The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1916-06-16

to a miniature railroad extending sew
eral hundred feet outside the shed.
The pilot is taking the sun with a
soXtant We saw being posted re.
ports Of the velocity OF the wind and
condition Of the atmosphere constant
" received by wireless from meteoro-
logic stations along the woll charted
I route we we're 10 travel. Unless the
weather conditions are entirely favor.
able no ascension is permitted
h'oH in Twinkle Of Eye.
Fortunately, the weather conditions
arc perfect The pilot IN the forward
condola tosts the steering gear, which
bv the way, is tre same as on a yacht;
the powerful gasoline engines OF l45
horsepower each, one in the forward
and two IN the rear car. are started,
10 see that they are running smooth
". The wireless operator from his
cabin on board sends his first mos
sage and we are invited to come on
board.
We mount the aluminium ladder to
the mahogany finished cabin amidship,
which is built into the keel Of the air
ship instead OF being suspended below
as are the two cars (gondolas, they
are called which contain the engines
and crew Of eight. The comfortable
wicker chairs in the cabin will accom-
modate % passengers. As the pas
sengers embark enough water to
counterbalance their weight is let
out Of the reservoirs in the keel Of
the shin, the engines are started and
we back slowly out of the air shed.
A small army Of men hold onto the
ropes that dangle from the ship to
control it when the cables that attach
it TO the railroad are cast off.
When free OF everything we pause
Just long enough for the photographer
to get in his work, the captain calls
ont, Cast Off" the floor slants up
ward at anything but an alarming
angle. the earth slips gently away
from under you, and in the twinkle of
an eye you are sailing 500 feet over
the sDire of the cathedral, with not
the slightest feeling Of fear or dizzi-
ness. Should your heart come up into
your mouth, the waiter stands ready
to serve liquid refreshment to wash
It down again. The other woman pas.
senger on our trip ayailed herself Of
this good excuse to take a nip of that
Justly celebrated German apricot
schnapps," a sort Of spirits of the
air"
"a soao Bubble in the Air"
The predominant sensation Of flying
is buoyancy-you are a soap bubble in
the air-you are swimming again on
inflated bladders as when a boy in the
old swimming hole-you have lost
gravitation-weight is annihilated-
your fear is not that you may drop to
earth, but that you are never going to
alight again-you have become a satel-
lite to Mother Earth, and you don't
care a darn. The air you breathe is
aerated champagne-you want to talk
all the time, and you do-you can
hardly keep from singing. didn't
l hummed an old song:
Up in a balloon, boys.
Up in balloon;
Up among the little stars,
A-sailing round the moon.
Of the vintage of '73. You remember
it?
You gaze down as through a most |
fascinating kaleidoscope on the world |
and for the first time realize what a
'birds-eye view" really is. You see /
an entire city at once. In one. glance
you see what it took thousand years |
to build. It looks like the blue print |
of an architect, only the buildings ere |
not drawings, they are real. The river
is not a crooked line, it is running /
water The trees are real trees and |
that little man on the funny, narrow
street is alive. An octagonal sky +.
scraper looks like brick wall pulled
out Of its hole and set to one side.
You see into the heart Of solid city
block and find pleasant gardens and
trees and a fountain in the hidden
court. The ruined castle perched on
a mountain peak, green with ivy and
moss, with it's lookout tower high
above the trees, shows it's loveliness