Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-04
British DirigibIe Sails Over
Newfoundland, North of St.
Johns, at 6 Am. Today.
TAKES NORTHERLY ROUTE
BECAUSE OF transform
Expected to Arrive at Mineola To-
morrow Morning-Is Await
ed by Throng.

hooh, Soihih6 hSoi ehN
ground to be seen by the populace
and dropping mail bag for the gov
ernor.
Owing to weather conditions being
more favorable farther SOUTH it was
announced by the British admiralty
wireless station, the R-34 changed it's
earlier announced course.
The airship. ii was said in earlier
radio advices, had been obliged to
take the northerly track because of at
mospheric depression here due to A
heavy rainstorm and thick fog. The
fog, it is believed, will lift by noon.
Position Early This Morning.
LONDON, July 4.-The position of
the British dirigible R-34. according
to a report received by the air min
istry at 3 o'clock this morning, was
51.2O north latitude and 4S.40 west
longitude. This gives the position of
the craft as just east of Newfound-
land.
Expected at New York Saturday.
NEW YORK, July AFTER reading
ing the arrival of the R-34 at Notre
Dame Bay early today. Lieut.. Col. F.
w. Lucas. royal air force. who has
general supervision of the reception
Oh the n-Sf. SCdVcQ LuaI the
probably would reach New York early
Saturday morning.
$Lieut. Col. Lucas was without in
formation on the location and prog
ress of the ship other than press dis
patches.
plans for the reception of the R-34
have in no way been changed" he
said. 1.-The ship likely will start on
the; return fight eight hours after
arrival here"
Alert at Roosevelt Field.
M1NEOLA. n. Y. July 4.-Onicers
and men ut Roosevelt Field are in
readiness to receive the British dirf-
gible RIA the moment she arrives. The
fifty great searchlights set up to guide
her. in case she comes in at night,
have been tested and found to be in
perfecting working condition.
Col. Archie Miller. the commandant.
has made his plans to cover every
hour. so that when the monster of the
air arrives she will find a welcoming
committee on watch.
All the Mineola hotels are crowded
to capacity and almost every house in
Mineola has guests. Two thousand
handle the crowd. All leaves have
been stopped and no officer or man
will be permitted to leave the camp,
except for urgent reasons. until the
dirigible has again started for Eu
rope.
Members Of the seven Army balloon
companies and 200 special mechanics.
who have been detailed to bring the
big craft to her mornings. last night
attended motion picture exhibition
showing how the mammoth flyer was
handled in England.
Likely to Come Here.
The RIA may make exhibition
flights over Atlantic City. Baltimore,
Philadelphia and Washington. accord
ing to a statement by the British Of
ficers in charge of the arrangements
for her landing. An invitation to fly
over these cities has been given by
definite will be decided until Maj.
Scott. the airship commander, has an
opportunity to confer with Lieut.. Col.
Lucas, commanding the British land
party.
The RIA and her sister airship. the
R-33. are. the worlds greatest dr-
gibles. The war brought them into
being. for they originally were de-
signed to outvie Germany's Zeppelins
and bring death and destruction to
German cities. When they were build
ing IL was reported that they would
be the f1agships of gigantic fleet of
aircraft that would be launched on a
tremendous air raid on Berlin. For
this purpose they were equipped with
openings through which four 500
pound bombs and sixteen OF 120 pounds
structure emplacements were built for
batteries of eight guns.
Wars End Brings Change.
The sudden end of the world war
put stop to the plans for a raid on
Berlin and the architects of the di-
rigibles turned their attention to re-
modelling their craft for peaceful
purposes. But their plans were again
interrupted in June when the war
clouds regathered rat reports that
Germany would refuse TO accept the
allied peace terms. The RIA was
swiftly put in war trim and started
on a cruise of 1000 miles over the
Baltic and the German coast regions.
She carried no bombs. but. equipped
with rapid firing guns. swept over the
enemys territory at low altitude,
her enormous shadow making a grim
threat of the possibilities.
The cruise was made without mis-
hap and when peace finally was as
sured the crew of the R-34 resumed
to America.
Originally it was planned that the
voyage should be made by the r. 80
also. but II was decided that too much
sister ship.
Built Scottish in Village.
The R-34 was built in Inchinnan 2
little village near Glasgow In size
she rivals all but the very largest
ocean liners. Her length is $40 feet
her beam seventy-nine feet, and from
the bottom of her lowest gondola &c
the top of the gas bag measures sew.
enty-nine feet. Her measurement.
are very closely those of the liner
Adriatic, and If she was stood on enc
she would overtop the famous Singer
building by twenty feet Tw,
million cubic feet Of hydrogen ga:
are Imprisoned in the enormous bal
loon. Her resemblance TO monstrou
fish is heightened by the fact that sh,
j. painted silver color. proved by ex
pertinent to be the most successful il
resisting the action of the sun in ex
banding the gas bag.
The dri:ing power of the airshil
Is supplied by five Sunbeam motor
with total OF !. 900 horsepower. suf
fclent to give a speed of close t
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