"Good! Very Good!"

Another goal won gloriously by Italians last week justified the electric signs set up in Rome to welcome back Italy's Air Armada from the Chicago Exposition with this blazing boast: . "At the Order of Il Duce All Goals Are Reached!" (TIME, Aug. 21).

At the Dictator's order a fleet of Italian superliners has been built during the past eight years and merged into the Italian Line. Last week, the largest of these ships, the sleek two-funneled 51,100-ton Rex, fourth largest liner in the world, dashed from Gibraltar toward Manhattan, against hard winds, heavy seas and part of the time through fog, receiving orders radio-telephoned twice a day from Rome by grizzled, dynamic Minister of Communications Count Costanzo Ciano whose handsome young son Count Galeazzo Ciano is Premier Mussolini's son-in-law. The orders were to burn nearly twice as much oil as on an ordinary crossing, push the speed of the Rex up higher than a liner had ever steamed before and win for Italy at one stroke the two most coveted Atlantic records--fastest crossing, longest day's run.

During the whole voyage tall, patrician, spear-bearded Captain Francesco Tarabotto of the Rex snatched scarcely two hours sleep out of each 24, constantly paced the bridge. Below decks the four turbines of 130,000 rated horsepower and the 14 boilers which burn 700 tons of oil a day to drive the Rex at her usual 26 knots were devouring 1,100 tons. As jovial, ruddy Chief Engineer Luigi Risso turned on more & more steam, pushed up the pace from the Rex's fast norm to a terrific, record average speed of 28.92 knots both officers and passengers noticed with surprise that vibration seemed less as the perfectly balanced propulsive machinery whirred to its highest rhythms. On the last day out the Rex set an all-time liner's record by steaming 736 sea miles in 24 hours at an average speed of 29.61 knots.

Passengers, who included such aristocrats of Rome's oldest families as Prince Domenico Orsini and Princess Maria Borghese, learned officially of Italy's great triumph on the night before reaching Manhattan when they read this notice sent down from the bridge by weary but exuberant Captain Tarabotto: "Notwithstanding great part of crossing hindered by strong opposite winds and heavy fog, Rex beats all preceding records as to speed as well as to time spent in crossing Atlantic Ocean. . . . Such result entitles the Rex to the blue ribbon."

All the way up Manhattan harbor the Rex, decked with code flags, received flag and siren salutes from liners, ferryboats and tugs, reached her pier amid frenzied cheering. After sounding the Rex's great whistle one last time Captain Tarabotto rushed into his cabin, "I cried like a child!" he said afterward. "I wept for my beloved dead mother that I could not send her news of this great joy!"

Over the radio telephone came a message from Minister of Communications Count Ciano, said to have been relayed direct from Il Duce. "Good! Very good!"

"I am satisfied," beamed Captain Tarabotto.

"Notice that the Rex is not dirty!" exulted Chief Engineer Risso. "Her superstructure is not streaked with partially consumed oil as has been the case after record crossings of some ships. That means that the digestion of her boilers was perfect!"

Until the Rex triumphed last week Germany's Europa held the Atlantic record with an average speed of 27.92 knots over the 3,149-sea-mile course from Cherbourg to Ambrose Lightship which she covered last month in four days, 16 hours, 48 minutes. Last week the Rex with an average speed of 28.92 knots (exactly one knot faster than the Europa) steamed the longer course of 3,181 sea miles from Gibraltar to Ambrose Lightship in the shorter time of four days, 13 hours, 58 minutes. Until the Rex's trip, the record for one day's run was held by Germany's Europa which did 713 miles in 24 hr. on her maiden voyage in 1930. Shipping speed experts, who have always believed that the German ships have knots in reserve, expect them to beat the Rex's record of last week, expect the Germans eventually to be beaten again by the Rex's sister ship the Conte di Savoia which is supposed to have still more reserve speed.

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