El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-02-04
MASON TELLS OF
FLIGHTS IN WAR
Aviator Reported Shot as Spy in Mex
leo Writes Of Flights Over
Guaymas.

=
Didier Mason, the French aviator
who was reported to have been cap
tured by the Mexican Federals ana
put to death as a SPY, is alive; A Au.
fbeDffc news of his Whereabouts mas
heen received by Israel Ludlow OF me
Aero club, who was appointed ~ ~
club to Investigate the report o. MAS
sons death. ~ CO
In the letter. dated Hermosilo, $50 So
nora, January "A, the aviator sIves S,
a vivid description of flying oNe5
federal Qualifications gunooaIs anu
troops and never being toucntu ~
bullet. More than 2OO,OOO shoIs w.
fired at him in the course OF ZIP
of 500 miles he says, and ne Ven, ven
lures the statement that any az ~
flying at a height of 5000 1eet Is a.
sclutely safe beyond the reach OF rlIIe
bullets.
1.-THE main point on when WISH
to give absolute guarantee, says
Mason, els that any man IlylnS az ~
altitude of 5000 feet mas a !e3o ~
nothing to fear from the. rlIIe Du4-
let's. I have been flying many Tunes
over bodies of federals amounting t9
over 5000 (at Ortiz, for eNaIlpIe) 80 80
I could perfectly well Perceive .ila ma
the whole corps was shooting ana
after landing I never found bullet
through the machine. -
Il flew about 500 or 600 miles over
the federal lines and it can pc fouSh-
" estimated that the federaiS wasted
an Of 90O 0OO cartridges and a few
hundred shells from the gun ooals; as
I never flew over 5000 feet hlgh II
can be assumed that the bullets do not
go to that altitude.
GunbOat Fire amusing
"As for the cannon Shells the TAM
picO or the Guerrero was not IItte9
with guns having high angie ana
their shooting was always amusing
anyway. The poor little Tampico was
doing its best to give the impression
% being naughty, but never 9la any
harm to me Neither did to him, as
far as that goes.
81 wish I had an opportunity 10 taIh
over the matter and explain the rea-
sons why the use Of the aefop1ane
by the Constitutionalists has 6een IN
successful as far as sinking the ram
pico is concerned. We had 70 uIop
tho bombs from about q kIomeIeL
high and we had bombs dropping all
round the boat. The nearest we ever
came to the target was SIX meLe 5
which can be considered as eNcellent'
considering the small size OF the ram
nico never dropped any bombs on
the Federal camp and all the dlIIer-
ent stories circulated giving the num-
Der of killed and wounded through
the effects of the bombs are purely
J -'''' AeropIune in War.
1.-THE military value OF the aero
plane for scouting purposes has no.
/ been overestimated. The. results
which have been attained have beer
praised highly by officers who have
: gene with me on scouting expeditions
4 [ may say that a flight was made g
I few days before the sending of troops
! around Ortiz and that as a result the
! federals were severely beaten at the
battle Of Santa Maria.
"Au the stories concerning my treat
ment by the Mexicans are absolutely
untrue They are ridiculous and pu
! fine Constitutfonalists in a wrong
! licht. I am perfectly friendly with
all of them and consider that they
are fighting for a good cause. If M
personal opinion can be of any weight
Cen. Carranza is without doubt sincer'
/ and personally is a very imposing
F man."
Best of cleaning, phone 1901. Crescen
Cleaning observation-disclosures