Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-06-19
THE AIR SQUADRON.


with your permission. I'll fill my pipe
from your bowl. Indeed, when 1 came
up to your room, it was only for a lit
tie tobacco-ran out myself-cigars all
gone And here it is already 10 o'clock.
My, my, how time flies when one gets
notwithstanding But to continue"-
Now, when my good friend Lieuten-
ant Swash takes possession of me and
my room at II p. M, do not always
consider it my duty to listen to him.
He has been such frequent visitor of
mine since he has been staying at our
boarding house, and then he is one of
those individuals who so lose them
selves lii choir own variations that they.
even forget they have dir ru,Jlence. So,
when the lieutenant said, "Now, to
continue" sank deeper into my big
chair and gazed absently into the fire
He was talking warfare of the future.
What cared l for that, who possessed
neither stocks that would go down nor
food products that would go up? My
eyelids closed YEARLY. How l wished
he would goi Then he made statement
80 absurd that laughed.
1T took place ON July 16, 1916" 1
heard him say.
Eighteen forty six" corrected.
Now, see here, said the naval man
testify. How old do you think 1 am
SOP Pshawl Twas 80 then. 1t was 1916,
and, please, don't contradict me- 1t was
90 years hence it all happened
IF you will have it so, all WE'LL" l
said
Now the date is settled and you
thoroughly understand the cause of the
war. Great Britain claimed the atmos-
pheric covering of the earth to o height
Of 10, 600 feet, basing the claim on the
fact that as far back as 1899 an English
balloonist had disappeared from view
at that height. He was never seen
again. Such "a claim as this, had it been
recognized by other nations, would have
given her too great control over man
kinds supply of breath. We claimed up
to an altitude of 1000 over the United
States, but she would not recognize this
and refused to arbitrate. The result was
war-terrible war. "
took my pipe from between my teeth
and fixed cold eye on the speaker.
Lieutenant Swash," said i'll low
but distinct tone, ''you have explained
one cause of the war five times. l have
always swallowed your dates and may
be able to gulp down your facts, but 1
ask that you desist from repetition.
well, we'll, if you'll have it so, I'll
go ahead. Having the cause straight in
your mind, you will remember that it
was July 16, 1916, that the fight occur
red There were three battleships in our
heet-Admiral Wad s flagship, the Swal-
low, carrying 10 tons of dynamite and
Q machine guns the Lightning, Cap
tain Blower, 10 tons of dynamite and
two inch rifles; the Hawk, Captain
Wood, II tons of dynamite and pneu-
matte gun, used i'll throwing explosives
at the enemy in case she got above us.
We were accompanied by two small tor
pedo boats and the swift unarmored
cruiser Kalamazoo, which we expected
to be Of little service, since bullet
could have punctured her and sent her
to earth forever. We lay about 500 miles
east of New York for four days await
ing the approach of the enemy's flying
squadron. 1t was 10 O'Clock on the
morning Of July 16 when we sighted
them, about 200 miles away, running
toward us at a rapid rate. They must
have seen us at about the same time, for
they sheered off little toward the north
and began to rise.
Admiral Wad, at whose side I was
standing on the quarter deck of the
Swallow, at once understood their ma
neuver. In modern warfare it's the fell
low who gets above the other and drops
dynamite on him that wins invariably.
We were then at an altitude of about
5000 feet and did not lose any time
getting higher. can see the grand old
admiral now as he stood at the switch
board coolly putting his cigar as If he
was at his club down i'll New York.
There was not a tremor observed on his
long thin finger as he pushed the button
marked up. Then we began to ascend.
''The other two battleships followed,
and as we arose we cleared for action.
The Kalamazoo and the torpedo boats
were left behind, as it was not deemed
advisable to expose their frail structures
to the enemy's fire.
81 confess, as stood beside my brave
leader and felt our ship mounting higher
and higher and shooting on toward the
enemy at speed of 90 miles an hour
watched the crew of ten men coolly
placing dynamite bombs in the most
convenient places; saw the three great
steel balloons of our enemy's squadron
glistening in the sunlight as they shot
toward us, 1 felt that strange inward
sensation that heretofore l believed
could only be caused by Welsh rabbit
at 2 a. m"
"You must drink a good deal OF ale
with your Welsh rabbits, lieutenant y
ventured mildly.
"I'm total abstainer, sir, " he re-
piled quietly. "And l never did have
more cause to be thankful for it than Oh
that day. was in full possession OF my
mental faculties. Otherwise l would
never have been able to have livet
through those awful two hours. AnC
the crew, tool never saw Drawer Sc
of fellows in my life. Not a moist ey'
or a trembling lip among them.
1.-THE enemy had two first class bat
tleships and two second class. They ad
vanced in line parallel to ours Ad
miral Wad signaled Commodore BloWe
to engage the two second class ships OF