The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1918-01-19
air FEATS OF
LAFAYETTE Men
Walcott, Since Shot Down Over
German Lines, Tells of
Comrades Daring.
MAKES DIVE OF 10000 FEET

Aviator Reaches Ground Safely Al,
though All the Wires on His Ma.
chine Are Loosened - Spend
= Holiday In Air. - -
Washington.-Word pictures Of the
work Of the members of the Lafayette
Squadron and other American aviators
In France are given in letters which
D! Charles D. Walcott, secretary OF
the Smithsonian institution, has re-
ce1ved from his son, E. S. Walcott
whose airplane fell somewhere be.
hind the German lines" along the west.
ern front. The illusions to the work
of the American aviators contained in
these letters are all the more interest.
Ing at this time in view Of the fact
that the men about whom Walcott
wrote have just been commissioned in
the Ameri ian air service on the rec
ommendation of General Pershing.
Doctor Walcott has received a dis
patch from Paris informing him that
his son fell within the enemy lines
December IL while fighting three sim
gle-seaters, after having demolished an
enemy two-seater, and that his fate is
uncertain. Inquiries are being made
to ascertain, If possible, from Germany
whether young Walcott was seriously
injured or not.
In letter dated November 10, in re-
spouse to an inquiry about Campbell,
an aviator from Chicago, who was re-
ported lost, young Walcott wrote as
follows:
Campbell was in the Lafayette Es-
cadrille, and they are a member of the
same group as Squadron 81, so have
asked them about him. He was on a
patrol with another chap; they attack
ed some Boches, and when it was over
the other chap was alone. Campbell
was brought down in German territory
and so reported missing. believe the
chap he was with has seen and talked
to Campbell's father or some close rel
alive since.
. another chap named Bulkely was
brought down in similar circumstances
about the list of September. Ten days
ago word was received from the Amer
lean embassy that he had communi-
Gated with them, a prisoner in Ger
many.
There are many similar cases
where men brought down with crippled
machines, or wounded, escaped de-
struction by miracle. The only sure
thing is when a machine goes down in
flames or is seen to lose a wing or two.
For instance, there are two officers
I'm the group who are in the best Of
health and daily working. Several
months ago they were on patrol to-
gether and collided in the air. One
machine cut the tail rigging complete
ly of the other plane, and then they
separated. one plane without tail
and the other machine with various
parts of tail mixed among the cables
and struts Of one side of his machine.
They both landed in France, one on his
wheels, followed by a capotage, or
somersault turnover, the other quite
completely upside down. Then a term
In the hospital, and back they are
again.
Kenneth MARI, an American and a
friend of Pete's, had the commands Of
both his controls cut in q combat, the
rudder and elevator, leaving him moth
ing but the aileron, the lateral balance
control, and the motor. He landed with
only skinned nose for casualties, and
got decoration for it.
Dives Vertically 10000 Feet.
Another chap, in an attack on cap
tive balloons, dived for something like
10000 feet vertically and with full mo-
tor on, thereby gaining considerable
speed, as you can imagine. He came
right on top Of the balloon. shot and,
to keep from hitting it, yanked as
roughly as he could, fattening out his
dive in the merest fraction of a Sec
ond. Imagine the strain on the ma
chine! When he got home all the
wires had several inches sag in them !;
the metal connections Of the cables in
to the struts and wood of the wings
had bit into the wood enough to give
the sag.
Machines are built to stand i'm
mense pressure on the under side Of
their wings. In some acrobatic man
euvers I was trying the other day
made mistakes and caused the machine
to stall and then fall in such a way
that the full weight was supported by
the upper surface-by the wires which
In most machines are supposed merely
to support the weight of the wings
when the machine is on the ground.
Eyes, the Spad is well-built ma
chine, the nearest thing to perfection
in point of strength, speed, and climb
ing power I've seen yet. OF course, it's
heavy, and that's why they put 15O=29U
horse power in them. The other school,
that of a light machine with light
motor, depending for its success on
lack Of weight rather than excess of
power, may supplant the heavier ma
chine in time; can't tell.
Yesterday there was a review here
in honor of Guynemer, and decorations
for the pilots Of the group who had
won them. Three Americans received
the Croix de Guerre-members of the
Lafayette Escadrille. Lufbery, the
American ace, carried the American
nag presented TO the escadrille by Mrs
McAdoo and the employees of the
treasury department, besides the two