The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1913-10-30
Av|ATORS' WORST
As TOLD BY
French Editor Obtains First
Hand Confessions as
to PeriIS Past.
~OME remarkable confessions.

~OME remarkable confessions.
just published, have been made
- by the leading aviators in
France in answer to the ques-
ton put to them by the editor Of Je
Sais Tout, (which has been the most
anxious moment in your life?"
The fear Of death came most wildly
before the eyes Of Garros when he
was making his ascent of 5000 meters,
which broke the record for height. In
stead Of the quiet hum Of the motor,
he suddenly heard a fearful cracking
sound. He realized that his machine
had lost its equilibrium and feared the
worst. "Perspiration stood in beads
on my forehead, and my heart began
that cold, hard beating which shows
better than any theory how simple in
stinct can herald the real moment of
danger.
LUCKILY had the happy inspiration
to switch off my sparkling apparatus.
After some unnerving moments the
motor came to a standstill. Then the
question arose how to make that de-
scent Of 5000 meters, really an easier
business than the ascent. Normandy
is rich in good landing places. went
down as slowly as I possibly could,
and absolute success crowned my ef-
forts"
Gilbert's Terrible Danger.
A similar accident occurring at a
considerable height plunged Gilbert,
well known for his magnificent flights,
into terrible danger. It was in the
course Of a fight from Paris to Vito
ria without a break. He was some
5000 feet above the Pyrenees when
suddenly his motor for some mys-
FERROUS reason ceased working.
IT 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
long; they seemed fearfully short.
Happily very strong smell Of ben
zine arrested my attention. Like light
ming the thought passed through my
brain, It's the benzinev
cit was a case not Of too little, but
Of too much. 1 had two reservoirs full
Of it on starting, but as had flown
from Paris without ever stopping, one
of these was empty and my motor was
now being fed from the second. I had
left the connecting tube between the
two reservoirs open, and the pressure
Of the air on the second reservoir had
been too strong, bringing too copious a
stream of it 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
it's long descent, I pricked up my ears,
my nerves were all on the rack.
strained my eyes trying to pierce
through the veil Of clouds and see the
EARTH My whole life passed in review
before me. 1t was tragic half min
ute
"Triumpn! The motor has begun to
work again. though in a hesitating
fashion. Then it runs off into a de-
lightful rhythmic pulsation. sound as
exhilarating as fanfare of trumpets.
My heart beats quicker l set my rud-
der for an ascent. and once more we
rise
The hero of the fight over the Alps
Bielovucic. says that the conquest of
the lofty peaks did not cause him SO
much anxiety us a simple common,
place flight that he made between