The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-06-30

come a student at the Curtiss school
In Dayton, o., and who was almost
Immediately advanced to post as in
structor for the Curtiss brothers. is the
man upon whom the British admiralty
is depending to test out its huge new
aeroplanes, which carry a load OF sew
eral tons and travel faster than any
OF the machines regularly employed in
the first year of the war
Prodger. born and reared in Mandan,
was known here as an expert machin-
list and a genius with engines. He
worked at the Voss garage for num-
Der OF years with George Finnegan,
who left Mandan about the same time
as Prodger did, the former to become
chauffeur for former Governor Hanna,
In which capacity he served four years.
Mr.. Finnegan is now driving for the
First regiment and Is Quartered at
Fort Lincoln. He knew that his old
friend was in the British aviation SER
vice, but had had no direct advice from
him recently until this week, when T..
Percy Noel, British correspondent Of
The Chicago Daily News and The st.
Paul Pioneer Press told Of his first
ride with Prodger.
TN the morning" writes Noel. Il re-
ceived a telephone message that the
big machine will leave the works at IL
o'clock and at that hour it was on
the grass outside the door. When ar
rived, Clifford b. Prodgen an Ameri-
can pilot. was putting on a tight fitting
cloth helmet which was the only evil
dence of his profession, for he wore
clean blue serge suit and a stiff white
collar, with no top-coat in spite OF the
drizzling rain. In front of us was the
Brobdignagian thing of the air. so
heavy, solid and massive that 1t SEEM
ed incredible that it should even be
able to leave the ground"
Noel then graphically describes the
graceful ascent Of the giant machine
under the skillful direction of the
Mandan boy. After a trial flight, the
war correspondent took a seat in the
machine, and scared with his North
Dakota pilot through first one, then an
other and finally a third stratum of
clouds. The correspondent. describes
the various parts of the plane as one
would yacht, tired of standing on the
upper decks, he goes below" where
he is still above the head Of Pilot
Prodger and in position to observe his
expert operations of power and steer
ing control, which even in plane Of
such mammoth proportions must be
delicately manipulated. At an altitude
of $500 feet the observer who occu-
PICS u pace IOT"dIu with the war
correspondent makes an official nota-
ton. Then the goal of 10000 feet is
maintained, and the drop of almost two
miles back to earth is begun. Prodger
takes the descent with his typical
daring, using first one set of motors
and then the other. Arrived over the
Prodged points the prov of
his ship almost straight down, and
they drop like plummet, tons Of mat
ter hurting through the air under per-
feet control. AS lightly as a bird the
giant ship skins over the top of rail-
way train only 80. feet below, and
gently settles to ground within a few
feet of the starting point.
That" remarked Noel to Prodger,
'is the longest range. highest calibre
piece in existence. am proud
to have made close acquaintance with
it, for surely it is going to do much to
help win the war;"