New-York tribune., 1919-06-15
$50 miles, but messages may be re-

celved from much greater distance.
Power for the radio set is obtained
from dynumo driven by one Of the
propellers. 1t has been found that
under the high speed Of an airplane
the propeller generates 50 much power
that the apparatus is soon burned out.
Hawker experienced difficulty of this
kind in his attempt.
A tremendous crowd witnessed the
departure of the fliers and gave them
an enthusiastic send-off. The capacity
of the new air field, which Captain
Alcock contrived out of three or four
small farms and grazing patches, was
tested to the full.
Early in the morning it was seen
that the day would be highly favor
able. The airmen started soon after
daylight to give their machine final
overhauling, giving particular atten-
tion TO the wireless equipment The
new gasolene brought here Thursday
by the steamship Gracia:na. was pumped
into the tanks last night, being thor
oughly strained in the process. To
avoid the trouble which Hawker had
III this respect special filters were
placed to-day in the various tanks.
After studying the situation on the
ground and comforting with their
manager, Alfred Muller, Alcock and
Brown decided it would ibe necessary,
as the southwest breeze iwas increas-
ing in strength. to startAthe machine
against the wind. To do this they
had to shift the plane again, bringing
1T midway into the field from the west
ern extremity, where it was stationed
last night, and then point its nose
westward This left them only half
the ground on the most level section
of the field, but they hoped 1t would
suffice.
To avoid the risk Of mishep, how
ever, terms we're made with the owner
of another field just to the westward
to use his ground as we'll. Almost up
TO the minute of the start of the fight
workmen were removing fences to give
The aviators access to this new ground.
Fortunately, however, they did not
need it. The machine might have been
wrecked if it had been obliged to pro-
ceed that far on the ground.
Skill Shown in Getaway
The getaway of the Vickers was a
remarkable exhibition of the skill Of
NiIS diL men III DdudilIS ClAClL AhiSuliC
and of the power of her propellers in
overcoming the formidable handicap
which her $4,000 pounds OF dead weight
represented.
After laboring along the field for q
few seconds, her wheels leaving the
ground once or twice, the plane got
grip on the air and slowly mounted.
Her ascent was very slow. however,
and at times it looked as if she would
come down again. She pulled gamely
through, and gradualy-yard by yard,
it seemed-go5 further away from the
ground. She was flying westward all
the time, traVerslng suburb of st.
Iohn's occupied by farm houses and
barns and patches of woodland, all Of
which seemed to threaten her with dis
aster as she toiled YEARLY onward and
slowly upward.
AS the machine gained in altitude
she approached higher ground, thus
losing much of the advantage she had
Won. With keen attention the spec
tators watched the aviators try to
escape from this difficult position
and attain height that would free
tnom from danger, but it looked
$'ttl'iOuS ipA many tiiillhlcS' LAldilS
hey topped the rise of ground ahead
and disappeared from view.
After an interval of about ten min
utes the plane appeared again further
'orth and going rapidly at a height
,,hich brought her clear of every OBJ.
ruction. Within fifteen minutes from
he time she left the ground she was
needing eastward, we'll beyond the
cast. Gradually she diminished in
e until finally she was gone beyond
.he reach of the strongest glasses at
the signal station on the hilltop crown
ing the city. Then the crowd of spec
tators slowly dispersed to await news
from the sea.
Food for AZ Hours Taken
Before entering the machine for tho
final take-off Alcock and Brown put
aboard supply of sandwiches and
chocolate sufficient to last them forty
eight hours, also some hot coffee and
soup in thermos bottles. They tested
the grips which held in position the
tank behind the cockpit, which is to
serve the same purpose as Hawker's
collapsible boat, namely, a floating ref
uge in case of disaster Several of the
gasolene tanks also, when their supply
Of fuel is exhausted, are depended on to
keep the plane afoat should she come
down in the water.
Before starting the fiers discussed
quite cheerfully their prospects They
figured that'with weather conditions as
they were to-day and with the meteoro-
logical bureau predicting no unfavor-
able change they could cross the ocean
in from sixteen to eighteen hours and
have virtually no darkness on the trip
as the moon is full.
They hoped to reach ireland in the
early morning and make a landing
somewhere about midway along the
western coast. After this, they said,
their movements would be dictated by
weather conditions and the amount of
gasolene remaining in their tanks.
Atcock Won Cross