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Show Commander Towers'' Story of Initial Stages of Great Airflight Across the Deep Head of Group of Intrepid Aviators Describes His Experience in Special Story for Tribune's Readers. I New Tort, Mar CO. The Tribune prints herewltn OmmnadP'-John OmmnadP'-John H. Tov.erb'a account of the flipht of the NO-3 from Kockawa.r to "Trepassey bay, N. V-. Tlie N't:-3 xvns the flagship of the expedition, Ccnimanrier Towers heint; in com maud of the entire enterprise. Commander Towers prepared this article for The Tribune Just before leaving leav-ing Trepassey bay, N. t, tor the Azores. It is known the NC-3 wfla obliged by unfavorable unfavor-able weather to take to the ater when near the Azores, but reached Poula Deltfada by wnter under her own power. Like the stories of Lieutenant Communder P. N. Ij. ncllingor, already published" in tliese columns, the narrative narra-tive of Commander Towers throws new and important lierht on hitherto unsettled problems ' of aerial navigation and will be found of high scentific value apart from its popular interest. (Copyright, 1P1D, by the Press Publishing Company, New York World.) BY COMMANDER JOHN H. TOWERS, U. S. N., COMMANDING NC DIVISION. WASHINGTON, Way S. Moderate Mod-erate northwest and -west winds; fair weather '; today; Friday, fresh north to east winds, cloudy weather,- with rain over southern half of course. "BOWIE." At 9:',f a. m. all hands had been up and about the big NC hangars at Rock-away Rock-away since before daylight, ready for the word to start, and 1 had been checking weather reports from ships and stations between Rockaway and Halifax, and in consultation with Ensign McRae, the station sta-tion aerographer. He had made a favorable favor-able prediction, but we both wanted to wait on the word of Major Bowie of the weather bureau, who had special charge of the aerographic work for us in connection con-nection with the transatlantic flight. When it came, it was followed immediately immedi-ately by a similar message from Lieutenant Lieu-tenant Commander McAdie, senior navy aerographer, stationed at Halifax. Commander Decides to Act Promptly. I decided we would move, and move quickly. All the crews had been working nlht-and day -to get the three seaplanes ready, and that they were ready, in spite of fires, storms and many difficulties, was proved by the fact that, although Bowie's message was not received in my office until 9:45, the- three seaplanes left the water at 10 a. m., and swung to the eastward in formation heading out along the south shore of Long Island for Halifax. Hali-fax. There were many hurried good-bys, and at the last minute an orderly rushed out the gangplank to the NC-3 to hand to me a sheaf of telegrams that had been received. re-ceived. I thought of many things which I should have done and didn't, but, anyway, we were oft!", and nothing else mattered. Conditions were excellent. The air was clear and with a light wind. As we proceeded pro-ceeded eastward and chmbed to higher altitudes the eastern end of Long Island appeared- as it does on a map, with all tho bays and inlets showing oh both sides. We pa-sesd our air station at Montauk and lli rough the glasses we could see that the entire station had turned out to watch us pass. After clearing Long Island, I changed the course, to pass close to Block island, and thence over Vineyard sound, No. 4 and No. 1 follow.-ing follow.-ing the movements of No. 3. Almost as soon as we passed Montauk the entire shore of Rhode Island became visible, striking out eastward, we passed over Monornoy point and headed our course for Nova Scotia. This would he the first real test of our navigational equipment, and I was most anxious to see how it worked. The wind was increased to thirty miles an hour and was blowing from the northwest, which y-'as directly across our course. We were flying at a height of about COOO feet, which made it difficult for us to see the d est rovers, as our position was so far extended. Destroyer Was Readily Shaken. The McDermot, the first destroyer, was picked up on schedule, fifty miles from Chatham, and was passed at 2:"0 p. m. At 2:10 the radio officer had informed me by telephone that a message had just been received from the NC-4. saying she was running on three engines and might have to land, as another engine was giving giv-ing trouble. The NC-4 gradually dropped astern and was lost sight of. At 2:30 I thought she would land near the McDer-, McDer-, mot, and we proceeded on our way and I passed the Mlkberlay (?) and the Delphy (?) in the order named. The latter ship but on a big burst of speed just as we passed and I was reminded of a cat chas- ing an elusive sparrow. ' Just after passing the Delphy (?") very' rough air was encountered. McCullough, 1 the right pilot, had gone aft to visit the ; radio officer and engineer, and so Rich- j ardson had to fight it alone until McCullough Mc-Cullough could scramble through the passage pas-sage and get back to his seat. Rough Air on Vay to Halifax. Byrd and I, who were together In '. the forward cockpit and usually in each j other's way when either one wanted to j move, were so jostled about we hardly knew which of us was "which. The pilots headed down and telephoned to Lavender, the radio officer, to reel in his trailing wire. From this point on to Halifax the air was rough. The southern end of Nova Scotia was soon sighted and we made a landfall exactly whM we had figured. So Byrd and I felt sure we could navigate a seaplane as well as we could a ship, and perhaps better. We landed at Halifax, amid much blowing of whistles on shore, at 7 p. m., New York time, having been just nine hours on the way. The moorings were ready and No. 1 tied up, while No. 3 tax- (Contmued on Page 4. Column 3.) COMIH TOWER'S1 STORK BE FLIGHT (Continued from Page One.) ied to the Baltimore and began to refuel. Here the hard-working engineers and Lieutenant Rhodes and .Machinist Moore went righ t to work on an examination of the engines. They were assisted by special men who had been placad on the Baltimore before she left New York. Hungry After Fight. I went on board and found the captain was waiting dinner for us.' We had put sandwiches on board at Rockaway, but I ; had been too busy to eat any. Needless to say, I was very hungry, j Swarms of correspondents were lying in w ait, but as I had made no report other than my arrival to the navy department, de-partment, I could not tell them much. Both seaplanes were refuelled during the night. j We had heard nothing more from Read ( of the No. 4, but honed she might arrive j during the night. Later a report came that she was in the water and was mak- ing for Chatham. All planes were made : ready for a 9 o'clock start, but a daylight examination showed several propeller de-: de-: fects, and we were held up until it was j too late to leave for Trepassey that day. I The Canadian authorities helped us out by supplying certain needed material. We both got away the following morning, morn-ing, but my seaplane, the No. 3, had to return to Halifax because of another cracked propeller. I told No. 1 to go on. We both got away again at 1 :4u. Halifax time, and headed up the Nova Scotia coast. For the first few hours the wind blew from so many different directions that I had to keep my eye glued to the drift Indicator to avoid being carried off our course. I saw very little of the coast, but even that little was quite enough, for it Is most, rocky and forbidding. Off for Newfoundland. Finally we squared away for Newfoundland, New-foundland, with the wind under the tail blowing forty-five miles an hour. That gave us a speed of 112 nautical miles an hour, and the destroyers wouldn't know Where we were, for they could not see us. although I supposed they were getting get-ting my half-hourly broadcasted signals of our position, showing a change of sixty miles every half hour. We were flying at a height of 2600 feet, and It was bitterly cold. The sight of h undreds of icebergs below did not make me feel any warmer. This did not keep Moore from coming up out of the hull, crawling under the gear propeller and then climbing about and examining all the engines. I nearly froze just watching watch-ing him from down inside the hull. Richardson telephoned to me that a little coffee would be appreciated. So I dug under the pile of sextants, clothes and sundries and turned over great vacuum bottles. I screwed back to the pilot's cockpit and we had a round of steaming coffee and some sandwiches. Run Into Heavy Weather. Trepassey was finally sighted. We knew from the contour of tne land and the high velocity of the wind that there would be heavy weather ahead of us before be-fore we could be safely on the water. There was such weather! Wo maneuvered to make a long glide into the wind. When we got down to 2000 feet we began to have fun. The big NO's came through, however, and we made a good landing at 7:0, Halifax time, just irnside the entrance, and planed full speed on the water to our moorings, moor-ings, where a small boat was waiting to throw us a line. Then for the first time we fully appreciated appre-ciated how gusty was the wind, w hlch was whipping about the harbor with a blast that a man could hardly stand up against. The No. I was already secure, and so we put out our heavy mooring lines, placed a- watch from the Aroostook on board, and wen t on board that good enip for a thawing out and a good hot drink. During the . evening the wind reached a velocity of sixty miies an hour, but the good NC's stood like rocks. At daylight day-light next morning. May 11, the NC No. 1 was brought alongside and filled up with gasoline and on for the long leg to the Azores. The No. 3 was then filled up and both planes were gone o er very carefully and secured to their moorings, all ready for thu big hop. |
