Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1911-08-24

was debating whether to try for any
more altitude with the darkness of
evening gathering when my engine
began to sputter and miss in a way
that sounded as though there were no
more gasoline in the tank.
This, however. | knew could not be
the cause If the trouble The tank
had been well filed before started.
and what the trouble was l have new
er ascertained, but l felt the power
beginning to give out, and showed
my steering post forward just about
In time to get the machines nose
pointed down when the engine stopped
entirely. There was nothing for it but
to plane down and get as near back
home as possible.
With the machine pointed right for
long spiral glide. looked below to
get my bearings. and that is where l
got nv first fright. The mists had
gathered so thickly that l could not
see single glimpse of the earth
There was nothing below me but a
bfllowy sea of clouds. impenetrable to
the eye
/ blamed myself in forcible language
for my folly in not taking more care
full note of my position on the upward
climb Now it was too late. J had
not the slightest idea what part of the
country was over nor in what direc-
ton l was headed. but | had all l
could do to take care of the machine,
rushing downward through space as I
was at the rate of seventy miles an
hour or more. | thought of nothing
except the steering and instinctively
tried to keep her going in general
way in about the same wide circles
that l had followed on my journey up
Saved by a Fluke.
Soon l entered the clouds and began
to catch glimpses Of the earth
thought | saw something that looked
like one of the buildings on our
grounds. and | steered accordingly.
aiming to plane down so as to have
plenty of room in the open land that
stretched for miles away from the
hangers.
Suddenly l plunged through the
mists into the ordinary atmosphere of
the earth's surface. and below me
there was nothing but trees. trees.
trees, as far as the eve could reach.
seemed to be directly over the heart of
limitlesS wood. To land in the
branches meant certain wreck. I had
IN tho 0in fn CrfUn
chance to look about me for an open
ing. There was nothing to do appar-
emily but to plunge down among the
forest giants and trust to luck that the
wreck of the machine would not cut
me up badly and that my fall from the
top of whatever tree landed in would
leave my features in good enough
shape for Identification at the inquest.
l took a deep swoop downward and
then desperately turned the aeroplane's
nose upward to coast as high as the
momentum would take me and search
for a clearing in this momentary re-
spite.
| plunged downward for a hundred
feet at terrible rate; then at the mo-
ment of turning up my heart nearly
stopped beating as heard a choking
cough from the engine. then another,
then another. and suddenly the br-r-r-r
Of the cylinders AS the explosions came
with full force. and the propeller. get
ting its grip on the air. put on all its
power. and climbed safely away from
the treetops. everything working per-
fectly and once more in control of 4
safe and efficient piece of machinery.
/ sailed close to the ground until rec
OgniZed some houses over the edge Of
the wood | was more than twenty
miles from home: but. with the engine
working smoothly. the trip back was
mere child's play. and | was soon on
the ground again. being alternately |
cursed and Rugged by Mac. while the
mechanics trundled the Rleriot to the
hangar.
The Eternal Question.
They are never pleasant to talk |
about-theSe narrow escapes. It Is /
best to forget about them as soon
alter IuCN uuNe OtNuII6u DIS pOSSlDIC,
for they get on the nerves. and things
that get on the nerves are not good in |
aviatio 1t has always struck me as
odd that almost the first question the
average man will ask after he has met I
me is:
What was the narrowest escape .
from death you have ever had?
This is simply another manifesto /
ton Of that morbid desire for thrills I
at another mans expense by demand
ing feats the aeroplane was never in
tended to perform The aeroplane has /
it's limitations. and they are. so far
very narrow ones. 1t will do certain
simple things very we'll and if not .
pushed too hard is not a great deal .
more dangerous than manufacturing
dynamite or being picked out by the
Black Hand