The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-05-28
Gallant NC-4 in Success
full Flight Ponta Del
gada to Lisbon.
80 MILES AN HOUR
Last Jump May Be Made
Today With Plymouth
As the Objective, If
Weather Permits.

poutA DefgadA AZUreA May IT.
Americas claim To the honor Of the
FIRST air flight across the Atlantic Is
| secure Lieutenant Commander AL
bort c. Read, brought his big seaplane.
NC4 to a safe landing in Lisbon har-
Dor At 4:o2 New York time this after
noon, having made the 500 mile jour
ney from this port in nine hours and
forty-four minutes, an average Of
about eighty nautical miles an hour.
~4 has now covered $3.50 nauti-
cal miles since she left Rockaway for
Halifax on May s, and her time for
the actual cross ocean fight. from
Trepassey. New Foundland. to L2Bbon.
Is rs hours and 4e minutes. Tho best
steamship time across the Atlantic is
Is four days. II hours and SIX minutes
made by the Mauretania ON February
20. 1909, It may thus be seen that the
completion OF the flight marks ire
mendons advance in the ma1eh of
progress
flight was made without auy unto
wasd incident such as marked the hoo
doc ridden progress of NC-4 from
iRockaway TO Halifax and hrnm Hall
fav to Trepassey. Tho crew was the
Same that brought the plane to this
port Weather conditions were ideal
The sun was shining brightly and the
Sea WAS smooth as a mill pond
The start WAS made at 1913 n M.
Greenwich time. (S:1s a. m. New
York dme). IT had been planned to
get away shortly after daylight, but
trouble with one Of the engines cAxlsed
unexpected delay.
Crowds lined every point az v1n-
taGc along the hArbor to witness thu
| getaway. The sun made the upper
surfAces Of the wtngs gieam IKE pol
fshed Effver 4S tins pl1ne t2x4ed Afcut
the harhor trying out the engines and
when all was ready. dashed away to-
ward the harbor mouth at trenend-
GUS speed and SCARED into the afr like
great bird. Then with propeIlers
whfrring and motors hummfng. the
big flying boat sped upward until she
reached the desired flying elevation
and soon had disappeared from sight
OF the cheering thousands that lined
the shores OF the island.
As the plane pasred station ship No
\. Lieutenant Commander Read sent a
wfreless message to Rear-Admfral
jackson. reading.
we se<m 10 he on our why. Many
thanks for your hospitality"
From then on to the finish the wire
less brought regular reports OF the
plane paaxEhng over the pafroiships
until No, ~, the last Of the fine, was
reached and passed. The plane was
then only hundred miles from the
mouth of the TaSux Then came the
report that a safe landing had been
made at 2:o2. Greenwich time. <4.20
p. m. New York tima)
The fiiers on their arrival at Lisbon,
according to advices received by Cap
tain Workman here. received a most
enthusiasticaI welcome. They were
formerly recafved on the g. s s. Ro-
chester by the president and other
Portuguese dignttaries and members
Of the various legations. The city was
en- fete in their honor.
There were many heart hurnings
among the crews OF the NC-l and NC
over their inability to share in the
glory of making the final jump OF the
cross-ocean flight Their disappoint-
ment was assuraged in some measure,
however. by the fact that they had
been transferred to Lisbon in time to
sec the completion OF tho great feat.
A suggestion that Commander Tow
ers. who had been In charge Of the
flight until his plane NC-3 was dis
abled. should be permitted to accom-
pany Lieutenant Commander Read on
the final leg OF the trip was overruled
by Secretary OF the Navy Daniels
1t Is understood here that IL the
weather Is favorable tomorrow, NC-4
will resume the flight to Plymouth, a
jump OF 77b nautical miles.