The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-06-02
READ is NEW eNeLANpER
Pioneer Transatlantic Flight Com
mander Is Only 80

AS Italy claims Columbus the navi-
gator 10 first. cross the Atlantic on a
sea borne craft, so New Hampshire
takes to herself the credit for mother
ing Lieut.. Commander Albert Cushing
Read the daring skipper OF the NC-4,
which will go down into history as
the premier air craft TO successfully
accomplish a transoceanic flight from
the new world. discovered by the Ital-
ian, to the old one from which he set
sail almost four and half centuries
ago.
Lieut. Commander Read was born at
Lyme, a little village on the Connec-
ticut River in the Granite State,
March 30, 1887. He lived the nor
NAL life of New England childhood
and. later, his people moved south
ward to Massachusetts, from which
state a cadeship was given to him in
the Naval Academy at Annapolis
July s. 1903
His early service was on the battle
ships Massachusetts, Indiana and Ar
kansas, and one on the old wooden
Hartford, once Admiral Farragut's
flagship at Mobile Bay.
The young officers first official con-
nection with the naval flying service
was on June 80, 1915, when he was
detached from duty at the Torpedo
Station at Newport and ordered to
the Naval Aeronautic Station at Pen
sacola, Fla, for duty under instruc-
tion in aeronautics He was designat-
ed student naval aviator the fol-
lowing month. On May 27, the next
year, he was detached from the Pen.
sacola station and assigned TO the
battleship North Carolina.
His progress in airmanship had been
so satisfactory that advancement 10
the grade of Naval Aviator was stimuli.
taneous. He was ordered from the
North Carolina TO the Seattle while
he was with the cruiser-and then
on June 5, 1917, he was again de,
tached and sent to the aviation sta
tion at Bay Shore, l.. l., of which he
became the commander a fortnight
later. Scores of young naval aviators
there received their training under
his direction and his record for en-
ergy and efficiency rapidly became
an enviable one. He was later sent
to the naval air station at Miami
Fla, where he continued to serve un
I'll he was ordered to the Office of the
chief Of naval operations, serving in
connection with the camoufage OF sea
planes at Hampton Roads.
His next duty was a member of the
board TO consider and make recon
mendations to the supervisor of In,
Naval Reserve Flying Corps regardinl
officers of the corps, who had been II
training at Garden City. Rockawa,
Beach, Bay Shore, Montauk, the Busl
Terminal in Brooklyn and Chatham
Mass. After his recommendation hat
been completed Lieut. Read was dc
signated as a member OF a board [,
test the heavier than air types of ma
chimes used by the navy and to ad
ditional temporary duty at Port Wash
ington, l.. l.; keyport. N. j.; Buffal,
and Cape May, ~ j.
Temporary rank as Lieutenant.C Com
mander was bestowed July /, 1918, an,
was followed by duty at Garden City
Bay Shore, Port Washington and An
ron, Ohio. His rank was made regu
d ar to date from July 1. 1870
= March 81 of this year, and he wa
. ordered to report to the commando
, of the NC seaplane division for dut
/. in connection with the transatlanti
| flight. He has devoted himself @,
{ clusively since then to preparatio
/. for the feat he successfully accomplish
cd yesterday