The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-10
Ship. Rises at Midnight in
Ideal Weather Con-
ditions.
20 HOUR TRIP HOPED
Commander and Crew Start
With Full Confidence
of Quick Voyage.
PICKED UP BY LIGHTS
Dirigible Vanishes After Tour
of City, Losing Touch
by Wireless.
PICKED UP BY LIGHTS

At 1856 last night the R-sS
started home. Four minutes before
midnight the gtsiftt' British diris4sis-
rose, gently into the SKY over Roose-
velt Field. First Of her kind to carry
men through the air across the At
lantic, she left supremely confident
Of being the first of any kind to carry
the same men home the same way
again. She started on the longest
course over the sea ever undertaken.
with her officers predicting a record
voyage. Though they were fleeing
from a storm from the great lakes
which threatened disaster to her as
she rode at open moorings, she put
her nose to sea with a promise OF
weather which might not be bettered
once again in a year.
At 11:40 the long white hose
which had been feeding her hydrogen
was reeled In.
At IL :54 Lieut.. ]. J. Quinn, United
States navy, commanding the ground
crew, took a huge megnphOne and de-
manded silence NIL over the field. :,
Then from the forward gondola,
where Commander Scott had taken
his place, came the cry:
"Ready allr 1t was answered
with an AYE, aye, sirw from Quinn.
LET her go!" came from forward.
Let her go!" 1t was echoed aft.
A thousand doughboys took their
hands off the rails at the bottom Of
the ships cars.
searchIishts Seek Her.
In the dead silence of the field the
stern started gently upward. The bow
followed. and In a moment the ship
was on an even keel. The only sound
was the faint purring Of her own mo-
tors. Slowly she seemed to sink into
the sky, while the searchlights tried
to follow her.
Then when she had reached an
altitude Of about 200 feet the pro-
pellers started. That was the signal
for the first cheer. 1t was pande-
monium. 1t was started by the gobs
and doughboys who had toiled be-
meath her and cursed her for four
days. 1t was taken up by the crowd
and by the long ranks OF motor cars
that fringed the field. II was an
swered by a waving hand from each
Of the gondolas.
Slowly the great ship took head
way. Imperceptibly at first the nose
turned and, still pointing slightly into
the brisk southerly breeze. she headed
of over Mineola, toward Flushing
and New York.
Few Raindrops Fall AZ start.
Just few raindrops battered down
as the last preparations were made.
The moon peered f!tfuly from behind
the wide banked clouds. 1t took tia
ship three minutes to attain her fly
ing altitude. At IL 80 she was about
900 feet up, with her forward and
two wing engines driving her at from
thirty-five to forty miles an hour.
The two rear engines were In re-
serve. At 1901 lights appeared
within the skin OF the dirigible her
self. She had been making leeway
as the wind struck her broadside up
to this time, but now, at 900 feet,
she seemed to be heading straight
And a few minutes later she had
passed out of sight towards New
York.
AS she disappeared a bugler stepped
to the centre of the space she had
occupied and sounded Taps" 1t was
the Army and Navy's farewell to
their visitor, but most Of all It was
the release from trying duty Of the
hundreds Of soldiers and sailors who
had served her while she was here.
Every one proceeded TO obey. except
a little group about the wireless room
where fruitless efforts we're being
made to get in touch with the great
| ship. Every radio set within miles,
however, WAS trying the same thing
and the ether was full OF chatter
about bon voyage and good luck. The
wireless operator at Police Head
quarters In New York. listening. said
everything from the Brooklyn Navy
Ward, the superdreadnoughs Pannsyl-