El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-02-26

show OF dignified interest in the
dials and instruments upon which his
safety was to depend.
Sayville wasted no time in COM
ment- 1t was all in the days work to
him and flight was a flight no mat
ter who his passenger was
He pressed the self starter as he
took his seat and let the engine run
with the clutch out, listening intently
to its barely perceptible purring under
the deck Of the boat shaped bow.
IT thought aeroplsne engines made =
great noise" remarked the Secretary.
All that you Will see outside do
Sayville responded. This engine and
its silencers are developments Of the
station here and make our flights in
audible from below. That is one of
the prime necessities Of military avia-
ton which we have been fortunate
enough to solve"
He showed in his clutch and the whine
Of the two big prOpellers sounded be-
side them. They gathered speed quick
~ in their run over the ground and
then. lifting. Sayville snapped the
landing wheels up into the compart-
ments in the hull and turned his at
tention to his controls.
DO you want to go highP' he asked
The Secretary turned to him with a
smile that surprised him.
Go up until you feel comfortable"
he said. Then set your automatic con-
trolls for a wide circle at a level so
that We can talk without Interrupt
ton"
sayvine obeyed orders, expecting
that the Secretary would quiz him
about the technical aspects OF their
machines
There he said at length. 1--WE are
about three thousand feet up. That
IS the height at which I feel most COM
portable for. if anything should hap
pen to he motor. I can glide by the
force Of gravity to any spot within
three or four miles. Do you want to
question me nOW?'
Again the Secretary flashed his puz-
zling smile.
Il shall not question you." he said.
In fact, 1 want to do the talking I
am making this flight entirely with
the object of telling you a little story
"a story that will outline to you very
delicate situation and give you an idea
or the problems with which govern
ment officials have to deal"
his smile grew even more inscrutable
as he noted the expression on the
aviator's face.
"Of course you are puzzled at my
wishing to talk to you on such topic,
observed the cabinet member. You
may. perhaps. understand better when
tell you that I am doing this at the
suggestion of Admiral Begley.'
Begleyv
Yes. Admiral Begley has told sew
eral cabinet members Of at least two
occasions when he found il worth while
10 tell you a story L believe he once
TOD you of an extremely embarrassing
situation in which he found himself in
the west Indies and, during the night,
the embarrassment was entirely re-
moved without even so much as a sug
gestlon from him. He spoke also of
precarious few hours during which one
OF MS new secret torpedOes was in the
possession OF a foreign submarine
out that submarine never reached the
snip 10 which she was carrying it,"
Sayville flushed
recall the Incidents" he said. Il
dld not think they were important
officials"
Their importance-"the Secretary's
voice was icy in its carefully calculated
tone was in the fact that no orders
were necessary and that the govern
ment could not have been badly in
volved had he attempts failed. This
story want to tell you may not inter-
est you particularly but Admiral Beg
icy ADVISED me to come down here and
tell II to You anyway. AS was the case
In the West Indies. you will hear It
entirely unofficially, 1t carries with
It no obligations except that it is ex-