The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-05-16

dropped into the sea about 85 miles off shore, according to radio message received tonight by the cruiser Chicago from an unidentified British steamship.
 The steamship said it was standing by the dirigibIe. The destroyer Ed- wards which went ont in pursuit of the biimp after 1t was blown to was notified by wireless of its position and started at once to salvage the airship. SWEPT OUT TO SEA By Associated Press
 st. Johns, N F., May 15.-Plans of the United States navy for a trans atlantic flight by dirigible received a serious jolt this afternoon when the giant "blimp" C-5 burst from her moor ings in a gale and was swept out to sea soon after she had arrived from Montauk Point after having been in the air continuously for % hours and 45 minutes.
 The destroyer Edwards immediately set out in pursuit, with orders to brins the big gas bag down with anti-air- craft artillery if necessary Even if the Edwards is able to rescue the "blimp" before some serious misfor- tune befalls her, it probably will re- quire sometime to repair the damage which will result from her fall into the ocean.
 Lieut. Charles G. Little of Newbury- port. Mass. who was given charge of the C-5. after the crew had been bun died off to bed aboard the cruiser Chi cago. was almost carried away by the pj paS VI ma a attempt to def1ate it.
 Seated In the blimp's nacelle when
 hreke sn seized the rip cord eaeses ap the tie eAvelaPe siia WtlGa JET &Ms 10 ssssse The cosa ! ke. Na svec. add E-ieutsaan} E.stfs. res.tts@ns he soGl6 or ansbie te llnE gae sftu aewp, teispsd ert ff6n < he@ssf n fact. His eula sn1uey wse e epSetaed aassie.
 N gis ApE
 ,ff8srts bs salers rom tAs cruiser Chicago u ore, Sat 4s8 ntfsy when gusty west winds swept across it's mooring place in Quidividi basin and began to swing 1t about. Several of the sailors, clinging to guy ropes. were thrown down by the dirigible's final tug but none was injured.
 landing crew of 100 men under the direction of , Lieutenant Little had fought with the gale for control of the C-5 for six hours before it broke away.
 Wholly unsheltered on the wind swept field the dirisible pitched and tucked, stripping her bottom of canvas and then tearing the bow plates away. Tenders were placed to bl .sae a shock and the men of the landiaa csew klfe wildly as they chung to ths threRsh its oscillations under succeedsag aess of wind, endeavoring to save N
 When the wind rose rl5rs fhAD % miles an hour to 40, the gins Gn flsss nose of the nacelle gave gay aue t was decided to deflate tn s-Felcpa
 Mechanics, who were W xinH on ae engines. were ordered to e1- aaen ST Ts0 and all but Lieutenants lat( tRrd K. A. D. Preston and Chic shin8sG Mate J. J. Crampton Vi il yeraffA As the ship continued te 9 Etses tenant Little ordered the atnef tn leave He was endeavoriI ae4aN hSi2 to pull the rip cord and dt 9te tlegf velope
 BREAKS RIP Cs s'1
 Thrashed wildly by the 1d he gas bag rebounded and every alag mapped lieutenant Little gave al med ti2 as the rip cord and it brok, s saps6 from the ship with the en tk in his hand as the big Fose sae scared off.
 When last sighted fro gare N C-5 was disappearing srd tsie northeast
 The loss of the blimp ns 1litaf disappointment to Lieut. gosansHagcf Emery W. Coil and his erele 9f ifvs Despite a heavy fog ano sap1sNgrat. weather they had hrough the A sh'p over a 13G0-mile course on NsstAHk Point with performance record whp they were confident NsoAld DeNe brought coveted order frsaf the n44Si department to attempt sha avfeFsa flight.
 Well. we've lost a ellancs tc heroes and the navy has lost Fws4t little ship" said Commandar Cqsi wbsf lie was told of the Cos assape
 The C-5. he said, had peri9rEssd noe fectly on the trip from MpntagK Fosr and only final authorization sscra Washington. routine inspection &Re engines, and replenishmert of fgelaff supplies, the aviators ta1 believed stood between them ant Fanst atlantic flight.
 Although the C-5 perffaRsa ''psr- fectly' the weather "did t1t pefforn nearly so welr' one of the ew said. WEATHER PERFORN $ BADLy
 'It was the toughest ride I've ever had" he declared but this was due 10 the bunny condition of the atmus- phere. not to the ship"
 At times he continued the winds ca reened the big ship until it's engines stood on end and stopped but as soon as the ship lighted itself the motors went to work again
 The dirigible was lost" in the fog for a time this morning over Avalon Penin- sula. the southeastern point of New foundland. For two hours she cruised about seeking the landing field here. which was known to the crew only by ra- dio description. Radio directions re- ceived from the base served only to com plicate the situation. for while the base was sending the bearings of the sending station from the C-5, the C-5s navigators interpreted them as the C-os bearings from the station.
 FOLLOWED RAILROAD
 Eventully. Commander Coil sighted a narrow guage railroad. which he fol- lowed to St. Johns. The town of Topsal was then recognized and a direct course was laid which took the dirigible over