The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-05-21
Navy Officials Keep in Touch
With transatlantic Fly
ers Enroute to Azores
THREE SEAPLANES MADE
RECORD TIME
They Followed the Prescribed
Course and Were Reported at
Intervals by Destroyer Patrols

NIltSI VCslS Ny DNOC w - = SSoA w
Washington, May 17.-Cryptic "a
diagrams from the scaplane division
on its way to Europe, picked out OF
the air by the naval radio station a.
Bar Harbor, Me, indicated tnat riae
planes were in the vicinity OF the
destroyer Thatcher, at station NO. >.
nearly 500 miles from Trepassey bas
soon after midnight.
The three machines left TrepasseS
at 6 O'Clock last night and were OIL
acially reported as passing Statlon
Ship No. G, 800 miles out, little
more than hours later, and the next
report of progress was the messages
reported by Bar .Harbor.
The Bar Har6or station set a new
record in catching the signals Oh lhe
planes at a distance Of more than q
thousand miles. The NC-1, flagship
of Conlndr.. John H. Towers aerla'
feet, was calling the Thatcher III the
message the Maine station overheafo.
Navy officials assumed that the
Thatcher was still ahead Of the air
planes which have passed other de-
stroyers in the long line Closely
punched and all making speed in, c:s
cess of the 60 mile rate. they had eS-
pected to maintain. If no accident IN
.erfereS, it was said, early this morn
ing there is every reason to expect
! the planes Will reach Ponta Del GaGa
around midday today. The most OF
fcuh leg Of the whole trip from
Rcckaway Beach, L. J., to Plymouth,
England, was more than one-th!rd
covered when the signals from the
INCL were intercepted.
The planes were making tonight
the only portion Of the trip that NJ!
require them 20 fly in darkness. Ap-
parently they were keeping dead or
/ their course down the long lane OF
destroyers which were dropping as
| tern Of them swiftly as they sped east
ward On their epochal journey.
Washington May 16-The Aneri-
can naval seaplanes enroute on tbs
first attempt to reach Europe from
America by air passed Station St:r
No. 6, the destroyer Ward, 300 miles
from Trepassey Bay, at 2.05 Green
wich time, 1905 p. n1., Washington
time, according to q message received
late tonight by the navy department
! The dispatch to the navy depart
ment was sent by the war ship to the
.. S. S. Prairie at Trespassey Bay
which in turn relayed it by radio tc
st. Johns, \. f, whence it reached
! Washington by cable and telegraph
The means Of sending the nessage
back indicated that the 4. S. S.
Arocstook already had left Trepas-
sey and that the destroyer line be-
hind the swiftly flying planes was
rapidly breaking up.
A delayed message over the same
route said the planes had passed sta
ton ship No. at 500 p. M, flying
with Il minutes difference betwaes:
the passing Of the first ard the las
of the trio
The NC-1 vas leading when static,
ship No. 8, the destroyer Bucannan.
was passed.
Navy officials estimated the soeca
made by the seaplanes division Up 20
the time they passed station ship No.
s at 70 miles an hour. At this rate
they would reach Pcnta del Gaaa
about on the schedule Of 10 hours, or
O'Clock tomorrow afternoon [Uasl?-
ington time}.
The radio station q: Bar IiacDcr.
Me. intercepted direct messages from
two Of the seaplanes Shortly &fter
midnight. One message p:c'7"d uD q
1927 O'Clock was from the NC-1. call
ing station ship 40. Q. approximately
500 miles from Trcpassy- Bay.
The first message from the Rs:r
Harder station to the navy depart
r2ent said:
AT 1910 a. N. :leari the nc
sending on fouf fifty metre. So:
Passed IA Signal very weak
Ii was rot certain at the depart
ment what the figures Ali meant.
The second message r2al3 .At L. =
heard the NC-i tel Cape I:ace (Eric-
ish radio station1: Am receiving IL
reference. Go ahead again.
HAt 1927 heard the Nj call NG.
3 and cay: Answer
Officials here said tia; this i.2-e.,-
ception OF communication between
the planes and cestroycrs hv TIE ia,
Harbor Station at a distance Of ap-
proximately 100 miles broke III rec
ords for radio communicate Of ,:3;.,
nature.