The sun., 1919-05-01
FLIER PATROLS
TOSTART SOON
Destroyer and Five Dread
noughts Will Sail To-day
or Tomorrow.
OBSERVERS ALREADY OFF
Tender With Reporters and
Film Men Leaves for New
fOundland.
OBSERVERS ALREADY OFF


navy's transatlantic fiiers. Under
command Of Rear Admiral Hugh Rod
man the flagship New York will lead
out four Of her dreadnought sisters.
Their radios. far more powerful than
that Of any destroyer, will be available
from point to point and make the as
surance Of communication with the
fiiers doubly sure.
Furthermore in case Of accident
their broad decks and powerful
cranes can be rushed to the scene of
possible trouble at high speed. The
names Of the ships to accompany the
New York are the Arkansas. Texas,
Utah and Florida
The destroyers. under command OF
Admiral Plunkett on the Rochester.
will be stationed between the battle
ships.
The cooperation for tho navys trans
atlantic fleet thus assured makes the
arrangements far more inclusive than
those OF any other Power No secret
has been made Of It in dispatches from
Newfoundland that the British teams
waiting there for long weeks on ac-
count Of bad weather are a bit miffed
that the Admiralty has not given more
heed to their venture
VIII Stop At Asores.
The American Navys neet; however.
is not. like the Englishmen's, a sport
ing drive for $4,000 prize. The navy
Is going it slow and sure with stop
on the way at the Azores. ss will be
announced officially when the route is
made public this afternoon That puts
them out Of the running for the prize.
But as one OF the officers at Rockaway
Beach put 1t yesterday. a whole new sci
ence OF navigation is growing up around
the remarkable equipment OF the giant
NC planes. and II is much as a contribu-
ton to the profession OF the sea tina
the present flight is to be made. Clan,
strides IN the new science have been
made already and the officers expect the
crowning climax TO come with the work
tho big planes will do when actually
over deep blue water whether they win
the laurel OF the first flight from con-
unent to continent in the air or not.
Commander John H. Tower speaking
OF the relation between the navy's pros
poets and those OF the Britishers. said
yesterday at Rockawsy:
They have the advantage OF favor
ing winds we have the advantage Of
better chance for good weather"
That was as far as he would go in
talking OF a comparison between the two
efforts. Other officers made II plain.
however. that every agency within the
control OF the Navy Department, and
indeed of the whole Government. is at
the disposal OF the three crews who will
so alott some day next week 10 take
their warming uD gallop to the mystic
rious Newfoundland port whence the real
Journey viii start on a date already
long determined and TO be definitely an
nounced to-day.
Upon Commander Towers desk yester-
day was the first OF a long series OF spe-
cial weather maps which will be made
at the station from the data available
through the regular meteorological serv-
ice OF the Weather Bureau from reports OF
ations ashore To II will be added
the reports which come from ships at
sea Before the war the daily weather
reports from vessels in all parts OF the
North Atlantic enabled the weather
bureau 20 make It's predictions for any
area with the same accuracy II can
apply 10 tne wheat DeU OF tIlo CoNtoH
belt Since the armistice the system
of receiving sea reports has not been
put back again on as smooth a working
basis as before, though enough data
will be available with the special navy
feet a: sea to give the forecasters
pretty good premise for their conclu-
sions.
In addition TO the battleship feet the
Melville, navy tender. started to sea
yesterday with mechanics, spare parts.
reporters and motion picture men Her
reported destination 10 'midocean."
Upon the vessel. which has also left
fo- Newfoundland. II was announced
yesterday. went two moro OF the M-F
planes. speedy little runabout scouts.
which, as Commander Towers de-
scrlbed them, are more convenient for
running from place 10 place than mo-
tor Loaf.
Details of Flying Boat.
Ofhcial details of the flying boat were
made public yesterday. They are as
follows:
Wing span from tip to tip. 126 feet
over all Lower wing span. - feet
Width Of wings. IL feet Distance be-
tween wings is II feet at centre and IL
feet at outer tip OF lower wing. the
lower wings bending upward.
Over all length from front to rear
60 feet az inches. Length OF hull. a.
feet . inches
Total wing area, 1850 square feet.
Weight OF flying boat empty. including
wireless installation and all navigating
Instruments, l5,100 pounds, Weight
full load, flying condition, 2S,50o pounds.
Estimated speed at full load. seventy
nine nautical miles an hour tabout
eightv-hve land miles) Estimated speed
at light load cightyfour nautical miles an
hour (about ninety-eig land miles).
Horsepower Of four Liberty engines,
1000. Eight gasolene tanks In hull and
ono above motors In upper wing, Weight
OF engines, s25 pounds each.
Weight of boat hull empty. 1850
pounds.
Gasolene pumps are wind driven, In