New-York tribune. [volume], May 09, 1919, Page 13, Image 13

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Whole Coast Watches Flight of Seaplanes
Two U. S. Seaplanes Reach
Halifax on Flight to Europe !
Continued from pa*e 1
the afternoon awaited wtth keen ex- i
pectancy the appearance of the advent- !
urous airmen. At 6 o'clock the first I
definite tidings of their approach was |
received and crowds quickly gathered ,
upon the hills. When the 'planes were j
sighted sirens and whistles of factories
and steamships let loose in an ear- :
splitting welcome, which the crowd ?
echoed in an outburst of cheering.
Captain Hines, in command of the :
American naval forces here, went out |
on the naval tug Iroquois with a party
of prominent citizens, including Consul
General Young, the French consul
Gabourdy and Lieutenant Colonel
Thompson. The Iroquois was anchored
off the Lighthouse, and the planes, as
they soared overhead, were greeted
with waving flags and handkerchiefs
and enthusiastic cheers. M. Gabourdy
offered 500 cigarettes to the first per?
son who sighted one the planes, and
the prize was won by Quartermaster
Richards, U. S. N.
Warships Ablaze With Lights
A number of other craft also put out
to welcome the aviators. The cruiser
and the destroyers glittered gaily with
myriad lights.
Within a few minutes of alighting
Commanders Towers and Richards re?
ported on board the Baltimore, which
is anchored off St. George's Island, and
their report was transmitted by wire?
less to the naval department at Ottawa.
The aviators then made themselves
comfortable for the night in prepara?
tion for their flight to-morrow. The
N. ('. :? was towed from her anchorage
and made fast to the stern of the Balti?
more, from which she was supplied
with oil and fuel.
Commander Towers, chief of the ex?
pedition, said:
"I cannot give an interview until 1
submit a summary of the flight to the
department. We followed our sched?
ule, leaving Rockaway at 10 and ar?
rive,' here at 7. Conditions weren't
bad." With that he went back to his
shaving soap and hair brush.
Captain Claverius, of the Baltimore,
a little more communicative.
"Conditions wehe very favorable,
ami the only strong winds were struck
off the coast of Nova Scotia," he said.
The aviators were quite comfortable
andexperienced no hardship from cold.
Commander John H. Towers, who
brought the two seaplanes safely to '
port after a flight of 510 miles from ?
Rockaway Point in nine hours, an- \
nounced that he expected to get away
to-morrow morning on the second leg
of the journey, which will take the ?
aircraft to Tr?passe;-, X. P., a distance
of 4?50 miles.
Commander Towers based his ex?
pectation or a repovt of Professor
Alexander McCadie, the meteorological
exper. at Harvard University, who sent
the word from Halifax this morning
which decided the aviators to take the
air Professor McCadie said to-night
the present, favorable atmospheric con?
ditions wer': likely to continue for an?
other twenty-four hours, at lea
Mi-sing Seaplane Sought
Meanwhile destroyers and other craft
are searching for the missing NC-4,
commanded by Lieutenant Commander
A. C. Read, which fell behind the other
craft because of engine trouble. The
destroyer McDermott was seen to steam
off at full speed to the assistance of
the NC-4, but late to-night no word
had been received aboard the U. S. S.
Baltimore, the mother ship stationed
here, to indicate that she had been
picked up. The airmen reported, how?
ever, that the point at which the NC-4
was compelled to come down, the sea
was reasonably calm, and they expected
no serious difficulty would be encoun?
tered in rescuing the men or saving
the "plane.
All the aviators agree that the first
leg of the transatlantic journey called
for the most severe test and all are
delighted with the way in which the
, two hydro-airplanes performed. They
say the new meteorological equipment
stood up especially well. Strong head
winds were encountered, throwing the
'planes 30 degrees off their course, ac?
cording to Lieutenant Commander R.
E. Byrd, radio operator in the NC-3,
the first to arrive in Halifax harbor,
and the apparatus recorded perfectly
these divergencies, enabling the air?
ships to hold to their course with the
greatest ease.
Highest Altitude 3,500 Feet
Commander Towers said the visibl
lty throughout the trip was remarkably
good and as an illustration cited the
fact that the Cape Cod district was
spread out before them like a map be?
fore they turned east for the Nova
Scotia coast. The two planes flew at
various altitudes during the trip, the
N'C-1 ascending at one point to 3,500
feet, the highest altitude recorded dur
. ing the journey.
At times the two 'planes were out of
sight of each other, but they adhered
dowry to the schedule fixed before
the start and flew up the harbor within
ten minutes of each other.
An enthusiastic welcome awaited the
-American aircraft. Captain H. K.
Hinea, senior naval officer of the port,
accompanied by United States Consul
Young and many of the most promi
?.;. residents of Halifax, were aboard
? naval tug Iroquois, stationed near
to the entrance of the harbor. The
official party cheered wildly as the
'planes took the water, while the whis
craft anchored in the harbor
led to the din.
Fliers Tired, But Happy
^ Later Captain Hines and Consul
i o?'.tig went aboard the Baltimore and
warmly congratulated the aviators upon
th? .r achievement. They found the
ii-.rmc.T) at dinner, tired out from their
a work, bat enthusiastic over the
performance of their 'planes and
,:cr?y di?cussing with Professor Mc
'.he ?poajiibilities for to-morrow.
Just before the official party left
Baltimore a lookout reported that
the NC-4 ?a? in sight, but the search
??hts of the ship, which were imme?
diately flaahed in all directions over
-.V;r and on the sky above, failed
to disclose the m i ?sin?/ craft.
If tho preiscnt weather conditions
COPtimu a?a a ?tart is made to-mor
ro? on the aecond leg of the trip the
aviator? p?Jin to hug the Nova Scotia
co-ant tz&til th*y are off Louisburg and
then h?sad directly for .Newfoundland.
Aft*r the experience gained on the run
it/ Halifax the American? declare they
ar* ab?iolutely confident of completing
til? trip to Trexjawwy on Bthedule time.
We Will Be First,'
Say Navy Fliers
"The United State? navy ???planet
will be the first to fly acroag the Mean?'
To those fortunaU; persons who Hnet
Em KC bttvdi ?j| th<t Roclc&way nava
'"?? ' ?' M ??? ??? <? )i',ir >,? 10 y< ?t'.erdaj
tunmioM Cenm?n?tt -lohn H. fowert'i
e?nft??Ht prediction ?Appeared ? tote
Hunif eonefu?ion.
A* the moment "four bell*" rant
?t?ear above the entfne noiae theNC-8
flagship of Commander John H. Tow- I
ers, "admiral" of the transatlantic I
seaplanes, started on tho first leg of j
her momentum aerial voyage. With a
roar from the concentrated power of ?
lfi.000 horses the huge ship tore ?
through the haze-swept waters of Ja- j
maiea Bay. Fifty seconds later she
literally leaped from the water into i
the air at terrific speed.
The haze had scarcely shadowed her !
graceful lines when Lieutenant Com- '
mander A. G. Read's NC-4 rushed j
through the water after her. The !
"Four," too. rose with graceful ease in !
fifty seconds, and quickly pierced the |
misty shroud.
Then the NC-1, first of her type, and I
commanded by Lieutenant Commander
P. N. L. Bellinger, raced madly after
her two sisters. Sixty seconds after
her start she sprang into the air.
Wind Conditions Perfect
All three 'planes took off toward the
southwest, in the opposite direction to
which they had to fly. Five minutes
after the first "take-off" the anxious
watchers on the beach saw the three
in majestic formation gradually emerge
from the smoky black haze, headed due
east.
They were flying splendidly, the
twelve Liberty motors humming in the
perfect unison of smooth running. All |
tho signs boded well for a rapid and j
successful flight to Halifax. The wind,
but a gentle spring zephyr, was just
sufficient to aid the giant craft with?
out retarding their progress.
Behind them in the air one of the big
F-5 L typo of two-engined flying boats
was acting as attendant. In her cock?
pit were the photographers of the navy
taking official photographs for the
archives of the Navy Department.
The F-5 L, piloted by Gunner C. D.
Griffin and Ensign J. R. Briggs, ac?
companied the NO seaplane as far as
Fire Island and then returned to Rock
away. There Griffin reported they
had left the three transatlantic planes
flying strong in a due easterly direc?
tion.
"The NC-1 was twenty miles off
shore," said Griffin, "about fiOO feet
in the air. The NC-4 was flying ten
miles off shore at an altitude of 500
feet, and the NC-3 between them at a
distance of fifteen miles off shore and |
800 feet high.
"We flew quite close and could see
Commander Towers sitting in the com?
manding officer's cockpit in the nose
of the NC-3. We semaphored to him,
saying 'Good-by, good luck.' He replied
with a wave of his handkerchief."
Orders for Flight Brief
The spirit in which the navy is mak- ?'
ing its_ attempt to fly across the At- |
lantic is voiced in the flying orders j
announced by Commander Towers just j
before the start. They read:
"Should any seaplane becoir.e sep?
arated from the formation it shall
make the rest of its way along the
course until normal conditions ob?
tain. In case any seaplane is forced
to come down the others to remain
in the vicinity until a report of the
other 'plane's condition is received.
"Sharp spirals and steep banks are
forbidden.
"IfN the commander's flagship is
forced down orders wili be awaited
as to which 'plane, if any, shall re?
main. If necessary the commander
will use one of the other seaplanes
as his flagship. A standard altitude '
of 1,000 feet will be maintained."
There are to be no aerial acrobatics
nor reckless flying. The expedition is
of a scientific nature and is to be con?
ducted as such. Commander Towers
remarked before stepping aboard his
craft, "We are all assigned to special
duty. That is all."
Early yesterday morning it looked
as if the flight would have to be post?
poned again. Conflicting reports re?
garding weather conditions were being
received, which made decision on part
of Commander Towers almost impos?
sible.
First 'Plane Ordered Out
Promptly at 7:30, however, he or?
dered the NC-3 out of her hangar. She
had lain there through the night, while
j the mechanics worked feverishly tun
i ing up the three new Liberty motors
1 which had been installed in place of
i the faulty ones. The other two
I 'planes had remained on the concrete
j base sinCu their trial flights the night
i before.
She was hauled onto the platform
| of the marine railway and quickly
i launched. Then she was given her
j first trial flight with the new engines.
I Exactly at 8:30 o'clock she rose from
I the water in thirty-nine seconds with
i her transatlantic crew aboard.
She rose to an altitude and flew in
a manner that greatly pleased the other
crews watching from the beach. Dur?
ing this flight Lieutenant Commander
Lavender, chief radio officer, spoke
over the wireless telephone to the
other ships lying on che beach and
told them the NC-3's engines were run?
ning splendidly.
Meanwhile on the beach the NC-1
was being swung on the calibrated
compass lines to work out her com?
pass deviations. This was completed
just before "8 o'clock. Five minutes
after 8 she took off in a preliminary
trial flight with Commander Bellinger
and his crew.
Twenty-five minutes later she re?
turned. At this moment the thick
black haze had darkened the atmos?
phere to such an extent that the NC-1
was compelled to use her night landing
flares to make a landing. As she cir?
cled over the NC hangar two powerful
point? of light shot out, piercing the
inky haze and lighting up the watet
where ?he settled.
Wings Still Give Trouble
After a short run her blunt nos?
pushed up against the beach. Ther
one of her pilots shouted to Comman?
der Towers "?She still has a tendencj
to roll over. 1 had to hold the stick
firm all the time."
He referred to the difficulty .expert
enced with the ailerons. This aros?
through the necessity of using the left
wing of the N't!-2 and the original winj
of the NC-1, following the unfortunau
accident? to the remarkable craft
Evidently the two do not quite balance
Commander Tower? said this would no
aflVct the flight, but would be a bigge;
strain on the pilot.
By this time ' was clear that Com
mander Towers wa? feeling very dubi
oua. Hi? usual imperturbability di(
not desert him, nor did his face giv
, any indication of the thoughts tha
, j were passing through hi? mind. Th
' j only indication was the fact that h
actually smoked two cigarette? in th
course of a? many hours. At frequcn
interval? he ?cot up small test bal
loon? to observe weather condition? a
various altitude?. These told him th
wind was blowing from the north wit
a velocity of thirty mile? an hour.
At 9:15 o'clock Commander Tower
announced the flight would be mode ?
, soon a? the three, ?eaplane? could go
The words were ?carcely out of hi
I mouth when, floating noiselessly ove
I th? N 0 hnngar at an altitud? of onl
i00 feet, the navy's giant "blimp" C
" h'ive ?n VieVI her II ispuno-1 uiza m<
? tor? ?ilenced. The crew leaned ov?
. and waved down.
"Get out of the air; that's our?!
shouted one of tho N O men, laugl
S irigly.
, with ? final wav? th? bUsw roi
higher, circled the hangar thrice, and
then departed on a Liberty Loan dem- ?
onstration.
Designers of 'Planes See Start
About the beach were some 500 for?
tunate people; relatives, friends of the
crews, officials, reporters and photog?
raphers. Among them were the men
whose genius had designed and per?
fected the 'planes?now waiting pa?
tiently to see the fruition of their
plans.
There stood Commander G. C. West
ervelt and Lieutenant Commander
Hunsaker, who, together with Com?
mander H. C. Richardson, one of the
pilots of the NC-3, were the three
navy men responsible for designing the.
remarkable craft. : Richardson is lucky
because he has been given the oppor?
tunity to fly the pro<luct of his genius.
In the eyes of both Westervelt and
Hunsaker could be seen the desire for
the same honor, but their duties keep
them here.
Engineer Gilmore, of the Curtis Cor?
poration, and his assistant^, who coop?
erated with the three naval men in de?
signing the craft, were also there to
see the start.
Captain Xoble E. Irwin, head of the
Bureau of Operations, and his two
daughters were there. One of them,
Phyllis performed a pretty little cere?
mony by going around to each membei
of the three crews and presenting j?
four leaf clover.
Others present included Margaret
Jane, the eight-yaar-old daughter of
Commander Richardson, and her
mother. Mrs. Ida E. Harding, aunt of
Lieutenant L. T. Barin, ono of tho I
pilots, came on from Norfolk, Va., to.
see the start. Herbert L. Satterlee, !
member of the firm of J. P. Morgan, ?
and a former ?Secretary of tho Navy, j
and Mrs. Satterlee were present. In |
all about twelve women were present.
Rations for Trip Served
A few minutes after Commander
Towers announced his decision Lieu?
tenant J. L. Br?ese, beaming joyously.
ran over with the ration of sandwiches
and thermos bottles of hot coffee that
are to sustain the crew as Jar ?is Hali?
fax. He handed them up to the men
on his boat, the N C-4?the only one
which did not make a preliminary spin.
So well did he do it that the "movie"
men did not have a chance to "get"
him. They voiced their protest and he
willingly accommodated them by per?
forming the job all over again.
At 9:43 o'clock Commander Towers
went aboard his flagship. The N C-4
was on the launching platform of the
marine railway. In the water on her
left was the NC-4, while the N C
3 was on her right, also in the water.
An he took his station in the com?
manding officer's cockpit Commander
Towers waved his handkerchief and
shouted to the people waiting on the
beach :
"Goodby, boys. There is nothing that
we can see now that will prevent us
from being in Halifax by C o'clock,
which will be the end of the first lap.
The men are a fine set; we couldn't
have better. We bave been looking for
ward to this kind of weather for near?
ly a week. We are confident that the
American navy seaplanes will be the
first to cross the Atlantic Ocean."
Wireless Connection Assured
Lieutenant Commander R. A. Laven?
der, chief radio officer, who is in Com?
mander Tower?'? 'plane, at the last
moment said: "Our wireless instru?
ments have been tested and aro work?
ing tip top. Wo will be in touch
with at least two destroyers by wiro
less all the time. If any apa
| ratus should go wrong on one destroy
i er we can get in touch with another,
J or with ?and."
Lieutenant Commander Bellinger,
! commander of the NC-1, was boyishly
happy. His flying suit has always been
ft thing of beauty and wonder to tho
j rest of the crews, and with hi? beam?
ing smile yesterday morning, It gave
him a boyish look that seemed to bello
the fact that he is one of the navy'?
j first aviators.
He was smoking a big cigar when
i the newspapermen trooped over to htm
?'or hi? laut message. Ho said! "With
the help Of God, and r; gplto Of tin
devil, we will do this little thing," hi?
Southern accent smoothing out tho do
termination of hi? phra?tti.
Lieutenant Communder A. C. Hem)
of the NC-4, a smaller, quieter and
' more serious man, said: "Nothing 1mm
At top?Naval seaplanes N C-l, N C-2 and N C-4. Bottom?Com- |
mander J. 1?. Towers (left) and Lieutenant L. T. Barin, discussing
weather. Insert left?Lieutenant Commander A. C. Read of the N C-4.
Insert right?Lieutenant Commander P. N. L. Bellinger.
Progress of Flight as
Shown by Reports
nPlIK three naval seaplanes?NC-1,
A NC-3 and NC-1 -left the Naval
Air Station, Rock?way, at 10 o'clock
yesterday morning. They were re?
ported along their course at the
following times:
Time re- Distance
Place. ported, in miles.
Fire Islund. l():4u 40
Montauk Point, L. I... 11:30 90
Block Island, R. I- 11:35 9?
Naushon island, Mass. 12:50 170
Hyannis Point, Mass.. 1:10 100
"Chatham, Mass. 1:28 -OS
Boston .. 1:3). I'll
First station ship.... 2:18 258
Second station ship. .. 3:10 3f0
Third station ship... 4:10 370
Capo Sable. 5:10 -130
Lockport, N. S. tC:30 440
Mouth Haiifax Hfrrbor 16:55 475
Landed at Halifax_ t8:00 540
'Here tho NC-4 experienced en?
gine trouble and proceeded more
slowly on throe engines. tNova Sco?
tia time.
been overlooked in the construction of
these 'planes. They'll do the trick."
Two minutes before 10 o'clock Com?
mander Towers waved his hand in sig?
nal for the start. There followed im?
mediately a tremendous %roar as the
motors on the three 'planes started up
one after another. People on tho beach
instinctively put their hands to their
ears to shut out tho din.
A touch of extreme patho'a marked
the successful start. Just before Com?
mander Towers boarded his 'plane, a
friend of Chief Special Mechanic E. H.
Howard telephoned him in the Brook?
lyn Naval Base Hospital that the start
was about, to he made.
Late Wednesday night Howard's
hand was cut off by the propeller of
the NC-4, on, which he was to have
flown as engineer. A little later the
frjend telephoned the 'planes had left.
A nurse answered the 'phone. The
friend waited: Then came a, feminine
voice, punctuated by a sob, saying:
"You will have to excuse him. He feels
pretty bad."
At. the last moment there were some
changes in the crews of the three sea?
planes. They finally got away as fol?
lows:
N.C. 3?Flagship
Com man ding officer?Commander John
II. Towers, commanding officer of tho
fleet.
Pilot?Commander H. C. Richardson.
Pilot?Lieutenant David H. McGul
lough.
Radio operator.Lieutenant Com?
mander R. A. Lavender.
Engineer- Machinist L. R. Moore.
Reserve pilot Lieutenant Braxton.
Rhodes, to go as far as Newfoundland.
Navigating instrument export-?Lieu?
tenant Commander R. E. Byrd, to go as
far as Newfoundland,
N.C. 1
Commanding officer Lieutenant
Commander P. N. L. Bellinger.
Pilot?Lieutenant Commander M. A,
Mitsher.
Pilot?Lieutenant L. T. Barin.
Radio operator?Lieutenant Harry
Sad en water.
Engineer?Chief Machinist's Matt) C.
1. Kesler.
Reserve pilot ? Machinist Rasmus
Chriatensen, Newfoundland only.
Experimental officer Ensign C. J.
McCarthy, Newfoundland only.
N.C. 4
?Commanding officer Lieutenant
( lommander A. C. Read,
Pilot Lieutenant E. P. Stone.
Pilot- W. K. Ilmton.
Radio operator- Ensign R, C. Rodd.
Engineer -chief Machinist's Mat? E,
S. Rhoads, in place of Hownird, who lost
his hand.
Reserve pilot ? Lieutenant J. L.
Br?ese, Newfoundland only.
Flight to Halifax Test
For Real Sea Journey
Seaplanes to Wait in Newfound?
land for Secret Date of "Hop
Off" on Trip to the Azores
Yesterday's flight is the first leg in
the flight to Newfoundland. It is not a
part of the transatlantic flight. It is :
being utilized for two purposes: first,!
us the mdlst convenient means of de-1
; livering t'hc 'nlanes to their starting
i place in Newfoundland, and, second,
? to test the machines over long dis
: tances and measure scientifically their
performance.
The distance from Rockaway to Hali?
fax is 540 nautical miles. After spend?
ing the night in Halifax Harbor the
'planes will fly to-day to Trepassey
Bay, N. F., a distance of 400 nautical
miles. There they will stay until the
date laid down, in Washington on Feb?
ruary 24 last as the starting day. This
la understood to be around May 18.
The main flight is considered to be
from Trepassey Bay, N. F., to Lisbon,
i Portugal, by way of the Azores. The
; present plan is to fly from Trepassey
to llorta, in the Island of Fayal, adis
i tance of 1,7.00 nautical miles. Should
i weather conditions be unusually favor
? able the flight will bo continued to
i Punta Delgada, in the Island of San
| Miguel, .without stopping at Horta. The
total distance from Newfoundland
' would then he 1,350 nautical miles.
In this flight the course will be cov
! ered by practically the entire destroyer
| flotilla of the United States Atlantic
1 fleet. There will also be several capi
I tal ships along the route. These ves
i sei? will be so placed that they never
i will be more than sixty miles apart.
! The seaplanes will be in communi?a
' tion with two or more of them at all
l times.
All surface craft must cease wireless
communication as soon as the seaplanes
come within a ?200 mile radius of them.
Throughout the flight the seaplanes
will have the wireless right of way.
The Island of Pica in the Azores,
which rines sheer out of the Atlantic
to a height of 7,000 feet, will act as
a directing beacon. This island will
be seen by the seaplanes for a distance
of more than 300 miles.
The main navigating apparatus, how?
ever, will be the wireless direction
finder, by which the .navigators can
! determine their exact position within
I two minutes irrespective of weather
conditions.
After landing at Ponta Delgada the
three seaplanes will continue their
flight to Lisbon, a distance of 800
nautical miles. From Lisbon tho flight
will be continued to Plymouth, Eng
; land, a distance of 775 nautical miles.
The average speed is expected to be
! sixty-live miles an hour. This meana
the flight from Newfoundland to the
Azores will take about l8Mi hours.
In view of Commander Towers's de
f termination to reach each destination
in daylight, the seaplanes will leave
; Newfoundland about noon. Due to the
1 difference of time they will arrive in
? the Azores about 9 o'clock the follow
j Ing morning.
\NC*4 Still Missing,
State Latest Reports
Mo Trace of Seaplane Since
It Passed a Point ?.ess Than
Half Way to Destination
WASHINGTON, May 8.?With two
j of tho throe navy seaplanes which
. I started from Rockaway, L. I? this
morning on the first leg of the trams- ?
atlantic flight arrived safely at Hali- :
fax, navy officials were bending every j
energy to-night to locating the third, '
missing since early in the afternoon. ;
No report of the missing machine, the
NC-4, commanded by Lieutenant Com- L
mander A. C. Read, had been received '
after the machine passed the destroyer ?
McDermott, first station ship, located j
more than sixty miles north of Cape, i
Cod and less than half way to Halifax.
Orders were issued at once sendin/g
the McDermott and the next ship be?
yond her, the Kimberly, in search i,f
the missing seaplane. Commander
Read had reported just boforo reae'n- I
ing the McDermott that the oil pujj.ip
on one of his motors was giving
trouble and he, might have to coime
down. Later the NC-4 reported to
Commander Towers in tbe XC-3 that
the trouble had been repaired.
Test Encourages Fliers
Commander Towers, with the NC-1
and NC-3, made the tour to Halifax in
a fraction less than nine hour.;, the
distance on the map over the course
they took being 525 miles. These two
planes went through the. test i n such
fashion as to convince officers h ;re that
prospects for reaching Plymouth, Eng?
land, tho ultimate goal of the navy air?
men, were exceedingly bright.
Each of the three planes had. a triple
radio installation when it le.ft Rock
"away. One set was the telephone by
which they communicated with each
other while in flight at a distance of
a score or more miles. Stations and
guard ships "listened in" on many of
these conversations and reported them.
Tho second sat was the regular long
distance radio installation, and the
third was the equipment for the radio
compasses.
Ah the planes approached one of the
patrol vessels, long befoire it was
sighted, the long distance radio was
buzzing. Questions and answers
flashed back and forth, dealing with
directions for navigation. Important
communications were relayed to and
from the speeding seaplanes, som?
from Washington.
One carried greetings to Commander
! Towers and his crews from Acting
Secretary Roosevelt, who watched the
trip with keen interest all day as the
department's messages came in.
Another relayed cable assurances from
London that every facility of the
British admiralty would be at the dis?
posal of the daring American airmen
j when they reached British waters.
The communication arrangements of
the Navy Department worked out per?
fectly. Repeatedly messages from
j Ct/mmander Towers, sent from his
speeding flagship of the air squadron,
the NC-3, reached tho desks of officers
here a few minutes after the time they
were sent. Intercepted by any of the
radio stations ashore or afloat on the
I chain reaching clear to Halifax, they
were rushed to Washington on the
| navy's leased wire.
The entire operation of the system
? was grouped under direction of Lieu
I tenant Tunis A. M. Graven. On one
side of the Lieutenant's office is a
room where the leased wires broughi
in the messages. On the other side ie
the transatlantic radio equipment. Re?
ports from Commander Towers couic
be sent to Vice Admiral Knapp in Lon?
don almost as quickly as they coulc
be carried into Secretary Roosevelt's
office across the hall.
Log Kept at Washington
Olficers here kept a radio log on th<
flight, made up from the message;
! that came. The log pictures graph)
! cally the swift ru?h northward of th?
i flying boats with their crews. Ever
the fifty minutes that elapsed afte:
the NC-1 and NC-3 were safely moorec
for the night at Halifax, and befort
the cruiser Baltimore, stationed there
sent in the official report of the ar
rival, is shown. Had not that sli]
occurred it could have been knowi
officially in London that two of th?
three American senboata had mnde th
first lap of the transatlantic journo?.
on schedule time almost before th?
machines themselves had been moored
More difficulty will be experience?
in getting word through promptly whet
tho long lap from Newfoundland to th
Azores ?turU. When the fifth or .-?\t!
station ship has been left behind com
ntunicaUon will have to be relaye
back by cabio. Tho destroyers cifnno
communicate, more than 250 miles b
radio in daytime, and they will leav
their posts after the last of the flier
has passed.
Hi?es Urges
Merging Roads
Into 20 Lines
Director Says Old System of
Hundreds of Companies
Must Go or Government
Ownership Is Inevitable
Elliott Supports Plan
Flo and Senator Cummins
Declare Consolidation Is
Solution of the Problem
More than 1,100 members of the j
Economic Club of New York listened to '
a discussion of the immediately press?
ing pcroblems of the railroads of tho
country at the annual meeting and
dinner of the club in the Hotel Astor
last night. The speakers were How- '
ard Elliott, president of the Northern
Pacific Railway; Walker D. Hines, di?
rector general of railroads, and Sen-'
ator Albert B. Cummins of Iowa.
All three agreed that the return of
?the railroads by the government to the
companies and their operation on the
basis of private ownership is desirable.
,but maintained that this could only
prove successful by new methods of
regulation. Mr. Hines especially
unaintaincd that unless a common and ?
general standard of regulation is es?
tablished the ultimate alternative wijl
be government ownership.
Consolidation Urged
Mr. Elliott, speaking for the rairway
executives, outlined a plan of regula?
tion in which he urged the consolida?
tion.of the many railroads now In ex?
istence into not. more than eighteen,
and the application of federal regula?
tion under the supervision of either a
department of transportation headed
by a secretary of transportation or
such an agency as will prove most ef?
fective.
Mr. Hines disagreed with him on one
point onlyf> in that he urged that the
consolidation of the present many
weak and strong railroads be. made
compulsory. He maintained that un?
less this is made so the taonsolidatiov*
will not occur, as many strong rail?
roads may refuse to dilute their pros?
perity with weaker road*.
Elliott's Address
Mr. PHliott said:
"Regulation by the government is
necessary and desirable, but it should
not attempt management! and operation
of the business, but should be con?
fined to those steps necessary to pre?
vent unjust discrimination, extortion or
excessive profits; t(> provide for good
service and the safety of the public,
and for suitable living and working
conditions for the -employes.
"As the railway system is national
in its work and -iscope, regulation by
tho Federal government must be su?
preme and not be weakened or set
aside by state regulation.
"Continuous amalgamation of vari?
ous railroads vnto a number of larger
systems must be permitted, so that
the whole country will be well served
and there will still be the spur of self
interest and competition all the time
so as to produce development and good
service.
"The income of the roads should be
adjusted within a reasonable time to
meet the necessary outgo, and until
that readjustment can be brought about
the government should protect the
financial situation, not for the purpose
soleJy of maJcing a return to individual
holders of securities, but to prevent
a financial collapse that will affect the
whole country.
Rate Reduction Opposed
"Until the valuation work can be
completed, it might be assumed ten?
tatively and without prejudice as to
final valuation, that the standard re?
turn, now being paid by the government, ''
is a fair return on the property and '
that, pending the final valuation, the ''
government shall not reduce rates !
until under normal conditions as to '
volume of business the income exceeds
the standard return.
"It is better for the country to have
the roads ?sustained by means of the
rates charged for transporting passen?
gers, freight, mail and express, rather
than to make up the deticiency, large
or small, by appropriations from the
national or state treasuries."
Mr. Hines urged closer cooperation
between the government's regulatory
bodies and the railroads. For this
purpose he advocated that the regu?
latory bodies be represented on the
boards of directors of the railroads,
thus creating a direct link between
the companies and the government. He
criticised the public's tendency to re?
gard the railroads as overcapitalized,
calling this popular misconception one
of the greatest stumbling blocks on
the r.oad to fair regulation.
The evils which characterized the old
form of regulation, Mr. Hines said,
were not mere defects on the part of
the persons appointed to carry out
the regulation.
"No group of men," he said, "could
possibly make a success of the form
of regulation that existed prior to Fed?
eral control. There must te a change
in the system itself. The lact that we
have 180 railroads whose operating rev?
enue is $100,000,000 a year Jind several
hundred whose operating revenue is
less than that is the greai; stumbling
block to successful regulation."
The varied financial condition of
these roads, Mr. Hines pointed out,
makes it impossible to establish a defi?
nite standard on which rates could
be based, with the result that decisions
of regulatory bodies have always pro?
voked protest and proved inapplicable
to all railroads as a whole.
Standards Are Lacking
"There was a general idea that rates
ought to be such as to give a fair re?
turn for fair value, but there were no
standards to show what were fair rates
and what were fair returns." This,
the speaker maintained, must be avoid?
ed in the future by the compulsory
consolidation of the railroads into as
few companies as possible, without at
the same time destroying the oppor?
tunity for competition, "for the public
wants competition."
"Unless we can accomplish this," Mr.
Hines said, "government ownership is
inevitable, for the public will bo con?
vinced that reguiation has failed."
Senator Cummins, who is a member
of the Scnato Interstate Commerce
Committee, supported the proposition
of consolidating the railroads into fif?
teen or twenty companies. He . op?
posed their consolidation into one com?
pany on tho ground that this would de?
stroy the advantages of competition.
Senator Cummins said:
"I feel bound to say to you that
.hare is but onti real remedy for the
present railway situation. It lies in
the further and compulsory consolida?
tion and unification of the railways. It
is obvious that a complete consolida?
tion into one system would attain the
object. For if the earning power of all
the rouds, under given rates, produced
j sufficient revenue to pay the cost of
maintenance of operation and meet tho
! capital charge there would remain
nothing but the distribution of charg?e
j between communities end commodities ;
but I do not favor complete consolida?
tion into a single organization.
"I am disposed toward fifteen or
twenty railway systems under sepa
i rate, independent management, subject,
of course, to rigid public control, each
of these systems to be in the hands
t>f a Federal incorporation, with a cap
; ital representing the actual value of
1 the properties combined in that sys?
tem."
. The following were elected officers
of the Economic Club for the year
ly19-1920:
Henry Morgenthau, pre s ? d e n fe;
! Ceorge W. Wickersham and William
| Church Osborn, vice presidents, and
' George Gordon Battle, Samuel McRob
I erts, Charles A. Coffin. William H.
I Porter and Robert J, F. Schwarzen
bach, directors.
Stabilization of
Steel Prices Is
Abandoned
<{>
ntinned from pase 1
i
! Hines isiucd a statement in which he?
-. justified the position of 'the railroad
administration in its controversy witn
the industria! hoard.
As Profitable as War Prices
?le declared that the reduction in
t steel costs since the war ended, in a
single instance, ha-< been so great as
to make the prices proposed by tin?
steel interests and the industrial
1 board practically as profitable as wer?
1 the higher prices during the war.
Elbert 11. Gary, chairman of the .steel
committee and head of the United
, States Steei Corporation, said after tin;
i conference that all the members of the
! committee had adhered to their posi
, tion that further cuts in prices could
not be made without necessitating ?
I lowering of wage scales.
Other steel men present predicted
? that an open market in the industry
j would shortly be followed by increased
j business and higher prices than thoso
suggested by the industrial board.
Mr. Hines, in his statement, said
in part :
"In accordance with the suggestions
: from Secretary Rcdiield and Cbair
! man Peek of the Industrial Hoard, the
; railroad administration represent.?
! tives, Messrs. Henry B. Spencer anil
I T. C. Powell, had a conference to?
: day with representatives of the steel
interests. Messrs. Spencer and Powell
j offered spcciiic criticisms of the steel
j prices heretofore proposed and .sug?
gested maximum prices which the
! railroad administration would feel
| justified in paying for the various
steel articles which the railroads use
in important quantities, including
steel rail.
"It was made clear that the r-ail
road administration did not wish to
obtain preferential prices, as com?
j pared with the general public.
Unwilling to Change Prices
"The steel interests wore unwilling
to make any change in the prices un
1 nounced in March. The conference? o:i
i this subject are at an end and the rail
! road administration will, in accordance
! vvitn its settled purpose, proceed o?
! rapidly as it needs steel materials oC
; any kind t^ ask for competitive bid.*
? and purchase accordingly. The rail
I road administration will at once, in ac?
cordance with this policy, ask for bid?
! for 200,000 tons of steel rail.
"The arguments Which have been
? presented in the effort to support the
: prices proposed by the steel inter
i and the Industrial Board have rested
j upon costs incurred during the war
j period. Even these costs show eXC
mgly handsome profits to the low cost
? producers. But .?>?";?
J costs,-without h in, :l ?-i In wag? j. will,
on account of the termination of the
I war, be subject to very important re
! auctions.
"The steel interests and the i
? trial Board have proposed a price o?
! $38.50 for steel billets, and yet they
have proposed prices for finished gl
! products which are wholly out of linn
I with the price for Bt
Open Hearth and Bessemer
"Messrs. Spencer and Powell pointed
out that the cost of Open Hearth re I
was no greater than the cost of Bc---> ?
mer rail, since the cost and price of
both sorts of billets were the same, and
therefore that the price of Opea
Hearth raii should be no #higher than
the price of 41..'J7 for Bossen raiL
and that if tho steel interests wis^ 1
to encourage tho purchase of Bessemer
rail they should do so by making the
price of Bessemer a differential under
price so arrived at for the Opea
; Hearth rail rather than through in?
creasing the price of Open Hearth rail
j by $2, the amount of the old difieren
! ti al.
"Messrs. Spenc-r and Powell i?di
. cated a willingness or. the part of .hn
i railroad administration to purchase
for the time being at the suggested
i new prices based on 50 per cent in-i
?crease in differential pins the billet
j price of $38.50 announce' i
"The steel interests were un ? * I
to make any reduction in their pr ^
I and, in order to repel the arg?ir
that the prices for all otheT pi t?
! were out of line with the billet prices,
! manifested a disposition now to claim
! that their own billet price ol $88.50
: was lower than it ought to have beer.
Blames It on Pe?k
I "The uncertainty and hesitation
which have been injected into this situa?
j tion would never have arisen if at ti e
I outset Chairman Peek ? of the indus?
trial Board), hnd been willing to ?ac?
cept as lin;.i the position which the
railroad administration stated before.
the Industrial Board made its public
, announcement and which it Y;. '
i times felt, forced to maintain. But
Chairman Peek has been so bent on.
justifying I :s own mistaken concep?
tion of his functions that he has been
! trying for weeks to get them accepted
and yet he has never succeeded in
gettii.g the support of the President o?
the Cabinet or the Attorney General?
"In closing the discussions of this
subject, which have beer? carried on
for some time by Mr. Peek of the In?
dustrial Board, it is important that
the totally erroneous impressions cre?
ated by bim, particularly in * recent
.speech before the United Chamber, of
? Commerce at St. Louis, be removed."
Discussed by Cabinet
"The fact is that the plan on whiclj
the industrial board was suppose" >
operate was thoroughly discussed at a
special meeting of the members of thej
Cabinet on February 3, and Mr. P <
stated in his speech that that meeting)
: approved the plan o? having the in-*
; dustrial board determine prices and
make thorn effective h\ authoritativ?
i governmental announcement. In this
he is in error. The meeting distinctly
? declined to approve eny pian for an?
nouncing prices at wh;ch the general
public would buy, ami the only plan
! which was approved "was a plan ta
bring about by voluntary action a re-?
duoed level of prices at which the rniW
road administration would bo justified.
in buying freely. j>.nd therefore thei
plan actually approved specifically con*
templated that the board would act an
a mediator between the producers andj
the railroad administration.
"Tho meeting of the members of th*
Cabinet on February S was called, and
presided over by Secretary Glass of th?
Treasury Department, end, as indicate
mg Mr. Peek's erroneous conception
of the plan approved at that mcctinA
Secretary Glass telegraphed to the ni*
rector General after reading V ?>
!V"k's address in St. Louis, sharn?T
contradicting Mr. Peeks assumption*
that tho President am! the Cabinofc
over sanctioned the policy of price*
5^??! ?engaged la by the Industrial