The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1911-08-18

cal fatigue which is purely muscular
but which has the mental and nery-
Gus element added to 1t.
Strain Of Endurance Flights.
I have seen men crawl down from
their aeroplanes after long fight and
have seen their friends rush up to
them to shake hands in congratula.
ton for noteworthy feat. And have
seen the hand dropped at once, for II
could not respond to the grasp that
was given 1t. There was no life in
1t. 1t hung limp, inert, powerless and
feelingless from the fatigue Of grip
ping lever with little or no change
of position for SO long a time.
Yet endurance flights such as those
made for the Michelin trophy and
prize are flown over good courses,
clearly marked by pylons or posts, and
almost invariably over good grounds
that provide safe landing places at
any time. In this way there is as lit
tie as possible Of nervous and mental
strain. Otherwise such flights as that
of Henri Farman, who stayed up over
eight hours. would be impossible.
When these long flights are made
across country the nerve and mind en-
ter into the equation against the man.
He faces uneven and probably broken
land untitled for n quick decent II any
thing goes wrong. and ne frequently
files across country that Is unfamiliar
to him, and that keeps him In a mental
uncertainty that adds great deal to
the physical fatigue he has to suffer.
The Greatest Strain Of All.
Those of us who are foolish enough
to climb for height have all of these
torments infinitely multiplied, and
added to them, we face conditions that
are not met with In the ordinary
work closer to the ground.
To most people the strain Of altitude
climbing appears to be only q matter
OF enduring the rarefied air met with
a couple of miles above the earth, but
the big torture comes with the sudden
descent-with the rapid change of
pressnSes as We drop thousand feet
minute or more--and this is indeed a
torture long to be remembered.
In the early days of my altitude
climbing, when I set the worlds rec
ord at Lanark, Scotland, I kept fight
Ing for each extra inch as long as
there was any strength or endurance
left In me. l struggled at the top un-
I'll 1t was useless to struggle any long
err. and then, with all my strength
gone, there was nothing for 1t but to
fall back to earth with my aeroplane
pointed as sharply toward the earth as
safety would allow.
When the Head Feels Like Bursting.
l came down like thunderbolt. AS
the descent began the pressure began
to change rapidly with my entering
into heavier and heavier strata Of air,
and | began to feel pains in my head
and ears. These pains got worse with
every second OF the descent, and when
l was within hailing distance of the
earth felt as though something in
side my head would surely burst with
the awful tightening about my ears
and temples. can appreciate now
the tortures suffered by medieval mar
tyrs who had bands of iron gradually
frightened about their heads. The rec
objection OF that descent at Lanark
makes me sympathize with them pro-
foundly.
At Philadelphia last November rose
more than 5000 feet higher than at
I.anark and l fell faster on my de-
scent to earth. but while my sufferings
were intense they were not so great as
In Scotland for l had been told OF a
method of counteracting the increasing
pressure and used 1t with great sue
cess / had shortly before this been
talking to Clifford b. Harmon about
some Of his ballooning experiences and
had asked him IL he had ever suffered
during rapid descents as i did at Ian
ark.
81 did quite frequently in my early
days." said Harmon, 'but Captain
Baldwin told me way to avoid It."
''What is thatT I asked.
Swallow swallow constantly" said
Harmon.
So on this plunge from the clouds
above Philadelphia. when my nerves
were racked to pieces and my physi-
cal faculties were utterly worn out,
suddenly thought Of this scheme when
the pressure became painful on my
ears. and the relief was immense.
Effect of an Hour In the Air.
An altitude fight of this kind does
not last long according to the time OF
the watch. 1t seems ages. but my
Paragraph record for my highest climb
0,S97 feet, showed that 1t took me just
about fifty minutes to reach the maxi
mum altitude. 1t could not have taken
more than four or FIVE minutes to de
scend, but my plunge was so rapid
that the ink could not flow fast enough
from the style of the instrument to re-
cord, so cannot tell exactly.
Assuming that the total flight from
the time of starting to the time OF
landing occupied one hour, the physical
strain of such work can be imagined
when say that started in fine condi
ton. fresh and feeling strong and equal
to anything, yet when / landed In thai
empty field at Oreland, fourteen miles
away from my starting point. was 81
utterly worn out and helpless that
could not climb out of my machine foi
several minutes.
The next time any Of my reader.
sees an aeroplane soaring gracefully
aloft let him remember these thing!
and be satisfied to stay comfortably OF
the ground until flying is made goot
deal easier and vast deal safer thar