The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-03-25
NAVAL PLANE
TUNING UPFOR
OCEAN FLIGHT
START IS TO BE MADE
FROM ROCKAWAY BEACH
But Real Getaway Will Follow
from Newfoundland d-Great
Secrecy Maintained.

WASHINGTON. March 2I.-Naral
sen planes which arc 10 attempt lllGn.
across tho Atlantic ocean ilE May. Will
start from itncknway Beach. Long Isl
and. bat the actual humping off place
will hr much farther up the coast PROD
ably al some point in Ncwtounoiaha
Whether The machines will steer direct
course for ireland or follow The Longer
route by way Of tho Azores. apparent!
has not yet been determined.
acting Secretary Roosevelt announced
today that the destroyer Barney had
been ort!crc;! 20 proceed to Newfoundland
10 invcSti gate the harhor faClllti"& along
the coast for SIC purpose Of c"termlh'nr
the best base from which the planes
could nut out overseas. and harborS IN
which landings could he made IN the
event it became necessary for them IL
descend during the voyage from Rocka-
way 20 the flight base.
Lieutenant Comma nder J. L.. Kaufman
will command the Barney. which is on
of thr most modern dcstroyerS. and Com
mnrlcr T.. y. L. BcllinEcr Of tho trans
Atlantic section Of the office Of the di
rector nf naval aviation and Lirutenan'
L. +. Stone Of the coast guard. have hrcI
detailed 10 make the investigation. I'm
less difficulties with ice flocs arc on
countcrcd. tho Barney is expected t.
return 70 the United States within ahHu
ten days whcr the officers will subml
their report Al Washington.
Flight To Bane.
In disclosing TINT tho planes VII
leave tic naval aviation station on Lon:
Island. MIR. Roosevelt said it was r"-
earded as preferable to fly the machine
In tho base to be selected fnr' the fllgh
rather than TO transnort them ny snip
The aircraft will bc rrfuc!cd AMI gwen
final tuning UP before they actually d'
part overseas.
Several machines are being prepare
for Tho fl'g ght ard two or more yer
prohai:iv will make the start. Ihr'
planes Of tho y. G.. type have been corr
plntcd AMI fourth is nearing cHnlpl"
tion NJ tho Curtiss plant at Gardcn tllE
New York. Extensive tests of the y. G
have hrcn made and 81 passengers WeF'
carried on one nC her flights.
Whether it will b" possible for tn"
machines 10 carry sufficient fuel 10 drive
them across the ocean has not b"t'
nadn known. They could r"-Cucl at tho
Azores vii; hout difficulty. and some OFF,
rcrs bclirv,, il would be entirely posi-
hl, under favorable weather conditions.
for them to- rcplcnish their gas supply
in mid Atlantic from II ship with which
4, rendezvous could be arranged before
hand.
Plans Under Cover.
Detailed plans Of the flight arc being
carefully snfcEuardcd and there has
been no intmatinn AS To whether the
machines will keep together or follow
different routes In Wow Of the an
nrunCcmcrt that dcStr"ycrs Will be sta
toned along the route tn safeguard the
crews in The event Of accidents most
officers believe. however. the flying craft
will follow one course.
The navy department has not entered
for the $4,000 prize offered by the Lon
don Daily Mail 10 the first aircraft that
completes q transatlantic flight. At the
department To-Day il Was said that no
Inquiries had even been made as TO tho
conditions undcr which the offer was
made. Several British firms and one or
two Individuals are reported to have
entered for this pr:zc. but The general
belief here l. that none Of these will be
able TO make the start in advance Of the
naval planes.
NEW YORK, March 94.-Thrcc of the
four snaplancs with which the navy de-
partmcnt plans TO attempt its trans
atlantic flight arc now al the naval air
station ut Rnck kuway Beach. from which
the flight will start. They arc known
as the y. C.-l type Of machine. The
fourth plane is under construction at