Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-05-30
OCEAN FLIGHT COMPLETED.

OCEAN FLIGHT COMPLETED.
Naval Aviator Makes Trip to Portu-
gal in Eight Hours.
Washington, May 27.-Blazing the
way Of the first trial from the west
ern to the eastern hemisphere, the
United States navy seaplane NC-4,
under Lieut.. Comndr. Albert Gushing
Read, swept into the harbor at Lis
hon, Portugal today, the first airship
of any kind to have crossed the At
lantic ocean under its own power and
through its natural element.
Taking the air at Ponta Del Gada,
Azores at 6:1S a.. m, Washington time,
on the last leg of the trans oceanic
portion of the voyage from Rockaway
Beach, L. I. to Plymouth, Eng, the
NC-4 covered the 900 miles in nine
hours and 43 minutes, maintaining an
average speed Of better than 80 knots
an hour. The total elapsed flying
time from Newfoundland to Lisbon
was 2s hours and Al minutes.
At the first opportunity the big
plane will continue to Plymouth, IT'S
nautical miles to the north. Possibly
Commander Read can start tomorrow.
To the navy department however 1t
makes little difference when he COM
pletes the journey. The great object
of all the effort lavished on the under
dcrtaking, navigation Of a seaplane
across the Atlantic through the air
has been accomplished. Twentieth
century transportation has reached
new pinacle and the United States
navy has led the way.
Weather to Blame.
Naval officers emphasized that the
long delay at the Azores was due to
the weather and to no weakness Of
the machine or its daring crew, nor to
any failure of the carefully laid plans
of the department to guide the flyers
to their destination. The IA destroy
ers strung from Ponta Del Gada to
Lisbon reported with machine like pre-
cision today as the flight progressed.
The plane was never off its course, and
there was no moment when officers
in Washington did not know within
a few miles where it was in the air.
To maintain adequate communfca-
ton for this stage Of the journey the
destroyers stuck to their posts after
the flying boat had passed, relaying
back to Ponta Del Gada reports from
ships farther eastward. The chain
was not broken until the plano was
safely moored for the night near the
cruiser Rochester at Lisbon.
For the next few hundred miles Of
his epoch making journey Commander
Read and his crew will be within sight
of the Portuguese or Spanish coast in
the sweep northward. SkirtinS the
coast of Cape Finisterre they will head
out across the bay Of Biscay to sight
Brest, the most westernly point OF
France Thence direct to Plymouth.
The destroyers that will guide them
across the bay were already in posi-
ton tonight provided with the flares
and bombs that have made the trip
tsafe thus far except for the fog that
forced the other two machines of the
seaplane division, the NC-1 and NC-3
out of the flight after they had safely
negotiated virtually the entire distance
from Newfoundland to the Azores.
Samo Grew on Board.
\ Commander Read had with him on
the flight to Lisbon the same crew as
that which left Newfoundland on the
NC-4 on May 16. Lieuts. e. F. Stone
of the coast guard and w. X. Hinton
were the pilots with Ensign R. c.
Rodd as radio operator and Chief Ma
chinist Mate E. 8. Rhodes as reserve
pilot engineer. The crew was met at
Lisbon by most members Of the crews
of the NC-1 and NC-3 who lad pre-
ceded them on a destroyer.
The chart Of the flight, as shown by
the reports of the station ship de-
stroyers on the meas progress to-
day showed how the winds helped her
along. At times Commander Reads
ship apparently was whirling through
the air at 80 knot clip; again her
speed fell off to less than 6r. only to
pick up again with the other breezes
Probably the machine overlook and
passed winds that had stirred the wa
ters about Ponta del Gada the day
before, preventing an earlier start
Official word of the arrival of the
plane at Lisbon reached the navy de-
partment first through a dispatch
from Brest, France, sent by Rear Ad-
miral Halstead, commander OF the
American navy forces in French wa
ters. The message was received at
the Otter Cliff, Me-, station and re-
layed to Washington.
Immediately Secretary Daniels ca
bled congratulations Of the depart
ment to Commander Read. The secre-
tary also sent a cable to President
Wilson in Paris telling him that
American naval aviators had been
first to cross the Atlantic. Secretary
Daniels said today no definite plans
for futher transoceanic flight had been
made. He explained that the first
trip was the beginning Of series OF
experiments in long distance flying
and that very probably after defects
in naval aircraft, brought to light dur
ing this flight had been corrected, an
other squadron Of seaplanes would be
headed across the Atlantic. Mr.. Dan
icls said he had not decided whether
the NC-4 should attempt to fly back to
the United States or be shipped back.
Somebody Start lt.-Who will un-
dertake to establish the sale Of eggs by
weight instead Of by the dozen? He
will deserve to be called benefactor.
-Yorkville Enquirer.
Prosperity or Newberry ether could
very we'll start this reform; for both
Il H.. L.