The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-10-19
TELLS OF FLIGHT
IN HAIL OF SHOT
Passengers Story Of Thrilling
Adventure In the Air.
.PERILS OF FORCED LANDING


Almost Miraculous Escape of Air Man
After Bullets Disabled His Machine.
His Companion, Describing Awful
Experience, Says, Il Waited What
Seemed My Inevitable End.'
The exciting experiences of Il paSSen-
ger aboard a French war aeroplane
are described i'll the Paris Petit Jour
nal. Shots from German sky guns
disabled the craft, but it came to earth
in Il secluded spot. While the passen-
ger kept guard with a carbine the avia-
tor repaired the machine. Then IN
ascent was made, and the machine at
length landed within the French lines
The passengers story follows:
I'VE started directly north. tossed a
little by an east wind. Suddenly the
pilot cut off the motor. and nothing
was audible except the whistling Of
the wind through the rigging of the
aerOplane. The pilot pointed out some
little black smoke puffs far below us
and told me to listen. | could hear
nothing except the wind. Then the
motor was started again. and its
steady hum covered everything. The
smoke puffs grew nearer and more nu-
merous. We tried to rise still higher
when n great wind came and threw
us one side The ever ready pilot
righted us, but another and more ter
rible shock hurled us vertically up
ward
1--WE Then Began to Fall"
I'VE then began to fall The smoke
and flashes now were quite near us,
and we were thrown this way and
that by great blasts of air We still,
forged ahead at full speed. Clinging
to the framework. | awaited what
seemed my inevitable end.
"Suddenly calm was restored. We
had passed the danger zone. Be
meath us stretched great forest. cut
here and there with ravineS. AS we
left the zone of danger our aeroplaue
began to list. Th" pilot having done
his utmost to right us. cut off the mo-
tor and, half turning his head, gazed
toward our left wing. where Il strip OF
torn canvas was streaming in the wind.
We began a headlong descent end
ing with an abrupt landing in mar
row glade. No one but that pilot could
have attempted so desperate maneu-
Yer with success. He jumped to earth,
shouting Take your carbiue while [
repair the damage" He set to work
| to fasten a patch over the torn wing
'Quickr he added Quick! If the
Germans come, FIRE at them! Then 1
will set the machine on fire
Rises Over Sea of Troops.
when the damaged wing had been
repaired we tried to drag the aero
plane to the other end of the glade.
! But roots and stones impeded it, We
were on the point of abandoning our
task when suddenly the pilot sprang
! forward and thrust his revolver into
! the face of Il dirt stained man who
| had approached without our hearing OF
seeing him. | seized my carbine. while
the man stood easily with his hands i'll
his pockets and said: We belong te
you. We are ready 20 guide our men
through the forest. We will give YOU
| a hand.
Upon signal from this mysterious
stranger Il number of peasants tool
their places around our aeroplane. II
an instant we were in our places ready
to go. The propeller was started, anC
We arose. With a bound that carried
us up almost vertically we passed
above Il sea OF troops at the edge o
the forest. Smoke and gun flashes re
appeared, but sudden swerve en-
abled us to regain under cover of TIT
forest a sufficient altitude. When w
came out again the Sky guns had ceas
ed their fire, and later. descendin!
, slowly, we landed in the French lines.