The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1919-02-18
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 AIoft-Nose Dive Seemed to
Last Two Months-Earth Seems Like
Relief Map or Mechanical Drawing
Of Some Kind.

OF Some Kind.
George 7. Secrist, telegraph operator
Of Bucyrus, O., and before the war
student at the Ohio State university,
well known among the telegraph ope-
ratOrs of the state, now with the sig
nal corps at American post office No.
902, somewhere in France, writes as
follows to his parents concerning his
experience in riding in an airplane for
the first time:
Il happened to meet one of the
fellows I had known in the States
who had just returned from the front,
licensed aviator. He promised to
take me for a ride and, having always
had longing for a little Joy ride
through the clouds, decided to take a
chance. At a set time / met him at
an aviation camp, where he invited me
to get into his red devil bombing
plane. I could see nothing red about
1t excepting the stripes on the bottom
Of the plane. I jumped into the seat,
from which I could see the top of
Arches head from his eyes up, so !
couldn't tell whether he was laughing
or not, or wore a serious smile, but
his eyes twinkled merrily as we arose
from the meadow into the unknown
ether.
Sublime Sensation.
1.-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 I 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-
manned 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
on land or sea. It makes fellow fee
as though he were suspended from
heaven by a manila rope and that one
of the angels were swinging hin
around.
"Once in a while the top Of some
church steeple would be caught in the
suns rays and reflect back SHARP
ray Of light, which only added to the
novelty Of the event. was thus
amusing myself by taking a glance
downward once in a while, but never
for very long at time. The earth
seemed like a relief map or a me
chanical drawing of some sort. was
rudely awakened just about that time
by Archie sticking up his index finger
and glancing at the 'ometer.' I forgot
just what kind of an 'ometer' it was
but I read on it, to my amazement
that we were up in the air 5000 feet
a mile In the air and I felt as safe as
though I had been riding first class In
some French 'chemin de fer (railway
train.
1--WE were gliding along at the rate
Of just 100 miles an hour, but the
earth didn't seem to be retreating thai
fast.
Prepares for Worst.
But, hist! the plot thickens. Upor
commencing the downward glide no
ticed peculiar twinkle In the optics
Of Archie, and I prepared for the
worst. I knew he was going to try
something, and sure enough he pointed
the nose Of the consumed chariot Of
his right down toward terra firma
and If hadn't been buckled II
tighter'n a clam in that gum-fOozlet
bucket I'd have been left far behind
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 ge1
when you come down on a fast ele
vator has absolutely nothing on this
sensation. My entrails, including my
gullet, were camped right on the roo
of my mouth, and, although this nost
dive Of his only lasted minute or two
1t seemed as though it must have beer
at least two months. But the tobog
gan finally righted itself and we coast
ed good ten miles before the pro
peller started its monotonous humminl
again.
ooh, it was a gay life, but he didn't
try any more tactics, but volplaned tx
the earth as beautifully as a CHECKER
takes dust bath, and it was only
an hour after we had started until We
landed again in almost the identica
spot from which the ascent had beer
made"