The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-01-05
AN
AERONAUT
By FRED L. YOUNG

ped at Gibraltar man came aboard
with a numbee OF boxes, which were
marked Machinery" He was a
pleasant spoken, Northumberland
sort of person, who made acquaint-
ance rapidly with the other passengers.
He bet freely on the daily run of the
ship and IL he won opened wine to Gel
citrate his good luck and If he lost
opened wine to celebrate the winners
luck. In either case he opened wine
Billy Mickleton. the gentleman re-
ferred to, soon became known as the
best fellow on the ship.
What's in all those boxes. Mlckie
ton, you brought aboard with you?"
asked a passenger.
when we apprnach the Atlantic
coast you'll all know. I'm going TO
make an experiment that will attract
the attention of the world"
"Why not tell US now?''
I'm under contract with New
York newspaper to keep the secret till
the last moment The paper is to have
the exclusive rights of publication"
Nothing 80 absorbs people as curios
fly, and the Orinoko had not long
passed Madeira before everybody was
talking about Middleton and the expert
ment he was going to make. Some be-
lieved 1t to be a trial trip of a new
kind OF boat, whose parts were packed
In the boxes. Others guessed that he
had invented light submarine to be
managed by one person. He would
put 1t In the water when the ship was
off Sandy Hook and, moving under
water, beat her to her dock. A third
crowd guessed that Mickleton intended
to be shot out of mortar from the
ships deck and come down with
patent parachute.
When the ship was 500 miles from
port Mickleton secured the permission
of the captain to remove the contents
of the boxes to the upper deck. When
they had been unpacked and carried to
put together an aeroplane. The pas
sengers gathered about him to watch,
some who knew something about |
neroplanes curious to see the machin- |
cry put in. But Micketon waited till |
they all turned in for the night to do |
this work, and when they came on |
deck in the morning they found the |
aeroplane concealed under canvas |
cover.
The captain kindly ordered the ships
to make passage for the
by taking down the stern rails
and otherwise render a start possible.
When all these things were done and
the passengers had nothing to do but
wait they crowded around the aero
naut and piled him with questions. as
1t a new power you're going to testT'
Are you going in ahead of the ship or
going to make transatlantic nightr
rs It to break record for speed or
for height or for distanceT
Mickleton said that 1t grieved him
not to be able to satisfy them. but that
he was dependent on the newspaper
with which he had made his contract
FOR funds to carry out his experiment
and If he let out anything he would
forfeit small fortune, When man
became too persistent Billy opened a
bottle Of wine.
Fire island was sighted at Q o'clock
In the morning. At 10 Mickleton was
ready for his flight The last article he
put on bis machine was a small box. K
He opened it and showed provisions.
From the size of the box 1t might con-
tain food and drink TO last week. 1t
was evident from this that the night
was to be long one, and It was the
opinion of most of the passengers that
was intending to make ,
straight across the Atlantic back to /
Gibraltar. II necessary he would have c
stopping points at the Azores and Ma q
ieira.
Just before starting Mickleton went
o the wireless Office and sent a mes
sage In cipher to a New York news
,aper. II any one had any doubts as s
o the truthfulness of the aeronauts
EXCUSES for not telling bis intention this
emoyed them Leaving the wireless
,fice, he returned to his aeroplane. a
vent under the canvas. made a final p
Inspection of the parts, then. removing S
he cover, got aboard. Sailors on a v
un pushed him along the deck; he
aught the air. hardly striking the +
water surface, then rose gradually.
The ship was steaming westward Q
long the Long Island coast The aero
lane, rising, turned toward the land, !,
assed over the eastern end of the
sland and gradually passed out Of q
light. The Orinoko reached Sandy b
look about noon. but, being delayed t
( quarantine, was not docked till the I
ext morning. Every passenger was P
n deck and eager 10 read the account q
f the aeroplane. flight, the start Of s
rhich he had witnessed. Not single
ewspaper mentioned II.
Mr. Mickleton passed out of the
minds Of the passengers OF the ORR s
oko as he had passed out of their sight
yer Montauk Point and was for
often But the time came when they
cad the newspaper account which g
-as very different one from what :
icy had been told about II reported 7
ow the slickeSt smuggler working be-
veen Europe and America. who had y
ing evaded customs officers. had been "
aught red handed Among his Snug Il