The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-05-28

Washington, May 2S.-No word had
reached the navy department this
morning to whether the seaplane
NC-4 had left Lisbon on the last leg
of the flight from Rockaway Beach
Long Island. to Plymouth, England.
The last message from Lisbon was
received last night and it indicated
that Lieut. Commander A. C. Read
would start if weather conditions were
favorable. Officials said communica-
| tion with Lisbon was exceedingly slow
as was evidenced by the fact that the
! message reporting the arrival of the
4 NC-4 at the capital of Portugal was
delayed several ho'--
! Lisbon. May 2s.-The Americans
who flew across the Atlantic were
ready today for the hop off of more
| than 700 miles from Lisbon to PIym-
| outh, England. This jump will COM
plete their historic air voyage, which
| started from Rockaway Beach, n. Y.
/ Lieutenant Commander A. c. Read,
| first man successfully to navigate the
| air lanes all the way across the sea.
was up and about early this morning
! looking over the prospects of getting
away for England at once.
Reached Lisbon at p. m.
The NC-4 swept over Lisbon short
! ly after 4 o'clock last evening, New
1
from Ponta Delgada. Azores. 1t set
tied gracefully in the river beside the
American warship Rochester. The
| event, marking an epoch in the annals
| of aviation. was hailed by a bedlam OF
whistles and bells from the city and
the ships in the stream. Throngs OF
people were massed on housetops and
in the streets to hail the American
| conquerors of the air as they ap-
peared in the sky. Guns were fired to
add to the din.
Small boats darted out from the
| shore. filled with excited Portuguese
/ and clustered around the NC-4 as it
rested in the water after its S00-mile
| jaunt.
The flight from the Azores was
smooth and uneventful, according TO
members of the crew.
! Soon after their arrival, Read and
his men received formal congratula-
tions from the Portuguese officials.
| Wireless congratulations were also re-
ceived from Admiral Jackson and
| Captain Workman at the Azores and
! from many other officials in the
! United States and elsewhere. A cele-
bration in honor of the intrepid
Americans began last night.
| Read was handed two messages
when he reached here, to be delivered
| in Plymouth. One was addressed to
| Queen Mary and was from Rodman
| Wanamaker, who organized the first
! projected transatlantic flight
| The first thing the aviators heard
when their motors stopped was the
| Star Spangled Banner" floating over
the water from the United States
ships They saluted.
Today was holiday in honor of the
! Americans.
| Read was very modest about his
| achievement.
The engines functioned perfectly
| all the way from America to Portu-
gal, he explained.
Chief Topic at Capital.
Washington, May 2S.-The feat of
| the seaplane NC-4 which yesterday
achieved the distinction for the United
States navy of having blazed the way
for transatlantic aerial navigation
when she flew from Ponta Delgada
to Lisbon, completing the last leg of
/ the actual continent to continent
flight, continued to be the chief topic
in naval and official circles here to-
day. In addition to the honor which
history will give to American naval
| flyers. as the first to fly across the
Atlantic, it was with pride that navy
men pointed to the splendid perform
ance of the machine, a purely made
in-America" development. without a
mishap of any kind, the NC-4 made
the landing in Portugal in nine hours
and forty-three minutes. or at the
rate of slightly more than 80 land
miles an hour
Official reports show the flight
| which started at 6:1S a. m, ended at
! 4:01 p. m. Washington time).
Resumption of the flight with Ply