New-York tribune., 1919-05-17

January 3, 1885. He was the first naval
officer to learn. flying and the first to
take command of naval aviation camp.
He was graduated from the Naval
Academy, Annapolis, February 12, 1906.
as midshipman. After service on six
ships of the line he was promoted to
ensign. Further service afoat brought
him to the rank of lieutenant, junior
grade, on June 80, 1911, when he was
for instruction in aviation. There he
learned to fly under Glenn H. Curtiss.
In the fall Of 1912 Towers estab-
lished the American endurance record
of six hours. The same year he was
placed in command Of the newly estab-
lished naval air station at Pensacola,
Fla.
When the Mexican crisis developed
in April. 1914, Commander Towers was
sent down in command of the navy's air
forces of two flying boats and two sea-
planes. With him were Lieutenant
Commander Bellinger, who commands
crew No. 3 in the present venture. and
Lieutenant Sauffley, who was later
killed in flying accident.
Picked for America Flight
Following the settlement of the Mex
lean problem, Towers was sent to Ham
mondsport to take part in the Rodman
Wanamake- preparations for flying
across the Atlantic in the flying boat
America.
This project had rapidly developed
when the European war put an end to
the attempt. Commander Towers was
sent to London as assistast to the naval
attache there, where he remained until
July 81, 1916.
L.,
war Commander Towers was appointed
member of the Army and Navy Board
on selection Of sites for air stations in
the third, fourth and fifth naval dis
tricts.
On February he was appointed COM
mander of the transatlantic fight, and
placed in charge of development of
plans and assembly of material and
personnel for the project "April 21,
1910," according to official osders, he
was "ordered to proceed to such place
as the NC Seaplane Division l, that
will make the transatlantic flight,
may be, reporting to the commandant
of that naval district, and assume COM
mand of that division when placed in
commission. AS commander of the NC
Seaplane Division l his status will be
the same as a commander of a division
of seagoing ships of the rlavy"
Designer Pennsylvania Man
Commander Holden Chester Richard
son, one of the three designers of the
NC type of scaplanes, was born in
Pennsylvania, December 7, 1878. He
entered the Naval Academy September
8, 1897, and was appointed nsgn June
7, 1908, after service on the Illinois and
the Massachusetts. After a special
course in the Massachusetts, Institute
of Technology he was appointed an as
sistant naval constructor.
On February s, 1908, he was sent to
Washington, where he commenced the
experiments on hydro-aeroplanes that
laid the groundwork for his later sue
cesses in designing boat bodies and
floats for seaplanes.
On November 27, 1918, Commander
Richardson, plotting the NC-1, estab-
lished a worlds record at Rockaway by
flying with fifty passengers, excluding
himself. He has designed practically
all the hulls at present in use by the
navy on aircraft.
Lieutenant David H. MCCULLOUGH,
pilot before the war, entered the Naval
Air Service when the United States
entered the war and was given the
rank of previsisiona. lieutenant,
United States Naval Reserve Force. Oc-