Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-09-24
Gilbert's Terrible Danger.

and absoiutei success crowned my e1-
forts
Gilbert's Terrible Danger.
A similar accident occurring at .
considerable height plunged Gilbert,
we'll known for his magnificent flights.
into terrible danger. 1t was In the
course Of flight from Paris to Vito
ria without q break. He was some
5000 feet above the Pyrenees when
suddenly his motor for some mys-
terious reason ceased working.
'T had thirty seconds Of life left to
me In which to find out the reason OF
the stoppage and remedy it These
awful thirty seconds did not seem
ong; they seemed fearfully short
Happily very strong smell OF ben
zine arrested my attention Like light
ling the thought passed through my
brain, It's the benzinev
1T was a case not Of too little. but
OF too much. l had two reservoirs full
Of 1t on starting, but az l had flown
from Paris without ever stopping, one
Of these was empty and my motor was
now being fed from the second. l had
left the connecting tube between the
two reservoirs open, and the pressure
Of tho air ON the second reservoir had
been too strong. bringing too coptous q
stream Of 1t into the motor. which &C.
cordingly stopped from overrepletion.
A Tragic Half Minute.
II quickly closed the connecting tube
and waited. wondering whether the
motor would get started again. In
those few seconds Of passive waiting.
while my aeroplane was proceeding on
its long descent pricked up my ears.
NY nerves were ell on the rack, I
Atrained my eyes trying to pierce
through the veil of clouds and see the
earth. My whole life passed in review
before me. It was a tragic half min
ute.
Triumph The motor has begun to
work again. though in hesitating
fashion. Then 1t runs on into a de-
lightful rhythmic pulsation. sound as
exhilxrating as fanfare of trumpets.
Ny heart beats quicker. l set my rud-
der for an ascent and once more We
rise.,"
The hero Of the flight over the Alps,
Bieloyucic, says that the conquest Of
the lofty peaks did not cause him so
much anxiety as simple common
place flight that he made between
Rheims and Choumont. The weather
was splendid. and his machine went
ersndly. But a he few over the
Marne he noticed fishing boat. in
which the fishermen were standing up
and violently gestculating.
He supposed they were only signal.
Ing their welcome. but when he had
flown past them he began to get I'M
easy about it. and then all Of sudden
bis machine stood almost stock still
Fell Nine Hundred Feet.
ITO this day don't know what had
happened. All can remember is that
!: fell. vertically 900 feet-and very
long fail it seemed to be-and while l
was falling my eyes were continually
fixed on the fishing boat behind me.
Tho men in It were still standing up,
and this t!ne-therc was no misvaking
ft-their gestures expressed their fears
of q disaster. The plunge downward
was 80 fearful, the catastrophe so sud
den. that almost lost my senses. Not
for minute, 1t Is true. but for sec
ond. the anguish Of death took hold
upon me. But at the last moment I
managed to recover my equilibrium
and continued my journey without
further incident"
The most terrible minutes ever pass
ed through by Guillaux occurred in the
course of his fight round by France.
Belgium and Holland He had been
flying the whole day long, and about 9
o'clock In tire evening no found him
self over the Zuyder Zee.
Lost In the Air.
1 thick mist prevented his seeing
the earth. but he calculated that an
other thirty to forty milea-that Is, an
other half hour Of nying-would bring
him to land. At the end Of the half
hour he went cautiously downward.
but, to his horror. saw nothing but wa
ter.
He had lost his way! Night was
coming ON. His nerves ind his pow.
WI Of endurance were used up.
( .All this reduced me 20 Q STATE Of
hopeless despair. 1t was real anguish,
the anguish Of . child in terror Of the
dark. At last. aslittle before Z O'Clock.
sew dull, Cat shore. aud Ee.er
have 1 greeted with greater Joy the
mostnbsautiful scenes this world at
lords"