Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-15
RADIO SILENT, PAIR
| ON OCEAN FLIGHT
MAY HAVE FAILED
Hours Pass Without Word
From AIcock and Brown,
vickers-Vimy Flyers.
SH!P-T0.SHIP MESSAGE
is FLASHED BY BRITAIN
Steamer Digby, in Line of Flight.
Gets No Trace of Plane, Which
Dashed Out Into Fog.

ST. JOHNS. N. F., June 14.-At
midnight. local time, the admiralty
wireless station here had received
no report concerning the vickers-
Vimy bomber, piIoted by Capt.
John Alcock and Lieut.. Arthur
Written Brown, which hoped on
for Ireland at !: 43 today, st. Johns
time.
By the Associated Press
ST. JOHNS. N. F., June 1.-THE fate
OF Capt. Jack" Alcock and Lieut..
Arthur Written Browp.-Who sped out
to sea this afternoon in Great Brit
aims second attempt to span the At
lantic by air, was shrouded in I'M
certainty tonight, ten hours after
venture.
Since the -engined vickers-
Vimy plane disappeared over the At
lantic horizon a few minutes after
the start, at 1918 PM, New York
time, no word has come from the
plane to eager radio operators at
shore stations.
The steamer Digby, 10 miles out
when the flyers left St. Johns, and re-
ported to be directly in the line Capt.
Alcock proposed to follow, arrived
here tonight without having sighted
the plane. The Digby's captain said
a sharp lookout was maintained and
sages to the vickers-vimy, but re-
ceived no reply.
Believed to Be Too Busy.
In the early hours of the fight
Lieut.. Browns failure to wireless the
planes progress back to shore was in
terpreted merely as an indication that
he was too busy" to send messages,
When the Digby reported she had
been unable either to sight or get into
eofnm1nfcatso4I with the daring flyers
concern for their safety began to be
manifested.
The moro optimistic theory ad-
vanced was that their radio equip
equipment had failed, but it was
feared in some quarters that the gall
liant crew had come to grief in the
ocean.
Two radio stations, one at Cape
Race and the other at st Johns, are
maintaining a ceaseless vigil at the
direction Of the British admiralty in
the hope Of picking up some word as
to the result Of the venture.
Escaped Raynham's Fate.
= Loaded to it's capacity with fuel. the
powerful little plane narrowly es-
capped the recent fate Of Raynham's
Martinsyde machine. which was
wrecked at the start of it's attempt
to follow Hawker and Grieve
AS the Vimy sped westward to Con-
ception bay in a difficult struggle for
altitude, she barely missed houses,
trees and hills. The plucky little
flyer cleared them, however, and con-
tinued climbing slowly until over the
bay. where she swung about, and with
a following breeze. Strengthened out
for return flight over her airdrome.
Passing the signal station overlook
ing this harbor she had reached an
altitude Of 1000 feet and was OF on
her great adventure. Three minutes
later she had passed out of sight of
the signal station. speeding direct for
Ireland. Fog was reported to be pre-
vailing off the Atlantic coast
Ships on Route Notified.
From London came the word that
the British air ministry had warned
all ships on the planes transatlantic
route to watch for her and give her
all directional assistance possible.
came the word that the British air
ministry had warned all ships on the
for her and give her all directional
assistance possible.
News of her departure also was sent
broadcast to all ships by wireless
from Cape Grace. and was relayed
from vessel to vessel across the At.
lantic.
Equipment Of Machine.
The Vickers-vimy machine that start
ed on the transatlantic flight today has
a wing spread of only sixty-seven feet
and is equipped with two 35O-horse-
power Rolls-Royce motors. said to be
capable Of developing a speed of more
than 100 miles an hour. Tho capacity
OF the gasoline tanks was recently en-
larged to S65 gallons and the lubricating
Oil tanks to fifty gallons. which is be-
lieved sufficient to carry the plane 2,440
miles under normal weather conditions.
A wireless telegraph set capable of send
ing and receiving messages over COM
paratively long distances Ia part of the
planes equipment.
Capt. Jack Alcock. the pilot. was
among the British pioneers in aviation.
He obtained his flying certificate in 1912
and joined the Royal Naval Air Service
Immediately upon the outbreak Of the
war. He acted as an instructor at first.
but was later sent to the Turkish front.
where he held the record for long-dis-
lance bombing raids. He was later
captured by the Turks and held pris.
oner until the armistice was signed.
Lieut.. Arthur Written Brown. nayi.
gator of the Vickers-vimy plane. also q
veteran Of the war. having served frst
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