The Washington times., 1914-07-24
THE AMERICA LIFTS
MORE THAN 3 TONS
Final Trials To Be Made Today
and Tomorrow, nd Craft
Sent to Newfoundland.
By LIEUT.. JOHN CYRIL PORTE, R. N.

By LIEUT.. JOHN CYRIL PORTE, K. N.
Are we downhearted? Well. no, The
America was in the air at Hammonds-
rort " Y. last night. with $500 pounds
Of useful lead and a total weight Of
500. When we trim ship for the trans
Atlantic voyage that gross tonnage will
ne all that we shall require the Rod
man Wanamaker liner to carry. So to-
day. for the first time in several weeks.
We are all. I hope, happy and satisfied,
for the great mechanical riddle of lift
ing the America out of the water has
been solved by the third engine and pro-
heller
Celebration could scarcely ind its ap-
propriate setting in this victory. We
were all engrossed in the work yet to
ne done. The tired, hungry workmen.
still wet to their skins and unfed at 9
O'Clock, went home for a good sleep.
But one and all of them, from Glenn
CUrtiss, the builder, down through the
shop apprentices, were in that state of
exploration where We couldn't tell
whether we were "darndest tirest or
darndest 'appiest."
II appears to be a certainty that the
America will be ready for shipment from
New York to Newfoundland a week
from today. We must still count on the
unforeseen, but our hopes are higher
than they have been at any time since
the EXPERIMENTING began. after we found
the boat could not get out of the water
under full load.
Will Fly With Two Motors.
II still remains to be actually dem
cnstrated by fight that the full load
can be sustained in air and carried at
required speed with two of the three
engines. 1t was too dark last night to
make that test. but when the craft was
actually off the water the third motor
was throttled down so that it was doing
practically no work. There can be little
doubt. therefore, of the actual success
OF the scheme to use the three engines
10 get off the water. and then fly with
only two.
The triumphant fight of the America
with its weight of more than three
tons, came at the dingy, drizzli1g end Of
a day of palpitating hopes and fears.
The third motor had halfway failed Us
and the gloom of uncertainty weighted
the already imurky atmosphere. In the
first fight Curtiss had taken the ma
chine of the water with six men and
the 800 pounds of sand aboard. Then he
loaded up with total weight Of 200
pounds, mainly sand, and succeeded in
planning against the wind, but not going
with it. The third motor did not seem
TO be giving satisfactory results. hut
the reason for this was not apparent
Motor Acts Badly.
Before noon il was decided to load
up with gasolene, which would shift the
load slightly from the position in which
the sand was carried. While the fuel
cargo VASE being taken aboard rain
started and continued in a downpour
nearly all the afternoon. 1t looked as
though another precious day was TO go
for nothing.
By 5 o'clock the clouds were tighten
ing, and Curtiss took the America out
again. The third motor, atop the upper
plane, was still acting badly. Appar-
emily not more than 80 or 500 revolu-
tions per minute were being obtained.
It was decided TO install tachometer
10 test the motor.
While this test was being made
George Hallett, assistant pilot and
n1echanician, sitting ashore with Cash
and myself keeping out of the rain,
thought he detected the misfiring of the
engine. This proved to be what was the
matter. During the earlier trials the
third motor had been running on orlv
four of its eight cylinders. due to a
faulty adjustment of the magnets The
roar of the three motors had prevented
detection OF the seat OF the trouble
during the morning flights
It was after dinner before the trouble
had been remedied and the America
was ready for her crucial test. There
vas an intermittent drizzle and a wab-
bly, breeze Of ten or twelve miles an
hour. Curtiss took the America out
md Cash representing Mr.. Wanna
maker. and l, watched her performance
from a fast motorboat. She plane
more easily and perfectly than on any
former trials, coming 10 the surface in
twenty-five seconds.
Here is the load taken off the water
IN this flight: Four men, $50 pounds ::
sand, 40 pounds; gasoline. 1850 pounds /;
original boat, 1900 pounds; third motor,
$40 pounds; hydroplanes, 100 pounds.
Total. 500 pounds.
This is probs ply an underestimate or
the weight lifted From this Can he
taken off before the time of fight fIom
Newfoundland fifty pounds to be saved
IN reconstruction Of the hydroplan;ng
boards with lighter lumber. and al least
100 pounds in water soaked up during
the rainy weather here. The - pounds
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