The Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 191?-19??, 1919-05-31

! plane across the Atlantic in the air
has been accomplished. Twentieth
century transportation has reached ,
new pinnacle and the United States
navy has led the way.
Naval officials emphasized that tn,
long delay at the Azores was due t
the weather and to no weakness Of
the machine or its daring crew, MOI
to the failure of the carefully laic
!. plans of the department to guide the
, iliers to their destination.
The fourteen destroyers strung
from Ponta Delgada to Lisbon re-
ported with machine-like precision
today as the fight progressed. The
plane was never off its course and
there was no moment when officials
in Washington did not know to with
in few miles where it was in the
air.
Relayed Reports.
To maintain adequate communica-
ton for this stage of the journey, the
destroyers stuck to their posts after
the flying boat had passed, relaying
back to Ponta Delgada reports from
ships farther eastward. The chain
was not broken until after the plane
was safely moored for the night
near the cruiser Rochester at Lisbon.
For the next few hundred miles of
his epoch-making journey Comman-
der Read and his crew will be within
sight of the Portuguese or Spanish
coasts in the sweep northward.
Skirting the coast of Cape Finisterre,
they will head out across the bay of
Biscay to sight Brest, the most west
erly point of France, thence direct to
Plymouth.
The destroyers that will guide them
across the bay were already in posi-
ton tonight provided with the flares
and bombs that have made the trip
safe so far except for the fog that
forced the other two machines of the
seaplane division, the NC-1 and NC-3
out of the fight after they had safely
negotiated virtually half the distance
from Newfoundland to the Azores.
Commander Read had with him on
the flight to Lisbon that same crew
as that which left Newfoundland on
the NC-4 on May 16. Lieuts E. F.
Stone of the coast guard and w. X.
Hinton were the pilots with Ensign
R. c. Rodd as radio operator and
Chief Machinist's Mate E. s.. Rodes
as reserve pilot engineer.
The crew was met at Lisbon by
most members of the crews of the
NC-1 and NC-3 who had preceded
them on destroyer
Winds Aided Flight.
The chart of the fight, as shown
by the reports of the station ship
destroyers on the meas progress to-
day, shows how the winds helped her
along. At times Commander Reads
ship apparently was whirIing through
the air at 80 knot clip; again her
speed fell off to less than go, only to
pick up again as she reached the
zone of influence of other breezes.
Immediately Secretary Daniels
cabled congratulations of the depart
ment to Commander Read. The sec
rotary also sent a cable to President
Wilson at Paris, telling him that the
American naval aviators had been
the first to cross the Atlantic.
The message to Commander Read
follows:
"Lieut. Commander Albert c..
Read,
Commanding NC-4 seaplane,
Care Rear Admiral Plunkett.
U. S. S., Rochester, Lisbon, Por-
tugal
"The entire nevy congratulates
you and your fellow aviators on your
epochal flight. The ocean has been
spanned through the air and to the
American navy goes the honor of
making the first transatlantic flight.
We all are intensely proud of your
achievement and thankful that it has
been accomplished without mishap to
anyone of the daring aviators who
left our shores on the first air jour
ney to Europe. To all of them and
to you all honor is due.
"JOSEPHUS DANIELS"
Gables President.
The cablegram from the secretary
to President Wilson said:
"Know you will be delighted to
learn naval aviators first to cross the
Atlantic"
Secretary Daniels said today no
definite plans for further trans-At-
lantic flights have been made. He ex-
planned that the first trip was the
beginning of series of experiments
in long distance flying and that very
probably after defects in naval air
craft brought to light had been cor
rected, another squadron of seaplanes
would be headed across the Atlantic
Mr.. Daniels said he had not decided
whether the NC-4 should attempt to
fly back to the United States or be
knocked down" at Plymouth, and
shipped back to America.