The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-08-26

TO attend to his business, while /
would watch the needle.
Up. around It moved. First It
reached the $4,000 mark then hun
dred by hundred, ten by ten, 1t moved
on and on | turned and gave a silent
signal Of joy when we passed San
tuza's mark. Then | set forward de.
termined to establish a world altitude
record that would never be broken.
And l succeeded.
It must have been shortly after II
o'clock when the barograth registered
10000 feet. This gigantic achieve
ment, nearly six miles away from the
earth, higher than the Hottest noun
tain peak, higher than any balloon had
ever noated, should have satisfied me.
l deeply regret that we were not
content to rest upon these laurels, but
with a foolhardiness for which can
never forgive myself, l tried to see
how much higher we could go without
using the reserve supply of gasoline
contained in the tank of engine No. 3
which, fortunately, we had not yet
started. In fact, / venture the asser-
ton that had it not been for the pre-
caution of PROVIDING a third engine
neither of us would have been saved
! from the catastrophe that followed.
Onward, upward, past the $4,000
foot level the sturdy tri-plane, steady
as a ship in a calm, continued to
forge. When $4,000 was reached
turned and signaled John for his ad-
vice. The poor fellow, who didn't
realize how near he was to the end
of all earthly things, answered to
keep on going. So we went up past
the 36,0O0-foot level.
And then we saw IT.
Never to my dying day, gentlemen,
will l forget the horror of that mo-
ment Never will be able to efface
from memory the dread picture of
that gigantic monster of the air, lazlly
floating along on the ether, scarcely
moving the great, finnish wings with
which a wonderful creator had en-
dowed it. Although the cold was al
most uncomfortable, and l had thought
myself as nearly frozen as possible,
felt a sudden stiffness permeate my
veins and l shook with terror. l felt
John GRASP my shoulder, his hand
shaking as with the palsy, and though
neither of us could speak because OF
{ the oxygen helmets, we both felt a
grim horror wn'ca would no doubt
have stricken us dumb under any cir
cumstances.
For there, almost in front of us,
trifle to the right, coming in an op-
posite direction, and gazing at us with
mild curiosity ana perhaps astonish-
ment, was a gigantic monster, utterly
unlike anything l have ever seen be-
fore. The light from the electric
searchlight cast a weird reflection up
on the great creature, and this light,
| believe, was one instrument which
proved our salvation temporarily, for
it struck the giant monster fairly in
the eyes, and seemed to blind him.
The monster-or air serpent for so |
l must call it-seemed to be about !
ninety or a hundred feet in length. |
It's physical structure seemed a cross |
between bat and a snake. There |
were undulating movements as it slow
ly drifted, together with fiapLing OF
the twenty or thirty bat-like wings
which projected from it's sides. The
head was enormous, and it was not
the head of bird. Two great eyes,
approximately a foot in diameter
each, glared and bIlnked over a cav
nav which opened and closed
systematically as the creature
breathed. This much we saw, and
then as the swift tri-plane shot by al
most under the creatures startled
eyes, l felt sudden blast of hot air
which made the tri-plane culver ana
tremble for a moment. Then we had
passed the creature and had sped
forth into the darkness, for the moon
light was very dark.
felt John grasp me for support.
He was trembling. l turned, pointed
toward engine No. 8, and at the same
time DETECTED the forward controll-
Ing plane to an angle of 20 degrees,
determined to make the quickest and
yet safest descent on record. l had
no desire to get a second look at the
of the air.
The Earring of the third engine made
a terrific noise, but we could not hear
It. The stalwart tri-plane shook I'M
der the added pressure, and we sprang
at a speed which / estimated
at eighty miles an hour. The needle