The Washington herald., 1916-06-20

This is the second and concluding irstamsn
OF an article eS Eugene kalkschmidt, core
spondCnt # the Bsrliuer raEeblatt, describing
his trip 70 Nerdun in German battlepane)
BY EUGENE KALKSCHMIDT.
Metz, May, l9l6.-EXcitement will not
leave me rest; every half hour OF so |
rise and gaze into the night. At } o'clock
am thoroughly awake. Dawn is slowly
yielding to the ConquerinG light. Six
o'clock, lamb Cloudlets"-a few cloud
strips, violet-blue and gray, and in be-
tween the blue sky. Hurran
In front of the hangar stand the two
flying machines. The engineers are busy
ing themselves with the manifold and
complex devices.
"NO-please, not now" saws the squad
ron leader implOringly to my colleague,
who is hOurishing his kodak. One must
never take a snapshot of a flying ma
chine before its flight. That's bad luck
Superstition. perha ps. There's much of it
in our game. still wear the leather coat,
the gloves, of my first flight; and that
was nearly two years ago. Do you sup
pose | would ever put on a new helmet?
No. stree, The old one always. 1t has
5een repaired a dozen times, and can
still stand a lot more"
Bundled Up for Voyage.
An orderly brings me bundle. un-
packs il. and begins to put me into a
So fe garT, a weather-sCarre leather coat,
Eskimo trousers. pulse warmers double
gloves. helmet and a heavy wooden shawl
not to forget storm glasses. feel
like a North Polar voyager
The leader eyes scan the sky. Some
what ironically he says: 1T can no longer
be concealed that there's a cloud" He
points to n considerably sky mountain. ."
i'm the west. We'll" he adds are you
all ready? Does the helmet sit fast? 1t
must not move. Better tie it a little fast
er. So. Jetzt geh's los. Please-after
ycu."
climb upon the "doppeldecker." and
make myself comfortable on the OBJ
s-rver's seat. NV Cude gives me the
final Instructions
While We are flying, turn around every
once in a while so we can communicate.
Try to read the words from my lips for
YOU won't he able to hear much. II you
can't understand me- 7 turn off the motor
for a minute As soon as YOU feel the
machine rattle it's a sign that I want
to tell YOU something DO not rise from
YOUR seat and never lean overheard.
Read"
starts on Flight.
Both machines rise our "doppel-
Iacker" shakes like bird when he's wet
Before me hangs a clock, an altimeter;
the eIO Is 0NeO on l0e all.tuQe OF MelZ.
1t is 7:35-a jerk-we are 1vinC
He!loa, What's this? Why, where is
the good old earth?
\ few seconds. and We are already
"ftv meters high Hangars. trees, build
uCs are sinking away; we are really
flying, And I had been so firmly re-
solved TO fix the moment of transition
from riding" to flying,
We are 1yins-Hying; how long is It
now? II seems an age I look at the
clock; half 2 minute. The motor RACES
and rOars like 5000 rutting stags
no longer hear it as a motor 1t Is an
accord. choral accord Of the air.
lean back. quite ConteDted. quite still,
quite happy The sun breaks through
the sky. Down below EiStens the Mo-
selle Hills and wood and golden clouds
Wide. wide world. Free. freed of every
thing. heaves my chest.
And suddenly. ! know | am happy Who
has word to describe this feeling? It
= brief, this moment Of happiness. brief
rs all strongest feelings. But II was
there. unforgettably beautiful No one
can ever take it away from me.
l turn around, cautiously, between the
steering cables BEHIND me sits the firm.
sure man for whom this flying Is daily