The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-05-21
Story Of First Transatlantic
Air Trip From America to
Old World
.Ne-4 MADE QUICKER TRIP
THAN EXPECTED
Commanders Towers and Bellin-
ger Were. Lost in the Fog and
Failed to. Complete Trip.

10y dSQtNSlOu, u. u, iueiS -it.lstfSll1A -
the three American naval seapianes
which set out last evening from New
Eorndland in the first attempt at q
tight across the Atlantic ocean Still
was missing late tonight, another
was being towed to an Azores port at
ter the crew had been put on the
steamship Iona, and the third was
safe at Horta, Fayal, after establish
ing record fight for heaTier-tf'an
air machines.
The missing plane is the NC-3 flag
ship of Commander John Henry Tow
sars Of Rome, Ca, commander OF the
squadron, but the fact that the last
report came from her at SIS O'Clock
this morning, Washington time, did
hot cause naval officials to enterta-a
any apprehension for the safety OF
iCommander Towers and his criew OF
four.
The last message from this ship
showed her off her course IN fos,
Some $50 miles from Faya1 and naval
officials believe that it was only the
mist bank which enveloped the sea
around the Azores throughout the
day that prevented all three OF the
planes from reaching port on, o1
ahead Of schedule time.
Lieut.. Commander Patrick n. Bel
fingers. ship, the NC-1, also lost her
way in the fog and was. forced to des-
.cend at 114o a. m. Washington time
She sent an S. O. S. call stating that
She was landing and asking for he
position. Four destroyers immediate
" were dispatched to her assistance,
and message to the navy depart
ment just before. midnight said We're
taking her to port, probably to Horta
but the Iona tow line parted. Com
naaader Bellinger and crew were
abrard the steamship Iona. Lieut..
Conmander Bellnger is from Cheraw,
s..
The one plane to reach port was
the NC-4, which led her sister ships
practically all the way and descended
into Horta harbor at 9.29 O'Clock
Washington time. Her official time
for the fight was fifteen hours and
thirteen minutes and the average
speed was approximately eighty
miles an hour The performance OF
the plane was all the more satisfac-
tory to officials here because Of the
fact that she suffered q series Of mis-
haps on the first leg Of her voyage
from Rockaway Beach, Long Island,
to Trepassey Bay.
4 Both of the fog bound planes were
believed to have sufficient fuel to
carry them to the Azores, bat the fos
undoubtedly prevented them from
continuing the trip in the air.
TO Lieut.. Commander Read, of New
Ham pshire, commanding the NC-4
goes the honor of having made with
out interruption the most daring jour-
hey ever attempted in an a!rGEip Of
any kind. Rising from dinner las:
night in the ward room of the mine
layer Aroostocl1 at Trepassey Bay
F.-Ae- and his men break:2sted
soon after O'Clock this morning
aboard the cruiser Columbia at Hor-
Ia. But for the fog that c!amped
down on the NC-4 as it sighted Pico
keighths, across from Horta, they
would have boarded the L. S. S. Mel
vile before noon today and been
ready to jump again tomorrow-tn!s
tine for Lisbon, the city marking
the end Of the actual fight over .ae
Atlantic.
Acting Secretary Roosevelt sent the
congratulations of the navy to Com
rnander Read today when it appeared
certain the NC-3 and the NC-1 hac
been indefinitely held up by the fog.
Commander Reads hard luck OF
preceding legs of the transatlantic
dash appears to have turned from the
start. He led all the way after rising
FIRST at Trepassey Bay only to come
down again to give his commanding
officer, Commander Towers, the hon
or OF. starting first. The NC-4 was
nearly thirty minutes ahead of tae
9NC-1 just before Commander Read
sighted land at the Azores ard The
flagship the NC-3, Jagged still fart.1-
er behind.
That thirty minutes. officers be-
Hered, saved the NC-4 from the fog
By virtue Of that narrow lead ne
seems to have slipped through tc
Moorings in Horta harbor. only to
have the fog pail down heavily BE-
hind him. barring the way for his ad-
venturous companions on the his
tory-making voyage. Commander
Bellinger was caught with land al
most under his eyes and picked ur
later by a destroyer but Commando
Towers was blanketed we'll out tc
sea, showing the speed with which
the fog bank spread.
Fog at sea usually means smooth
seas and little or no wind. Officials
believed the fog-bound NC-@ AID is
crew was in no jeopardy for that re2-
son. Should wind come it would tea-
away the fog curtain and permit them
TO take the air again before the sea 8
could rise. In any event, the NC beats
were built to ride out storms on ths
surface, if necessary. Only cross seas
running athwart the course Of heavJ