Evening star., 1919-05-15
|D|R|G|BLE REACHES
ST. JOHNS AFTER
25-H0UR FLIGHT
Sturdy C-5 Is Ready for
0ver-0cean Test With
SeapIanes.
NC-4 AGAIN DESCENDS, :
BUT MAKES NEW START
British and American Crews Hone
to "Shove Off" at St.
Johns Today. II
By the Associated Press,

By the Associated Press,
ST. JOHNS. N. F., Nav 15.-ThA
American naval dirigible C-5, scheduled
Tor a possible nonstop fight from this
port to the British Isles. arrived here
today after day and night cruise from
Montauk Point, N. Y. The balloon had
been in the air twenty five hours and;
forty minutes. 3sS
The C-5 reached the Quidividi anchor-
age at 1:45 pm. Greenwich time (s:as
am. New York;. The start from Mon
tauk Point was made at am. yester.
day.
The C-5 was ready for a flight across
the Atlantic, her commander, Lieut..
Commander Coil, declared as he stepped
out OF the dirigible's basket Both the
crew and the machine stood the trip
well. he said. As yet, he added, no or
ders had been issued for future moves
''en's' "a
Made Perfect Landing. =.
With Lieut.. D. P. Campbell at the
wheel. the big bag made a perfect land
ing within the narrow confines of the ofd
cricket field used as an anchorage. n
had been seeking st. Johns for several
hours. Its radio having been out Of COM
mission for time, Lieut.. Commander
Coll said. and the last few miles of the
journey were made by following the
railroad track to this city.
The blimp's troubles began shortly
after midnight. the commander said,
when the sky became overcast. Before
that time the balloonists had operated
under a full moon, flying at an altitude
OF 1,o00 feet. The big craft lost It's
bearing when approaching Little Mique-
lon island. of the south coast of New
foundland and about ITO miles from st.
Johns s.---s
Through fog and rain, the cruiser
Chicago's radio operator had received
that the navigator had made an error
ID reckoning his bearings, but that
her course had been corrected and she
was proceeding ,hsre.r7 =
The dirtgible reported her position
az @pfCbably over Trepassey" at $3.50
+ am, New York time. The Chicago
started q siren to guide the balloon.
Clearing Weather Aids.
AS the morning progressed the
weather began to clear and the Chi
tors of the improved conditions for
landing. rs
Hawker and Raynham. the British
aviators. went to Quidividi field, site
OF the balloon anchorage. and Joined
In the welcome to the American flyers.
Officers working on plans for the
C-5'S possible ocean cruise estimated
that with favorable conditions fight
to England could be made in forty
hours. This would tax the dirigible,s
a ro saI ff, hxa
and il head winds developed 1T might
prove necessary to shape the courte
to the Azores, where fuel ships al
ready are awaiting the several crews
Of transoceanic seaplanes.
Rough Voyage, Coil Reports.
Lieut.. Commander Coil described
the trip as the toughest he had ever
made. He gave credit for completion
of the voyage largely to Lieut.. Campbell
and Lieut.. ]. v. Lawrence, both Of
whom, he said. were weary land almost
seasick," but stuck to their posts.
I'VE made land falr at st. Pierre,
but found ourselves on the west in
stead of the east shore of Placentia
Bay" said the commander. Fran
this point we attempted to follow the
Chicago's radio directions. but they
did not work; For the moment. we
were lost. We started cross lots
and saw about all of Newfoundland.
and I must say this is the 'doggond-
est island to find anything on 1 ever
struck. Eventually we hit the rail-
road track and followed it to Top
Sails. which we identified. and con-
tinued on to st. Johns. There Was
considerable fog, but it did not trou-
BILE u.s.
Compliments Landing Crew.
mented the landing crew, which
moored the big dirigible, calling out:
Fine work. boys!" then shook hapde
with the shore officers and explaineE
Let's get out Of here and have .
smoke"
command of the aviation base. greet
ed the C-5's commander. who, with
his brother flyers, was bundled into
an automobile and hurried to the
Chicago for q late breakfast. After
making report to Washington.
cesion as to whether the balloon
would return to the United States or
attempt the flight to England. the
aviators turned into berths prepared
for them on the cruiser.
The C-5. the sun reflected from the
silvered fabric of her huge gas bag:
nosed through Cuckolds cove, east of
the landing field, about an hour be-
fore noon, local time. Gusty air cur
rents tossed the blimp about above
the passage. However, the pilots
brought the huge craft directly over
the landing field and the anchorage
was completed in a few moments.
NC-4 Goes on After Returning
HALIFAX, N. F.. May 15.-Ths
American Navy seaplane NC-4 left
the tender Baltimore at 9:45 am.
(S:45 New York time) and began a
cruise about the harbor, presumably,
in preparation for the flight to Tr65
passey, Newfoundland, to join the
NC-1 and NC-3 for the TRANSATLANTIC
flight.
after circling over the city. -.
The NC-4 was forced to descend
at Musquodobort harbor. twenty-sfx
miles east of this port. She took the
air again for the trip to Trepassey bay
at 11:47. New York time. -
The planes trouble. according to "a
wireless message received by the tens
der Baltimore, was with the oil linez.
A little more than two hours work re-
stored the mechanism to operating
order.
Towers Predicts Start Tonight.
TREPASSEY, N F., May 15.-Com.
mander John H. Towers, chief of the
American seaplane division, announces
today that the NC-1 and NC-S migm
start before nightfall for the Azores.so
The commander stated that II the
NC-4 left Trepassey twelve hours later
than her sister planes she would -
able to make the flight to Lisbon n
their company. The transatlantic y0xe