New-York tribune., 1919-05-09

ihoiHllS Oh JHS uTSC leg OF the TRANS
atlantic flight arrived safely at Hall
fax, navy officials were bending every
energy tonight to locating the third,
missing since early in the afternoon.
No report of the missing machine, the
NC-4, commanded by Lieutenant Com
mander "A. c. Read had been received
after the machine passed the destroyer
McDermott, first station ship, located
more than sixty miles north of Cane,
Cod and less than half way to Halifax
Orders were issued at once sending
the McDermott and the next ship be-
yond her, the Kimberly, in search 1f
the missing seaplane Command, ,r
Read had reported just before reacln-
ing the McDermott that the oil purap
on one of his motors was giving
trouble and he. might nave to come
down. Later the NC-4 reported TO
Commander Towers in the NC-3 that
the trouble had been repaired.
Test Encourages Fliers
Commander Towers, with the MC-1
and NC-3, made the tour to Half ak in
fraction less than nine hoursI the
distance on the map over the Course
they took being 525 miles. The Sc two
planes went through the test n such
fashion as to convince officers h ere that
prospects for reaching Plymouth, Eng
land, the ultimate goal of the navy air
men, were exceedingly bright.
Each of the three planes had. triple
radio installation when it left Rock
away. One set was the teleph one by
which they communicated with each
other while in fight at a distance of
q score or more miles. Stations and
guard ships listened in" on many of
these conversations and reported them.
The second set was the regu lar long
distance radio installation, and the
third was the equipment for the radio
compasses.
AS the planes approached one of the
patrol vessels, long before it was
sighted, the long distance radio was
buzzing. Questions and answers
flashed back and forth, dealing with
directions for navigation. Important
communications were relayed to and
from the speeding sear,lanes, some
from Washington.
One carried greetings IL, Commander
Towers and his crews from Acting
Secretary Roosevelt, who watched the
trip with keen interest all day as the
departments messages came in.
Another relayed cable assurances from
London that every facility of the
British admiralty would be at the dis
posal of the daring American airme en-
The communication arrangements of
the Navy Department worked out per-
fectly, Repeatedly messages from
Commander Towers, sent from his
speeding flagship of the air squadron,
the NC-3, reached the desks of officet rs
here few minutes after the time they
were sent. Intercepted by any of the
radio stations ashore or afloat on the
chain reaching clear to Halifax, they
were rushed to Washington on the
navys leased wire.
The entire operation of the system
was grouped under direction of Lieu
side of the Lieutenant's office is a
room where the leased wires brought
in the messages. On the other side is
the transatlantic radio equipment. Re-
ports from Commander Towers could
be sent to Vice Admiral Knapp in Lon
don almost as quickly as they could
be carried into Secretary Roosevelt's
office across the hall.
Log Kept at Washington
Officers here kept radio log on the
that came. The log pictures graph
cally the swift rush northward of the
flying boats with their crews. Even
the fifty minutes that elapsed after
the NC-1 and NC-3 were safely moored
for the night at Halifax, and before
the cruiser Baltimore, stationed there
sent in the official report of the ar
rival, is shown. Had not that slip
occurred it could have been known
officially in London that two of the
three American seaboats had made the
first lap of the transatlantic journey
on schedule time almost before the
machines themselves had been moored
More difficulty will be experienced
in getting word through promptly when
Azores starts. When the fifth or sixth
station ship has been left behind com
munication will have to be relayed
back by cable. Tho destroyers cannot
communicate more than $50 miles by
radio in daytime, and they will leave
their posts after the last of the fiers
has passed.