Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-14

turned out to be nice slushy swamp. I
found it out when the wheels of my BIZ
plane sank into the ooZy turf to their
hubs and I was splattered from head TO
foot with muddy water. Also L stopped so
quickly that l almost fell out OF the seat.
and I didn't lose any time in debarking-
The longer I sat in the seat the further
in NV wheels sank.
81 found l was stuck. so the first thing
7 did was to get my engine in order oy
cleaning one spark plug and replacing the
broken one with another. Then L set 10
work trying to haul that blamed machine
out on to dry land A half mile away
there was the prettiest country roao You
ever saw, hard and firm. l figured tha9
if I could drag my machine there L couid
be off again, but dragging it proved to be
one of the hardest jobs / ever undertook;
After I had plowed through water ana
almost to my knees In mud. L managed TO
drag the internal thing about nan way
Caught in the Mire.
"Some o. the more venturesome, or
perhops inquisitive, waded out into the
bog where I and my machine were mired.
1 was glad of this help. for by getting
about fifty men to put their shoulders be-
meath the biplane I managed to get 1t
moved out Of the bog over couple OF
FENCES
my difficulties were just beginning,
however That road was just wide enough
for my plane to pass along III "Niout
six inches Of clearance ON either size.
ON one side were telegraph poles; on the
other were heavily foliaged trees, the
branches of which overhung the road'
To add to my troubles the various auto
mobile parties declined to clear the ROAD
for me, fearing, apparently, tnat they
might miss good view Of my ascension:
"At last | did manage to get the ROAD
somewhat cleared and got away. TO rise
above that road was one or the hardest
feats Of airmanship l have ever been
called upon to perform. | had to duck
beneath some branches and rise above
others, and all the time l did not have
clearance on either side. When l hnaiiS
got above the woods and on my way
again l can tell you l was happy.
81 intended to go back to Governors
Island over the same route that | had
followed on my trip to Philadelphia. but
once above those trees ] was so eXas-
perated with the delay ] had experienced
that I determined to head right straight
up the coast, towns OF 10 lo"HS' 'iio
take chance.
y flew high, of course. ard presently
found myself above Jersey City. Right
there is where l had one of my few un-
easy moments on the trip; The hrst tnins
/ knew one of my cylinders missed flre
Then all of a sudden it started going
again, and then two Of them went out
together.
"All In" at the Finish.
II got out over the bay and. although
il was getting dark and was hazy besides,
l presently picked up the Statue Of Lib
erty. | was not sure at first whether II
vas the statue or one of the tall build
ings in lower Manhattan, but 1T wasn't
long before I located myself and then
sighted Governors Island
Il had been falling so rapidly that by
this time [ was only about two hundred
feet in the air, and once over ny landing
mace did not indulge in any pirouetting.
| shut off my engine and slided TO earth
easily and comfortably, hut | could not
have gone FIVE miles farther 10 save my
life"