The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-01-26
AN
AEROPLANE
STORY
By ALAN HlNSDALE

Joe Goodall who had been sent to
the hospital in the rear Of the British
lines in Belgium. told me this story
during his convalescence:
when the big worlds war came on
was studying in n school of technolo-
| gy in the United States. | didn't care
which whipped. but l wanted to see
something OF II. Thinking | would be
more at home among those who spoke
the same language as l did, chose the
British.
my education, which l had nearly
! finished. especially fitted me for serv-
ice In the flying corps. and. going to
England. began my preparation for
running an aeroplane 1t was year
before l was sent out for active serv-
ice. but when | landed In Flanders I
was pretty well prepared
AT first l was sent up TO locate the
German batteries. l soon grew tired
Of this and longed for a more exciting
service. One day the commander of
the aeroplane corps told me TO report
at the headquarters Of the general
commanding the right wing of the
British troops. adding that he had been
asked for a man 10 do special work
and ! had been recommended The
general said to me:
Our spies report that the enemy
are turning out war implements OF a
kind that they are keeping secret at a
point about forty miles in their rear.
l want You TO go there and drop
enough bombs on il 10 put il out Of
commission. They have built it in a
wood for purposes Of concealment from
our aeroplanes. and you'll have to fly
low in order TO distinguish it when
you reach it. 1t is murky today and
you may get over a good deal of
ground without being seen. The wealth
er is not usually the same at two diff
ferent points at distance from each
other and you may find a clearer at
mospnere when you get over the works
you are 10 destroy. Can you start at
onceT
"'Yes. general l replied
"'Well. take such bombs as you MAY
select for yourself and success to YOU
within an hour l was ready. rose
to thousand feet. and having located
the direction l was TO take. followed
ii by compass, for there was too much
mist for me TO guide from the ground
l hadn't gone ten miles. however, be
fore | entered region clear OF fog.
and beneath me plain. mostly bare q
trees
Il was behind the German lines and
directly beneath me was al encamp.
men Of small body OF troops. Eyi-
IDENTIFY they saw me and were sons
what disturbed at my presence. The
fired some shots AZ me from their rifles.
but ] kept out Of range. and they prob.
ably had 10 aeroplane guns, for none
such We're used
They had feet horse among them.
for suddenly | saw d rider shoot out
in the direction / was going. Doubt
less they surmised the nature OF ny
mission and were sending q messenger
to give warning either to the 'corks |
was to destroy or an aeroplane station
II did not fear race with a horse
but the man on him might have a
short distance to go and thought Id
better stop him If could. / descend
ed to hundred feet above his head
and dropped hand grenade. 1t ex-
ploded behind him. Realizing that I
had not calculated for his motion, /
dropped another, aiming some ten or
fifteen yards before him. 1t struck
the ground ahead of him. A third
grenade fell few feet before his
horse and exploded under it, The
horse was blown to pieces, the man
shot up in the air. He came down
and in a moment lay still.
IAN auto must have come into the
German camp after he started from K.
for had no sooner put the horse out
Of the race than l heard rattle be-
low, and there was the machine com
ing at IA rate Of fifty miles an hour.
1t shot past the dead horse and the
dead man. and l saw at once that |
would have to increase my speed.
"The auto was going so fast that il
was more difficult problem to hit it
with my hand grenades. | started
with half dozen grenades and had
three left. | dropped one. but it fell
a little ahead of the machine. drop
ped another. but the chauffeur must
have seen 1t descending. for he slowed
up, and it fell dozen yards ahead of
him. Thinking he would dodge I'm the
same fashion again, / calculated for
his doing so. and he put on full speed.
The man had successfully lodged me.
and l had no more grenades left.
THE only thing l could do now was
to drop bomb, but If should use
my bombs | would not have them for
destroying the works. l concluded to
hold on to the missiles and trust to the
speed of my aeroplane. My decision
was an unlucky one The auto had
only fOur miles IN 90 m ranch nm aorn