Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1918-09-05
TAKES FIRST TRIP
5000 FEET IN AIR

| Second Lieutenant C. l.. Hoover,
who was recently sent to Eberts
Field, LOnoke, Ark, writes his moth
er and father two most interesting
letters concerning his work The
first letter tells of his work and also
the field, while in the last letter he
tells of his first trip in the air, reach
ing height of 5000 feet. The let
tiers follow:
Eberts Field, Lonoke, Ark, Aug. IS.
Dear Folks: Well, landed here
o. X. after a slow, long ride and have
been pretty busy since. Officially
am Assistant Engineer Officer and
in charge of maintenance, and while
that doesn't sound like it amounted
to anything, yet when l tell you that
| am in charge of the whole field and
everything on it, including an electric
light plant, water pumping station,
ice plant, sewerage disposal station
garage, machine shop, airplane re-
pair and a few other things, you can
imagine that I'm busy alright most of
the time at least. Don't have'to work
myself, but have to see to it that
some one else does it right and boss
the job all around. We have good
quarters to sleep in and pretty fair
eats. Nothing fancy at all. Just
plain and good. The field is some
thing over mile square, and is as
level as floor. Formerly was a rice
field. The government tiled it and
seeded it down and have a nice field
from an aviation standpoint Keeps
one man with a tractor and three
mowers busy keeping the grass cut
down. We had niger on the tractor
and the other day plane landed near
and ran into the tractor and the coon
just gave one yell and lit out running
and no one has see him since. He
may be going yet as he had an aw-
full good start and was scared to
boot They have been lucky here as
far as no one has been killed or even
seriously hurt although they have
busted up lot of ships. The other
day two fellows crashed together
1000 feet in the air and came down
every which way in heap. One fell
low had his lip cut a little. Both
ships were total wrecks. Yesterday
one fellow came down about 1000
feet in a tail spin and landed right |
slap in the top of a tree about SO feet |
high. He wasn't hurt bit and |
crawled out. of the machine and slid |
down the tree. We got the ship |
down by cutting the tree down and |
it wasn't damaged much except for |
the wing covering and some minor
parts. We have about 1900 men here
and about 125 ships of which about |
80 are in commission all the time.
Flying hours are from daylight to
noon and from 5 p. m. to p. m.
During those hours you can see from
% to SO in the air all the time.
Haven't been up as yet, but expect to
this week if / can find the time. We
have one of the best equipped shops
here that l ever saw. Have about 25
big trucks. 10 Fords, four Dodges
and IL motorcycles with side cars
and some long trailers for hauling in
damaged planes with.
Have a Ford to ride around in
40 or so miles a day just in chasing
around to the different places.
1t sure is hot here No rain for
over two months they say and the
lust is six inches deep.
Did you get back from Omaha all
right? | imagine the roads were still
bad and rough when you went back.
If the city council of Audubon
wants to know how to get water out
Of deep well tell them to come down
here and see the pump we have here
discharge 1000 gallons a minute We
have better water pumping plant
here than Audubon has and use more
water too.
Well it's time to turn in, so I'll
close. Your son,