Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-05-16
C-5 RUNNING WILD
Continued from Page One)


Quid.vidi Basin and began tossing
1t about. Several Of the sailors. cling
ing to guy ropes. were thrown down
by the dirisib!es final tug, but none
was injured.
A landing crew of 100 men under
the direction CT Lieut.. Little had
Cough. WITH the gale for control Of
the CO fer six hours before it broke
away.
Wholly unsheltered on the wind
swept field, the d!r:g.ble pitched and
bucked. stripping her bottom Of cam
vaS and then tearing the bow plates
away. Tenders were placed to blunt
the shock and the men Of the landing
crew rode wildly as they chung to the
car through it's oscillations under sue
cecding gusts Of wind, endeavoriag
to save it.
Several of the guy ropes snapped
and were replaced. but for hours the
cables held and it was believed the
ship would be saved. Then the wind
rose from 80 miles an hour to 40.
The landing crew was considering
letting the Blimp ride out the gale
at the end Of extended lines when the
rigging on the nose of the nacelle
gave way and it was decided to de-
fate the envelope.
Mechanics who were working on
the engines were ordered to abandon
ship and all but Lieuts. Little and r.
A. D. Preston and Chief Machinist's
Mate J. J. Champion went oversize.
AS the ship continued to buck, Lieut..
Little ordered the other two to leave.
He was endeavoring, meanwhile, to
Pull the rip cord and debate the en-
velope.
Threshed wildly by the wind, the
gcs bag reboundcd and every stay
snapped. Lieut.. Little gave another
tug a. the rip cord and it broke. He
1eaoed from the ship with the end Of
the rope in his hand, as the big bag
rose and scared off over Kings Hul,
northeast CT the field and just north
Of Cuckold's Cove. whence it had
entered a few hours previously.
The dirigible might have been
saved by starting her engines after
she had torn herself free but for the
fact that the mechanics had been in
ship by the storm and the propellers
were unsecured so that an attempt
to start the engines would have
thrown them off.
The log Of the airship was saved
by Chief Machinist's Mate Cramp-
ton as he leaped oversize just before
it broke away.
Rear Admiral Spencer S. Wood.
commander of the aviation base, met
Lieut.. Commander Coil as the latter
stepped from the C-5's nacelle. The
skipper" saluted and reported:
"Sir, Lieut.. Commander Coil re-
ports the arrival Of the naval dirig-
iblc C-5 from New York"
congratulations to you and your
good crew." responded Admiral
Wood. returning the saldte.
The fliers then were bundled into
a waiting automobile and rushed to
the harbor where they went aboard
the Chicago for n late breakfast.
Commander |'' 80 much Of the
credit for L" q, Montauk
Point to hii It. Lawrence
and Ensign .apbell. The
most numbing at times. but the pilots
had hung OIL gamely although they
wede compelled to divide their turns
at the wheel into short shifts.
Tho ship occasionally made as high
as 20 miles an hour, although the
average for the trip was only 4s
miles. The direct course from Mon
tauk was 1900 miles, but an addition
al 100 miles was traversed in seek
ing the landing place after reaching
the Newfoundland coast.
The loss of the Blimp was a Bit
ter disappointment to Lieut.. Com
mander Emery w. Coil and his crew
Of five. Despite heavy fog and I'M
favorable weather they had brought
the big ship over a 1300-mile course
from Montauk Point with a perform
ance record which they are confident
would have broken the coveted or
der from the Navy department to
attempt the overseas fight.
well. we've lost a chance to be
heroes and the navy has lost q sweet
little ship" said Commander Coil,
when he was told Of the C-5's es-
cape.
The C-5. he said. had performed
perfectly on the trip from Montauk
Point and only final authorization
.ffom Mashlngton. routine inspection