Imperial Valley press., 1918-11-13
YANKEE CAPTAIN
GOES UP $4,000
FEET IN PLANE

San Francisco, Nov. 12.-Capl ain
Z. w. Schroeder of the United States
air service, who made new record
flying 10 an altitude of 2S,00O feet
over The stale of Ohio, on September
Is, which record has been officially
confirmed, has written an inleresI ing
report of his sensat ional flight 10 Ma
jor General Kenly, director of The
military aeronautics.
Following is Captain Schroeder's
story:
in order 10 lake an airplane 10
higher altitude han my other pilot in
The world | mde three attempts. The
frs one took me 24,O00 feet, the see
ond to 27,000 feel and the las one to
2S,OOO feel, but now l feel certain that
| can get 10 10000 feel
The cold thin air is ones grea
adversity. l made a steady climb,
circularly, passing through clouds a
5000 feet, 10000 feel and 10000 feet.
A 10000 feet, while sill climbins IN
large circles, my goggles became
frosted making il very difficult for
me to read my instruments.
when | reached $4,000 feel | no
iced The sun CROWNS very dim.
could hardly hear my motor run, AMI
felt very hungry. The trend of my
thought was thal il mus b. getting
late, tha evening mus be coming. on,
but | was sill climbing, so thought
might as we'll stick to it little
longer, for | knew l could reach my
ceiling pretty soon, then | should go
Gown even though il were dark. l
could land all right, for | had made
night landins many times before, ana
so l went TALKING 10 myself, and this
fell was a GOOD sign 10 begin taking
oxygen, and | did.
81 was then about $4,000 feet, and
as soon as l started 10 inhale The oXN-
gen, The sun grew bright again, my
motor began 10 exhaust so loud Ina
il seemed something must be wron-
with it. | was no longer hungry, and
he day seemed to be most beautiful
one. felt like singinG with sheer JOY
as | gazed about through the small
portion of my goggles which had no
frost, due 10 a drop Of oil which
splashed on them from The motor.
"Il was wonderful 10 see The very
clear blue sky with the clouds thou
sands of feet below. The frost on
my goggles bothered me very much:
When | was about 27,000 feet, had
10 remove my goggles, as | was un
able 10 keep a steady climb. NJ
hands, BY this time, were very num3
and worried me considerably. The
cold raw air made my eyes water ana
| was compelled 10 fly with my chad
we'll down inside the cockpit.
81 kept at it until my oxygen gave.
out and al that point ! noticed by
aneroid indicated very nearly 29,Oo'
feet. The thermometer showed ~ de
grees below zero, centigrade a,,pd INC
revolutions per minute had dropped
from 1900 10 1860 This is consld-
cred very good, and | could not un-
derstand why l was only $4,000 fee.,
after climbing for so long lime: !
remember tha the horizon seemed 70
Re very much out of place, but teit
thai | was flying correctly and lhF'
| was right and The horizon was
wrong.
"About this lime the MOTOR quit; l
was out of gasoline, so | descended IN
a large spiral. When l descended
10 about 10000 feel / began to feei
much better and realized that me laSk
Of oxygen had affected me. | passed
down through The clouds $4,000 Zee
and. as | remember, it was showing
from these clouds upon the nexi layer
some 1000 feet below. / am no' posi-
live of this, as | may have been al
fected BY he lack of oxy4en. l no.
iced as | descended that the ar
seemed 10 b. very thick and sluffy,
bui very nice and warm.
81 landed o. K. 200 miles from
where I started, and broke lhe lip. OF
my propeller, which was Standing
vertical when | roled inlo depres
sion in he ground. / did mol nose or
do any other damase TO the plane
myself. | flew back to Dayton vii