The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-10
TREPASSEY BAY
IS TO-DAY'S GOAL
OF NAVY FLIERS
NC-3 and NC-1 Tuned Up at
Halifax for Second Leg
of 460 Miles.
NC4 MAKES PORT SAFELY
Crippled Hydroeirplane to Get
New Engines-May Catch
Up With Other Craft.

Commander John H. Towers, lead
er OF the navy's transatlantic aerial
expedition, reported by wireless to
Washington last night that the NC
and the NC-1 will leave early this
morning on the trip Of 46o sea miles
to Trepassey Bay, where the real
start across the Atlantic will be made.
No attempt to fly from Halifax 70
Newfoundland was made yesterday by
the two naval seaplanes which
reached the Nova Scotian port on
thursday after a flight of $40 nauti-
cal miles. equal to 621 land miles, in
eight hours and flfty-f1ve minutes.
The third seaplane. the NC-4,
commanded by Lieut.. Commander A.
Z. Read, which disappeared on Thurs
day somewhere in the watery gap be-
tween the tip of Cape Cod and Cape
Sable. n. s.. reached Chatham Naval
Station on Cape Cod early yesterday
morning after a night on the smooth
sea. Three of her four engines had
given out in rapid succession, forcing
her to land about 100 miles northeast
OF Cape Cod. Her trouble was further
complicated by the fact that her
radio apparatus went out OF order.
preventing her from calling one of the
searching destroyers to her.
Commander Read notified Washington
yesterday that an examination of her
engines showed that at least one. and
possibly two must be replaced. This
will not mean that the plane must re-
turn to its starting place at Rockaway,
however. for the engines used are the
standard Liberty tweves These can
De procured and mounted in the sea-
plane by tomorrow. it is said. If no
other din1culty is encountered the plane
should reach Newfoundland only a
couple of days after Commander Tow
ers's flagship.
NC-4 May Rejoin Squadron.
As a stay of about a week, and pos
sibly two weeks, depending upon the
weather. will be made at Trepassey. It
Is probable that the mishap to the NC-4
on her initial long distance voyage will
not prevent her from being a starter in
the long flight Of 1900 miles to the
Azores.
The weather was favorable at Halifax
yesterday for continuing the flight to
Newfoundland. A twenty miles wind
was blowing In the direction of the
big island, so that the planes might have
made the trip with their engines turn
ing over at cruising speed in less than
six hours. The weather to-day. accord
ing to Washington, will not be so help
ful.
The flight situation Is daily growing
more tense for the various competitors
and more interesting for the people OF
both Europe and America. Every day
makes favorable flying weather more
likely as spring strengthens Its clutch
on frigid Newfoundland. and every day
brings a new development or a new
competitor to the scene.
Capt John Alcock and a party OF avt-
ators and mechanics arrived yesterday
at Halifax on the Mauritania to look
over the ground for likely starting
point for flight overseas. Capt. AL
cocks craft, a big Vickers-vimy bomb
ing plane. will arrive at St Johns. n. F..
direct on a later steamship.
Col. Porte's Plane Due To-day.
From st. Johns came word that the
steamship Digby. bearing Col. John Cyril
Portes Felixstowe Fury. a huge Hand
ley-Page plane will arrive to-day. Major
Arthur Partridge Raffas, advance man
Of the Porte party. returned to the New
foundland city from Harbor Grace. near
Cape Broyle. fifty miles down the coast
from St Johns, where he had selected a
likely place for the takeoff.
The continued delay of Hawker and
Raynham makes II more and more likely
that American and British flers will
leave almost together on the long trip.
although their course will be different, as
the Azores is the goal OF the former and
ireland of the latter. Tho full moon on
the night OF May IA may possibly see
the representatives OF both nations in
the air.