Newport daily independent., 1918-03-23
All. .FEATs OF | < LAFAYETTE MEN
WaIcott, Since Shot Down Over
 German Lines, Tells of Comrades Daring.
MAKES DIVE OF 10000 FEET
Aviator Reaches Ground Safely AL i though All the Wires on His Ma chine Are Loosened Spend szs~ses q. .,,
 Holiday in Air.

Washington.-Wor ord pictures of the Squadron and other American aviators in France are given in letters which Dr. Charles D. Walcott, secretary of the Smithsonian institution, has re- ceived from his son, B. S. Walcott, whose airplane fell somewhere be- hind the German lines" along the west ern front. The allusions 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 American 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 12 while fighting three sin 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 13, in re- sponse 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 member of the T hor 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 ative 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 ican embassy that he had communi- cated with them, 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 wing or two.
 "For instance, there are two officers in 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 off the other plane, and then they separated, one plane without a 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 Marr, an American and a friend of Pete's, had the commands of both his controls cut in combat, the rudder and elevator, leaving him noth- ing but the aileron, the lateral balance control, and the motor. He landed with only skinned nose for casualties, and got decoration for 1t.
 Dives Vertically 10,0e0 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, fiattening out his dive in the merest fraction of sec. ond. Imagine the strain on the mat chine! When he got home all th' wires~had several inches sag in them ;