The Washington herald., 1918-11-14

Tales of peril in. the sky VIII add
interest to the "reminiscences of Wash
iI.gton's old soldiers fifty years from
now, and the letters from them, care
fully preserved, will make the next
generation gasp.
One such letter from Lieut. T. j.
D. Fuller. jr., OF this city, son of
Mr.. and Mrs. T. ]. D. Fuller, eS7
Ashmead place northwest, proves
conclusiyely that Lieut.. Fuller is the
aviator interned in Switzerland whose
dramatic attempt to escape was fea-
tured in recent dispatches from GEN
eva.
In the dispatches the aviator is re-
ferred to as Lieut.. Duncan, and
Lieut.. Fuller is known to a wide cir
Gle of friends as Duncan Fuller"
The story in brief concerns the de-
scent of Lieut.. Fuller and an OBJ
server, by mistake due to weather
conditions. 900 meters within the
Franco-Swiss border. Lieut., Fuller
was sent to a camp at Andermatt,
high up in the st. Gothard Range.
Dropped from window by Rope.
On a rope made OF bed clothes
Lieut.. Fuller descended from an
''impossibly high" window. The
rope broke ard he was severely
hurt. hut he took up the journey
on foot along the railroad track
When he emerged from the long tun'
mel between Andermatt and Goe-
schenea he was captured and taken
back.
Lieut.. Fuller speaks in glowing
terms Of the treatment accorded him
by the Swiss civilians. OF his short
stay in Lucerne on the way to the
camp at Andermatt he writes: I'VE
took particular delight in going fol
meals to all the favorite hotels of
the Germans and in observing theil
discontinue. Many times they left
at our entrance.
Landlords, however. smiled with
pleasure. and at one restaurant tbs
orchestra struck up Tipperary.
They much prefer the reputation oi
keeping a pro-ally establishment"
Duncan Fuller graduated in 1911
from Western High School, where
he played on both the basketball
and baseball teams. He made tht
freshman crew at Harvard, and wa:
a member of the varsity eight-oareC
crew in his senior year. A brother
Ashmead Fuller. is also an Ameri'
can aviator.
damned at 10000 Feet.
A thrilling fall while 10000 fee
above the sea is described by Leslie
Ctancil in a letter to his father, r
W. Ctancil, of 270s Ontario road
Young Ctancil is in training in th'
Naval Aviation Corps, Bay Shore, n
Y. He writes:
Il started to spiral down from q
distance of 1000 feet The fire ex
tinguisher broke loose and became
jammed under my rudder control
tried to kick it loose but jammed 4
tighter The next instant I wa!
spinning like a top and the bay wa!
rushing up to meet me like a sky
rocket.
The only way to come out of a tai
spin is to put all your controls II
neutral, cut your guns or throttle
your motor, and the machine, beint
nose heavy, will go into a vertica
nose dive. You then gradually rais'
your elevators. which levels out th'
machine. This gives her the gun, anC
go on.
Providence then took a hand anC
performed a miracle which l Canno
explain further than that a terrific ali
bump seemed to hit me, which turnet
the machine completely over on it!
back and left me spinning like plate
The air bump jolted the fire extin
guisher loose and it fell out of tn,
machine.
"T was then able to work out tht
controls and completed a loop which
l had fallen into. and leyeling ou
oh he having
down like a comet about 5000 feet
resembling a plate up side down.
finished with a leap-frog loop.
when I reached the beach I founC
it lined with officers who had wit
messed the performance. They al
wanted to know what 1 had done anc
how I had performed II. I explained
that when 1900 feet in the air
remembered that I was expecting I
phone call and as I did not want tC
miss it, l came down the Quickes
way knew of.
"At that instant a yeoman stepped
up and informed me that some on'
was calling me on the phone. HoI
should have heard the roar of laugh
ter that split the air.
Battle in Mid Air.
nRnI IN InlQ air Is described o!
Lieut. Wilbur LIE Roy Boyer. who died
recently in this city. The letter was
written to his mother on July "a. 1917
Day before yesterday I saw th'
most exciting and interesting air figh
1 have ever seen. Way UP in the
perfectly clean blue sky was a bocht
plane sailing round, quite ignoring
the anti-aircraft shells which wer,
breaking around him. Above tn,
boche and behind him was a littl,
French 'chasseur' tearing up like mad
The boche turned and started 70
home.
The Frenchman made a beautiful
dive. Strengthened out a few fee
above the other. and we could plainl!
hear their rapid-fire guns swapping
away.
Suddenly the Boche plane seemed
to flutter and then start to fall
turning over and over like a leaf