The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-05-12
PLANES ADD
TO CREW TO
AVERT STOP
DURING TRIP
Measures Taken to Complete
Air Cruise to Azores-Ex-
ira Man and Propellers TAX
en- on Board.
REPAIRS WHILE FLYING
tBy Associated Press,

Icy Associated Press)
TREPASSEY, N. F., May 1.-THE
American navy's hydro-airplanes viii
BET out on their transatlantic flight
carrying If possible crews Of six men
Instead Of i've as originally planned,
and with extra propellors aboard.
Commander John H. Towers, chief Of
the expedition announced today in a
statement detailing precautionary
measures adopted to insure as far as
possible. completion Of the projected
nonstop cruise to the Azores.
The extra men and spare parts, to-
gether with a maximum supply of
petrol would bring the weight of these
planes to 28,800 pounds, the command
er said, which might prove more than
the 1,600 horsepower engine could lift
from the water. In this event he add
ed, the craft would. after a surface
cruise in the harbor. taxi" back to
the mother ship, discharge and drain
OF the excess fuel, reducing the weight
to $4,000 pounds the official full load
The motors of the N. G. and N. C. 3
easily carried $4,000 pounds from
kockaway point N. Y. to Halifax, and
thence to this point.
The proposed enlargement Of the
crews and equipments were the result,
Commander Towers stated, of, the ex-
rerience gained in the flight from Hall
fax when the N c. 8, flagship of the
division, was delayed In her start and
then forced to return to port after
cruising SO miles, because of propeller
trouble.
Many Icebergs Sighted
The American airplane mechanic
worked on the N. G. 8, tied up to the
tender Arcosook this morning in a
temperature two degrees below freez-
ing. A thin skim of ice covered the
harbcr but melted as the sun rose to-
ward the meridian. One OF the n. G.
3's prope1lors was shifted and gaso-
line tanks filled The y. C. was re-
fuled and passed inspection yesterday.
The planes were fitted with belts for
the mechanic so that motor repairs
could be made in mid air.
There are many icebergs in the
ocean field Immediately ahead of the
flyers. On the fight here from Hail.
fax, Commander Tower said they were
SO numerous that the sea, in places,
looked from his vantage point like a
pasture dotted with grazing sheep.
PREPARE LANDING PLACE
ST. JOHNS, N. F., May PA land
ing party from the United States
cruiser Chicago today began to pre-
pare stretch of cricket field in Quidi-
vidi valley as a landing place and
mooring grounds for the naval dirig-
ible C-5, which is to make test cruise
here from Cape May this week. I'm
der orders of Lieut.. Charles G. Little
of Newburyport, Mass, charged with
the direction of the airship's flight
from this end, American sailors are
making preparations to receive the C-5
Anchors have been installed about
$50 feet apart to provide a mooring
for the ship. No construction work
has been necessary, as the airship will
be anchored in the open, removed only
q little more than its length from the
comparatively tiny Martinsyde plane.
in which the British aviators Rayn-
ham and Morgan plan their flight
across the Atlantic.
Whether the big gas bag will be
started overseas after the arrival here
will not be decided until she lands
Aboard the cruiser Chicago in the
harbor as the base ship for the dirig
lDI0 0XpGulLlOIl, ucCudlICS nave OfcT
hauled a spare motor available fol
use should either of the two engines
carried by the C-5 go wrong and the
decision be made to fly backward ol
proceed.
Filters Cooperate.
Cooperation between the weather
service set up by the British air minis
try for the contenders in the $4,000
intercontinental fight and that of the
United States navy for the flying boat
and dirigible expeditions has become
closer as the time to hop approaches
Lieut.. C. N Keyser is the liaison met
orologist and will plan out the wealth
er maps for such trips as the C-5 may
make from here. Other members o.
the aviation groups aboard the Chi
cago have been working on charts tC
lay out possible courses for the dirig
ible between here and England an6
from here to the Azores.
The British flyers facing the con
tinued delay because of low pressure
conditions over the Atlantic are per
fecting their preparations. Harry G
Hawker has tested the wireless equip
ment to decide on the desirability o.
installing a new high powered trans
miffiup set