French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1918-08-29
LIEUT.. HARRIS, OF ARDEN, AV-
IAToR, In FRANCE, NNTERNED.
(From Asheville Times)


terday carried the story of the land
ing in a potato field near Koudeker
ke, Iceland, off the coast of Holland,
of Lieut.. Don Regan Harris, son of
Rev. Father Harris, rector of the
church at Christ school, at Arden,
about six miles from this city. The
aviator is well known to many peo-
pie in this city and just left here
| last year. He entered the first Of
ficers' Training camp at Fort Ogle-
thorpe, Ga, in May of last year and
returned to his home here for a
short visit after completing his
course.
| In a special dispatch to his paper
the New York Times correspondent
lat the Hague, gives the following ac-
count of the, landing of Lieut.. Har-
ris' machine at iceland:
''My home is at Arden, near Ashe-
vile, N. C. had just graduated
from the University of North Caro-
lima when America declared war and
at first went to a training camp at
Fort OglethOrpe, Ga, where l stay
ed three months, and then 1 went to
Canada, where / was attached to
the Royal Flying corps. I stayed in
Canada about four months and then
went to Texas as an instructor, but I
soon went to England.
81 have been in France three and
IA half months, attached to the Roy
al Air Forces"
( Asked about his recent experience
Lieut.. Harris said: E'It wasn't much
of fight, as we were hit by an Ar
chic" which pierced the engine and
! petrol tanks. There were no Huns
up. We were flying we'll in forma-
ton toward our object, with prac-
ticaIly no anti-aircraft gunfre, but
! just as we were about to cross the
j object a weIl-directed and very hea-
! - Garrage was put up. My ma
Z chine WIS struck in several places by
d ~ .lig u4ls vE shr4prel. One burst
took effect directly beneath the nose
of the machine, almost .upsetting it.
: and fragments of the shell pierced
! the radiator and motor, causing sc
much damage that within a few min.
, utes after being Struck the motor
ceased and the propeller stopped.
While we dropped our bombs after
being being hit we had to consider
: what we would do. Our own lines
were at such distance that it was
impossible to return, so the next
best thing was to attempt to reach
Holland
:. ,"We fred distress signals anc
turned away from the formation
- heading in a general direction anC
i landing on an island near Flushing
We looked around for a field big en-
ough to land in, but found nothins
+ suitable and so much height ALREADY
+ had been lost in reaching land thai
@ we finally were obliged to land in al
3 ignominious potato patch We GO
o down safely but broke d wheel ane
: we were Immediately surrounded b.
{ a huge mob of people who saw u
r coming. We were taken in charg,
; by the. Dutch military authorities
e The treatment we received every
where was most kind and courteous
Captain Satou, the pilot of anothe
: machine was badly wounded and hi
i observer had his left arm shot off
+ Today we were taken to The Hagu,
: to be officially interned."
= Lieut.. Harris said he felt disgust
$ ed when he realized that he would b.
y interned.
= '"This is the third time my motto
: has been hit, he said, "but I've al
= ways managed to get home again.
Have you been in many fghts?'