Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-07-06
AviatorS Still Five Hundred
Miles From Goal When Last
Reported But They Have
Crossed the Atlantic.
WAS FIRST SIGHTED
AT PARRSB0R0, N. S.
Mammoth Airship Seemed
Down BY the Head But Soon
Righted Herself and Sailed
On On An Even Keel.

New York, July 5.-Battling her
way south, short of fuel and with an
electrical storm ranging across her
path, the huge British diriglble, the
R-34, was tonight in the vicinity of
st. Johns. N. b., still about 500 miles
from her goal at Mineola, N. y.
At the same time, American war
ships were rushing at top speed up
the Maine coast in answer 10 wireless
calls from the giant airsnip to the
navy department at Washington. At
ter a long fight with fogs and con-
trary winds, the commander of the
dirigible flashed a message that his
petrol supply was failing rapidly and
that assistance might be needed.
In answer, the American naval au-
thorities ordered the converted yacht
L. S. S. Satilla, the nearest available
vessel to start for Machias Bay, Me.
Scarcely had the yacht cleared when
she was followed by the submarine
chaser 407, from Bar Harbor, and
shortly afterward the United States de-
stroyer Stevens steamed out of Bos-
ton harbor under forced draugbt.
British Tugs on Watch.
From st. Johns a Gordon of British
tugs was thrown out and in the stormy
Bay of Fundy the French cruiser
Somme answered the summons, start
ing south in an effort to cross the path
of the airship
All day long every wireless station
from the northern coast of New
Foundland to the mouth of the Hud-
son was manned by eager listeners
and watchers, who strained every eye
and ear for sight or signal of the
traveller of the skies but only once
did she emerge long enough from the
mists to I've recognized. This glimpse
was caught from the little Nova SEQ
tian town of Parrsboro, thirty five
miles west of Halifax, the town at
which the Handley- Page biplane, in
flight from Harbor Grace, n. F., to
Mineola, n Y, made a forced land
ing early this morning. The mammoth
airship passed directly over the light
house of the port at 2:15 this after
noon.
When first sighted she appeared to
be down by the head. but before she
had passed out of sight had apparent
ly righted herself and was proceeding
on an even keel Sailor watchers es-
timated that she was making about
twenty five knots an hour.
First Hint of Trouble.
The first ntimation of possible trou-
BILE was contained in a wireless mes
sage intercepted at II a. m. and ad-
dressed to the British admiralty in
which Major Scott, commander of the
diriSible, reported that his fuel was
getting low. Three previous mes
sages, giving position, had concluded
with a CHEEKY "all we'll"
Five minutes after the message to
the admiralty, Commander Zachary
Lansdowne, U. s. n, invited to take
part in the flight as a courtesy to the
American government sent a query 20
the navy department on behalf of
Major Scott, asking if a destroyer
could procaed to the Bay of FundaV
'if required" In less than three hours
another message asked Washington If
destroyers we're coming and two hours
later Il more urgent appeal flashed to
the navy department asked that de-
Etroyers meet the superZeppelin "at
earliest possible moment
Earlier in the day wireless experts
had expressed the opinion that some
thing had gone wrong with the R-34's
receiving wireless appartus and this
opinion was confirmed by the apparent
difficulty in communicating to the
airship word that the American naval