The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-03-16

She threw over the lever
rather too far-and the wing-sec-
tons started like forty thousand
boys "buzzes." A storm of sand
roared back from under the
wings, powdering Mrs. Stott's
dress, and forcing her to turn her
back to the tempest. The deafen-
ing howl, as of many winds, les
sened as the big bird rose per-
pendicularly from the ways, and
famed the ground no more.
Theodore turned on a little more
speed, put the rudders aport to
bring her head to the light sea-
ward wind, and, as she mounted
higher and higher, he tried her
control. He pushed over the lev
|er that determined the thrust of
the driving blades, and she shot
in over the dunes like wild thing
until he headed her back for the
Gulf. Well inside the bar, so that
an overturn might not mean a
drowning, he circled about in a
wide curve, which he gradually
narrowed by a more extreme use
of the helm, until she was spin
ming round and round in an orbit,
in which the tips of the inner
wings were almost stationary and
"treading" air like pausing
swimmer.
"That tests out the balancing
device!" shouted Theodore.
"How's that?"
AYE, aye, sir!" said Virginia
That do sure test out the balanc-
ing device. And If you let her
chase her tail like this much long
er I'm going to be indisposed
Pleased whirl her the other way a
while, unkie."
All fear, all uneasiness even,
had gone from Theodore's mind
He felt the subsection of the ma
chine as a horseman feels the
obedience of his steed. He had
much to learn of her navigating
qualities; but the thing which all
aeronefs had required-the mas
terry of balancing-he had not to
learn. The gyroscopic brain in
the glass globe saved him this. To
every perturbation the machine
presented the resistance and cor
rection of the automatic differ
entails of the wings. The power
full eight-cylinder engines purred
with an almost perfect freedom
from vibration, one to each wing,
each at the same normal speed;
but to meet the least lowering of
any part, the little horoscopes
spun in constant readiness to give
to the depressed area the advant-
age in speed which the operator
could not impart if he chose, and
to SHIFT the rudders, as a fish its
fins.
PLEASE walk about the deck"
commanded Theodore. "See how
the rudders pulsate, like a butter
fly's wing, as you go back and
forth. See it, see it! 1t looks
alive!"
Virginia walked up to her COM
mander and took his hand.
From the bottom of my
heart" said she. Il congratulate
you. You are great man, Theo-
dore Carson"
THANK you, my dearest" said
Theodore. lifting her hand to
his lips. 1T is all yours, you
know, yours!"
Virginia withdrew her hand
and walked forward. They were
flying higher now, and she could
see the pine woods far inland,
with their square patches of
plowed fields, their white houses
behind the great green globes of
the china trees. The Freshwater
Lakes lay almost under their feet,
one beyond the other like a string
OF beads; and all about them was
the immense marsh, the haunt of
waterfowl and alligator, notified
with pools picked out in white
with water lilies. To the west lay
the blue waters of the Lagoon, its
farther beach a dozen miles away,
lost in amethystine haze, it's near
er foreshore glimmering with col
umned villas and hotels, its sur
face dotted with the sails of
yachts and laced with the wakes
of popping motor boats. Over the
land beyond glimmered the waters
of Mobile Bay. The mooring bal
loon at Fort Morgan was almost
lost In the white haze of spray
from the twenty miles of breaking
combers, and the Sand Island
light split the far western horizon
like a spike driven up through
from below to hold the Gulf in
place. The sun blazed overhead
but the breeze was cool; and the
Virginia cut through it SO swiftly
that, except in the protected lee
of the wedge-shaped windshields
she was swept from bow to stern
by something like half a gale. Far
over the northwest scared a great
aeronat, silver-white as if covered
with tinfoil.
81 wonder IL that isn't the
Roc?" queried Virginia.
Theodore was too busy with his
levers and wheels to look.
"If 1t u.s." said he, land she
comes about this place, we'll show
her what real aviation is. What's
that over on the Freshwater
Lake? A party?"