Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-05-30
NC-4 DROPS INTO
RIVER AND WAITS
ON TIDE TORISE
Commander Read Gets Splen-
did Start From Lisbon, but
HaltS 100 Miles Out
ASKS FOR BEST MOORING
Seaplane Lands at Mondego
River; Cannot Make Port
During the Day

Washington, May S0.-Starting for
Plymouth, England, this morn
ing at, $40 under favorable fly
ing conditions. the NC-4, in
charge of Commander Albert C.
Read, was stopped in its flight about
100 miles north of Lisbon, on the
Portuguese coast. In a message sent
from the seaplane Commander Read
indicated that Plymouth could not
be reached during the day. The
message received at Brest and re-
layed to the Navy Department said:
Asks For Best Port
"NC-4 at Mondego river; must
await high tide. Seaplane cannot
make Plymouth. Request destroyers
to keep stations. What is best port
to land seaplane within 500 miles,"
An intercepted wireless message
by the steamship George Washing
ton from the destroyer Rathburne
to another vessel said: Have not
S, GIFTED NC-4. Am searching south
ward of station B." The messages
were interpreted as meaning that
the NC-4 developed trouble, but it
was at first thought repairs had
been effected and the flight resumed.
The message from Commander
Read, however, indicated that the
plane was out of commission so far
as continuing to Plymouth during
the day was concerned. The condi-
ton of the plane was reported all
right. Just what developed to stop
the flight was not shown in the Navy
Department dispatches.
There was no information here as
to why Commander Read made Il
landing, but officers assumed that
the planes engines were not func-
tioning properly. The plane evil
IDENTIFY ran into shallow water in
landing or was left so by a receding
tide while repairs were being made.
Brest, May 30.-When the United
States seaplane NC-4 left Lisbon this
morning the weather was cloudy.
There was a barometric depression
over the Bay of Biscay, but the
weather was clear over the English
Channel, with a light southerly
breeze.
The NC-4 passed station A at
o'clock this morning and station L
at $40 o'clock. She was flying al
an altitude of about 1000 feet in
calm, beautiful flying weather. She
| is expected to make Ouessant light
on the western most extremity of the
islands off the coast of Brittany, al
11.30 o'clock.
Nothing further has been heard
| by the naval authorities at Paris OIL
Brest from the NC-4 since she COM
municated with station B at $40
o'clock. An intercepted wireless by
the steamship George Washington
from the destroyer Rathburne to
another vessel says "have not sight
ed NC-4. Am searching southwark
of station b"
| A message received here relayed
from the destroyer Woolsey at sta
| tion C on the route of the NC-4, is
interpreted by the naval authorities
here as meaning that the NC-4 de-
tveloped trouble, but effected repairs
and resumed her flight.
Washington, May 30.-The Navy
! Department was officially advised OF
the departure of the seaplane NC-4
from Lisbon for Plymouth at
o'clock this morning in a brief mes
sage from Admiral Cummings at
| Lisbon. The starting time was given
as 5.24 Greenwich time G.20 a. m.
Washington time). Slow cable COM
munication keeps the department
about four or five hours behind in
news of progress of the flight.
The seaplane NC-4. sole survivor
of thre giant machines which left
Rockaway Point, n. Y, on May 8
on the epochal air voyage across
the Atlantic, reached Lisbon at S:02
o'clock, Greenwich time, on the even
ing of Tuesday. May 81, after a
wonderful fight from Ponta Delgada,
Azores. The first day following her
arrival at the Portuguese port was
spent in inspecting the craft and it
was expected that the machine would
start for Plymouth on May %. but
adverse weather conditions made q
postponement of her flight advisable.
When the NC-4 reached Lisbon
she had travelled since leaving Rock
away Point a distance of $3.50 sea
miles, having been in the air 43 hours
and 33 minutes. Her average speed
had been ~ sea miles per hour for
the whole journey. although her
speed from Trepassey, New Found
land to Horta, Azores. and from
Ponta Delgada to Lisbon averaged
far above that figure. From Lisbon
to Plymouth is approximately IT'S
con iIac