Aircraft : $b its development in war and peace and its commercial futureDavid, Evan John
History
Aircraft : $b its development in war and peace and its commercial future
David, Evan John
Aeronautics; Airplanes
There is only a thin outer cover of fabric on the under side of the
keel on each side of the walking way, and the luckless individual who
tips out of his hammock would in all probability break right through
this and soon find himself in the Atlantic.
It is surprising the amount of exercise one can get on board an airship
of this size. The keel is about 600 feet long, and one is constantly
running about from one end to the other. There are also steps in a
vertical ladder at the top of the ship for those who feel energetic
or have duty up there. By the time it becomes one’s turn to go to
bed one generally finds one is very sleepy, and the warmth of one’s
sleeping-bag and hum of the engines soon send one to sleep.
3.15 P. M.—Sea now visible at intervals through the clouds—a deep
blue in color with a big swell on. Our shadow on the water helps us to
measure our drift angle, which both Scott and Cooke worked out to be 21
degrees. Running on the forward and two aft engines, resting the two
wing engines. Speed—making forty-nine miles per hour.
Durant, the wireless officer, reports he has just been speaking to St.
John’s, N. F.—Rather faint but quite clear signals. As we are still in
touch with East Fortune and Clifden, and have been exchanging signals
with the Azores since reaching the Irish coast, our communications seem
to be quite satisfactory.
Remarkable rainbow effects on the clouds. One complete rainbow
encircled the airship itself and the other, a smaller one, encircled
the shadow. Both are very vivid in their coloring.
3.45 P. M.—Excellent tea consisting of bread and butter and green-gage
jam, also two cups of scalding hot tea, which had been boiled over the
exhaust-pipe cooker fitted to the forward engine.
SEE LITTLE OF OCEAN
Fruitarian cake was also tried for the first time—rather sickly to
taste but very nourishing. The whole assisted by Miss Lee White on the
gramophone. We would one and all give anything for a smoke. Greenland,
the first officer of the ship, is vainly trying to discover the culprit
who used his tooth-brush for stirring the mustard at lunch.
4.30 P. M.—Still in fog and low clouds and no sea visible. We have
hardly seen any sign of the Atlantic since leaving the Irish coast,
and we are beginning to wonder if we shall see it at all the whole way
across.
5 P. M.—Tramp steamer S. S. _Ballygally Head_, outward bound from
Belfast, destination Montreal, picked up our wireless on their Marconi
spark set, which has a range of thirty miles only. She heard us but
didn’t see us, as we were well above and completely hidden by the
clouds. She gave her position as latitude 54 degrees 30 minutes north,
longitude 18 degrees 20 minutes west, and reported as follows:
“Steering south 80 west true, wind north, barometer 30.10, overcast,
clouds low.”
“(Signed) SUFFREN, _Master_.”
They were very surprised and most interested to hear we were R-34 bound
for New York, and wished us every possible luck.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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