Omaha daily bee., 1919-06-29
By JACK VEIOCK.
international News Service Staff Core
spOndent.)

by JAM NElONh.
international News Service Staff Core
spondent.)
Ponta Delgada, Azores, June IL.
by MaiD.-No stronger boosters
for the success of the United States
navy transatlantic fight could have
been found anywhere than here in
Ponta Delgada, capital of the Is
land of San Miguel.
Natives of the city, and of the is
land as we'll, awaited the coming of
Commander Towers and his sea-
planes with eager expectancy. They
came from miles around to witness
the triumphant arrival Of the planes,
which were scheduled to reach here
from Newfoundland on May II, and
expressed the greatest disappoint-
ment when it was learned that the
NC-4 was forced to land at Horta,
on the Island of Fayal, and that the
NC-1 and NC-3 had been lost at sea.
Aside from curious interests San
Miguelans looked upon the effort Of
the navy planes as a harbinger Of
big things for the Azores in days to
come. Their newspapers told them
that the test fight was but a pre-
jmlnary step to transatlantic travel
through the air in future years. not
forgetting to lay stress on the value
of such travel to the Azores. The
people here believe that successful
transatlantic flying will open up new
fields for them, and it was with re-
joicing that they heard of the safe
arrival of the NC-4 at Lisbon.
The Azores have two fine ports,
$50 miles apart, either of which is
admirably adapted for the establish
ment of a midatlantic station for
transocean planes. Ponta Delgada
claims the biggest and best harbor
in the island group: but Horta, on
the Island of Faval, also boasts a
fine harbor, though it is smaller than
the harbor here. Horta, however.
is $50 miles nearer to Newfoundland
than Ponta De1gada, and in foggy
weather would be a welcome haven
to flyers, as Commander Read and
the crew of the NC-4 will testify.
That transoceanic aerial passen-
ger lines will some day be reality
is not doubted here by the reading
and thinking class of people, and
they are eagerly looking ahead to
the day when such travel becomes
practicable.
The Azores, because they do not
lie in the pathway of the great bulk
of transatlantic travel, are obscure
to some degree. During the war
they were practically cut off from
the outside world, for the tourist
steamers from England, Portugal
and other European countries ceas-
ed to maintain their none too fire.
quent visits to the islands. Today the
people of the Azores are looking to-
ward the United States as never be-
fore to put them back on the map
commercially. and they have much
to offer tourists in the way of at
fractions.
The Azores comprise nine islands
San Miguel. Faval, Pico, San Jor-
sc. St. Mary's, Terceira, Graciosa,
Flores and Corvo. Mount Pico
which rises majestically at the west
ernmost end of the island which was
named for it, is the third largest
mountain rising from the sea. Its
barren and often snow-clad peak
rises to sheer height of 7,460 feet
and hot gas still issues from the
crevices of little crater at its sum-
nit. Pico and the Valley of Furnas
on the island of San Miguel, are con-
slant reminders that the Azores are
monument to marine volcanic &C
ton.
The Furnase is the principal attrac-
ton on the island of San Miguel
The valley in which it is located lies
some 20 miles from this city and
offers a wonderful and picturesque
panorama of chalets, parks, peaks
and gardens. Furnas itself is a
spouting. steaming, bubbling outlet
for hot lava mud from the bowels
of the earth beneath it. There are
also several bubbling hot springs If