The sun., 1919-07-07
FUTURE OF AIRSHIPS
TOLD AT LUNCHEON.
Gen. Maitland Predicts Dirigi-
bles Will Be Five Times
Larger Than R-34.
TO REPLACE CRUISERS
Major Scott Bxtols American
Aid at Landing as "Won-
derful.'


Predictions OF airships I'VE tunes the
size of the R-s4, Of the imfninence OF
regular commercial trsfic across the At
lantjc and OF the replacement Of naval
cruisers By great fighting dirigibiey--ttre
last on tire authority OF Admiral Beatty
OF the British Grand Fleet--sprinkled
the hearty welcomes and congratulations
and the generous praise Of the crew OF
the R.34 and the other pioneers Of the
air at the luncheon tsndered the officers
and crew OF the officers OF the American
army and navy at the conclusion of the
fight yesterday.
Perhaps a bit informally, but never
theless inspiringly. the first visitors to
tho United. States from overseas by air
got their initial taste OF American hos
pitality at Garden City at noon The
old Garden City Hotel. Iapsed into the in
nocuous deeuetude of sweater knitting
ladies and placid golf these dozen years
revived for a few trief hours to the &C
! tivity which made It famous In the days
OF the. Vanderbilt. cup. Thither army
motor cars, officisl limousines and the
i!tney which has replaced the mosquito
on Long IsIa nd brought out GOV. Smith.
Admiral Glennon. notablee OF the army,
the navy and Air services and the city
OF New York and the laurelled Column
buses OF the air.. H..
! One of them, Gen. Maitland, was
+ 'laurelled" in borrowed pair OF
orseches, silk shirt and netkerchief
10 ~
board the RIA and he had been pur-
suaded 10 patch together what he could
at the dying field and come to the
luncheon in character. II did not mar
Nis GOOD nature. however. though he
apoloGiEed for his Appearance. attrt-
| buting il 10 the roughnesses which are
I bound to attach to any pioneering OK
ploit- The airshtps OF the future. he
J said. will be 50 hfg and so powerful
| that no such departures from schedule,
and costume. as those OF the R-34 will
| be mace ssary. .
! Admiral Glennon Presided.
! Admiral Glennon presided About him
| sat nearly two hundred officers and
! officials in the main dining room OF the
hotel. while scores OF guests and ordi-
nary individuals peered eagerly over
| the screens TO get a glimpse of the men
| whose courage and persistence had
= brought them through so many difiicul-
tits.
It had been expected that Secretary
Daniels might be present for the lunch
eon. but the uncertainty OF the arrival
~ the R-S+ did not give him time TO
arrive from Washington. He was rep
resented by Admiral Gleaves
BY order OF the Secretary OF this
! Navy" said the Admiral ~ am here to
greet Gen. Maitland and Major Scott. 1t
Is red letter day in the history OF avia-
ton. Yet hundred years from now
! this incident will be exhibited in a frame
80 a curiosity. Four hundred years age
the first great navigator brought his
frail craft to anchor off our shores. To-
day we have your airship dropping out
OF the clouds. That despite the fact that
| YOU don't like clouds and that they gave
you hard time OF 1t.
Il understand that Gen. Maitland and
Major Scott say II was a gift OF Provi-
dsnce that enabled them to land a. MIN
cola. Nevertheless Providence required
as instruments their own stout hearts
and persistent Wills. They were ordered
here--and they came.
Yours" he continued. turning TO the
two aviators, rs a ship that again binds
our two nations closer together In the
last few years tire United States and
Great Britain have been brought into
close contact through blood and iron. II
is contact which on'y universal, dis.
ruption can now break. II Is the duty
OF every oficer OF every service tc
preach this doctrine in season and out"
Inclusion of Lansdowne.
Then he praised the generous Briton.
for including in their crew Lieutenant.
Commander Zachary Lansdowne, L. s
y. as the representative OF the United
States Navy on the historic hiEht,
In the last few weeks" Admtra
Gleaves continued. tho Atlantic has
been nown three times First by oui
own Commander Read"
Tho guests broke into cheers unit!
Read. sitting beside Gen. Maitland. wa.
forced TO rise and bow.
''Then by tho intrepid Britishers. Al
cock and Brown" Admiral Gleaves con
tinued and was again interrupted by
cheers no less hearty than those fol
Read.
And now" he went on. these pilot
OF the purple twilight ara here"
This brought forth tho biggest dem
onstration OF all There were cries O
Bravo Maitland :" Bravo Scott" Anc
finally rusty three cheers for tn
whole crew.
1T was not their plan 70 make ex
cusAs-they got here" Admiral Cleave4
concluded. ut was very great achieve
ment"
Gen. Maitland wAs persuaded TO get L
get to his feet and respond. He sue
ceeded in mastering any embarrassment
he might have felt over his costume
distinctly bizarre though II was for :
British brigadsr.
Two things just now impress M
about the trip" he ssid The first Il
that We set out 70 see all that We ooult
see nj the Atlantic--and we hardly saw
any OF H. We Rugged the clouds :,
closely all the way across that wa
beginning TO fear that we never woulC
see the ocean The other thing 10 that
thought aaa-A bad saslsr. l-Eas nsvs
-'tn<- 3. moment distressed on board, TIA