Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-07-02
BRITISH Yep
Way ON
TRIP TO us.
Dirigible Making 45 Knots
an Hour on Ocean
Flight to America.

! East Fortune, July 2.-The Brit
ish dirgib1e R-34 started on her long
transatlantic trip this morning
with very little more of ceremony
than that which marked the depar
ture of dirgibles for their moneton-
GUS North Sea patrol duties during
! the war. Shortly before the FIRST
streaks of dawn broke over the
| plains near here the great airship
was quietly taken out of it's air
drome and turned around until her
nose was pointed straight west Tie
command ''in hands" was given and
! the huge envelope quickly arose.
! Before the height of 500 feet was
reached she was lost to view in the
mist The whir of the propellers
could be heard for several minutes
after the several hundred foot ar
ship went out of sight
The weather reports indicate that
the R-34 will meet unsettled concT-
tions with variable winds, until she
! is some distance out in the Allan
| tic. Then it is expected better
weather conditions will prevail.
Thanks to the light breeze and
wind breaks erected on each side
/ of the airdrome, the task of get
ting the R-34 out was not a diff
cult one She was towed to
point about 300 yards away from
the airdrome and after being turn
ed around, all five of her powerful
motors we're started humming.
Then the hands OFF" bugle was
sounded, the airship started to rise,
her propellers began to spin and
oh hn1 4
ceased the great f1ier had disap-
peared in the mist.
Not Thought Unusual Feat.
The flight is not regarded here
as an unusual feat. There is the
utmost confidence in the ability of
the R-34 to make the trip. There
were no Serious-minded fareWellS
between the crew and those who
saw them off and the feeling among
officers here might be expressed in
the remarks of Colonel Hunt, who
said:
You know, we always have a
latch night, on Wednesdays and
have our friends out here. We just
moved that night up to Tuesday
and of course the officers of the
R-34 were here"
Pushing Straight West.
London. July 2.-The British dir
igible R-34, which left East For
tune. Scotland, at 1:4S o'clock
Greenwich time, this morning on
her attempt to fly across the At
lantic, had reached So degrees so
minutes north latitude, II degrees
so minutes west longitude at 3
o'clock Greenwich time, this after
noon 30 o'clock New York time). |
At that time the course of the air
ship was west and she was pro-
crossing at a speed of 81 knots.
81 Miles on Ireland.
The position of the R-34 at .
o'clock Greenwich time was ap-
proximately 81 miles due west Of
CHden, on the coast of Connaughr, |
ireland, indicating that the dirigi- |
BILE had taken southwesterly |
course after her report at 2 o'clock |
Greenwich time, when she had |
reached SIS degrees minutes north |
latitude, IA degrees so minutes |
west longitude, approximately ESQ |
miles west of Burtonport on the |
northwestern coast of Ireland. |
Her position at 2 O'Clock also was |
approximately 500 mics from East |
Fortune, the starting point.
GA previous report from London |
had given the position of the R-34 |
as so degrees z minutes north Iatl-
tude, IA degrees so minutes west |
time, which is corrected in this !
Speed IS Slackened.
40
er, reported at II O'Clock he said
that the dirigible was making 80
knots an hour in a thick fog. He
added that all was well. In his
report at s o'clock Major Scott said
the R-34 was at SIS degrees 20 min
utes north latitude and 10 degrees
40 minutes west longitude At
O'Clock the big airship was max
ing 40 knots an hour, and had av-
eraged As knots an hour up to that
time.
The mail carried by the R-34 in
cludes letter from King George |.
to President Wilson.
May Stay But Six Hours.
Mineola, N. Y, July 2.-Lieuten-
ant Colonel Frederick. Lucas, of the
Roy Air force, one of the advance
party here arranging for the recep-
ton of the British dirigible now
to Long Island from Scot
land, said that in all probability
the R-34 would remain here
only six or eight hours before
on it's return trip. A re-
quest from the navy department for
the dirigible to fly over PhiladeI-
phia, Baltimore and Washington,
before starting overseas on its re-
turn journey will be transmitted by
Lieutenant Colonel Lucas to the
commander of the craft upon its i
arrival.