OVER HALF-WAY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 50, Issue 260, 16 August 1930, Page 5

OVER HALF-WAY

FLIGHT OF RIOO. MARK PASSED AT FOUR O'CLOCK RAINING SINCE MIDNIGHT. (United Press Association—Copyright.) (Received This Day, 10.15 a.m.) LONDON, August 15. The airship RIOO wirelessed that she passed the half-way mark at 4 o clock this morning. She had been flying through rain since midnight. STEADINESS OF THE VESSEL. WEATHER BECOMING UNSETTLED. (Received This Day, 12.29 p.m.) LONDON, August 15. The latest message received from the RIOO was timed 6 o'clock (Greenwich mean time), when she was nearly 1000 miles beyond Belle Isle. Since midnight she had run through continuous rain and had encountered adverse winds from north*© nort J; east Her speed was then 33 knots at ah altimeter height of 2000 feet. , At midnight the airship was cruising on three engines and making ob knots. The weather was overcast and had been clouding over. for some hours Other messages indicate that tne navigator managed to dodge on extremely heavy storm. , \t 8 o'clock this morning the anship had reduced speed She is crmsine in accordance with the weather conditions, and is not intent on recordbreaking. She is expected to be ovei England by midnight to-night, ■ Messages from Press corespondents aboard refer to the wonderful steadiness, comfort and smoothness of the & \t'i o'clock this afternoon (Greenwich mean time) the airship was twothirds of the way across the Atlantic. A message received at the Air Ministry from the steamer Cameronia at that time reported the airship to be 70 miles south-south-west of 06 degrees 58 minutes north, 27 degrees 7 minutes west. , The Air Ministry how reports less favourable conditions from the Atlantic The depression in mid-Atlantic is moving east-north-east and is expected to prow deeper. The weather generally is unsettled. The winds are from a westerly point south of latitude 50 degrees, but are most variable further north. . . , ~ Half the journey across the Atlantic, according to messages from the airship, was exceptionally tranquil A great feature was the wonderful smoothness of progression the passengers having none of the discomforts associated with the sea. the onlv adverse condition was the heavy rainfall which the airship encountered from midnight onwards, and winch caused her to slow down to a speed of 39 miles an hour. She was not therefore making such mod progress as in the earlier stages of the flight.— British Official Wireless.