OFFICIAL LOG OF THE R34’S HOMEWARD FLIGHT

Cromwell Argus, Volume L, Issue 2646, 27 October 1919, Page 7

OFFICIAL LOG OF THE R34’S HOMEWARD FLIGHT

In time to come, air logs, of the sort issued by the British Air Ministry immediately after the world's largest air-cruiser had returned from its record-making trip across the, Atlantic, may be quite as common as the logs of ordinary steamships are nowadays. This first official record, however, has all the charm of novelty and strangeness. Tho viewpoint, which is largely conlined to two dimensions on most ocean voyages, here has to take account of three, with the up-and-down dimension as the most important one. Tho first entry is dated New York, July 9, 11.54 p.m., and reads, as reported in the London ‘Telegraph : lb is a dark night (Wednesday, July 9). and a gusty wind is blowing from the south-west, strength about 30 miles per hour. Wc steer straight for New \ork, and stop, a.s promised, to fly over the city before heading out into the Atlantic. It was an extremely gooil “ getaway, considering the gusty wind and difficult conditions generally. We find we have 4,600 gal of petrol for the return journey. New York at midnight looked wonderful from above. Miles after miles of liny, bright, twinkly lights—a veritable fairyland. The searchlights at first make a very unsuccessful search for us, but finally get us fair and square. We are over Fifth Avenue. The Times square and Broadway present a remarkable sight. We distinctly see thousands of upturned faces, in spite of the early hour (1 a.m. of the morning), and the whole scone is lit by the gigantic electrical signs which seem to concentrate about this point. One in particular—the Overland Tower—illustrates the enormous importance of aerial advertisement. From 2,000 ft above wc seo its wheel revolving, and the

mist rising in a cloud behind it, presumably an illustration of its speed. The allover Now York feels very disturbed, partly owing to the approaching cyclone from the Groat Lakes, of which we have already had warning, and partly, also, to the heat rising upward from the city itself. Hie. airship, however, rides out very steadily under the circumstances. The following entries, dealing with, perhaps, the most dramatic portion of the flight, accur under date of Thursday, July 10, the first one being marked 1.10 a.m. ; Wc bead for home, with 3,000 miles of sea between us and onr Scottish base. The wind is now well behind, and our speed makes good : it is estimated at 65 knots, or nearly 74 miles per hour. Our weather at lime of starting is decidedly favorable foi a flight from America to England. There is a depression west of Newfoundland, and then a large one centred to the north of Iceland; also an anti-cyclone over tho east Atlantic and Great Britain. The inference from tho above is that a strong south-west or west wind will prevail over the greater part of the Atlantic. Wc have got awry on the outskirts of the depression, which is central west of Newfoundland, and arc gelid n" the full benefit of the 35-knot southwest wind on its southerly side. At this, speed wc are travelling considerably taster i than the depression, which is probably moving eastward at about 35 nines per hour, and it may well be that wc shall run right out of it bv the time wc reach midAtlantic. Wc then expect (it may bo only ( a pious hope) to get into touch with the j still bi ,T ger depression centred to the north of Iceland, and benefit by the south-west | wind, which we ought to find on its southerly side. . ~ . 2 17 a m.—We are crossing the American roast with four out of onr five engines running, tho fifth engine vesting. borne hoi coft’ee from the thermos flask, presented us by our kind American friends, is very nice and warming. , ~0 915 a.m.—Wc have already cpvcred 430 miles from New York, and are going strong. Our mails arc now sorted, and tins takes some lime. Wc find wc have quite a large collection of parcels and letters of all descriptions, including some for His Majesty the King, the Foreign Office, Admiralty, Postmaster-General, and a large number of copies of the ‘Public Ledger for the editor of ‘ The Times.’ This journey, we hope, will prove the fastest newspaper delivery between New York and London yet accomplished, and will be the forerunner of regular interchange of mails between East and ■\Vest —the Old World and the New. 10 45 a.m., G. M. T.-Wc are now making ■rood 72 knots, or 83 miles per hour, on four engines. The forward engine slopped. u all"goes well Major Scott will go straight for London, and we will see how long it takes us to cross the Atlantic from Broadway, New York, to Piccaddy Circus, London—from the heart of one capital to the hciut ot %^am.—Cooke asleep under the dining room table. (Note.—This may take our thoughts back to the days of our ancestor-, but tho cause of this slip and the posit i selected are from quite a different reason.) 12 p.m. —Lunch ; cold bologna sausage anil pickles, and stewed pineapple and a ration of rum. The conversation turned on the subject of obtaining secondary mctcorological information in ilie Atlantic. Scott, Greenland, Lusk, and Harris all agree that one good method of getting information at small cost would bo- to equip all cable-repair ships with a meteorological observer and a suitable outfit of kites and mstruments These cable-repair ships work m all parts ot the world, and are often at sea for days a a time. Moreover, the cable routes arc ready in every case on the shortest and most direct route between the countries tll lJ)5 Il p k have averaged 56.3 knots per hour ever since leaving Broadway. Weather fine : visibility, 15-20 miles. Wind, 40 knots. S.S.W.; sea very rough. It i* difficult from above to measure the height of waves, but it is easy to sec that m a very heavy sea like this one surface slops would be having an extremely bad tune Up here wc ai'e as steady as a rock, and unless one looks out of the windows we would hardly realise we were travelling at

Hemsley. United Stales Army, Aviation Department, is steering, and is taking opposite watch with Pritchard • while Lusk has relieved Greenland in the fore car, Corporal Burgess being on the elevators. We are in very good wireless communication with Sable Island, and many messages wishing us success arc received from America and Canada. We send our "rateful thanks to the United States naval and military authorities for their very efficient and kind assistance in looking aftci the airship at Mineola during four days of difficult and unpleasant weather conditions. 4 50 p.m. —Position 42.15 IS., 04.05 W., course, 140deg steered, llOdcg made good 86de" true; 48 knots. Wc have covered 900 miles from New York, 16 hours, and are 1 850 miles from south coast of Ii eland, exactly one-third of the distance between the two countries. . Our petrol consumui ion works out ai about one gallon an hour Weather clear sea deep blue, very good visibility, 35-40 miles —according to the dip and distance horizon tables at this height (1.500 ft) should be 45 miles. Cooke determined his position bv observation on the sun and sea horizon. It is interesting to note that there were ( ,nly (wo occasions when he was able to do this ' on the outward journey, owing to clouds and fog. . 6 15 p.m. —A five-masted schooner nuclei full sail on starboard beam about five miles •iwav was an interesting contrast between the old and the new, the sailing ship and (he airship. We are now over the mam east-bound summer route of steamers from Xew York lo Queenstown. r ihe steamship Adriatic, due New York on 13th, should be somewhere near us. and we are on the lookout for her on the wireless. Getting much Co ß d p r in —Position 42.40 X., 50.30 W„ makj„.r good 55 knots. Harris gives most interesting explanation of iho cloud formalions lo the north and south of us, and compares the clouds as we see the... with the illustrations in a different cloud textbook wc have with us. ft. is now time for supper—soft boiled eggs and cocoa—and we all discussed at great length our impressions of American men and American women. 1 wisil our newly-made American friends could have heard the delightful Hungs that were said about them. Pritchard goes to sleep under the dining room (able, while the second watch come in for their supper. This position under (lie dining room table seems to bo the mosl-soughl-aUer point of vantage in the ship. _ Hrr<* aro a fow significant ml nos, 1,1 J first dated Friday, duly 1.1. 7.25 pm., dealing with this first sight of laud: Laud in sight on our starboard bow.

(ifciil. enthusiasm on hoard. First, spoiled h v Lieutenant-colonel Hem.-ley. United Stales Army, Aviation Department, seven to ten miles away. Scott alters course to make the land. Cooke gets the large chart of (he west, coast of Ireland, ami there is keen competition to sec who will fix on the exact spot when we cross the coast. two little islands lay right ahead of us. With onr glasses we see the wireless mast of Clifden. These two islands are almost certainly the same two little islands that app,.jired out of the fog to the delighted gaze of Alcock and llrowii at the conclusion of their historical flight. A strange and happv coincidence. g p.nt. —At 3 o'clock precisely we crossed (he coast line a little to the north of Clifden. County Mayo, and onr time from crossing the American coast tit Long Island to crossing the Irish coast is exactly Glhr 33min. » 8.15 p.tn.—Wo head right m over t ,te mountains, which at this spot arc 2,000 ft high. What a wild and rugged coast line! A magnificent cloud panorama now appears. Huge white cumulus clouds of weird and fantastic shapes surround ns on till side's, and over .the top peep out the tops or the mountains: while through the gaps we see lakes, harbors, islands, and green fields — quite the. prettiest picture we have seen on the entire voyage. It seems as it the elements have reserved their best cloud shapes to welcome us as wc cross over British soil. 9.10 p.m.—Two-seater airplane from neighborhood of Castlebar hying past us and under us, waving a welcome. Wo arc now well away from the mountains over Ihe (hit country inland, heading right across to Belfast and fin illy East Fortune. Height, 2,000 ft, making good 58 knots. Bright, full moon. , , , As things have turned out (though one could have foreseen this), it would have been wiser if wc lic\(l kepi «i more nortlicrly course after getting away from the helpful influence of the Newfoundland depression. Wc would then have been helped by this N.N.W. wind, instead of being hindered bv it, and might have saved some time. Undoubtedly the. captains of the big aerial liners of the future will become w.uj and cunning masters of the art of solcctm" the right way and the right height, and often, by making wide detours, will, by means of their air knowledge atone, save manv hours on long sea and land passages. IL2O p.m.—Message from Air Ministry to say we arc to land at Fulham. We ask it we may land at East Fortune, as that is our original objective, and tbc weather is reported good for landing The reply is to land at Fulham, so we assume there is gome special reason, and wc alter our course accordingly. _ ~ . Sunday, July 13, 7 a.m.—Scott increases height to 5.000 ft, and course is steered over Tsle of Man and Liverpool. 2.45 a.m.. Derby, 3.55 a.m.: and Nottingham, 4.10 a.m., direct to Fulham. . 5 a-in .—A wireless message is received from His Majesty the King: I congratulate you .on your safe return home after completion of your able and, indeed, unique transatlantic voyage. —(Signed) G.K. ' Wireless messages of congratulations were also received from Major-general fec.Jj. UMdoi-Sc-rctnry of State tor Air; Majoiccneral Sir H.’ M. Trenclrard. Chic'of A” kin IT- Major-general Sir F. 11. SjLcs. - Mkv (S.Jo.-.i ot Civil Avi"< W l . ‘council \ Robinson Secretary of the An council. A 6 o 0 am—Over Fulham airship station. IK R7 landed Total time of return r.rnefJm C 0.!,, M.ml »>- folk, 75hr 3rnin, or 3d 3lu 3 imn.