Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-07-04

HAVE had the good luck to be credited with bringing
! down the first Zeppelin destroyed by monoplane
Z in this
1t really quite easy thing to do and would
have been done just easily and effectively by any
other in service he had had the opportunity.
In the night of June rs three of u.s. Lieutenant ]. P.
Wilson, Lieutenant J. Mills myself, out in
air reconnaissance the German lines in Bel
GUM. We started in the dark, calculating that
should have daylight by the time in position
to do damage gain any information Of import.
ance We we're guided by our compasses which we
could see by electric lamps. All of using
small swift Morane monoplanes.
At about $50 in the morning. when cold gray dawn
breaking through the sky, found ourselves just
north of the city Of Brussels Descending little
the earth we're able to distinguish the big Zeppelin
hangar built by the Germans at Evere, in Belgium
My companions then a little higher until they
were exactly over the hangar. One after another they
let fly their bombs. Several found their mark
sheet of fame. seeming colossal catas-
irophe shoot out from the hangar. believe it reached
a height OF almost five hundred feet 1t the
podng
For the moment there was room for me in this
BILE to the hangar and used all their ammunition turned
and went home to their camp
flow on to look for some other opportunity of'usng
my ammunition. 1t was just FIVE O'Clock in the morning
when perceived on the horizon, about midway be-
tween Client and Brussels Zeppelin moving rapidly
with the wind at height of about 1000 feet
Immediately flew toward the monster. and in spite
Of its speed easily overlook it with my swift
plane.
The Zeppelin at opened fire with it's rapid
fire guns, to which powerless to reply. At the
same time it in the air, taking advantage of it's
superior ability to rise quickly.
The Zeppelin can rise Immediately by throwing out
ballast or attain the object by merely point
Ing its into the wind using elevatng planes
10 raise the forward end.
AS quickly could shifted my elevating planes
for the bullets flying round and my life de.
pended on climbing higher than the enemy.
fed more fuel to my motors and began to fly round
IN spirals as fast as could. That my only way
rising.
inc Zeppelin shot up at first like an arrow and
Quickly went above me- But she reached the limit
of her ascending capacity.
kept on climbing madly upward through the air.
Al the end OF twenty minutes OF fierce struggle had
neatcn the monster All the time could the drum
ming OF the bullets round I could also catch
flinpses OF the big busily manipulating their
ship and trying destroy me-
Al last reached point far above them, where felt
that was reasonably safe and had the mastery over
them My instruments showed that was 5000
feet up in the air
knew that II could blow large enough holes in the
top or the Zeppelin could sink her because would
let er gas out. Shots and missiles striking from below
nave little effect on the bulk of those airshps
!hey are bull, up of nine small balloons,
oaionets placed within the large one. Several OF
these may be destroyed before the Zeppelin When
me envelope is penetrated the under side the gas
hardly escapes all
, reached point several hundred feet above the
Heppcin and looking down that had fair
ol cropping bomb on her touched the trigger and
bustible