Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-09-17

because those little drops sure do
hurt.
Chased Hun
sThe same afternoon I was out
again. but by the time we reached
the lines there were only three of
us left. the rest having turned back
with motor trouble. I was having
some myself, the motor seeming very
weak. so much so that I got to $500
meters and could go no higher. Thus
We fioated around for a short time.
high overhead. with me trailing
along below trying vainly to climb
up when we saw a Hun. He was
just about my level and all by his
lonesome, and from the looks of the
plane. the same lone Hun I had
tackled the other day. Seeing my
leader preparing to attack. 1 started
to turn in order to do my bit as the
Hun turned toward me. But no such
luck, for no sooner had I begun to
turn than my propeller stopped dead.
didn't know what had caused the
propeller to stop but I did know
floating around UP there without
power was impossible, and promptly
stood on my nose in an endeavor to
start 1t again. After falling for some
again. and I came on home. The
other two got the Boche, while the
mechanics are still wondering why
my propeller stopped. I. for that
matter. don't want 1t to happen
again. There are too many shell
holes to fall into near the lines.
This morning, although the sky
was overcast. and black clouds hung
| all over the sky, we went up again
There were several of us, and FOL
once we kept in close formation. Ow-
ing to the low hanging clouds we did
not fly high therefore my motor
worked very good, which although
an advantage in one way had Its
disadvantage also for the anti-air-
craft batteries sure kept popping
away regular. There seemed to be
no Boche in the air at all, although
1 did see the leader shake his wings
once (signal a Boche is seen) and
Immediately dive in a cloud, the
whole patrol at his back. where most
of them got lost and none found the
Boche. When we got together again
there was one pilot missing, (the new
American pilot by the way). and he
has not arrived as yet. Since 1t was
but his second time on the front we
fear he may have gotten lost and
landed in Germany. After this
| episode in the clouds our leader led
us down to within 400 meters of the
trenches and after flying around al
that height for sometime-to give
Archie" some practice, I guess-we
came home at an even lower alti'
tude, passing over Chalons Is meters
high, which would have made II
rather sad had ones motor gone or
strike, Although taking long chance:
| of hanging UP on a church steeple
| flying at such low altitude over 9
city, it is very interesting for one
has much detailed scenery unrolleo
| before him. 1t was also easy to see
where many of the heavy artillery
shells of the Huns had landed. One
| in particular 1 noticed had landed
right in the center of a big aviation
| field.
1t sure had made some splash, and
there being hangers scattered all over
the field, 1t had come mighty close
to running several. Judging from
some of the designs originated by
the Allied escadrilles, if a Hun took
one good look at them he would be
scared to death. This occurred to me
to-day when several planes landed
here with a white skeleton holding a
scythe on black background. But
if some of them are uncanny. others
are just as beautiful in contrast.
WALTER.