The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-05-14
TWO HAPLANES
REACH HALIFAX
First Leg Of Transatlantic
Flight Successfully Ac-
complished
ONE PLANE DISABLED
BY ENGINE TROUBLE
Trip From Rockawav to Halifax
Made in Less Than Nine
Hours.

Made IN Less lllaHs N1iie
Hours.
Washington, May 8.-With two OF
the three navy seaplanes whlch
started from Rockaway, L, l., TINS
morning on the first leg Of the trans-
Atlantic fight arrived safely al IT,.
fax, MY officials were bending every
! energy tonight to locate the lh!io'
missing since early in the afternoon
NO report Of the missing n,achlne' ei.e
n. c. q. commanded by Lieut. Com. a
c. Reed. had been received after the
MACHINE passed the destroyer McDer-
mut first station ship located more
than so miles north OF cape ooo ''ie'
less than half way to HalltaA-
Orders were issued at once senoiiis
the NcDermut and the next snip pc
vond if. the kimberly, in search OF the
missing seaplane. Commander Reeo
had reported just before reaching the
McDeruut that the Oil pump >on one
of his motors was giving trouoie am
he. might nave to come down.
Later the n. C. reported to COM
mander Towers in the n. C. s, that the
trouble had been repaired.
Commander Towers, with the \. =.
i and n. C. made the trip to Han
fax In fraction less than nine hours'
the distance on the map over the
course he took being SIS miles. These
two planes went through the test IN
such a, fashion as to convince officers
here that prospects for reaching
Plymouth, England, the ultimate goa'
sof the navy airmen, were exceedingly
bright.
Each oe the three planes had
triple radio installation when 1t 1etS
Rockaway. One set was the tee
phone by which they communicated
with each other, while i'll fight at
distance of score or more miles.
Stations and guardsnips listened in
on many Of these conversations ana
reported them. The second set was
the regular long distance radio IN
stallation and the third was the equip
ment for the radio compasses.
AS the planes approached one OF
the patrol vessels, long before 1t was
sighted, the long distance radlo was
buzzing. Questions and answers
flashed back and forth, dealing with
directions for navigation. Important
: communications were relayed to ana
from the speeding seaplaneS, some
from Acting Secretary Roosevelt who
wtched the trip with keen interest all
Gay as the departments messages
came. One carried greetings TO
Commander Towers and his crews
from Washington Another relayed
cable assurances from London that
every facility of the British admiralty
would be at the disposal Of the daring
American airmen when they reached
British waters.
The communication arrangements
of the navy department worked out
perfectly. Repeatedly messages from
Commander Towers, sent from his
speeding flagship in the air squadron
the n. c.. 3 reached the desks Of Of
ficers here in few minutes of the
time they We're sent. Intercepted DE
any of the radio stations ashore OF
afloat On the chain reaching clear to
l
ington on the navy's leased wire.
The entire operation CT the sys-
tom was grouped under direction OF
Lieut.. Tunis A NJ. Craven. On one
side Of the lieutenants office is a room
where the leased wires brought in the
messages. On the other side IS the
transatlantic radio equipment. Re-
ports from Commander Towers could
be sent to Vice Admiral Knapp III
London almost as quickly as they
could be carried into Secretary Roose-
velt's Office across the hall.
Throughout the day Lieutenant
Craven kept a communication log on
the flight made up from the ines
sages. The log pictured graphicaliy
the swift rush northward Of the big
flying boats with their crews Ever
the so minutes that elapsed after Tho
n. G. ] and n G. 3 were safely
nloored for the night at Halifax be-
fore the cruiser Baltimore stationed
there. sent in the official report OF the
arrival is shown Had not that SIP
occurred. it could have been known
Officially in London that two Of the
three American sea boats had nado
the first lap Of the transatlantic
tourney on scheduled time almost be-
fore the machines themselves had
been moored.
More difficulty will be experienced
in getting word through promptly
when the long 'ap from Newfound-
land to the Azores starts. When the
fifth or sixth station ship has been
left behind communication will have
10 speed ahead to be re!ayed back b.
cable The destroyers can not com
municate more than $50 miles by ra-
6io in day time and they will leave
.heir post after the last OF the flyers
1,acco6