The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-02-21
TELLS OF HIS
FIRST AIR RIDE
Telegraph Operator Describes
His Sensations.
ASKS ANTICS Be CUT OUT
Says Outlet camped on Roof Of His
Mouth While Enjoying His First
Trip Aloft-Nose Dive Seemed to
Last Two Months-Earth Seems Like
Relief Map or Mechanical Drawing
Of Some Kind.

Genrge T. SecriSt, telegraph operator
of BuryrtIS. o.. and before the war
student 1T the Ohio State university,
we'll known among the telegraph ope-
ratorS Of the state. now with the sig
nal corps at American post Office No.
n02. somewhere in France, writes as
follows 10 his parents concerning his
experience in riding in an airplane for
the first time:
II happened to meet one Of the
fellows | had known in the States
who had just returned from the front.
a licensed aviator. He promised to
take me for ride and, having always
had a longing for a little joy ride
through the clouds, decided to take
chance. At set time l met him at
an aviation camp. where he invited me
to get into his red devir bombing
plane. could see nothing red about
it excepting the stripes on the bottom
of the plane jumped into the seat.
from which could see the top Of
Archie's head from his eyes up, so
couldn't tell whether he was laughing
or not, or wore q serious smile, but
his eyes twinkled merrily as we arose
from the meadow into the unknown
ether.
Sublime Sensation.
"The earth seemed to be dropping
away from us, rather than that we
were moving. I had previously told
the old kid that it was my first trip
aloft. and because of that would
rather not have him try any antics
with his steed for fear of upsetting
my digestive apparatus; so, without
mishap we climbed, coasted and re-
NAMED motionless. then climbed
again.
''If one can call q sensation beau
tiful' this would be the place to use
that word A more beautiful, serene
or sublime sensation cannot be found
4 on land or sea. 1t makes fellow feel.
as though he were suspended from
heaven by manila rope and that one
Of the angels were swinging him
around.
"Once in a while the top of some
church steeple would be caught in the
suns rays and reflect back sharp
I ray of light, which only added to the
novelty of the event. was thus
amusing myself by taking a glance
downward once in while, but never
for very long at time. The earth
seemed like relief map or me-
chanical drawing Of some sort. l was
rudely awakened just about that time
by Archie sticking up his index finger
and glancing at the 'ometer.' forgot
just what kind of an 'ometer' it was,
but l read on 1t, to my amazement,
that we were up in the air 5000 feet;
a mile in the air and I felt as safe as
though l had been riding first class in
some French 'chemin de fer (railway
train).
eve were gliding along at the rate
of Just 100 miles an hour, but the
earth didn't seem to be retreating that
fast.
Prepares for Worst
"But, hist! the plot thickens. Upon
commencing the downward glide no
ticed peculiar twinkle in the optics
of Archie. and / prepared for the
worst. knew he was going to try
something, and sure enough he pointed
the nose of the consarned chariot OF
his right down toward terra firma.
and if / hadn't been buckled in
tighter'n clam in that gum-foozled
! bucket I'd have been left far behind,
I probably hanging on to one corner Of
the new moon or landed on one of the
race tracks of Saturn.
"At any rate, the sensation you get
when you come down on fast ele-
vator has absolutely nothing on this
sensation. My entrails, including my
gullet, were camped right on the roof
of my mouth, and, although this nose
L: L. two