Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-02

! % degrees oo minutes north latitude.
Il degrees 30 minutes west longitude
at o'clock Greenwich time) this aft
| ernoon Go o'clock New York time).
Fog Reduces Speed.
At that time the course of the air
ship was west and she was progress
/ ing at speed of of thirty-one knots.
in a thick, heavy fog.
/ The position of the R-34 at O'Clock
| Greenwich time) was. approximate
ly, 81 miles due west of Clifden. on
! the coast of Connaught. ireland. indi-
eating that the dirigible had taken a
southwesterly course after her report
at II o'clock Greenwich time), when
she had reached SIS degrees I minutes
north latitude. IA degrees so minutes
west longitude. approximately 25o
miles due west of Burtonport. on the
northwestern coast of Ireland.
Her position at O'Clock also was
approximately $50 miles from Eas,
Fortune. her starting point. "a pre-
vious report from London had given
the position of the RIA as so degrees
! I minutes north latitude. IA degrees
! so minutes west longitude. at Il
o'clock Greenwich time. which is
| corrected in this dispatch).
Speedy in Early Stages.
When Mai. Scott. the commander.
reported at II o'clock. he said that
the. dirigible was making thirty-two
| knots an hour in a thick fog. He add
ed that all was well. In his report at
o'clock Maj Scott said the R-34
was at 55 degrees 20 minutes north
latitude and 10 degrees 40 minutes
! west longitude. At o'clock the big
airship was making 40 knots an hour
nd had "a
up to that time.
The mail carried by the R-34 in
cludes letter from King George to
President Wilson.
Little Ceremony at Start.
EAST FORTUNE. July . tby the
Associated Press).-The British diri-
gible R-34 started on her long-heralded
| trip to America at AS tGrcenw
mean time) this morning. with very
little more of ceremony than that
which attended the departure of dir
| igibles for their monotonous North
! sea patrol during the war.
! Shortly before the first streaks of
dawn broke over the plains near here
the great airship was quietly taken
out Of it's airdrome and turned around -
until her nose was pointed straight
west. The command hands off, was >
| given and the huge envelope quickly
rose Before the height of 500 feet
was reached she was lost to view in
! the mist The whirr of the propellers
| could be heard for several minutes
after the huge airship went out OF
| sight.
The weather reports indicate that
the RIA will meet unsettled condi-
! tions. with variable winds, until she
! is some distance out into the Atlantic.
! Then it is expected she will have
following winds. which will assist her
American Woman Presents Flag.
Not more than a score of people mo-
tored the twenty-one miles from
Edinburgh to witness the start.
Among them was one American wom-
an. who presented silk American
flag to Lieut.. Commander Zachary
Lansdowne, American flight com
mander. just before he stepped into
the gondola.
Aside from these few persons the
only spectators were the 300 men
and 100 women stationed at the air
drome. They had been called out by
the usual landing party bugle, and
the drowsy and faltering step of
many of them evidenced the fact that.
the start of this historic trip had not
kept them awake in the earlier hours.
of the night. They took their accus-
toned places at the guy wires and
bars at the lower parts of the gon-'
dolaS.
The great airship then was re-
leased except for her human anchors,
and to test her lifting powers loaded
as she was with more petrol than
ever previously had been in her tanks:
the men at the gondolas We're ordered
to release their hold
The ship quickly arose and just as
quickly the order was given to pull
her down. After this test the men
and women holding the guy wires
slowly started toward the east doors
of the airdrome, which had been open
ed, gradually pulling the great un-
wieldy craft out into free space.
Thanks to the light breeze and the
wind breaks erected on each side OF
the airdrome, the task Of getting the
R-34 out was not difficult one. She
was lowed to a point about 800 yards
away from the airdrome and after be
ing turned around all five of her pow
erful motors were started humming.
Soon Is Out of Sight.
Then the hands off, bugle WIS
sounded. the airship started to rise.
her propellers began TO spin and AL
most before the cheering had ceased
the great flyer had disappeared in the
mist.
The flight is not regarded here
an unusual feat There is the utmost
confidence in the ability of the R-34
to make the tip. There We're no seri-
ous-minded farewells between the
crew and those who saw them Off and
the feeling among officers here might
be expressed in the remarks of Col.
Hunt, who said:
You know. we always have a ladies' =
night on Wednesdays and have our
night up to Tuesday and, of course,
the officers of the R-34 were here"
Largest Dirigible of Its Kind.
The giant British dirigible R-34 is.
the first lighter than-air machine to