Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-03-01

now and then ne gets you IN corner.
Then you're It.
Get the Major to tell you about the
time he was carried over the German
lines and back again in all in one
night" said young lieutenant, as we
tugged at the end of tiny wire cable,
in the little basket under the sausage
high in the wintry sky. But the Ma
jor was too modest. He said:
ooh, all right. I'll tell you about it
after dinner tonight" He did not like
to talk about his own exploit though
he mentioned several of his men who
had been the heroes of adventures in
the clouds. But | did get to read the
official report of the incident and this
was the story:
Shortly after midnight one night the
Major after carrying out certain ex>
periments at about a mile high, sign
allied that he was ready to come down.
The winch on the big lorry in the road
began to grind and at 1917 a. m. the
sausage was swaying just out of reach
o. the landing squad. Then, by an
error of judgment" as the report puts
it. the winch turned revolution too
far. The metallic V, where the bal
looms short cord was spliced to the
wire cable, wedged in the opening
leading to the revolving drum, or wind
lass, and the cable parted like a piece
Of sewing thread.
With bound that jerked the basket.
this way and that like ball on the
end of an elastic string, the balloon
went skying.
At 1921 a. M, the balloon was
mile high The Major had not used
his parachute, to which the harness
about him was still attached, because
the wind at mile, and below, was
away from the German lines which ran
some two miles away. Instead he
pulled a the valve-cord to let out the
gas in the sausage.
Still "valving,' to use the vernacular
of the game. the officer, at 1927 a. M,
found himself at above 10000 feet or
about two miles above the earth. 1t
was bitter cold and getting colder ev-
cry instant.
At 12:40 a. m. he passed the 10000
foot mark. Though he had been keep
ing the valve wide open all the time,
the balloon still scared.
Now he looked downward. There
were lights below, lights which fared
up for a minute then went out; great
white balls of light hanging in the air
and Illuminating the countryside be-
meath them.
The Major in his sausage, was cross
inc the line. He knew in an instant
what had happened He had risen to
high cross-current of air and was be-
ing SWEPT over the German trenches
into German territory.
1t was too late to jump now. II ne
tried the parachute and landed SAFELY
it would be only to be taken prisoner
by the enemy.
So cold that his marrow seemed
frozen. he now set about to tear up his
mans notes and everything which
might help the Germans. Leaning out
of the basket and peering down he
could no longer see the flares sent up
to light the trenches. The indicator
showed that he was falling now, rath-
er rapidly. Making sure that he had
DESTROYED all papers. he waited.
Still falling, the major threw out
some ballast to check the rapid de-
scent One faint hope still was left
him: he might be blown back across
his own lines again by the air-currents
nearer the ground.
So as much as he could he husband
ed his ballast and his gas, Jockeylng
the balloon like an aeronaut in an in
ternational race, his prize for winning
being his freedom. If he lost, the best
he could hope for was prisoner OF war
for the duration of hostilities. There
could be no halfway.
AT a mile high, the balloon was still
oropping. though slowly. No lights
were visible anywhere. The sky was
murky and there were no stars to
serve as guides. 1t was to be fight IN
the dark. hit or miss without seeing
what he was doing. The absence OF
trench flares looked bad. He must
have drifted far behind the German
lines.
After time the faint outlines OF
fields, houses, trees and haystacks be-
gan to loom up and presently, with
fairly hard bump. the basket struck
the earth. bounding up again 200 feet.
the ntf10-