The sun., 1919-05-09
ARE OFF
WITHOUT FUSS:
CROWD LACKING
Towers's Squadron Makes a
Swift Start From Rock
away Air Station.
WATCHED BY DESTROYERS
Precautions Taken to Guard
Against Accident-Small
Crowd and No Fuss.

Probably not since Christopher Col
umbus weighed anchor in the harbor OF
the little seaport of Palos, Spain, at 8
o'clock on the morning OF August 3.
| 1892, has there been so important u
voyage undertaken with so little cere-
monial fuss as the transatlantic flight
started by the United States Navy yes
terday morning
mechanics, sailors, relatives Of the
fliers and newspaper men-had pene-
trated the barbed wire fence surround
Ing the Rockaway naval air station to
witness the start OF the flight The
scarcity OF spectators was not due to
lack of interest on the part OF the pub
lie. but of the determination Of Com
mander John II. Towers and his
brother officers that nothing--fire,
spectators. injury, storm. engine trou-
bic or sudden death-should prevent
the earliest possible start of the planes.
All these calamities and multitude
away station in the preceding days,
but succeeded in delaying the sea-
planes only twenty-seven hours.
This then accounted for the fact that
| only the 500 persons-more than half
Of these were red eyed eobs who have
been fighting sleep, Are and mishaps
| day and night since Sunday--saw the
| start OF the transocean flight. perhaps
| about the same number that saw Co
| lumbus hoist sail. Tiny and light as
| Columbuss three caravels were for the
| FIRST cross sea trip-one hundred, fifty
| and forty tons-the NC flying boats
which left yesterday for the first cross
f, sea air trip were TIMER and lighter for
| they weighed loaded. twelve tons each.
! 0r - I. r-.r
| When once Commander Towers had
decided that the night might be at
| tempted. decision made only three
| quarters Of an hour before the actual
start, the preparations moved as pre-
cisely as the mechanism of one of the
! complicated twelve cylinder Liberty
! motors relied upon to get the planes
| across. Nothing was forgotten and moth
| ing was hurried. And when the hour
! 10 oclock-came tho flying boats left
the waters OF Jamaica Bay in as perfect
| formation as ever the surface craft
OF the navy attained. which is another
way Of saying that there was not u
| symptom OF a hitch.
| The completion OF final trial flights
about o'clock found the three ships
drawn upon along the shore of Jamaica
Bay near their great hangar. On the
| left side Of the marine railway which Is
used to slide the ships into the water
rested the NCS, the flagship of the d;vi-
sion. in which Commander Towers is
navigator. On the carriage OF the rail-
way, ready at any moment to slide down
the ways into the water, rested the NC-4,
| the ship commanded by Lieutenant Com
mander A. c. Read. On the right Of the
railway the NC-l. Lieutenant Com
mander P. N. L. Belllnger's flying boat,
| bobbed lightly up and down.
/ Pilots. engineers and radio men gath
cred near them and discussed in low
| tones the possibility OF a start with one
another and with the officers less for
| tunate who had gathered TO wish them
good luck with as little envy as posi-
BILE, At that time a flight seemed un-
| likely. Not only was the sky entirely
| overcast by irregular clouds verging in
color from gray to black, but what
wind there was came from the north.
Commander Towers. with the other
captains, gathered in his ONCE to dis
cuss for the last time the plans for the
| flight and 10 go over the map OF the
| route once more with special attention
TO the manner in which the winds re-
| ported would help or hinder the sea-
planes At that time it appeared that
these winds would not permit the sea-
/ planes to make Halifax by dark II the
cruising speed OF sixty-three knots we're
maintained 1t was the intention OF
| Commander Towers to maintain this
| speed-the rate at which the engines
! Continued on Second Page