The sun., 1918-10-20
BRITISH Filler, HIT,
DARTS OUT OF TRAP
Wounded Lieutenant Drives
Shattered Plane Through
Enemy Gordon.

| Lieut., L. b. Curtis of the Royal Air
Force, who reached an Atlantic port on
! board British steamship yesterday.
told reluctantly OF his thrilling escape
while flying over the German lines early
in September. He was pilot Of one OF a
| feet of heavy planes which bombed
Mannheim. and most OF the British ma
chimes returned IN safety after sue
| cessful raid. Lieut. Curtis. with q
photographer. was ordered to fly back
over the route so that pictures might be
obtained OF the damage done by the
bombs.
A large number OF photographs had
been taken from low altitude when
the two Briushers were attacked by a
flying circus Of Fokkers and surrounded.
Machine gun bullets were rained upon
them and they were subjected to a heavy
fire from anti-aircraft guns beneath.
They had turned and were starting for
their own lines when a shell burst Just
above them, killing the observer. sever
ing the thumb and index finger from
Lieut.. Curtis's right hand. wounding him
In the left leg and smashing the control
lever of the machine. With his unin-
3ured hand Lieut. Curtis grasped the
stump of the lever and succeeded in
Fighting his plane as It was about to
crash to earth. Then dashing through
the Gordon Of enemy planes which
barred his way he returned in safety to
his hangar seventy miles away. He will
spend a short leave at his home In AL
berta, Canada. before returning to the
front
Another passenger who has been en-
gagged In spirited air lighting during the
II C1N trfNn "
also Of the Royal Air Force. He was
one Of the pilots of a feet of six planes
whic.. bombarded communication points
behind Chalons July 80. The British
fiiers were attacked by fourteen OF the
latest type of German pursuit machines
and four of the six were sent down.
Lieut.. FitZsimmons was wounded and
his observer was killed.
Col. Sir Thomas Myles Of Dublin, who
Is surgeon TO King George when the lat
ter visits ireland. and Major-Gen. Sir
Berkeley Moynahan, chairman of the
Board OF Surgeons of the British Army,
were also on board. They came to read
papers before the Clinical Congress of
| the American College OF Surgeons. which
was to have met here Monday. but which
has been postponed because of the in
fiuenza epidemic. After visiting the Sur
geon-Generals of the Army, Navy and
Public Health Service in Washington.
they will tour the larger cities of the
country.
They were met at the pier by Col.
Franklin Martin. U. s. A.. who was to
have been director-general OF the Clin-
ical Congress
In speaking of the military situation
Col. Myles. who Is Just hack from the
front, said: We've got them on the
| run and now we are finishing them
Fifteen Junior officers and men who
have served on board American destroy
| ers abroad for over a year came back
| to return with new destroyers about to
| be commissioned. They brought with
them navy mascot. Sturdie, an Eng
| fish sheep dog. who was taken on board
a Yankee destroyer when he was q
pup. On the first cruise q U-boat was
| bagged and several others were later
accounted for. Lieut. Bud Fisher New
York newspaper artist. who has been
| attached to British Grand Headquar-
tiers for the last eight months, also
was a passenger. There were 32O
in all, including a contingent OF
| Australian and New Zealand news
paper men on their way home from the
| fighting zone.
Frequent reports Of U-boats received
by wireless on the voyage across com.
PEELED the steamship to leave her course
and resulted In her being slightly over.
| due.