Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-26

then-I closed my eyes and waited for
things to happen.
But. fortunately for me. I had done
the right things just in the nick or Tune.
An intinitesimal fraction of a second later
would have been useless for l am con-
WINGED that I caught the machine just as
she was passing the critical angle-after
which there would have been notnins 10
support her in the air and l should nave
gone crashing downward. As swiftly as
it had come the danger had passed-the
machine had righted herself, and alter
what seemed whole lifetime of uncer-
tainty in the very presence OIL deate IL
self. 1 opened my eyes. to ma mNseli
sailing easily away on an even heeI-Saie
alive and thanking God for It.
/ looked beneath me and l saw that
the mechanics were gazing up at me
with no idea OF what l had just passed
through Mac. however. looked as wmlte
ghost. He knew. 1t would be pref
~ hard to fool Mac on a thing IKE that.
X
Naturally, my nerves were about gone.
My heart was humping like trip ham
mer and / could scarcely get my breath
from the excitement. But l made up my
mind that Mac was not going TO see me
quit, so, as though / had intended just
what happened, / went sailing away 10
the far side of the grounds and came
back again in wide, easy, sweeping
curves that landed me at the feet my eA-
cited partner in perfect style.
I did not fly again that day.
NV other narrow escape was the result
of a f1uke and ! was saved by nuke
To this day have not been apie 10 ns
out why either of the flukes happened
was practicing at Beaulieu, for height;
altitude work had attracted me from the
beginning, and l practiced constantly
In fact, had several times exceeded the
worlds record for height as It stocd then
but could not claim it officially. as used
my own Paragraph and aneroid and the
flights were made with Mac and the me-
chanics as the only watchers.
On this day / went up toward evening.
1t was one Of those gray days. with
thin mist over everything and damp
feeling in the air that suggested an I'M
pending fog. / should have known better
than to attempt to climb under such con-
ditions but / was keyed up to 1t ana
did not want to put it OH.
The mechanics turned the propeller over
and I was off The engine was running
with that smooth purrins that IS music
to the ears of an aviator and the machine
seemed to mount without the slightest ei-
fort. I went up in big circles. mile' oI
more in diameter, perhaps, and as 1 got
into the thinner air / paid strict atten-
ton to managing the aeroplane; doupL
if I looked down toward the earth once
after l passed height of 1000 feet.
:: Z:
Without any incident whatever climb
ed to something like 5000 feet. which
was then above the record. and was de-
batting whether to try for any more alti-
tude. with the darkness of evening gain
ering, when my engine began to sputter
and miss in a way that sounded as
though there was no more gasoline IN
the thank.
This, however. l knew could not De
the cause of the trouble. The tank hao
been well filled before ! started ana there
must have been enough to last nle an
other hour at least.
What the trouble was l have never as
certained, but l felt the power beginning
to give out. and, l showed my steerihs
most forward just about in time to Se'