Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1911-08-11

to pass the thousand marks. Three
four, five, six thousand | passed, each
one taking I'M increasing length of time
and requiring more OF physical effort
and mental and nervous strain.
Soon the hand of the nncroid began
TO caper back and forth. knew l
was mounting steadily. but the little
instrument did not show 1t and finally
Hoped back near the starting point
ana stayed there. The aneroid had
evidently gone higher than 1t was ever
intended to 20 and was completely out
of commission.
N Paragraph. which Is n recording
barometer. had been tied about my
neck and took one hand from the
control and turned the face of tho baro-
graph up toward me. Through the
glass front could see the purple line
That had traced my ascent. l felt sure
that must be near the top. 1t seemed
ages since had started, and the ter
riblc cold WIS beginning to penetrate
even the thick. fur lined clothing that
had mndc particularly for this flight.
My hands were beginning to get numb,
Niih iNiN tilut my tulS WOulu UuTSl
with the pressure from inside my head
or. rather, with the lesscning OF the
pressure outside.
But ono sight Of the Paragraph made
me grit my teeth and shove the nose
of the Bleriot good deal higher than
wisdom warranted. Instead of being
near the coveted 10000 mark, / was
barely passing the 5000 line
No words of mine can express the
disappointment and the discourage
ment of that moment. was almost
"all in" yet had still the two hard
est stages of my Journey to cover
the bitter fight OF jumping and falling.
jumping and falling. during tho final
500 feet. and last. but most awful of
all. the horrors OF that descent where
the chances were 100 TO against me.
Laughing at 10000 Feet.
There was nothing for 1t. however.
but TO continue the fight upward
40 ! doggedly fixed my mind upon
the magic figures 10000 and mounted
again. Below me there was nothing
but space. The filmy clouds formed n
haze which completely shut the earth
from my view, and I seemed like an
impudent little fly buzzing around i'm
portantly In the vastness Of infinitude.
The thought struck me as being rather
droll. and laughed aloud.
Then remembered how n friend OF
mine had come TO me Mt the hangar
before started and, with quizzical
expression on his face. as though he
knew wns not serious. asked:
Are you really going for altitude to-
day."
Yes" answered.
do you think you have any chance
of making it?" he asked.
"There's always n chance" replied
and Jumped into the machine.
Since then have thought over that
short conversation score Of times and
have failed to find I'm 4: anything
amusing Yet away up there I'm n lone
illness whose vnstncss and impressive
ness only Legagncaux and / of all liv.
Ing men car appreciate. with the mo-
tor buzzing and whirling and humming
and splitting. seemingly to accentuate
the very vastness of the solitude and
make 1t even more awe inspiring than
1t is to the floating balloonist-away
UP there, passing close to the 1000 foot
mark-the two questions and their an
swers struck me as being the most
droll things I had ever heard, and I
started to laugh boisterously like
drunken sailor In low taproom.
Crazy" I thought, and as the
thought flashed across my mind with