The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-10-17

! New York. October 16.-Swept on
ward by sturdy westerly breeze,
Walter wellman's great dirigible ball
loon America. first of air craft to haz
ard transatlantic passage. was fol-
| lowing the steamship lanes up the
| Atlantic coast at midnight tonight.
out of wireless range from shore
points. but presumably continuing her
| anbroken course with all we'll 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 Siasconset. In
of the airship's location, but signal.
| ed "Good-by' indicated that Wellman,
whose dream is to be the first CO.
lumbus of the air, had, on passing Nan
tucket. turned the nose of his craft
In more northerly direction, with
the British Isles as his goal. A wire
less message amplifying those Of the
day was relayed to Siasconset to-
night. thence to Sagaponack, L. I. 1t
was faint and hard to decipher, but as
patched together was as follows:
All well. Machinery working we'll
Have turned more northerly to reach
the transatlantic steamer track Ex-
act position not sure; somewhere be-
tween 800 and 500 miles off shore
None of the messages received spoke
Or 11y oil
cation received by the New York Times
referred to the outlook "As not ia
vorable." In the same message, how
ever was cheerful, eve are keeping
up the fight" AT Atlantic City, where
the America left her moorings yester-
day morning, Mrs. Wellman and Mrs.
Naniman, the latter the wife of Mel
vim Nan1man, the airship's chief en-
gineer, received word of the safety OF
their husbands, but sent no messages
In reply.
Several transatlantic liners were
supposed to be near enough to com
with the America by wire
less tonight, and additional word from
the airship was momentarily expected.
Swinging Up Coast.
Siasconset, Mass, October l6-Some-
where east OF Nantucket Island, off the
coast of Massachusetts, and approxI-
lnately 800 miles from Atlantic City,
the starting point, Walter Wellmans
airship, America. signaled a wireless
AIS WE'LL and a "Good-by,' at 1245
o'clock this afternoon and swung on
up the coast through the fog. This
message, the last or the days wireless
conversations, was received by A. a.
3inman, the AIarconi operator who had
been on the alert since dawn.
At O'clock this morning Siasconser
first came in touch with the giant
iirigible, Then. although the wireless
range from the craft is comparatively
short, owing to necessarily limited
oower and antennae, the station was
to hear Its cail--"M. S. c.
lear and strong, followed by "W,'. the
ode signature of the airship,
Close to Nantucket.
Judging from The strength of tina
tgnals, It was assumed that tina
America was in close proximity to
and Immediately all the
itesaving stations and lighthouses ON
he island We're notified by telephone TO
,eep sharp lookout But the fog,
'hich had cnshrouded the America
ince her departure yesterday morning.
TN hung o9er the ocean, shutting orr
he view, The Marconi station, now-
Yerr began rapid fire OF lnterroga-
ions and learned from Jack Irwin. the
.nerica's operator, that the SHIPS
lotors had been stopped and that the
trigtbie was heading east-northeast
nd making twenty-five miles an hour
Nth the wind Nantucket's excitement