New-York tribune., 1919-05-17

I with odd wings. The upper and lower
left wing with which she is equipped
were originally built on the NC-2,
which was early eliminated from the
flight. Her two right wings are her
own.
1t was early in March that the NC-1
lost her own left wings. She was
moored in Jamaica Bay, when a sud-
den gale drove her on to the beach
and crippled both left wings
When it was decided to drop the
NC-2 from the fight both sets of
| wings from that ship were placed on
the NC1. Tho right wings of the NC-1
were stored away.
Fire Demoralizes Plane
The night before the scheduled
start from Rockaway fire started in
the NC hangar. The fire destroyed
the right wing of the NC-1 and the
lower elevator of the NC-4.
The original right wings of the
NC-1 were put back on within twelve
hours-a weeks work being accom-
plished within that period. The lower
elevator of the discarded NC-2 made
good the loss on The NC-4.
When the start was finally made for
Halifax the NC-4 was compelled to
descend because of failure of her oil
pumps. This defect put her engines
out of commission one after another.
The other two ships succeeded in.
making Halifax, but in the flight from
Halifax to Newfoundland the NC-3 was
compelled to descend with propeller
trouble, although she was able to COM
plete the trip later in the day. The
NC-1 made the trip without mishap.
When the NC-4 finally got away
from Chatham, Mass. where she had
been compelled to wait almost week
by unfavorable weather, she made
wonderful flight to Halifax, averaging
! ninety-nine miles an hour The sue
ceeding day she left for Newfoundland.
but was compelled to descend again
through engine trouble. After this
she finished the trip, arriving at Tre-
passey just as TIE NC-1 and NC-S
were returning from an Intellectual
start across the Atlantic.
The failure of the two latter ships
on their initial attempt was due en-
tirely to their inability to raise from
the water the extra load that had been
put on them.
The most serious disappointment oc.
curred when the big naval dirigible
alrship was blown from her moorings
at st. Johns Thursday. This occurred
just after she had broken all records
for distance covered by non rigid air
ships, total distance of more than
1900 miles in twenty-five hours and
forty minutes.
The earliest transatlantic entry to
arrive in Newfoundland was the Sop
with blplane, powered with a Rolls
Royce 800 horsepower engine. This
machine. piloted by Harry G.. Hawker,
the Australian aviator, and navigated
by Commander Mackenzie Grieye. r. ~,
has boen held up by unfavosable
weather ever since her arrival, March
23 last
Captain Frederick P. Raynham and
, Major c. w. F. Morgan, two British
avators with Martinsyde plane, have
been held up in Newfoundland by un-
favorable weather conditions since
April Il,
the most tragic British entry was
that of Mai ior j. c. P. Wood and Cap
tain G. c. Wylie, R. N, which started
from Eastchurch. England, on April
18. The machine became lost in fog
and then fell into the Irish Sea follow
ing engine trouble. Both occupants
were rescued.
Two appointments in succession
befell Lieutenant j. p. Fontan, the
French aviator who started FROM Paris
to fly to South America by way of Cape
nol c,,,o D.. n
He made his first start on March 16,
but was compelled to land shortly
afterward because of cracked cylin-
der. On April 8, after flying for ITO
miles, he was compelled to land at
Bourges through engine trouble.