Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-05-09
NAVY LANES
COMPLETE FIRST
LAP OF FLIGHT
ACROSS ATLANTIC
Two of Machines Which Start
ed From Long Island Have
Landed at Halifax, Making
Trip in Record Time,
NC-4 BELIEVED TO
HAVE LANDED SAFELY
Missing Ship Still Not Reported
and May Have Been Forced
to Make | anding on Account
of Motor Trouble.

Washington, MAY S--With two of
the three navy seaplanes which start
ed from Rockaway. l.. l., this morn-
ing on the first leg of the trans-At-
lantic flight arrived safely at Halifax.
No report of the missing machine, the
NC-4, commanded by Lieut.. Com. A.
c, Read, had been received after the
machine passed the destroyer Nc
Dermutt, first station ship, located
more than sixty miles north of Cape
Cod and less than half way TO Halifax
Orders We're issued at once sending
the McDermutt and the next ship be-
yond, the Kimberly, in search of the
missing seaplane. Commander Read
had reported Just before reaching the
McDermutt that the oil pump on one
of his motors was giving trouble and
he might have to come down. Later
The NC-4 reported TO Commander
Towers IN the NC-3 that the trouble
had been repaired.
Commander Towers with the NC-1
and NC-3 made the trip to Halifax in
fraction less than nine hours. the
distance on the map over the course
/ they took being 525 miles, These two
planes went through the test N such
fashion as to convince officers here
that prospects for reaching Plymouth.
| England, the ultimate goal of the
navy airmen, were exceedingly bright,
Each OF the three planes had
triple radio Installation when t left
| Rockaway. one set was the tele-
phone by which they communicated
with each other while IN flight OF
score or more miles. stations and
guards ships listened in. on many
of these conversations and reported
them. The second set was the regu-
"a ~ wa
was the equipment for the radio COM
passes,
Communication Easy.
As the planes approached one of
the pratrol vessels long before IL was
sighted, the long distance radio was
huzzing. Questions and answers
flashed back and forth, dealing In
directions for navigation. Important
communications We're rela"ed to and
from the speeding seanlanes, some,
from Washington. One carried greet-
ings to Commander Towers and his
crews from Acting Secretary Roose-
| welt, who watched the trip with keen
interest all day as the departments
cabled assurances from London that
every facility Of the British admiralty
would be at the disposal Of the Anier-
ican airmen when they reached Britt
!sh waters.
The communication arrangements
of the navy department worked out
perfectly. Repeatedly messages fr.Sn
Commander Towers. sent from fhis
speeding flagship OF the air squadron,
the NC-3. reached tho desks of off,
GERS here in few minutes OF the time
they were sent Intercepted by any
of the radio station ashore or afloat
s.F fI.nN hat 1T. oI1.
they were rushed to Washington on
the navys leased wire.
The entire operation of the system
was grouped under directions OF Lieut..
Tunnis A. NJ. Craven
Kept Minute Record.
Throughout the da. Lieutenant
Craven kept continuous log on the
flight, made W from the messages
that came. The log pictures graph
ically the swift rush northward OF the
big 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 arrival. is shown. Had not that
slip occurred It could have been
known officially in London that two
OF three American seaboats had made
the first lap OF the trans Atlantic
journey on schedule time almost be-
fore the machines themselves had
been moored.
More difficulty will be experienced
in getting word through promptly
when the long Lap from New Found
land to the Azores starts. When the
fifth or. sixth station ship has been
left behind communication will have
to speed ahead to be relayed back by
cable. The destroyers cannot COM
municate more than ESQ miles by
radio N day time and they will leave
their posts after the last of the fliers
have passed