The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-15

With smiling faces they waved the
good-by the terrific blast Of their two
engines would not permit to be
spoken. Slowly the unwieldy plane,
laden far beyond the limits Of safety
with gasolene. bumped forward over
the rough field into the breath Of a
westerly wind of thirty miles an
hour. Gradually she gathered speed.
hundred yards from the starting
point her wind spread wings lifted
her into the air and she glided
smoothly forward just over the earth.
Then it seemed 70 the spectators
rigid in their tense. watching. that
disaster was to befall the venture
some pair before they were actually
launched on their daring journey.
Less than half mile ahead of them
loomed forest The plane was but
a few feet off the ground, and to the
watchers this distance did not in
crease, although. the plane was dash
ing at more than mile a minute to-
ward the threatening barrier Of trees.
As 1t grew smaller the crash into the
forest seemed to grow more certain,
but somehow the airmanship Of Capt.
Alcock lifted his weighty craft
through the thin air and he barely
skinned over the leafy tops. To
some 1t seemed his undercarriage
brushed them. Then it was that the
tumultuous applause broke out to
speed the voyagers.
over Forest to Open Ocean.
Slowly, imperceptibly, the great
bomber gained altitude as she passed
out of sight. For some minutes after
her disappearance inland the watch
| ers waited tensely for her return.
When she finally came into view to
the northwest she had risen we'll into
| the air. aided by the friendly west
wind that buoyed her heavy weight
| up. Now she was flying with the
! wind and adding its speed to her own
! When she passed the coast line she
had reached an altitude of more than
| 1000 feet and was travelling at least
! 100 miles an hour. With engines roar
| ing rhythmically she dashed seaward
and was quickly lost from view
! The machine took off at ALB p. NJ.
Greenwich time Q2:13 A. NJ. New
York time). II motors, men and
plane stand the terrible strain upon
them during the fight OF nearly 1000
miles she should reach Ireland by 2
or +. NJ. Greenwich time 90 or IL
! A. NJ. New York time). In the nnx-
ious hours and minutes following the
fading OF tho bomber into the eastern
sky word was eagerly awaited from
the wireless of the fast flying plane,
| but none came. Several explanations
| Of this were advanced by those who
waited, one that Lieut.. Brown was
too busily occupied with the task OF
setting a course for far distant Ire
land to waste time sending farewell
messages at the very outset. Another
was that the radio apparatus, none
too reliable even when tested on the
ground. had proved defective In the
air to-day, as 1t had collapsed in a
/ previous fight several days ago.
No Word From the Filters.
No word came out of the Atlantic
to ease the anxiety of watchers who
remained near the radio station at ST.
Johns most of the night. The great
radio cracked out questions all night
to ships at sea without result. The
steamship Digby, which was almost a
hundred miles off the coast at the time
the plane took the air, arrived at port
here tonight. She reported that al
though both crew and radio men were
on the alert for any sign or signal