The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-19
ANXIETY FELT FOR
LOST NAVAL filters
Continued from Fret Page.

salvage plane. Standing By awaiting
better condition. Crew of NC-1 In
good shape now on board Columbia al
Horta. NC-4 in good condition and
waiting for favorable weather be.
fore proceeding to Ponta Delgada
Scouting line scouting to westward
for NC-a. Strong northwesterly winds
and rough sea prevailing"
A few minutes after this message was
received Admiral jackson sent the fol-
lowing:
Conditions Ponta Delgada weather
clearing. barometer rising, wind falling
to northerly. Conditions vicinity OF
Flores wind twenty miles per hour.
Conditions vicinity Flores considered
better from latest reports. No informal
ton received NC-3."
Using Corvo Island as an operating
base, the screen OF battleships and de-
stroyers was sweeping westward in a
great semicircle in an effort to catch
sight of the NC-s or pick UP radio dis
tress signals. The high winds and heavy
seas prevailing made the work OF the
rescue party most difficult
The main element of hope In the sit
uation as viewed by naval officials to-
night ives the fact that the weather
forecasts predict diminishing winds and
abated seas late in the night and Mon
day morning. 1t was thought that II
Commander Towers's frail craft could
successfully ride out the gale until
morning that the probability of rescue
would be greatly increased. since a YER
table swarm OF destroyers and other
naval craft gathered from wide dis
tances, were being concentrated over
the area to the northwest of the Azores
Each OF the seaplanes carried SUFFICIENT
food and water for six days when the
squadron left Trepassey Bay
Destroyers in Wide Search.
Rear-Admiral Jackson informed the
Department he had directed all torpedo
boat destroyers east OF station ship No.
16 to Join in the search for the NC-3
The only really cheerful note in the
reports received from Admiral Jackson
during the day lay in the statemen.
that the continued westerly winds had
cleared the mists which were the origi-
nal cause OF the disaster and which
have seriously retarded the search for
the missing plane. The morning report
from the U. S. s. Columbia. which is at
Horta directing the search by wireless,
gave the visibility this morning as
eight miles indicating heavy mists
which would render the low lying sea-
plane invisible from a destroyer's crows
nest at distance OF much over a mile
There are SO many destroyers engaged
In the search and their speed enables
them to cover such a wide stretch OF
water that II seems probable that given
clear weather the NC-3 may be picked
up during the long daylight tomorrow.
assuming that she is still afioat.
Late tonight the Department had re-
ceived no word OF the completion of
the fight to Ponta Delgada by the NC-4.
and 1t is presumed that Commander Read
found the weather conditions to-day too
risky for even the short trip OF $50
miles. News OF the departure of Harry
Hawker IN his attempt to make the
transocean Night in ons hop from New
foundland to the Irish coast was flashed
to Read as soon as the information was
received in hope that he would be able
to make arrangements for the compile
ton of his flight to Lisbon before the
Australians arrival
Besides Commander Towers the men
on board the missing NC-S were Com
mander II. c. Richardson. Construction
Corps, L. s. N. one of the several de-
signers OF the NC type OF ssaplane, and
Lieut. n. II. Mccullough, L. s. N. r. F.,
who acted as pilots Lieutenant Com
mander r. A. Lavender, L. S. N. radio
operator, and Machinist L R. Moore,
U. s. N, engineer
Wireless Experts Puzzled.
disconcertlng phase OF the situation
Is that even though the NC-3 did leave
behind her at Trepassey Bay her wire
less equipment for sending on the sur
face of the water II would seem probable
that Lieutenant Commander Lavender,
one OF the navy's mosf exDart radio man