El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-10-13

so that I could not get at my note
book to make a detailed description
Of the scenery as We flew over the
country Had 7 had my typewriter
with me I could have clicked # off
as We few
As we rose was able to look about
and study the country as Il lay there
below me II was a great map. which
changed every minute bringing more
and more into view as we mounted the
sky. At the height OF the Washington
monument. the horizon was 80 miles
distant and at 1000 feet I could see
for a radius Of almost so miles.
At the height of one mile on a clear
day II is said that the 6eronaut has a
vision OF 96 miles all about him. al
though this is limited somewhat TO
the curvature Of the earth, and the
conditions OF the air The circle in
creases in the same ratio as he rises,
and at two miles which Is the usual
height Of our observation machines.
he has a vast expanse below him. I
did not rise to the height OF a mile,
but I was so high in the air that I
could see the city OF Buffalo off at
my right. could follow the windings
of Niagara river. which separates this
country from Canada and look far out
upon Lake Erie with its mighty
freight steamers bringing down flour
and grain from the bread basket Of
the northwest TO be transshipped for
New York and across the ocean to be
consumed by our allies
The earth below seemed TO change
as we rose. The world from an air
plane is far different from the same
world viewed on the ground At a
short distance from the surface the
ragged rouEhness OF the land disap-
pears and the country becomes a
beautiful patchwork Of field and for
est OF many colors and Of all hues and
shades Of green and yellow The fields
grow smaller and smaller The broad
roads stand out like broad lines run
ming through the green You can see
where they are raised above the rest
Of the country. You can mark the
hills and the hollows. The whole IS
like a relief map drawn to a perfect
scale, the length Of which decreases
as you ascend The lakes turn into
ponds. the houses grow smaller, until
at last the homes Of the farmers be
come toy dwellings or Noah's arks
and the men in the field dwindle TO
the stature Of Tom Thumb or less A
little higher, the roads turn TO rib
bOns and the automobiles racing along
them look like bugs or beetles run
ming back and forth upon the white
end red streaks below. The towns
become play villages and the city OF
Buffalo dwindles.
Every Detail Of Land Visible.
The whole IS in such perfect relief
that a photograph of il tells the gun
ners exactly where things are. and
just how they must shoot to land their
projectiles upon the works OF the en-
envy It is this that enables the SOY
machine 70 be Of such value in our
warfare in Europe. Every detail is
visible and the planes are equipped
with wireless telegraph instru-
ments with which they can direct the
mu~-
rom an alrplane like this that the
French discovered that the whole Ger
man army was advancing toward Bel
GUM and not making their attack. as
was expected, upon the French from
tier That discovery saved the day in
Europe and prevented the immediate
success OF the Germans AS IL is now
the observation planes make the most
Of their flights at a height OF two
miles above the ground. They are
then out Of reach Of the anti aircraft
guns and have the whole field Of bat
tale spread out below them.
Returning TO my flight we SCARED
this way and that over the country,
now rising, now falling, and even
looping the loop at the will Of the avi-
ator. The only difference in sensation
was that the air grew colder as we
rose, and I caught my breath once or
twice as we made a great dash I OBJ
served that the rush Of the wind and
the noise Of the machine affected my
hearing. I had 70 raise my voice when
/ spoke 70 the pilot. and this feeling
continued for some time after came
to the ground
I can easily see why goggles are
worn and why one has pads over his
ears As we descended. the machine
shot almost straight downward and we
were going at a rate Of something
like a mile minute We seemed to
be diving straight into the earth when
the pilot pulled a lever and we coasted
about for a level place upon which to
land We found It in the flying field
from which we had risen As the
wheels sruck we bounced, I Judge. as
high as the tops Of the orchards near
by We bounced again and again. but