Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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IHK SUMTE? \[f?SX$BaB&&, Estafo1 Consolidated Aug. 2,1 READ'S ACROSS OCEAN Story of First Trans-Atlantic Air Trip From America to Old World NC4 MADE QUICKER TRIP THAN EXPECTED landers Towers and Bellin ger Were Lost in the Fog and Failed to, Complete Trip. Washington. D. C, May 17.?One of the three American "naval seaplanes which set out last evening from New youndland in the first attempt at a Sight across the Atlantic ocean still was missing late tonight, Another was being towed to an Azores port af -ter the crew had been put on the steamship Iona. and the third was safe at Horta, Fayal, after establish ing a record flight for heavier-than air machines. The missing plane is the NC-3 flag ship of Commander John Henry Tow ? ers of Rome, Ga., commander of the Bsquadron, but the fact that the last report came from her at 5.15. o'clock this morning, Washington time, . did - not cause naval officials to entertafa any apprehension for the safety of . Commander Towers and his criew of four. v The last message from this ship showed her off her course in a fog, - seme 350 miles from Fayal and naval 1 officials believe that it was only-the mist bank which enveloped the sea '*< around the Azores throughout the day that prevented all three^ of the planes from reaching port on, or ahead of schedule time. Lieut.* Commander Patrick N. Bel linger's ship," the NC-1, also lost her way in the fog and was forced to des cend at 11.40 a. m. Washington time. She sent an S. O. S. call stating that . she was landing and asking for her -f.^psition. Four destroyers immediate ly were dispatched to her assistance, and a message to the navy depart ment just before midnight said were talcing her to port, probably to Horta. but the Iona tow line parted. Com mander . Bellinger and crew were j aboard the steamship Iona. Lieut.! Commander Bellinger is frcm Cheraw. I S. C. ! The one plane to reach port was the NC-4, which led her sister ships practically all the way and descended into Horta harbor at 0.20 o'clock Washington time. Kor official time for the flight was' fifteen hours and thirteen minutes and the average speed was approximately eighty miles an hour. The perfomance of the plane was all the more satisfac tory to officials here because of The fact that she suffered a series of mis haps on the first leg of her voyage from Rockaway Beach, Long Island, to Trepassey Bay. Both of the fog bound planes were believed to have sufficient fuel to . carry them to the Azores, but the fog undoubtedly prevented them from continuing the trip in the air. To Lieut. Commander Read, of New Hampshire, commanding the NC-4. goes the honor of having made with out interruption the most daring jour ney ever attempted in an airship of any kind. Rising frcm dinner last night in the ward room of the mine layer Aroostock at Trepassey Bay. N. F.rJae_and his men breakfasted soon after 9 o'clock this morning aboard the cruiser Columbia at Hor ta. But for the fog that clamped down on the NC-4 as it sighted Pico heighths, across from Horta, they would have boarded the XT. S. S. Mel ville before noon today and been ready to jump again tomorrow?this time for Lisbon, the city marking the end of the actual flight over the j ' Atlantic. Acting Secretary Roosevelt sent thej congratulations of the navy to Com mander Read today when it appeared certain the NC-3 and the NC-1 hid been indefinitely held up by the fog. Commander Read's hard luck of preceding legs of the trans-Atlantic dash appears to have turned from the start. He led all the way after rising first at Trepassey Bay only to come down again to give his commanding officer, Commander Towers, the hon or of starting first. The NC-4 was nearly thirty minutes ahead of the NC-1 just before Commander Re id Sighted land at the Azores and the flagship the NC-3, lagged still far I li ef behind. That thirty minutes, officers be lieved, saved the NC-4 from the fot. By virtue of that narrow lead he seems to have slipped through to Moorings in Horta harbor, only to have the fog pall down heavily be hir.d him, barring the way for his ad venturous companions on the his tory-making voyage. Commander Bellinger was caught with land al most! under his eyes and picked up later by a destroyer but Commandoi Towers was blanketed well out t< sea, showing the speed with which the fog bank spread. Fog at sea usually means smooth seas and little or no wind. Officials believed the fog-bound NC-3 and its crew was in no jeopardy for that r- 1 sOn. Should wind come it would tear away the fog curtain and permit thorn to take the air again before the seas could rise. In any event, the NC beat-; were built to ride out storms on the surface, if necessary. Only cross seas, rAUUung athwart .the, course of heavy &feed April, 1SS0. "Be Jost a 881. Commander Towers in NC-3 Has Not Yet Been Found and Uneasiness Felt BELLINGER'S MACHINE ALMOST COMPLETE WRECK Great Gale Raging in the Vicin ty of Azores and Searchers Find No Trace of Missing Plane.. Washington, May 18.?Apprehen ision as to the safety of Comndr. John jH. Towers of Rome, Ga., and his crew ; of four men, who in the seaplane j NC-3 have been lost at sea for more than 40 hours, had begun tonight to ! displace the feeling of confidence, among naval officials that the trans Atlantic flyers soon would be found by searching vessels. No word had been received from, the NC-3 since 5.15 o'clock yesterday morning :vrhen Commander Towers reported that his plane, the flagship of the squadron, was off her course some 300 miles from the island of Fayal, Azores. Dispatches from Rear Admiral Jackson, aboard the U. S. S. Melville at Ponta Del Gada. Azores, tonight said a gale was sweeping the seas northwest of the Azores and that high waves were running. With the XC-4 at Korta, groomed and ready for the next leg of the trans-Atlantic flight and the crew of the NC-1 safely aboard the cruiser Columbia at Horta, the navy, with its vast force of vessels concentrate 1 to aid in the trans-Atlantic attempr, was beading all of its energies to the finding of the lost fivers. The battleships the IT. S. S. Florida and U. S. S. Texas and nearly a score of destroyers were scouring the sea over a wide area* all day today and tonight. The fog which, it is supposed I forced the NC-1 to the open sea when within a few short miles of Corvo, J headland, the objective point of the I aerial argonauts, had been dissi pated by strong westerly winds this morning which increased to a gale by 9 a. m., and-whipped up a nasty, chop py sea, the most menacing condition possible for a seaplane riding on the surface of the ocean. Messages received from Rear Ad j miral Jackson late tonight telling j of the damage to the NC-1, caused by J the heavy seas, running at the time ! the plane was found, served to in | crease the apprehension felt for the j safety of the crew of the NC-3. The i lower planes of the NC-1 were badly j damaged, one pontoon was entirely ?carried away, the right wing was I badly broken, the wing ribs were I damaged and the elevators were I smashed. i Navy vessels standing by in an ef i fort to salvage the big boat reported i to the department that the seas were j running so high that it was impos j sible to save it at this time. It was i pointed out that only good fortune j could possibly save the NC-3 from i even more serious damage since it is i handicapped by the extra weight o: i its crew. ! I ;]?:;: Corvo Island as an operating1 j bare, the screen of battleship and do ! stroyers wore sweeping westward in ' a great semi-circle in an effort to catch sight of the NC-3 or pick up j winds, a rare condition, would im , peril them seriously, officers said. The crew has ample stores of food, j water and extra clothing. Probably ! the plane could "taxie" on the sur j face to safety. Even should the fog-hound NC-3 I be short of fuel and the searching de j stroyers fail to find it, officials were : confident that it would make Its way i safely to land. As illustrating the sea I worthiness of the craft officers re-j called that during the war a crew brought in an American seaplane off ! the coast of France after eleven days I on the water in a violent storm. The, I men lightened the plane of all weight possible and rigged up a sail out or ! the wings. Naval officials here were son;ev.-h;.;t in doubt tonight as to Commander Reads plans for continuing the tlight to Lisbon. Tt ? generally believed he would start ;u his earliest opportunity and he might have started and cable dc lays prevented it being known her- . If the fog keeps him atyHorta until tomorrow. however, it appeared doubtless thai he could avoid losing a day in his schedule, which d for a start from Ponta Delgada on the 800 miles direct flight to Lisbon tomorrow. Horta to Lisbon din ? j would add 150 miles to 'the journey, making it possible that the airship would be forced to make a landing, after dark should it attempt to catch up tomorrow. There is also a possibility that Read would delay as long as possible to let iiis companions rejoin him. They waited for him at Trepassey and he may feel bound to take the same course. Bui the prime purpose is to put an American seaplane across the Atlantic in air. it was said here, ana too much effort and expense have been lavished on this attempt. Officers said, to pei*mit questions of sentiment to endanger it. however much the whole navy would like to see all three machines alight in Plymouth harbor. England, iu a group. n? Fear not?Let an the endi Thon AI 3UMTER, S. C., WEDN Hawker of Austrila Started on Flight Across Atlantic From St. Johns, Newfoundland MOST DARING EXPEDITION EVER UNDERTAKEN He Is In Little Sopwith Battle Plane and Has One Companion ?If He Falls into Ocean He is Lost. _ j St. Johns, X. F.. May IS?Harry G Hawker, Australian aviator, and, Comndr. Mackenzie Griev, his na "ga tor, are winging their way across the Atlantic tonight on the most perilous airplane flight in history. They took the air at 5.53 p. m. to day, Greenwich time (1.53 p. m. New York time), and expect to reach the' Irish coast in 24 hour." unless some accident forces them to plunge into the se?. When the Sopwith biplane passed from view beyond the hills to north east, headed for the open sea, it left behind with shattered hopes Hawker's English rival, Frederick P. Raynham. who had hoped to be first across in a Martinsyde plane and win glory and the $50.000 prize of the London Daily Mail. Raynham was tuning up the engine of his machine when Hawker flashed over the Englishman's air drome, dropping as he went the un dercarriage of his Sopwith to lighten the load he must carry. Raynham and his navigator, Charles W. F. Mor gan, resolved then that the Australian was on his way. Instantly they de termined to follow him, for all their preparations had been made weeks Tgo. but misfortune intervened. As* the Martynside ??taxied" along the uneven surface of the runway 1 preparatory to the take off. a rear axle broke under its heavy load and the machine ploughed into the ground. Pilot and navigator were jammed in the wreckage but ap.Aar ( ently neither was seriously hurt. While Raynham's injuries were be ing treated, Hawker was well on hrs way. Sunday sightseers, listlessly watching what they supposed was to he a trial flight of the Sopwith, were amazed when they saw the under carriage drop like a plummet near the Martinsyde airdrome. They knew it meant Hawker had determined to tarry no longer, for it left him* with out landing equipment, but lighten j erl his craft for his hazardous voyage. I If the daring Australian wins his gamble with death it will bring him [ first honors in the non-stop trans-At lantic race, undying fame and a rich [prize. He decided to risk everythina i when ne heard of the arrival of the Crated States navy's seaplane, XC-4. at. Horta and reiterated his state ment that he would "beat the Yan kees across." although the venture of the navy aircraft has no bearing on the Daily Mail contest nor did they attempt a nonstop flight. The journey planned by Hawker would land him on the Irish coast at about 1.55 p. m. Greenwich time, to morrow (9.55 a. m. New York time). He is flying straight for Ireland, winging bis way regardless of ship ping lanes. Hawker got away in lurching 300 yard run. bumping hazardously over the um ven field. The little plane careened and rocked recklessly until a hummock lifted it and its wings "took the air" for a low. swinging start. Hawker was at the control. The Sopwith began to speed up as ?w^^w.- t-- ? ... mm ...i.r.,1.,^ I.. ,. radio distress signals. The high winds and choppy seas prevailing made the work of the rescue party most diffi cult. The main element of hope in the situation as viewed by naval officers tonight was the fact that tlm weath er forecasts predicted diminishing winds and bated sea.s late in the night and Monday morning. It war. thought that if Commander Towers' frail craft could .uccessfuliy rid" out the gale untfl morning, that the probability! *": rescue would be greatly increased since a veritable swarm of destroyers; ami other naval craft, gathered from; wide distances, was being concen-! trated over the area to the northwest of the Azores. Each of the seaplanes carried sufficient food and water for* six days when the squadron left fTre passey Bay. i The condition in which the XC-lj was found was described in th" fol-i lowing message to tie- navy depart ment from the cruiser Columbia: "NC-1 right wing badly broken pontoon caried away. elevators! broken, fabric, left wing ribs badly j damaged. Condition of sea too rough! to salvage plane. Fairfax standing byj awaiting better conditions. Crew of NC-1 in good shape now on board] Columbia. XC-4 in good conditio:: and awaiting favorable weather before proceeding to Ponta del Gada. Scout-; im: lines scouting to westward for XO-3. Strong northwesterly wind and rough seas prevailing." The members of the crew of the NC-3 in addition to Commander Tow ers arc Comndr. I!. C. Richardson. Lieut. I>. N. McCuliough: Lieut.' Comndr. It .\. Lavender ami Ma chinist L. It. Moore. Lieutenant Commander Read of the NC-4, the successful plane, is from New Hampshire and while stationed in Florida was married to Miss Eliz-i abeth Eurdine ot IJJami. mat at be thy Country'*, Tay God I f E3DAY, MAY 21, 1919, Reported in London That Dar-! ing Aviator Has Been Sighted Off Irish Coast 1 ? i ADMIRALTY DOES NOT CONFIRM RUMOR I As Sopwith Flyer Has Not Ar-j rived at this Hour the Chances Ar That He Has Perished. London. May 19.?The manager of the Sopwith Airplane Company re ceived a report at 5 o'clock this af ternoon that Aviator Hawker had been -sighted one hundred and fifty miles off Ireland at 4 p. ml today. No Trace of Hawker British Admiralty Has No News London, May 19,-^The air ministry announced shortly after 5 o'clock that 1 it had no confirmation of the report that Hawker had been sighted off Ireland at 4 p. m. SEAPLANE NC-3 SAFE Reported Proceeding Under Own Power Near Ponta Del Gada Washington, May 19?Sea | plane NC-3 has been lorded sev j.en miles north o? Ponta-D^l j Gada. She is proceeding under j her own power. {?soon as it floated into the air and j Hawker headed straight into the northeast. When he dropped his un ! der carnage he and Griev waved a ; quick farewell. j Flying straight without swerving a t?airfrcm the chosen course, the little j plane faded rapidly from view. In i five minutes it had dwindled to .*? j speck in the sky and in six minute: ' it was out of sight beyond the hi* Is. j Hawker's sta: was made in tar ; face of weathei -nations which he characterized as "not yet favorable, but possible." He and his navigator gravely considered the hazards of tin attempt ana decided to stake every thing on an effort to "beat the^Amer icans." iL Overnight reports to the mcteroiog ! ical station had shown increased a t I mcspherie pressures, smoother seas land fair barometer conditions. Al i though winds and pressures were not I all they hoped for. Hawker and Griev ; ordered their hand satchels packed ; and made ready for the start. I Hawker considered weight as of utmost importance. Lifting Grief's bag he found it heavy and inquired j solicitously if ho could not "dispense j with pajamas on the trip." Wh cr asked if he thought he would have j a chance to sleep during the voyage, j Hawker replied: "We'll have a long ! sleep coming at the end of it." It was 5 o'clock in the afternoon. ! Greenwich time, when Hawker order ; ed his Sopwith piano out of its han gar for a ground and wind test. Over j in the Quidividi field at the other end ; of the city Raynham had found cross j winds sweeping over his Martinsydc | "take off" grounds. Hawker tried out the Sopwith for | a minute or two and called conditio'!1 j for a. start "good enough." Griev agreed. The plane was then given s j final inspection. At 5.51. Greenwich time, the Sop-j with was ready. At 5.55 sharp. Haw- i ker gave the word and the ground ! crew "let go." The little plane jerked forward, I then moved steadily over the uneven ground. i Hawker gathered speed rapidly as j he bowled over the turf. rocking; heavily. At L'O'i yards he was going! fairly well, hut swaying badly. A hummock "?lifted" him at 300 yards' and with a last lurch the Sopwith j "took .'the air." From that instant it "set sail" di rectly northeast winging higher and; higher. When the under carriage was dropped the little group of spectators j cried out: "She's off." Haynham. at Quidividi. heard the | rcai- of tin- Sopwith engine und as the j plane rose well into the air he order- ! ed the Martinsyde made ready at once, and wem into consultation with hit j aavigator. Morgan. Within an hour the Martinsyde was "taxing" for a start with Raynham at tin- control, bumping heavily and 1 rocking from side to side over the j rough ground. Suddenly a rear axle j buckled and the machine .crashed on its side, plowing into the earth. Rayn-j ham and Morgan were lifted out of. the wreckage streaming with blood. ; Too heavy a carriage was said to-! hove caused the Collapse ?>;' th ? Mar tinsyde's under carriage. It was fry-j ing ;<> carry 36$ gallons of gasoline. Hawker ami Griev are flying ov? r a course alF their own. figured out last night and this morning with the one object in mind of "how to head off the Americans^ Hawker und Grieve were wholly; calm at the start. Methodically and vathout the slightest trace ot net-' THE TRUE "Britannia Rules-the Waves" in I Gulf of Finland?Big i Guns Count ! TWO RUSSIAN SHIPS SUNK | ! IN FIGHT Battle Occurred Sunday After noon and Lasted Only Thirty, Minutes. Heisingforst. May 19.?British war ships engaged the Russian Bol shevik P.eet in a thirty minute fight i in the Gulf of Finland Sunday. The Bolsheviki fled to Kronstadt after one of their vessels had been sunk and another stranded. Pershing Vi^ts Wilson Details of Demobilization of American Army in France Discussed Paris. May 19.?The details of the .inal demobilization of the American expeditionary force in France were discussed today by Gen. Persh.ng anc President Wilson when Gen. Persh ing took luncheon at the executive's Paris residence. The removal of the American headquarters at Ghaumont is already underway. Congress Organized Cummings Elected sident Pro Tern of Senate?Gillett Speaker of House Washington, May 19.?By a ma jority of five votes the Republicans took control of the senate, electing Senator" Cummings ? president pre tempore. The Republicans in the hou**^ elect ed Representative Gillett, of Massa-, jhusetts, speaker, ousness, they climbed aboard theii ?small craf; and set to work dispas ! sionately. Hawker's confidence in his [ navigator and in his engine was ab | solute, he said, quietly. After a preliminary spin of the mo | tor, Hawker opened his throttle to I he full, and the ground crew wa: I Torced to call for help to hold the j plane in place. Hawker throttled I 'down" again, said a few final words a" 1 then gave the word to knock out i the supporting blocks from beneath} he craft. He opened wide the throt- ? tie. Hawker followed his announced in- j tention when he dropped the under carriage of his plane. Some persons bought the act was intended as a challenge to his rival, Raynham, and quoted almost the last word of Hawk- j er before he started: "How about olo j 'tinsides.' Tell Raynham I'll greet | him at Brooklands, England." The wireless sent word of Rayn- j ham's mishap to Hawker and Mac kenzie Griev after they had put to sea. Opinion here js that Hawker wil: J not bo forced to racing speed now that, his rival has been eliminated. At the) start the sun was only a little ove'i j two hours beyond the meridian. The! flying adventurers had its aid in navigating for four or five hours as they sped eastward. After that they; plunged into darkness over the) ocean, with the ?rospect of starlight | and moonlight >orve as navigation j guides. Barring untoward events the plane' should meet the sun again just short j of mid-Atlantic and race against its! westward swing to reach the Irish j const before darkness falls again.; Mackenzie Griev declared before the i start that the Sopwith would head : straight for Ireland. j "If we strike anywhere we will ' have found our mark." he said, "but i if we hi: England we will be nearer] home." Indications tonight were that wes-? terly winds would favor the fliers for, the first thousand miles of their j course. The remainder of the way will be "ticklish" sailing and it is! thought possible that Griev will have ' to "bend" his course somewhat south ; to avoid wind and weather in the! last half of the flight A large part of Griev's work will 1 : be in noting observations of air cur- i rents encountered. 1 "Although Atlantic air currents can never be marked." he said. "I hope ?.o < compile observations that will make * the trans-Atlantic passage possible ' with fewer uncertainties for later ; fliers than those which eonfront I pioneers on the trackless way." Within the past few days Hawkei' < had installed a radio with a transmit- ! ter of ".'."'(i miles radius. ; ' In the Sopwith plane Hawker and ( Griev are without landing devices other than light "skids" which must do the work of the undercarriage, which he dropped at the start. It the Sopwith is forced into the ^ sea Hawker and. Griev have little hope of rescue. Both men are wearing, ??water tight" suits, which are design ed to keep them floating many hours. ? but as their course is outside the lanes i of shipping the chances of their < being picked up arc virtually nil. t N - ---i: I SQUTHBOtf, Established Jm;, VoLXLVIII. No. 28. WAR RISK BUREAU ROW Sudden Re-organization Made Necessary by Resignation of ? Col. Lindsley NEW YORK BUSINESS MAN SUCCEEDS HIM This Bureau Handles Insurance and Allotments of Four Million Soldiers. Washington, May ,19.?The war risk bureau, through which four million soldiers or their dependents received payments of insurance allotments is in the process of sudden re-organiza tion today through the appointment of R. A. Cholmeley Jones, formerly a New York business man, as director to succeed Col. Henry Lindsley, who resigned yesterday in a clash with Secretary Glass, in which he charged the treasury department with placing restraints on the brganiaztion which were making it "a colossal failure." Predicts More War Henry Morgnthau Thinks Coun try Will Again be Engaged in Conflict in Twenty Years Coblenz, May 16.?Henry Mergen thau, former American ambassador to Turkey, addressing an assembly of soldiers here last ngiht, predicted that the United States would again be involved in war within 15 or 20 years. He said that at present the world was enjoying a suspension of hostilities. Mr. Morgenthau's address was on "The Peace Conference and Rs Prob lems." "Do not go home and tell the peo ple the war is over," he said. "We , .iave got to prepare for a greater con [ ;i:ct. a greater sacrifice, a greater r-e ; sponsibiiity. The younger man of ! America may yet have to fight." . The former ambassador, who came to Coblenz from Paris, declared that many of the delegates to the peace conference would leave Paris dissatis fied and that this would bring on other misunderstandings. Mr. Morgenthau asserted that the people in the United States had only a crude understanding of the prob lems with which the peace conference has to deal, and little idea of all that the league of nations means. Despite his belief that war was not of the past, he expressed confidence in the league of nations and the powerful iniluonce which the United States would wield as a member. Search for NC-3 Seaplane NC-4 Ordered to Join Search for Missing Com panion Washington, May 19.?Instructions to ti?" seplane NC-4 at Horta, Azores, to search for the missing NC-3 was set t to Ponta Del Gada by Rear Ad miral Plunkett, commanding the destroyer force, according to a mes-. sage received today at the navy de partment. Secretary Daniels expressed corifi-, donee today that Commander Towers and the NC-3 would be found, but many naval officers made no. effort, to conceal their anxiety for the safey of the flight commander and the four men with him. Hold Your Cotton B. Harris Telis How Bears Work Tricks Columbia. May 19.?F>. Harris, com missioner of agriculture has issued a statement in which he appeals to the farmers not to sell their cotton. Mr. Harris has attended the great cotton convention in New Orleans and there saw put into motion the final organ ization for the great cotton financing corporation which he has been dream ing of for many years. "When I first began to talk of a $5.000.000 corpora tion." said Mr. Harris, "the people* seemed, to think that I was out of my* head.. But now we see not a $5.000, 000. but a ?100.000,000 corporation being started, and it will be made a success. There is no doubt about it and I want to see the South Caro lina farmers, do their part. "While we were in New Orleans rctton advanced two cents a pound, spots selling for SO cents. There will be a decline to follow this. That is the way the bears work their tricks, for they know that farmers do not >ell on a rising market. But any de fines will be merely temporary. Be ere the first of July cotton will go to ):, cents if the farmers will just hohl >n to what they have." 81st Sails in June ^en. Pershing Announces Trans port of Southern Division Washington. May 19.?Gen. Persh ng cabled today that the Slst Divis on. which includes Florida,S South Carolina, and North Carolina troops, vould sail for home ia June.