Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1918-11-02
PHOENIX BOY HOLDS
 RECORD FOR BACG|NG HUNS

WITH THE FIRST AMERICAN ARMY, Oct. 6.-(By Mail. l.)-""The Nut" is what his comrades called Lieutenant Frank Luke, Jr., of Phoe- nix, Arizona, who destroyed more Ger man aircraft within ten days than any other aviator has ever done. ,,,
 Luke specialized in balloons and is officially credited with having set fire and burned eighteen. of these captive gasbags and his comrades assert that the actual number he destroyed sur passes twenty-five. Besides the dra- chen, as the enemy calls his balloons. Luke brought down three German aeroplanes which have been officially confirmed and two others which were seen to fall out of control by Ameri- can observers.
 Luke was flying over the front dur ing the "Marne show," as the fight ing from the battle of the Bois de Relleau to the final days on the Vesle is called in the army. He did not do much there, engaging in half dozen scraps and getting in a lucky burst on Fokker last July, when he believes he sent the enemy plane spinning down to crash.
 Wants Right Bullets
 To Down Gasbag
 Then Luke and his outfit moved eastward to participate in the reduc- tion of the Saint Mihiel salient. That was the first experience Luke had as dragon fighter" as his friends called him. He asked on the morning of the beginning of the Saint Mihiel show to be appointed ballon man for his flight; that is, to be provided with the special bullets that set fire to the gasbags and to have free commits sion to attack them whenever he got 9 chance. .'' -, = ~..,.@ <. . i He started out over the lines from EVertfun northeast with. his flight, fly ! ing in, they wedge-shaped formation which has revolutienized air fighting Near Etain he sighted drachen' and dove on it like a hawk. A. hail : of anti-aircraft machine gun fire splat- tered all around him, riddling his I wings with tiny, neatly drilled perfor- ations, but the boche observers .leaped out of their wicker-work baskets with paraehutes and the drachen burst into flames and fell in blazing fragments
 This first victory over a balloon so enthused' Luke that he spiralled up to safe altitude and set sail for the next boche bag. The crew of the wini- lass saw him coming and pulled down the drachen in time, but he slipped along to the next one and burned it before the observers could signal to be hauled down.
 That was just a beginning and every day when it was possible to fly and there were a number of thick rainy days when no work was done during that period, Luke was inside the enemy lines after balloons.
 As Luke Approaches.
 Fritz's observation balloons on the Mouse -Moselle front looked like 6 string of jumping jacks bobbing ur and down when Luke was out on the loose after them. The enemy evi dently spotted the markings on Luke'l machine, a terrier with three rats be- side him, and the number painted across the tail, and a blue nose, fol they exhibited the greatest nervous ness whenever he approached theil lines.
 Finally the boches became so nerv ous and hauled down their drachen SC fast whenever he appeared that Luke could not find target. That is wheI he thought out his famous act, whicl he described himself as shooting them in their beds,"
 Luke selected a balloon near Mar le Tour for his first victim to be "shot in bed" The observers in this drachel were particularly nervous, leaping ou in their parachutes whenever Luke ap peared and signaling to be haulet down: at the slightest provocation Luke swung down near them and tn, windlass on the big motor truck coil up the steel cable and the gasbag wa pulled down. Luke kept lowering ii the neighborhood so the truck haule' the drachen off to it's bed, the crew as sembied, seized the guy ropes, and an chored the big bag in it's usual nest. | Luke flew off to the eastward. thel started long ightening-like dive to ward the drachen on the ground. H sped directly over the wood and jus as the, German machine guns starte' splitting at him furiously, he let driv with both guns. There was shor. sharp explosion, puff of black smok flare, and the balloon on the groun disappeared. He had shot it in it bed.
 Perfecting his method of attac Luke continued to shoot them in thei bedssand to turn his machine guns ol the Huns of the crew and to shoot u the big motor truck windlass, drop ing small bombs around it wheneve he had the chance. Then he fle, i- Continued on Page Nine)