The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1910-10-27
FLYING TO EUROP!E.. E.
ACROSS THE BROAD AT.
LANTIC.

Walter WelIman Left Atlantic Cit,
Saturday Morning i'm Air Ship.
Expects to Cross i'm n
Week.
wednesdays dispatches say that
Wellman and his crew were picked
w by steamer from the Bermu-
das about $50 miles off the North
CAROLINA coast. The balloon had
been destroyed but the occupants
saved themselves in life-boat.)
Atlantic City, N. j., Oct. 15.-
Walter Wellman's airshi2 America
has at last started on it's long plann.
ed attempt to cross the Atlantic
ocean.
After weeks of delays news was
flashed at a. m. to-day that a
s. start would be made this morning.
Melvin Vaniman, chief engineer,
and r. Murry Simmons, navigator,
= throughout the night had watched
= the weather
Wellman was overjoyed when at
, 4 O'Clock Vaniman declared that the
America would leave the ground
within the next few hours.
1t took more than two hours to
get the huge airship out ready for
the start.
1t was S:03 a. m. when the big
craft left the ground, bounding up
ward and floating right into the
fog off shore. The balloon within
five minutes was lost to sight
About one thousand persons saw
the start.
When the big airship left the
ground Mr.. Wellman did not know
whether only test would be made
or whether the trip to Europe
would be started at once 1t de-
pended on how he found things
when he got into the air, he said.
When he left here it was his inr
tention to go noYth, following the
New Jersey coast as far as New
York. If he found that the airship
was working to his satisfaction and
that the conditions remained right,
he Intended following the route of
turn eastward and follow the tracks
of the transatlantic liners across
the ocean.
In the Line of Ships.
He expected to make every eff
fort to keep the steamship tracks
so in case he met with an accident
he would be close to steamers,
with wireless, with which the air
ship is also equipped and could be
quickly rescued If the crew was
compelled to take to the life boat
T. attached to the America.
The airship America which has
,sbeeA preparing for flight across
#k the Atlantic under the supervision
G35of Walter Wellman was this morn
9 ing taken out of the huge hanger
e i'm which 1t has been housed for
~ months, The delicate operations of
removing the 22S-foot gas bag was
performed without mishap.
AT SOL a. m. the great cigar
shap d balloon went up in the air
and Ttarted seward. In two min
utss4.it had disappeared in the
dense fog which prevailed.
At 10 a. m. the fog had partially
lifted, but the America was out of
sight from the beach and board
walk. The wireless aboard the bal
> loon Is probably not yet working, as
o. no word has been picked up at
wireless stations here.
o. What little wind that was blow.
az ing az the time was from the west
When the balloon went into the
air parting cheer was given By
about 1000 people.
The cool-headed heroes Of tn,
is air waved their good bye" ant
r climed into the car of the immens,
II gas bag and floated off in tn,
q tdense fog that enveloped the entir
ISLAND while the crowd kept cheer
ing.
Try TO Reach Europe.
The trip was scheduled as
mere trial, but Chief Enginee
MelbOurn Vnniman said:
I'VE won't come back until W
have had try at Europe"
This is believed to mean that tn
|, men will not return unless some az
HI cident befalls the ship.
d. Dense fog with no wind made tn
le conditions perfect and the balloo
30 D. az out of sight almost immediate
ssioly. The last reported sight of tn