The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-11-24
FIRST VICTIM OF
The AEROP[ANE
Young Icarus Was the Orig
inal Birdman
TRIED FANCY STUNT
Flew Too Close to Sun and His Wax
Wings Melted-He and His
Father Were Escaping
from Jail
TRIED FANCY STUNT

From the Kansas City Journal
Two men were sitting pensiyely in
he courtyard of the large and hand
some stone jail of the Island of Crete.
One was middle aged man with a gray
beard and a harassed expression Che
also wore the regular prison costume),
while the other was youth of rakish
aspect
"And even IL we could escape, as you
suggest" said the older man pensively,
what good would it do to us? The King
has the customs officials search every
ship that leaves the island on purpose
to see whether we may be on board
Granted that we got out of jail--and We
might've would have to spend the
rest of our lives on this blooming island
for you know there never were any
Annette Kellermans in our family tree
True" replied the youth, I'VE are
the original pussyfoots when 1t comes
TO swimming. But I'd certainly like to
Fly this burg"
Fly the burg" repeated his father,
pensively. Then. with a sudden excite
nent. Fly the burgl That's just what
We'll do-we'll fly Now run out and
talk to the jailer while 1 figure this
thing out
These two men, as you probably have
guessed, were Icarus and Daedalus, the
first aviators. Daedalus was an archi-
tect who had been called in my Minos.
King of Crete, to lay out a park and
boulevard system, build a new palace or
two and generally touch up the island,
but when it came time to pay him his
commissions, Minos decided that Dae-
dalus wasn't much of an architect, and
that the decorations he had designed
for the front of the Carnegie library
deserved a jail sentence. so he gave him
one of indefinite length. Icarus went
along Just to keep his father company,
and it was indeed a touching sight to
see the two playing pitch together in
the yard of the JAIL while the dishon-
est taxpayers passed by outside, boot
ing with glee because Daedalus' i'm
rrisonment meant that they would not
have to pay any more Improvement
taxes.
This was the state of affairs when
Daedalus got the bunch about flying
from listening to his sons idle chatter.
That very day he set to work making
a pair of wings. The management Of
the jail seems to have been somewhat
lax; anyhow, the architect had no trou-
BILE in obtaining all the feathers AMI
wax he wanted, and 1t was no time
at all before he had a couple of pairs of
very handsome wings made-one for
himself and one for son, Icarus.
These wings they fastened on with
sealing wax, there being no chewing
gum obtainable, and early one morn
ing they went soaring merrily out OF
the jail yard.
Pausing only long enough to drop q
large brick upon the head of King
Minos, who was strolling in his gar
den, they then headed for the Euro
pean mainland. As they fluttered gay
ly along young Icarus swooped and
scared and flew in circles about his
parent so happy was he at the pros
rect of a real meal again in an Athens
cafe.
BE careful, Ike his father called to
him. land whatever you do, don't get
too near the sun. Fly low"
But you know how youth is-rash
and foolish always. No sooner had old
Daedalus mentioned the sun than II
occurred to his wild, headstrong son
that it would be a clever thing to light
q cigarette off the sun, and up he
scared. But before he got within light
Ing distance, the powerful rays began
to melt the wax with which his wings
We're fastened, and a moment later
down came Icarus, plunging, and turn
ing, and entirely helpless. One wing
had come off.
Father and son were over the ocean
at this time, but as old Daedalus had
so prophetieally remarked, there were
no Annette kellermans in their FAM
lily tree. Icarus had never learned to
swim at all and seldom got into a
bathtub without a life preserver, so it
was not long before the Nereids were
In hie.th dc