Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-10-09
American Singer Enjoys Thrilling Voy-
age With German Aviator, Far
Above Clashing Armies Of
Italy And Austria
MARS WELCOME TO THE DAY
BY MARIE BONINI BROWN.
obtained The
Copyright 1917, BY the Pittsburgh Press) :

One of my most thrilling memories
of the three years and over that !.
spent in Germany and one at whtcf
even now catch my breath, when
think of it, was my fight in a German
aeropIane over, the Austrian anc
Italian battle lines.
took the flight August IL, 1916
while was in Munich, in the southern
part of Germany. l was In munich
about two weeks. This was before
the United States had entered the war
of course; for after that l was moi
permitted to leave Berlin, until went
home.
On the street one day girl friend
and myself were talking in English
and talking very low so people could
not hear us. But a German ofice1
passing heard some Of our words and
stopped.
"You are American he said to me
with smile.
Eyes," l said, and wondered just
what was going to happen, for got
so used to thinking might be arrest.
ed (although I never was) that l was
prepared for it all the time.
But he held out his hand, II lived
seven years in Chicago" he said, and
l am glad to meet any person from
America"
The man was Capt. Weaver and he
then was training in the aviation
corps. He had been training only q
few weeks, but, one day when we
were talking Of aeroplaning, l said
would like to 90 up in an aeroplane.s
Wouldn't you be afraid?" he asked
me.
Just give me the chance" said.
land I'll show you"
He did. 1t was forbidden that any
person should go with an officer, and
in addition to this, it was dangerous
as he knew comparatively little about
aviation. But he said he would take
me. and / would have taken any
chance to get to go.
My girl friend tried to dissuade me.
When she could not, she said. well,
at least il you are killed. will testify
that you went Of your own free WILL"
READY FOR THE VOYAGE.
Captain Weaver flew from 4 to 10 a.
M, and from to 10 p. m. He took
me on one Of the morning flights.
I was up long before daybreak,
trembling and too excited to eat But
he told me to eat something, as I
might get "airsick" il did not.
"Airsickness" corresponds to sea
sickness, and, 1 am told. causes much
the same discomfort. did not get
airsick, 80 cannot say.
Captain Weaver was waiting for me
at q q. m, with a machine. He did
not 90 to the camp with me as that
would have made my trip too con-
spieuous and he did not want any per-
son to know was going.
The camp was called "Schiiesheim"
and was about 8 or 10 miles out Of
Munich. don't know how many aero
planes were there, but they ran into
the hundreds.
Captain Viewer hurried to the camp
before l got there. was in taxi
cab. had the cab stop about half
mile from the camp and I got out.
hurried across the field. When
leather coat and hood which was to
wear, ready for me. He hurriedly
helped me of with my own coat.
pulled of my hat and thrust both gar
ments under the seat in the aeroplane.
Then he buttoned the big leather coat
on me and tied down the hood, which
had heavy flaps over the ears.
A TRIP THROUGH THE CLOUDS.
/ climbed into the machine, both he
and l afraid every second some person
would come and discover ! was q
stranger and forbid him to take me.
the machine. sat in front, he behind
me and little above me, SO
he could look over my head.
was strapped in the seat. was afraid
every minute-not of the machine, but
that some person would stop us before
we got we'll started. But no one did.
Evidently they all thought that Capt.
Viewer simply had workman with
him, for every person was too busy to
watch any person else.
When we first rose off the ground
caught my breath, for then realized
that might never come back. knew
we were going over the enemy lines.
But was in for it, so took my cour-
age in both hands, grited my teeth,
and sat tight"
We had to rise 5000 feet in the air
and stay at that height most Of the
time, as the ascent was made over the
Tyrol mountains. The air currents be
tween and among these mountains and
the suction are so strong that lower
level Ia thoroughly unsafe.
AZ we rose, ! could see the italian
and Austrian armies In battle array be-
low me. Ny eyes not being aceuston,
ed to watching from an aeropIane,
could not sec az distinctly ~ Capt
Viewer, although he let me use hla
field glasses. He could tell me nothing
up there, az the motor reared % and
the aeroplane hummed until II wal
deafening.
But I could see, dimly the trenches
outlined in some places. / could see
the smoke of the firing guns. could
see black masses, which knew were
men drift along, come together and
drift apart again.
A eREATH-TAkING WHiRL.
tried to see details Of the fight, but