The sun., 1919-05-28

coast of Europe before bad weather
reached him. Probably fear that
even yet under a clear sky, with the
four motors Of the great seaplanes
humming In thunderous chorus, the
ink Of the NC-4 might overtake her
lurked in his mind.
The progress Of the NC-4 as her
pilots, Lieuts. L. II. Stone and Walter
Hinton, guides her unerringly from
destroyer to destroyer was steady
from the time the little island Of San
Miguel dropped into the sea behind
her to the time the shores Of Europe
rose in front--a sight that the six
men on board had been visuallzing
through many weary hours Of prep
aration Of waiting upon weather and
Of flying. with the terrific roar of the
engines deafening them and the wind
beating and tearing at their faces.
What their thoughts were on see
ing that land can be imagined, but
will probably not be described by
them. The word received by the Navy
Department here was even curter
than the usual terse reports Of the
commander Of ship or squadron.
NC-4 Arrives at Lisbon.
INCA arrived at Lisbon 20:02
Greenwich time was the message
that was flashed to the navy here
Brief as 1t was 1t was enough. The
fear Of naval officers here. fear
which they attempted TO conceal under
a careless attitude. was that at the
last moment, even somewhere In the
gap of more than fifty miles between
the last destroyer and the Portuguese
coast, the evil genius Of the SC-4
might overtake her and hurl her into
the ocean. 1t may have been a linger-
Ing superstition or merely vision
conjured up by tense nerve, but it re-
vealed itself in the occasional uneasy
comments half suppressed.
But the NC-4 was flying far too fast
for any evil genius, however malig-
nant, to catch UP. She shot past the
fourteenth destroyer and onward to
the coast at her steady and swift
speed. Waiting for her at the harbor
were the members Of the other NC
ships, men OF equal daring and cour-
age. who had. in the navy parlance,
used up their luck at the beginning Of
the trip.
On board the destroyer Rochester,
flagship Of the destroyer force which
has guided and attempted to guard the
NC ships from some Of the perils they
faced. was Commander John H.
Towers. who planned the flight for
many months in washington and who
during those three days on the stormy
waters around. had proved himself a
doer as well as a planner There also
was Lieutenant Commando Belhnger
smiling. no doubt. as he has always
smiled at misfortune.
| It was with laugh that Com
mander Belinger had surveyed the
Mexican bullets in his seaplane after
O daring trip over the city Of Vera
Cruz, the first trip Of an American
aviator over enemy lines. Commando
Richardson. designer in large part Of
the NC craft, who went along as a
pilot in Commander Towerss ship to
prove his faith In his own handioraft
was also there, waiting to greet proud
ly the ship Of his design that did come
through, despite that fog and storm in
| the treacherous Azores.
And there also We're the other pilots
engineers and radio men, who had
counted. not unwisely, on Read to
bring the surviving plane through as
proof to the whole world that the navy
finishes whatever II starts.
| 1t is interesting to note that the
crew Of the NC-4. probably not by
chance. II made UP Of men from the
three branches of the navy. the regu.
| 10 80 fha y-aaarva arr fha cnast p1ta RI