The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-02-28

and about the middle of which a rope
has been neatly spliced.
What's this for?" you ask, accept
ing the offering.
Ready For Quick Jump.
''Slip the stick through the rope
loop sticking out the top of your
overcoat there" he replies. THAT at
taches you to the parachute" To the
parachute. Ell? you think to yourself.
Which means that maybe you'll have
to come down in it whether you want
to or not. You look into the icy-blue
sky and upon the ice-bound earth and
think what 1t must be like to fall out
of the one onto the other. And the
Germans, within easy range, may be
watching with their artillery primed,
for your sausage to stick up its head.
Let her co." snaps the young lieu
tenant.
Ready, men! Let her co., repeats
the wing-sergeant. The winchman
moves a lever and the world begins
to fall away. At first the basket
swings dizzily, but at 200 or 800 feet
it steadies itself and rides evenly I'M
til when far of the earth there Is
jerk and bobble which sets the
basket rocking hair-raisingly for a
fraction of a minute which seems
some years.
winch stopped" says the lieuten-
ant. who now adjusts a telephone re-
ceiver and transmitter to his head,
just as you have seen many "cen'
trail" do, and talks. "Give her more
cable" he says. I'VE are not high
enough"
And up you go again. The wind,
which was scarcely noticeable on the
ground, has increased steadily. 1t is
blowing thirty-ive miles an hour
now. nickel-plated wheel on
cross-bar just over your head, Is re
voIving so fast you can not see its
blades. tits an electrical wind gauge
which not only tells the man in the
basket how fast the winds blows,
but people on the ground as well.
Another bobble marks the stoppage
Of the balloon and the gauge shows
you to be about half a mile high.
Parachute Becomes Important.
"If you should have to jump the
lieutenant explains, "all you do is to
climb up on the edge OF the basket
on your side, balance yourself there,
lnen let 10 III bS1Ae--"
That's all there is to It,"
"where's the parachute?" you ask,
just to show you are not get speech
less.
There are two. of course" he says.
zone for you and one for me. Thew
are on our respective sides of the
car. Look down" You look. You
see the parachute-case. fastened to
the side of the basket. Inside is the
Japanese silk thing, your sole hold
on life IL anything happens to the
balloon. And
There are the Germans. over
there" remarks the lieutenant, point
ing eastward, northward, and south
ward.
"what" you gasp "All around
us?"
"we're in a salient" he explains.
Though not very high-just half a
mile-you now begin to understand
what balloon observers are up against |
Overhead a sky, the color OF an ice
berg. Beneath, ice and snow. About
you, an arctic gale. The artillery ]
thunders and a few thousand yards |
away are the German batteries which |
may get you, at any moment. Or
hostile aeroplane may shoot blazing
arrows into your sausage. set 1t on
fire and leave you to get to the
ground as best you can. You sudden |
w discover a tremendous admiration
for these men who hang up in the ,
icy sky and telephone down to earth !
what they see; men, who, unlike the
more romantic aviator, not often
break into print.
CThe second number OF the series de- 4
scribing a war correspondents experience in \
4 sausage observation balloon on the Brit
sh front will appear tomorrow