The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-06-16
GREAT ACHIEVEMENT
SAYS SEC. DANIELS


Washington. June 15.--The capital
was electrified today by receipt OF news
of the landing of Captain John Al
cock and Lieutenant Arthur w.
Brown in their vickers-vimy bomb
ing biplane at Clifden. ireland, there
by concluding the first successful non
stop Transatlantic fight.
~ am intensely gratified and very
pleased" said Secretary OF the Navy
Daniels this afternoon. ut was a great
achievement and it shows that we are
just on the threshold of greater de-
velopments in aviation than we ever
dreamed of--even a month or two
ago. 1t also shows the necessity of
]iberality on the part Of congress in
the matter of American aviation SER
vice
1t was only yesterday that Mr..
Daniels sent a letter to Senator
Carroll S. Page. chairman OF the
naval affairs committee OF the
senate. protesting against the ac-
ton of the house in reducing the
appropriation for navy aviation to
SIS, 000,0 900 as compared with the
$500, 100000 appropriation that
Great Britain has made for the
purposes of improving both her
naval and military air fleets.
Doubtless the feat of the Anglo
American aviators in crossing the
Atlantic in sixteen hours-Lieu-
tenant Brown is an American
will have more effect in chang
ing the mind of congress than
any member of letters from either
navy or war department officials
Congress now sees an accomplish
ed fact. and is not expected to
disregard it.
There were plaudits without mum
Der this afternoon in war and navy
department circles when news OF the
flight came in. Once il became known
that the Vickers- Vimy machine ha l
landed at Clifden, Ireland armv and
navy officials expressed their admira :
ton OF the daring of the two avia =
tors. who flew in the face of the Haw-
ker-Grieve flight which would have
ended SO disastrously in mid-ocear
were it not for a passing tramp
freighter which rescued the two men.
All Give Praise.
Splendid was the concensus n.
all remarks and comment on the sue
essful contamination OF the first non
stop flight.
Congratulations were also forthcom
ing from the families Of Americas
pioneer airmen, who blazed the way
Afi'Se tIic Atlantic anu utlu Ittof VI
the first crossing. o..
81 think II was wonderful" said Mrs
A. G. Read wife OF the commander of
the successful navy seaplane .NC-4 ''Mr
Alcock's flight was marvellous. but II
took us to get over first"
Mrs. John Fl. Towers. wife of the
commander Of the NC-3, also expressed
admiration for the Alcock- Brown ex-
petition.
I'VE didn't get over any too soon
she said.
Just as the American trans-ocean
fight first demonstrated the feasibility
of crossing the Atlantic by air. the
present flight. in the belief of navy Of
ficials here. emphasized the need of an
adequate air force by the United States.
The views are shared by war depart
;nent officials. and by the country at
large. 1t is believed.
With the United States only sixteen
hours air distance from Europe IL
would be foolhardy to relax efforts to-
ward perfection of airplanes and con-
struetion of numerous planes of all
types and sizes, and to depend on good
fortune to protect us from a hostile
air invasion. it was said this afternoon.
Mr.. Daniels letter to Senator Page
recounts the tremendous development