The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1918-01-24
WaIcott, Since Shot Down Over
German Lines, Tells of
Comrades Daring.
MAKES DIVE OF 10000 FEET
Aviator Reaches Ground Safely Al
though All the Wires on His Ma
chine Are Loosened = Spend
Holiday in Air.

Holiday in Air.
Observation-Disclosures pictures Of the
work Of the members of the Lafayette
| Squadron and other American aviutorS
in France are given in letters which
DR.. Charles II. WalcOtt, secretary of
the Smithsonian institution, has re-
Ce!vcn from his son, T.. :. Walc0tt,
who's" airplnnc fell "Sumrwhrrc be-
hind the German lines" along the west
err rOnt. The illusions To the work
of the American avintorS contained in
these letters are all the more interest
ing at this timr In view of the fact
that the men bout whom Wnlcott
wrote have just been commissioned in
the American air service OH the rec
concentration of General p%crshing.
Doctor WnlrOtt has received Il dis
patch from Paris Informing him that
his son fell within the enemy lines
December II while fighting three sin
gle-ScaterS. after having demolished an
enemy ~two-Scater, II that his fate is
uncertain. Inquiries are being made
to ascertain, if possible. from Germany
whether young WnIc0tt was seriously
injured or not.
In Il letter dated November 13. In re-
Sp0nSr TO an inquiry about Campbell,
| an aviator from Chicago. who was re-
ported lost. young WulcOtt wrote as
follows:
~"Cnmphrll was in the Lafayette ES-
cndrflle, and they are Il member of he
same group as Squadron ST.. so l have
asked them about him. lie was on Il
patrol with another chap; they attack
ed some BOchrS, 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 Cnmpbcll's father or some close rel
ltivc since.
another chip named Dulkcly was
brought down in similar circumstances
about the 1st Of September. Ten days
| * word vas received from the Amer
lean embassy hat he had communi.
Gated with them. II prisoner in Ger
many.
There are many similar cases
where men brought down with crippled
'''''' 49, '" "ilIjtt VT
>truclinn by Il miracle. The only sure
thing Is when Il machine goes down In
flames or Is seen to lose II wing or two.
For instance. there are two officers
in the group who are I'm the best of
health and daily working. Several
months ago they were on patrol to-
scthrr and collided in the uir. One
machine cut the tail rigging complete.
~ on the other plane, and then they
separated, II plane without n tail
ana the other machine with various
parts Of II tail mixed among the cables
and struts Of one side Of his machine.
TheH both landed In France. one on his
wheels, followed by q cnpOtnge. or
somersault turnover, the other quite
completely upside down. Then u term
In the hospital, and bnck they are
again.
Kenneth Mari, an American and q
friend Of Pcte'S, had the Of
both his controls cut In Il cOmbnt the
rlddrr and elevator. leaving him moth
ing but the a%ileron, the lateral balance
control. and the motor. He landed with
only Il skinned nOSe for casualties. and
got Il decoration for it.
Diveo Vertically 10000 Feet.
Another chap, In an attack on can
tive balloons. divcd 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 md.
to keep from hitting 1t. yankcd MS
| t,hlIpl1>. nc lI f.nIIltJ H,tt,t -. -,
dive In tn" m"rcst fraction OF a sec.
"nh. lhragin" the strain on the ma
chine! When he got home all tic
wires had several inches sng in them :
the metal connections Of the cables in.
to the struts and wood OF the wings
had bit into che wood enough to give
the sag.
! Machines are built to stand i'm.