Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-12-24
LETTER FROM TEXAS
Camp John Wise, Texas
nAa 1OAl, 1n1O

camp John Wise, Texas
Dec. 18th, 1918.
Dear Aunt "a:
l am still in the army, notwithstand-
ing the general impression that
when the armistice was signed it was
all over. We are going ahead just
as If we were to get a crack at the
Huns yet. You not having heard from
me since 1 coined OUT it may inter-
est you to hear of my experiences.
l went to Omaha first as a flying
cadet a year ago. There l got my
ground school" training and my fly
ing. was made a fight instructor
before l was commissioned and got
my observers rating nearly as soon.
L went from there to the new balloon
school at Arcadia, Cal, and there was
one OF the instructors and helped de-
Velop it. l was put in command of
the 65th company there, and a month
ago sent here as company command
der to take an overseas COMPANY
but unfortunately the armistice
spoiled that so here 1 am and l ne
got a chance at any action overs 3.
l, of course, am terribly disappointed,
as we all are, as had it lasted anoth-
er three months we would have had
fifty more companies across.
L don't suppose you know much
about the balloons" They are sole
ly for observation purposes and work
with the artillery; we do very good
work for them-get better results
than aeroplanes all in all: they are
very much appreciated now and that
is the reason this service is being so
mnGh pnlQrOnH
are cigar shaped with "fins and rud-
der in the rear that makes them
look like elephants" We are at
tached to a motor windlass by quar-
ter inch steel cable and go up to 5000
teet to observe every artillery and our
own demolition. The observers 20
IN the basket. 1t is quite a nice SEN
sation when there is no wind but let
a. twenty mile breeze spring up and
until you get accustomed to it you
think 1t hurricane. We are attached
to parachutes which are in packs on
the side of the basket and when at
tackled by Boche planes we drop over
the side and sail nicely to earth, quite
a pleasant sensation after you are
sure the chute" has opened-it some
times doesn't for four or five hundred
feet and if it takes much longer than
that you have lost any sensation so it
makes no difference. We have had
plenty of accidents but have been very
fortunate-very few deaths. | had
one experience in Omaha l wouldn't
care to repeat. Went up a beautiful
April morning and found a gale blow
ing sixty miles or more-it tore off
the fins and ruder and the bag then
down aboIt a thousand feet and then
began whiriing and looping the loop.
The fins and ruder give US stability
and when they are gone we are like
a kite with no tail. 1 tried to Jump in
the parachute but they were tangled
all up so had to ride it out, trusting
the maneuvering detail to get me down
before the rigging was all torn off the |
balloon. / expected to be whipned
into the Missouri river any minute |
and sure wished was on the ground |
well they finally got me down and |
found only some torn hands. bloody |
nose and broken rib or two. I was
very lucky and while l don't want |
am glad of the experience as |
m the only balloon pilot known who |
looped the loop in balloon. I've done
1t many times in ships" but it's very
tame compared to my ride. We had a /
balloon burst in the air a couple of |
thousand feet but it made a parachute /
OF itself and the observer escaped 1
death. Another one broke loose at |
Arcadia in Santa Anna wind storm |