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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 0944.PDF
JULY 17, 1919 (it may be only a pious hope) to get into touch with the still bigger 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 coast with four out of our five engines running, the fifth engine resting. Some hot coffee from the Thermos flask presented us by our kind American friends is very nice and warming. 9.15 a.m.—We have already covered 430 miles irom New York and are going strong. Our mails are now sorted and this takes some time. We find we have quite a large collection of parcels and letters of all descriptions, including some for H.M. 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 interchanges of mails between East and West— the Old World and the New. 10.45 a.m. G.M.T.—We are now making good 72 knots, or 83 m.p.h., on four engines. The forward engine stopped. If all goes well Maj. Scott will go straight for London, and we will see how long it takes us to cross the Atlantic from Broad way, New York, to Piccadilly Circus, London—from the heart of one capital to the heart of the other. 10.45 a.m.—Cooke asleep under the dining-room table. (Note.—This may take our thoughts back to the days of our ancestors, but the cause of this slip and the position selected are from quite a different reason.) 12 noon.—Lunch : Cold Bologna sausage and pickles and stewed pineapple, and a ration of rum. This latter was much appreciated as the weather had turned much colder. The conversation turned on the subject of obtaining secondary meteorological information in the Atlantic. Scott, Green land, Luck and Harris all agree that one good method of getting information at small cost would be to equip all cable repair ships with a meteorological observer and a suitable outfit of kites and instruments. These cable repair ships work in all parts of the world, and are often at sea for days at a time. Moreover, the cable routes are ready in every case on the shortest and most direct route between the countries they link up. 1.5 p.m.—We have averaged 56.3 knots ever since leaving Broadway. Weather fine, visibility 15.20 miles. Wind 40 knots S.S.W., sea very rough. It is difficult from above to measure the height of the waves, but it is easy to see that in a very heavy sea like this one surface ships would be having an extremely bad time. Up here we are as steady as a rock, and unless one looks out of the windows one would hardly realise we were travelling at all. Lieut.-Col. Hemsley, U.S. Army Aviation Department, is steering, and is taking opposite watch with Pritchard, while Luck has relieved Greenland in the fore car, Corpl. Burgess being on the elevators. We are in very good wireless communication with Sable Island, and many messages wishing us success are received from America and Canada. We send our grateful thanks to the U.S. naval and military authorities for their very efficient and kind assistance in looking after the airship at Mineola during four days of difficult and unpleasant weather conditions. 4.50 p.m.—Position 42.15 N., 54.05 W. ; course 140 deg. steered, no deg. made good, 86 deg. true, 48 knots. We have covered 900 miles from New York, 16 hours, and are 1,850 miles from south coast of Ireland, exactly one-third of the distance between the two countries. Our petrol consumption works out at 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 deter mined his position by observation on the sun and sea horizon. It is interesting to note that there were only two 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 under full sail on starboard beam about five miles away was an interesting contrast between the old and the new, the sailing ship and the airship. We are now over the main east-bound summer route of steamers from New York to Queenstown. The s.s. Adriatic, due New York on 13th, should be somewhere near us, and we are on the look-out for her on the wireless. Getting much colder. 8 p.m.—Position 42.40 N., 50.30 W., making good 55 knots. Harris gives most interesting explanation of the clouds formationed to the N. and S. of us, and compares the clouds as we see them with the illustrations in a different cloud text-book we have with us. It is now time for supper, R 34'S ARRIVAL AT MINEOLA: A photograph taken from an American Blimp sent out to welcome R 34, which is seen making its way to the landing-ground at Roosevelt Field. 946
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