The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1914-04-24

alrshlp flights which Will take place
in Marietta on next Saturday began
Immediately. Mr.. H. V. Manning,
who is always ready to help bring
entertainment to Marietta, took the
party all over the city so that the
best place for a start might be Sc
cured.
One Of the best accounts of the
dangers of an aeroplane flight and
of the daring of Mr.. Beech is found
by the editor in the Eufaula Citizen,
of Eufaula, Ala, at which place Mr.
Beech made a successful flight in q
raging thunderstorm.
The account is as follows:
For the first time in its history
Eufaula had yesterday demontra-
ton Of mans latest achievement
his domination of the air. To the nm
initiated it was very interesting
sight.To the initiated it was a won
derful performance Those of the
spectators who were technical men,
those who had in their travels wit
messed aeroplane flights elsewhere,
and those who are associated with
the intrepid aviator looked anxious
ly at the fast gathering, black, featn-
er-edged clouds the sure harbingers
of wind and rain, as the preparations
for the flight were finished AS Avia-
tor Beech stepped into his fragile
vehicle of the air the wind had at
tanned velocity of thirty miles an
hour. But there was no hesitation in
his manner as he gave instructions
for the aeroplane to be held while the
motor was started and turned VITA
barking insistence to it's uttermost
capacity. Only the awful interest dis
played by a woman-the ayiators
wife-whose wife was pale and
drawn, indicated the peril of the i'm
pending flight. "Why don't you stop
him" inquired sympathizer of the
agonized wife. you might Just as
well try to stop that cloud from pass
ing over as to try to stop my husband
from flying when the spectators have
been told to expect a flight" she re-
piled resignedly.
The wind increased. The sun had
hidden his dazzling face 1t was get
ting darker every minute. Thunder
mingled it's roar with the barking
of the motor as the bold bird-man
gave the signal to release his Juggling
bird.
Like an arrow shot from a bow
the frail bark shot forward bound
ing across the tops of burrows of the
rough field Suddenly the mass of
wires, wood, fabric, and steel-a solid
half ton, with its human accessory
bounded into the air At almost the
same instant the storm broke and
battle was precipitated such as had
rarely been witnessed before in his
tory-battle between man and the
latest element he has mastered, when
that element was angry angry
and the men won.
The aeroplane was flung hither
and thither like a feather in a mael-
strom. Only by it's general direction
of travelling in circle could it be
seen that the aircraft was under
control. 1t would rise like balloon
for seven or eight hundred feet then
turn almost over, then dive swiftly,
and madly toward the earth. Some
times the motor was heard, sounding
like a rapid firing Maxim gun: at
other times its noise would be drown
ed by thunder. Again it was GiCi.
cult to say which was the roar of the
motor and which was that Of its an
tagonist, Finally the aeroplane was
seen to dive. The spectators saut.
ted in all directions. But there was
no actual danger. The acrop ane
s;raightened out and settled gradual
ny in the face of the now viol ant wind
and touched the ground as lightly
as bird, stopping almost imma-
diately. The mechanicians imme-
diately seized the now lifeless ma
chine to prevent the wind from
wreaking tardy vengeance on it and
the spectators seized the aviator to
smother him with congratulations
for his unexcellable daring.
Seen afterwards by a representa-
tive of the Eufaula Citizen, Beech
gave out the following: at has al
ways been my boast that l have new
er failed my spectators In every
crowd there is always some one who
has never seen a flight and not a
few who still believe mechani-
cal flight impossible. If then a
flight is not attempted, an aviator
is charged with cowardice and even
fraud by people who are ignorant Of
the conditions to be overcome. On
the other hand the same class of Deo-