The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1910-10-22
. THEY Are SAFE
----s------- 80
Crew Of The Steamer Trent Gives Tie
!. Facts Of Tie Rescue Of
WELLnAN and his CREW

Landed in New York With Only
Bruised Hand, Walter Wellman
Declares He VIII Again Attempt
to Cross Atlantic When. Gasoline
Arrangement Can Re Perfected.
Walter Wellman and his party of
five were landed at New York We'd
nesday afternoon. by the steamer
Trent, which picked them up at sea,
after they had abandoned their dir
igibles balloonf America and failed: in
the first attempt ever made to cross
the Atlantic through the air. A
bruised right hand which Wellman
carried In a sling. was the only ply
| sical injury that2resulted from their
long voyage of approximately 900
miles and a rescue the life of which
! is unknown in all history.
1t was the Morse lamp, winking
is message through the darkness that
just proceeded the dawn Of Tuesday
morning and not the wireless that
first attracted the; attention Of those
aboard the Royal Mail steamer Trent
to the distressed airship.
STANLEY Angel, an ordinary seaman
of IS years, and George Sangster, an
able seaman, had the early morning
watch. Angel saw ahead Of him,
high up in the northeast, faint
Tight. at first" said the boy il
narrating his experience, II thought
it was the morning star. Then I
| saw two faint red lights beside the
white one. and !. next made od: a
dark blur againstithe sky. The white
light kept a-wink Ing and l knew that
| it was signal and reported it to
G. J. Fitzgerald, the fourth officer In
charge Of the watch.
'Fitzgerald notified W., H. Lani-
sou, the. chief officer BY this time
the outline of the airship had been
made out against the moonlight sky
and Lanison called Capt. Down out
of his berth. Help the white light
of the America was signalling to fhe
steamer" 5S..
when l came on deck" said
tCapt. Down, ,,''tHs. airship was plainly
VISIBLE. In the. light of the full moon
she looked. enormous, hanging low In
the northeast and close at hand. In
reply to our signals she told us her
name and that she was in distress
and asked us to stand BY"
Then the wireless was called into
use, and between Louis NJ. Ginsbere,
operator on the Trent, and Jack h.
Irwin, the operator in the life boat
suspended below the gas chamber OF
the America, passed series OF mes
sages that will stand in history as
the first wireless communication be-
tween ship at sea and ship In
the air.
lat this time said Capt. Down.
of the Trent, 1--WE were In speaking
distance of the America. She was
only 70 feet above our forestays and
moving about 12 knots an hour. We
kept beneath her with difficulty. Tor
she swung to and fro in the air cur
rents. and sometimes we were forced
to go full speed astern as not to
lose her.
Then said Capt. Down, the
crew OF the airship began trailing
wire ropes. I1anison, our chier OIL
Ger, gabbed one and held until the
skin was rubbed off his hands and ne
was lifted from his feet and nearly
dragged overheard. After hall an
hour OF this We decided that this
method of rescue was hopeless aud
much to risky. So Wellman asked
up to keep close while he and his
crew lei down their lifeboat. saying
that he trusted to us to pick them
up.
We got two boats ready and sta
toned men along the sides With life
buoys siGnalled lets 90. and
Wellnan lowered his airship until rs
Ilifeboat suspended underneath was
within six feet Of the water. The
trailer composed OF tanks OF gaso-
line and weis hing thirty hundred
weight. was the greatest danger. and
after the boat was launched this
struck her aud stove hole in her
side about six inches in diameter,
but above the water line.
when Wellman dropped his life
boat il struck the sea broadside. but
quickly righted itself. II went tnll
speed ahead and We had considerable
difficulty in picking up the boat. Mr.
Wellman injured his hand in trying
to catch a piece Of one Of our ropes.
The last saw OF the airship SHE
was fifteen OF so wiles away with
one end in the water. Her valves
had been opened and she udou6teu-
ly sank soon, dragged down by her
heavy machinery.
"Wellman and his crew came
aboard and after baths. dry clothes
and a good breakfast appeared none
the worse Tor the experience.
The Trent carried 151 first cabin
passengers. most Of whom had been
making a pleasure trip to Bermuda