Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1917-02-28

fWIlH I1D blAlA 1911 @AAN-'A--H@
THE FIELD. Feb. 1.-(By Mail) -
To find out what It is like up there
dangling for hours in tiny basket
swung under an observation balloon
mile above the snow-and-ice-cover-
cred earth. while a forty-mile gale
cuts by, fresh from the pole, ! was
TODAY allowed to make the ascent.
do not care to take another. Enough
enough
Midwinter -Four inches Of snow:
Thermometer lowering down around
zero. The trees crack and crack III
agony as the ground-breeze sways
their stiffened limbs. As you CLIMB
out Of YOUR motor car, in which you
more than half froze, your nose Is
red vour eyes are watering and your
feet twin appendices OF pam hahus'
horrible hurting things; fingers about
to drop off. -.,-
balloons are known throughout the
armies-is being held down by the
side Of the road, in the edge OF
wheat field. It IS Of the new Frepcn
tvne. shaped like a short link Of a pig
sausage. and does not need the kite
tail of its predecessors TO keep II
headed into the wind Despite the
fortv-odd troopers holding on to It's
lettering ropes now, It swings SLOWLY
hack and forth like titanic elephant
10 which a schoolboy has just fed a
Mug of tobacco. It looks baletul,
even murderous in mild, concealed
sort Of way, and seems to be glarine
anrril,, at the little basket IN the
snow in front of 1t.
Thirty yards away, in the road is
Its winch-the heavy auto-ruck' WIN
N. motor-driven drum for letting ou
and drawing in the slender wire CABLE
cantroIlinp the height OF the balloon
one needle tells the altitude, anothe
.hS evact "pul," or wind-pressur
srsinst the bag at any given momehl
The cable Is made TO stand a iour-lo
strain, and as a ffty-mile WIND eX eIt
q null Of about a ton, the string seem
pretty safe. danne
Young wing-lieutenant, and ~ III
Won something TO wear. biesseu SV s
i'm there" You follow the pOyls
Iooking officer TO his oillet|s sSp'
Wagon-home, brought up 70 uS's ar
victor vehicle Of the delivery sol
ploOo S,.,, Re lives summer and winte
NC Ne, ,,o,,ne man: First, that he IS Nel
. ar on 10 his job; second, tnst
Fearless. third, that he Is reaiiy
sas-ican his father coming ITO
Cincinnati. ..vs bandi,
lot of clothes, built Tor POI
Snloratiou. AS we'll as your nun tl
ness from the cold permits you s.'
heeo - ,,our own overcoat
Soats and with the lieutenant
ssdIa into the new kit. flrsN
80 On .. canvas and rope harness
uS hand about each leg and {
,,ndsr the arms. loop or STOUT ~ !,
stJclring up past your chll. y
.on,es the thigh boots, mace Oh SUI
,-stb the wool inside, the .
s.S being Of rubber and leather
,o,-nr- A huge leather ulster 10
-, this too, being fur-lneu
srr-collared, the sleeves having q
~ - Inc wrists to retain the hea
~. 10 Sd,y over the head goe
.tov hood. fur-lined, like the I
re ats the head snugly down 10
80. dranes down over the iur
- tha ulster and leaves only
~ rose and mouth. exposed. Al
aars are perforations-for one
he able to hear as ven AZ - ~,
sTvsa fur-lined gaunueteu ~
reniete your costume, ana gu.
~ yehicie YOU climb, nimole a'
infant h'ppotamus - mona
Tsbe balloon looks more inelia .
,har over now. They have let .le =
,tsa a little, and It IS sway
the basket as though IN q 'o
ten,per. Soldiers give the ~
lieutenant leg and INTO 'ne ~
he goes. You follow, ....r+ h
Here" says the Lieutenant
tho Won a stout stick aooue =
long. and about the mloulS "a
rome has been neatly sphceu,
whats this fort? you ASH az
ng the Offering ut tho
"slin the stick through Ono
loon sticking out OF tue 'OP ',rrhs
nvercoat there, he rephes' n,
laches YOU to the parachute
uarachute, ell? you tninK 70
self which means that may po
S. 20 come down in il, wn
,, ant 10 or not. You LOOK
r re icv-hlue sky and upon tn'
IND earth and think what II
- Tlro N fall out of the one
III me other And the Germans
eaev range. NAV be Watching
- their srtilley primed' TOT !ou'
sage 10 stick up its head
get her gol" snaps the young
tenant. -. On
meats the wing-sergeant me
~ man moves a lever, and the wo'
ms to fall away At trs' w
IL ket swings dizzily. but at
IA 'hree hundred feet it steadies
4 and rises evenly until wnen,
lie earth there is jerk ana
]. !. !. !. !. !.
Isl HE. which sets the basket +
4 bair-raisingly for a fraction OF
tie. which seems some years
(Which stopped" says the ]
ant. who now adjusts telepne
-eiver and transmitter 70 DIS
lust as you have seen many
- trail" do. and talks. GIVE me-