the water The sea that was running
at the time was moderate and the
aeronauts had very little trouble in
reaching the Trent and boarding that
steamship. A 1880 o'clock a. m,
three hours after the steamship had
sighted the America and within a few
minutes of 7115 hours from the time
the airship had left the Atlantic City
beach, Wellman and his companions
and life boat were hauled aboard the
Trent. The balloon, now a speck in
the sky, was left to the winds, to
founder in the Atlantic. None of the
aeronauts was found to have suffered
from his adventure.
When the America was abandoned
she still had gas enough aboard to
keep her afloat at least twenty hours
longer. The crew was glad to get
aboard the Trent, nevertheless, as
they had begun to fear that they would
not reach home again. Navigator
Simons of the America took several
photographs of the airship from the
deck of the Trent before the airship
disappeared.