New-York tribune., 1919-07-07
Atlantic Visible ONLY in
Patches Until Airship
Neared Newfoundland.
Log of Voyage Shows
American Ragtime
Played at Meals
Record of Flight Is Made
Public by Brigadier
General E. M. Maitland

M1NEOLA, N. Y, July 6.-Brig-
adler General Edauurd NJ. Maitland,
C. M. G., D. S. o., official observer
for tho British Air Ministry, on
board the R~s4, made public here TO-
day the official log of the worlds
greatest asrship on its voyage from
East Fortune, Scotland, to Mineola.
The story told in the log as record
ed by General Maitland follows:
distances covered were as follows:
East Fortune to Trinity Bay, New
foundland, 2,050 sea miles; Trinity
Bay, Newfoundland, to New York. 1880
sea miles.
ut was originally intended that this
fight should have taken place at the
beginning Of June, but owing to the
uncertainty of the Germans signing
the peace terms the British Ad-
miralty decided to detain her for an
extended cruise up the Baltic and
along the German coast line. This
flight occupied fifty-six hours under
adverse weather conditions, during
which time an air distance Of roughly
2,400 miles was covered.
Airship Overhauled
"At the conclusion of this flight the
ship was taken over from the Ad-
miralty by the Air Ministry and the
airship was quickly overhauled for the
journey to the United States of
Anne erica.
"The date and time of sailing de-
cided upon 2 o'clock on the morning
of Wednesday, July 2, and the press
representatives were notified by the
Air Ministry to be at East Fortune the
day previously.
"At 1880 o'clock on the early morning
of Wednesday, July 2, the airship was
taken from her shed and actually took
the air twelve minutes later, thus
starting on her long voyage exactly
eighteen minutes in advance of sched-
uled time"
The story of the flight as entered in
the log follows:
"1:42 a. m. Wednesday, July 2.
"The R34 slowly arose from the
hands of the landing party and was
completely swallowed up in the low
lying clouds at height of 100 feet.
When flying at night, possibly on ac-
count Of the darkness, there is always
feeling Of loneliness Immediately af
ter leaving the ground. The loneliness
on this occasion was accentuated by
the faint cheers of the landing party
coming upward through the mist long
after all signs Of the earth had disap-
peared.
Wind Gauged Correctly
"Tho airshin roae rapidlv 300 feet
at which height she emerged from: the
low-lying clouds and headed straight
up the Firth of Forth toward Edin-
burgh.
"A few minutes after 2 o'clock the
lights of Rosyth showed up through a
break in the clouds, thus proving brill
iantly that the correct allowance had
been made for the force and direction
of the wind, which was twenty miles
an hour from the east.
"It should be borne in mind that
when an airship sets out on long dis
tance voyage, carrying her maximum
allowance of petrol, she can only rise
to limited height at the outset with
out throwing some Of it overheard as
ballast, and that as the airship pro-
ceeds on her voyage she can, it so de-
sired, gradually increase her height as
the petrol is consumed by the engine.
Of her petrol is consumed, can rise to
q height of about $4,000 feet.
Major Scott Anxious
"For this reason the next few hours
were one Of the most anxious periods
during the flight for Major Scott, the
captain of the ship, who, owing to the
large amount of petrol carried (4,900
gallons, weighing 1853 tons) had to
keep the ship as low as possible and
at the same time pass over northern
Scotland, where the hills rise to a
height of over 1900 feet.
Owing to the stormy nature of the
morning the air at 1900 feet-the
height at which the airship was trav-
elling was most disturbed and
'bumpy,' due to the wind being
broken up by the mountains to the
north, causing violent wind currents
and air pockets
1.-THE most disturbed conditions were
met in the mouth of the Clyde, south
of Loeb Lomend, which, surrounded by
high mountains, looked particularly
"The islands at the mouth Of the
The north coast of Ireland appeared
for time and shortly afterward
faded away as we headed out into the
Atlantic.
Record Of Incidents
"Thc various incidents OF the voyage
arc set down quite simply as they oc-
OF diary. No attempt has been made
to write them as a come cted story. 1t
Continued on rnO1 three