The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-11
800 PAY HONORS TO
NC filters AT FEAST
Read, Towers and Bellinger
Hailed as Pioneers in
Seaplane Flying.
BIG FUTURE IN AVIATION
Baron de Constant Believes
Worlds Peace VIII Rest on
Gigantic Air Fleets.

When he landed in PlypowI. Eng
land, on the afternoon o. May 81 and
had been welcomed formally by the
Mayor and the Town Clerk and repre-
sentatives OF the British army and Navy
and all the steam craft IN the harbor
had literally blown off the tops OF their
whistles In an acclaim OF welcome. an
American dob overstepped the limits OF
naval etiquette enough to whisper In
the ear OF Lieut. Commander Albert
Cushing Read:
"'Taint a marker to what you're soin
to get at home"
When he arrived in New York on the
steamship Zeppelin and was welcomed
by his wife and representatives of naval
military and civil officialdom Commander
Read decided that the COB was right
When he got to Washington he learned
that the COB was dead right. At the
Waldorf yesterday he concluded that the
COB was worthy OF promotion.
Read and his fellow aviators. Towers
and Bellinger, have been doing little else
but receive congratulations since they
returned and these came to climax
yesterday in a luncheon yesterday given
Jointly by the Aero Club and the Cham
her of Commerce OF Queens--the Dor
ough from which the flight started
Medals were presented to the three com
u.
man who had much to do with the de-
signing of the NC planes and who piloted
the NC-3.
II the 500 or more persons who at
tended the luncheon expected to heal
from Towers, Read or Bellinger any
graphic, highly colorej account of the
dangers and hardships of the first trans
atlantic flight they were disappointed
Neither of the trio, nor any member Of
Nhll. tNaNs frf xrsha Al
were present, are laxative men that Is
where they themselves are concerned
But II any members OF the Aero Club OF
anybody else wanted to hear few
cold. practical suggestions regarding tho
future Of aviation. they heard them.
Incidentally, everybody present hat
the argument whether seaplane Is &
more efficient factor in combat than q
dirigible settled once and for all. Tn,
dirigible. as represented by one Jacl
Snyder. came to earth for the count at
ter three rounds close range combat with
one Ed Apples, the human hydroplane
who admits a speed of forty knocks 6
minute. The bout was n sunrise anal
staged between speeches much to tn,
enjoyment Of the sailor-aviators.
Bra.iIians Send Message.
kilograms were read from prominen
OiHCldIS WHO COulQ NOT De present.
Guiding Secretary Of the Navy Daniels
Secretary of War Baker. Major-Gen
Charles T. Menoher. head of the aviation
service: William @. McAdoo. Major q
Reed Lands, second American ace. an,
one from the Brazilian Aero Club Of Ri,
de Janeiro.
r. A. c. Smith acted as toastmaste
part of the time when he wasn't refere
of the dirigible-hydroplane bout. H
withheld decision on the speeches. bu
gave the bout to the Thy drcpiane. II
Pushae Williams. president Of the Queen
Chamber of Commerce. made a shor
speech Of welcome to the fiiers.
Commander Towers. first of the guest
TO be called upon, said he believed Con
gress would take action to stimulate In
tcrest in aviation as soon as Congress
became convinced that the people of tn
country were interested in aviation an
wanted It developed and stimulated. s
too, he thought, the people of Queen
would make Rockaway Beach more &C
cessible when they learned that the PEG
pie wanted II 50.
Commander Bellinger, skipper OF tn
I'll fated NC-1, flashed the famous Bel
linger smile. said he was glad to be bac
and sat down.
Lieutenant Commander Read. bushes
like and intensely serious, said tina
there were one or two things connecte
with the enterprise that should receiv
more emphasis.
when Bleriot crossed the Englis
Channel" he said, 1.-The feat wSs cor
sidered an epoch making event. 1t wal
But now. only a few years afterwarC
the flight across the channel is mad
daily as a matter OF course and nothin
Is thought of II. In a few years we wi
be crossing the Atlantic Just the sam
way. But that Is not going to come a
rapidly as II should.
What Is needed most Is serious II
terest in aviation on the part of III
people generally. People are intereste
now principally in exhibitions. But a
far as the future of aviation is concerne