The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1911-09-25


cSyifI6f be understood IN Its fun 4oree.
Brieay Il meant that the cloth when
aIona held me IN the air had begun 70
rip on chat side, and knew that az
the Tremendous speed at which vas
poing ft would take only one good
grin OF the wind under such small
openina, 10 tear the entire fabric rom
front to rear, whip Il on the name
and leave me absolutely unsupporeed
on that side TO 80 crashing below
All this dashed across my mind N
an Instant, and made mp my mind
to turn about and try to get back to
the aviation field
came down In as easy curves as
could because / did not want to put
any extra strain on the torn fabric,
ana kept my eye glued on that vi
brating piece of cloth, fascinated, held
speIIbound by the problem OF whether
II would continue to ytbrate without
tearing until got down another one
hundred feet or 50 to comparative
safety, or whether It was merely wait
ing until the last moment to give q
final shrieling rip as though in dend-
Ish desire to tantalize me with raise
hope as long as possible
I know that cold sweat stood out all
over my body. and it was only by In
sEinct that worked the controls OF
my machine, for my entire mind was
focused on that little tapping shred
and all my thoughts revOlved about
that one question of whether it would
hold long enough to let me get little
closer and have a chance for safety
In the fall if the rip did come.
Blessing of Something to Do.
As I look back on it. believe I
1A1f1IOp the
wheels when at last touched the
ground Dumbly and by instinct again
I had shut or the power on landing,
bringing the machine to a full stop.
sat in my seat as my mechanics
came running up, and with my eyes
still glued fascinated to the spot where
1 had seen the tapping cloth waited
FOR them When one OF my men came
near shouted to him to so over there
and see what was hanging to the
plane.
ST do not see anything" he said
isn't there a shred OF the cloth
hanging there? ~ I asked.
He ducked under the plane and soon
came up. holding in his han6 little
piece of string four or i've inches long.
eft wasn't piece Of CLOTH" he said.
cit was just a bit of string that got
caught In bolt here"
Do not get the idea from what I
have said that an aviator is more or
less constantly engaged in lighting
fear when he is In flight. AS a rule,
man in an aeropIane is far too busy ,
to think much OF fear, especially when
he is taking part in some meet. There
are pylons or turning posts to be
rounded, grand stands and Enclosures
to be avoided, outlines of ships to
drop bombs upon, circles and squares
to land in for accuracy and all such
detuils that keen 4 mans mind fully
occupied. The earth is near and fash
es by at the rate of mile minute,
and, more than likely, there are other
machines in the air at the same time.
and the rules of the road" must be
followed or there Will be Disqualified
ton If not total smashup. So the
aviator is too fully occupied in guild
ing his machine according to the rules
to think much about the danger he is
in, yet. oddly enough, 1t is in this very
competitive form of flying that he is
In most peril. In working by himself
he is least in danger, yet he is likely
to be more in fear, for he has more
time to think of his peril and not SO
much to occupy his mind and so quiet
his nerves.
Panic From Nothing to Do.
Before had gone very far into aero
planning I had an experience in the air
which illustrates the point that the
many things a man has to do while
dying and think about for safety's
sake as n rule operate to keep his
mind away from fear.
1 had been well up In my BlerioE
several times and had felt very little
nervousness when n friend in England
invited me to accompany him and
party of guests on a balloon trip. As
the ground sank away beneath me
tried to feel some OF the thrills that
had felt in my good Bleriot. But they
did not come. There was no merry
cumming of the motor, no singing
rush of the wind. no sense of great
power overcoming nature, nothing to
give me tho idea that was doing
some OF the work and that skill ana
courage were necessary to success.
It seemed that we were only hung
suspended by a tiny thread and that
all of us were on edge. TEaiting for the
thread to snap and the whole outfit to
go crashing below to the far distant
earth and to destruction.
could not get out Of my mind this
sense OF suspended fate-of helpless
waiting for something awful to hap
penn 1 had never experienced it in