Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-09-20
WAR AVIATOR Is
AN EARLY BIRD
Starts Usually Long Before
Daylight; Spectacle
Wonderful


l-(Behind the French Front)-(Cor-
respondence of the Associated Press)-
The aviator is an early birl and here.
where the nightingale abounds, it is q
close race between them to bed at
dusk and to the fields at dawn.
The nightingales were rioting in
song this morning when the pilots of
the Franco-American Flying Corps
were making their way to the aviation
camp and daylight had just peeped
over the horizon when Captain H
commander of the group, ordered:
Bring out the machines!"
There was nothing new in this to
the seven American pilots who have
been flying in different groups on diff
ferent parts of the front for upwards
of a year. All of them had been out
with the nightingale a few hundred
mornings, but it announced their first
expedition together as separate unit
of the French aviation corps over
German territory.
Long-planed machines resembling
small sheds, and short-winged ma
chimes which in comparison dwindled
TO the proportions of devil flies, rolled
on the field and were pushed on the
run to their places until twenty-e eight
were lined up. Captain H gazed
at the low-lying clouds excellent
mask for a fiotilla crossing the
enemy's lines--and ordered Tell the
leans, grouped behind their swift
chasers, listened to final instructions
from Captain t, who commands the
Franco American flotila and is proud
of 1t. The din was then too great for
verbal orders to be heard, and a SOL
dier with white signal flag ran into
the field while pilots and machine gun
ners leaped to their seats. The flag
was raised while the motors buzzed
like a swarm of gigantic humble bees
The nag dropped and Captain HIS
big biplane rose to lead the column
The flag was raised and dropped at
intervals of about thirty seconds, and
each time pair of the bigger ma
chimes followed until nineteen of them
were ming toward the German lines.
The big machines were gone but the
| noise increased as the propellers of
the smaller but more powerful and
sWlfter biplanes were set in motion.
1t was time for the Americans -
specialists in speed. The first big plane
was approaching the clouds when, with
bound, Captain T rose; then fol-
lowed Lieutenant Delaage of the
French Corps, Lieutenant William
Thaw, of Pittsburgh, Sergeant Elliott
Cowdin and Corporal Victor Chapman,
New York; Sergeant Norman Prince,
|
fen Rockwell, Atlanta, Ga; Corporal
J. NJ. Mcconnell. Carthage, N. c., and
Sergeant Hall, Galveston, Tex,
These little biplanes with powerful
motors are the fruits of the evolution
of aviation during the war-built to
match the best German machines in
speed, carrying only the pilot, a ma
chine gun and the minimum require
ment in fuel. Instead of rising gradu-
ally like their professors they bound
| upward with an ascensional power
heretofore unattained. They are so
dangerous in fight that the pilot has
to go into the adversary's territory to
hunt an engagement. That was what
the Americans, especially chosen for
these machines, were to do.
There were nine of these, together
with nineteen of the big bombarding
biplanes, in sight together for an in
stant; then the head of the line disap-
peared in the clouds: The, hunters, y
as the speedy machines are called
overhauled the last of the bigger f1iers
and went out of sight ahead of them,
While Thaw's Iris and Captain rs
Fran" the two pet dogs of the camp
were still barking after them.
Even soldiers habituated to this
spectacle for nearly two years never
tire of it. They watch the last ma
chine until 1t is out of sight, then turn
back without comment to the sheds
to await the return. The silence and
solemnity of the camp after the hustle
of the departure was depressing. The
20 soldiers of the camp knew that
some of those brave boys might be
missing when the roll was called again.
Time passes with marvellous rapidity
on fighting expeditions, aviators say,
but the two hours maximum wait in
camp to see if they all get back is
always long. Watches are out after
ninety minutes and eyes are turned
in the direction taken by the f1iers. At
the ninety ninth minute, perhaps a
speck appears high above the horizon.
There they come" is the word that
passes around the camp and everyone
is on the field. It's a chaser" says
one. Number two is. bombarder,"
says another. In a few minutes twen-
there is another wait and voices are
hushed. A hunter, circles around
the camp, dives downward at a dizzy
pace, skins along the field without
slowing up, until breaking against the
wind it comes to a thrilling stop.
The faster machines. last away, are
first back, for the fuel supply with
them is sometimes close fit and not
a second is to be lost. Seven cnasers
land at the same breakneck pace, and
with the same precision.
The eighth seems to f1utter as it
approaches, tips and dives fitfully.
Field glaases are levelled at him. He's
had his tail piece carried away" cries
one. IT'S Thaw," says another, "and
there's something wrong with his pro-
peller." Alternately rearing, diving,
and sliding on its wing, the machine
comes down conclusively like a
wounded bird.
Hes going to break bit of wood"
exclaimed a French soldier, expressing
in characteristic aviation language the
prospect of a smash. The machine
rears again after dive which took
| 1t dangerously close to the earth,
veers around abruptly aaginst the
wind, bumps along the ground a
hundred yards and stops. "Thaw's
one of the few pilots who could bring
home a busted machine like that"
said soldier.
But where's Chapman" All the
biplanes are now in and the pilots
and soldiers are all searching the sky
anxiously. Then a cry comes from
the field. A speck has just emerged
| from the clouds. Chapman, driven
out of his course by the shelling in
which Thaw's propeller was damaged.
had finally found his way, and lands
now with the last drop of gasoline in