Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-10-03
How It FEELS
IN AN AIRSHIP
CAPTAIN DALLAS TELLS SOME
INTERESTING EXPERIENCES OF
HIS CAREER AS AN AERoNAUT.
DARING NAVIGATOR

Seaan Aerial Exploits at Winnipep.
Canada, and Made Ascension In the
Philippines-Narrowly Escaped Ac-
cIdent Friday in Making Flight Here
SO you would have me tell how it
feels to 60 up in an air ship" said
Captain Jack Dallas, as he was pack.
ing up his big aerial vehicle at the
close Of the recent Ollepaw festival.
Then you newspaper men are not
familiar with all the phases of high
life after all and don't suppose you
can fully appreciate what 1t means
to enter race with the birds in their
own element or become a target for
them to peck at when thousand feet
above the terra f1rma."
Continuing the genial Captain said
"As most people imagine, it causes a
creepy feeling to come over one as
you ascend upward, and it requires
some nerve, but then if one Is afraid
he should stay on mother earth, for
when one reaches a height of 500 or
1000 feet in the air the things of
earth take on different aspect and
one must needs watch the every move.
ment Of the ship to avoid danger.
We often meet with dangers that
worry us for awhile said Captain
Dallas, "and frequently an aerial navi-
gator has some thrilling experience
while flirting with the gulls, the diff
ferent currents Of wind being often
source Of great concern to him. It
Is common when making an upward
flight to leave one current of the air
only to find that on the higher level
the current is entirely different and
blowing In the opposite direction
from the one below. That, you can
readily see means much worry and
close attention to the navigation Of
the airship."
When asked If he had ever had any
disaster while making fight, the
aeronaut replied, IT have never had
any serious accidents but l have had
few narrow escapes, one In particu.
lar that impressed itself very wildly
upon me happened while we were ex.
hibited at Winnipeg, Can.
Thrilling Race With Train.
II was giving series of flights
with the airship at the races that
were being held there a couple Of
years ago. when during any exhibition
one day I had reached the height Of
about thousand feet when the ship
was caught in one of the those vary
| Ing winds and became temporarily
| disabled. Seeing the predicament IN
which I was placed, began to pre-
pare for my descent and coming down
l aligbted on the track of the 500
Line railroad near the race track.
My attendants grasped the situation
and ran after me as fast as they were
able, but could not keep pace with
the swift fight of the ship
Upon alighting on the railroad
track I saw the approach Of an ex-
| press train, but dare not leave the
ship for fear of its destruction and
was not able to draw it from the track
myself So there / sat with the cold
sweat covering my body while await
ed the outcome of the race between
the train and my attendants the LAT.
ter fortunately arrived in time to re-
move the ship before the express
went laundering by
Continuing Captain Dallas stated,
II had close shave in your city Fri
day afternoon when making an ascent
and thought for while that the ship
| would be destroyed. In starting up
| the attendants showed the ship too
| near the depot, and in trying to avoid
| the telegraph wires I was forced al
most upon the depot roof However,
| by carefully steering the ship i man
aged to skim between the chimney
and some piping that projected
through the roof by such close mar.
gin that thought for awhile my safe.
ty was question of grave doubt
Il have been following air SHE nav
igation for three years." said Captain
Dallas, beginning at Winnipeg. Can.
We always spend the winter months
In Old Mexico. There they show us
every possible courtesy. When at the
capital the ship is surrounded by
three bands and a regiment of sol
diers guard the tent in which the shin
| is housed After each fight the first
person to shake hands with me is the
grand old man of Mexico, President
Diaz'
Balloon Dropped Among savages.
II began my career as an aeronaut
by ballooning and parachute leaping
several years ago." said the Captain,
"and have travelled in China Japan
and the Philippines with the balloon.
have made an ascension from the
main plaza in Manila and as you know
the islands are very close to each
other in the Philippines. I was once
carried from Manila to a neighboring
island. Whom leaped from the bal.
loon the natives took to their heels
Pin fright. Upon alighting they saw
that 1t was only man instead CT
some. wonderful creature of the air
and they gathered about me iabber-
ing in their native lingo AS the PEG
pie of the different Islands speak a
language from their neighbors and
had only smatter.ng of the jargon
that prevailed in Manila. ! began to
wonder If there were any Moros
among them and what disposition
would be made of me, but my attend
ants we're soon at my side and we
took the balloon back to Manila"
| 1.-THE eas we use for the bag of the
ship" said Dallas. els known as car
bonic gas and is made from sulphuric
acid. iron filings and cold water. The
colder the water is, the quicker the
| i., vo,, NOV hove eoo,, ~, !,