The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1911-08-22


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~ Who n n en- (. lsEil
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sVc M 81 gut
the l6es
fsfif a. ~ - 8 purely mn culaEs
bfit NJ ieli ID iie MENTAL ana nefY-
ous ielennent ID
strafneof zee q
4 W seen rfisffi lcravsi down fFona
their aer0planes after long dight and
have seen their friends rush mp to
them to shake hands In congratula-
tion for note worthy feat. And have
seen the hand dropped at once. for It
could not respond to the grasp that
was given It There was no lie in
ft It hung limp, inert, powerleSs ana
9eeIingless from the fatigue OF grip
ping q lever with little or no change
Of position for so long time.
Yet endurance flights such as those
made for the NGichelin trophy an6
prize are down over good courses
clearly marked by pylops OF posts, and.
almost invariably over good grounds
.
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 united for a quick decent IL my
thing goes wrong, and he frequently
flies across country that is unfamiliar
to him, and that keeps him In mental
uncertainty that adds n 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 70 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 a matter
of enduring the rarehedSair met with
n couple of miles above the earth, but
the big torture comes with the sudden
descent-wlth the rapid change OF
pressures as we drop thousand feet
a minute or more-and this is indeed
torture long to be remembered
In the early days of my altitude
climbing. when set the worldS rec
ord ut Lan2rk, Scotland, I kept tight
ing for each extra inch as long as
there was any strength or endurance
left in me. 1 struggled at the top IN
til ft was useless to struggle any long
err, and then, with all my strength
gone. there was nothing for 1T but to
fan back to earth with my aeroplane
pointed as sharply toward the earth as
safety would allow.
When the Head Feels Like Bursting.
1 came down IKE thunderbolt. AS
tho descent began the pressure began
to change rapidly with my entering
into heavier and heavier strata of air.
ana 1 began to feel pains I'm my head
and ears. These pains got worse with
every second of the descent, and when.
1 was within hailing distance OF the
earth l felt as though something IN
side my head would surely burst VIII
the awful tightening about my ears
and temples. / can appreciate now
the torturcs suffered by medieval mar
tvrs who hSd bands OF iron gradually
tichtencd about thair heads. The rec
objection of that descent ut LaHarS
makes re sympathize with them pro-
rourdIy.
At Philadelphia last November rose
more than 5000 feet higher than at
Lanark and fell faster on my &c
scent to earth, but While my sun crlnGs
were intense they were not so great as
in Scotland. for had been told OF
method OF counternctinE the increasing
pressure and used it with great sue
cess. I had shortly before this peen
talking to clifford B. Harmon about
some of his balIooning experiences ana
md asked him if he had ever suffered
during rapid descents as did at Lam
ark.
81 did quite frequently in my early
days. said Harmon. "but Captain
baldwin told me a. way to avoid 1t"
..What is that?" asked.
swallow-swaTow constantly" said.
Harmon.
So on this plunge from the clouds
above philadelphia. when my nerves
we're rucked to pieces and my physi-
cal faculties were utterly worn out, 1
suddenly thought of this scheme when
the pressure became painful on my
ears, and the relief was immense.
Eject. of an Hour In the Air.
An altitude flight of this kind does
not last long according to the time OF
the watch. It seems ages, but my
barograph record for my highest climb.
OS97 feet, showed that it took me Just
nbout fifty minutes to reach the maxi
how ~ z