The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-04-28
B|RDMEN ARE
BACK F RO NJ
ORLEANS RAID
Reached Pensacola $50 o.
m. Without Mishap.
Left Wednesday.
$50 MILES AN
HOUR WAS SPEED
Inferior Gasoline Delayed
One MachirN
Are Given Ovation.

ny O'oo o CLOCK yesterday afternoon
the last Of the navy aviators, who
made trip through the air to New
Orleans and back, were safe and
sound at the Pensacola naval station,
| the starting point of last Wednes-
| day. Those who made the trip were
Lieuts. Earl w. Spencer, Nathan B.
Chase, Edward M. McKittrick, Virgil
c. Griffin and Bruce G. Layton. A
most Successful trip was reported.
New Orleans people were lavish in
| their entertainment of the fiers. and
| the aviators will have -eason to re-
member the trip to the Crescent City
a long time. One of the airplanes
had delayed start on the return trip
| yesterday, because of some motor
trouble. As a whole, however, the
trip was one series Of ovations, for
the stop which was made at Gulfport
brought out many citizens, who fur
nished lunch for the aviators and
/ otherwise made the stay of the bird
men pleasant.
In New Orleans the airplanes set
tied on Lake Pontchartrain. A story
of their stay there, from the time of
their arrival to yesterday, is printed
in the States of yesterday and is as
follows:
Navy Filters Entertained.
Lieutenant C. P. Manson, U. S. N,
announced Thursday morning that
! the four No type navy hydroair-
planes, which reached West End We'd
nesday evening after their trial fight
| from the Pensacola navy yard, will
| fly back to Pensacola as soon as the
navy officers commanding them con-
] slider the condition of the machines
and the weather satisfactory.
The fifth machine, which lost the
| route Wednesday afternoon and
landed off Waveland after flying past
| Gulfport, the halfway station, arrived
| at West End about IL o'clock Thurs
day. Inability of its operators to re-
| plenish its tanks with satisfactory
gasoline caused the machine to re-
main in Waveland Wednesday night.
! 1t will return to Pensacola with the
| others.
eve must return as soon as posi-
ble," Lieutenant Mason, who came
here several days ago to arrange for
the coming of the seaplanes, said
Thursday morning. "The Red Cross
Association wants us to remain over
few days, but that is impossible.
The machines are being examined to-
day. AS soon as they are found to
be in good condition and the weather
man promises us good weather, we
will return. | will go by train to
Pensacola Immediately after the ma
chimes leave here"
Encounters Stiff Winds on Flight
Except the inability to obtain gas
oline of a sufficiently high proof, the
fight from Pensacola to New Orleans
was not delayed by unexpected inter
ruptions. The first and shortest leg
of the journey, the fight from Pen
sacola yards to Fort Morgan, at the
mouth of Mobile bay, was made
through the stiffest winds encoun-
tered on the flight.
The five machines, which form the
nucleus of what is to be squadron
of twelve seaplanes, left Pensacola
Wednesday morning at IL o'clock
and after fighting their way through
the head winds Lieutenant Spencer
mentioned, descended at Fort Morgan
TO replenish their gasoline tanks. AT,
; Ter a two-hour stay at Fort Morgan
the fight to Gulfport was begun.
i $50 Miles Covered in Little Over Ar
Hour.
ii Four of the machines landed al
) Gulfport shortly after 8 o'clock, hav.
: ing covered the $50 miles from Fort
: Morgan in a little more than an hour
The other, which had been flying
!, ahead of the four, few past Gulf
) port. Lieut.. v. C. Griffith and Tur'
/. ret Captain Varini, commanding tht
4 fifth machine, landed near Waveland
: ard were unable to obtain there sat
, lisfactory gasoline for the rest of thu
!, fight.
Fl The four machines at Gulfpor
were met bv a committee of womer
5 of the town, by whom luncheon wa
: served to the aviators. Gasoline am
t lubricating oil was supplied to thu
machines at Gulfport, and the res
of the fight to New Orleans was be
/. gun. It was 5.53 p. m. when TIL
Z first machine was sighted, flying from
the east, by the waiting crowd a
: West End. Within five minutes /
: was over the landing stage, at ;
E height of about 1000 feet. Ate
a curving widely toward the north i
: descended swiftly and shot over tn
9 water directly for the landing plat
e form.