Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-12

|
SENATOR YVES
, ging the four-inch belt was strapped
| around me. it being just barely long
enough by my shrinking up as much
! as I could We waved goodbye The
! plane started running on the ground.
! When it reached a speed of about
/ sixty miles an hour, and it actually
| seemed to be going that fast, it left
! the ground and took the air like
! bird: That is the speed that must be
: attained on the ground before an
! aeroplane takes the air.
/ Within fifteen minutes Washington
! was nearly out OF sight and we Were
| 5000 feet above the. earth. We were
| going eighty-five or ninety miles an
| hour. but looking at the earth, the
! only object by which we could guage
! ing more than ten or twelve miles an
! hour. The earth looked perfectly
| level. Hills and hoilows had disap-
! peared, Forests locked like carpets OF
| green or black. Division lines, road
ways, streams and farmhouSes were
! remarkably distinct and the country
| looked like huge map before and
| below us. The roar and cracking
hum Of the motor would have been
| deafening if l had not had the hood
| and knitted helmet over my ears: AS
, it was ! could hear the cracking of
| the motor the next day after our ride
| was ended. TO put my head or hand
| above or outside the wind shield was
! to feel the wind like Il hurricane
rushing by, and as il was several De
| grees below freezing did not do this
| very often. Those who have been up
| on a mountain three OF, four Thousand
/ feet high in. the middle OF the Day
! know that it is not Inuch cofdsr tthere
than on the. level and SO, i. was .Ylth
Got Full Benefit of ecold:a-f
The thermometer did not Indicate it
much colder than when we st arted.
| but going through the air rs we were
and with the thin walls OF the aero
| plane our only protection, we got the
| full benefit of the cold and had we
| not been clad as we were we would
soon have been numbed and chilled
| through. AS it was we did not sufter,
i but my feet were rather cold at the
end of an hour and half. NOT nav
ing on any overShoeS.
i had no unusual or peculiar sensa-
! tions: no dizziness or sea sickness.
1t was a surprise to me not TO ne
dizzy I have never been seasIck. out
| 1 cannot look over the edge OF a hish
/ building or precipice without getting
| dizzy and feeling like l want to
jump off I have no such feeling in
an aeropIane l can look over the side
| of the cockpit at the earth and OBJ
| iects below without any discomfort
l
same. We sailed along at an altitude
of from 5000 to 3.so0 feet. reaching
1000 feet as we went over New York
! harbor and Brooklyn. preparatory to
landing at Hazelhurst field. near Min
| cola In cross-country flying, / am
| told, they usually fly at an elevation
| of from 5000 to 5000 feet.
! We passed over Camp Meade, half
| way to Baltimore. The buildings.
| streets and drill field were very dis
tinct, although the men on the ground
looked like insects. We passed over
! the heart of Baltimore. The build
| ings seemed like toys and all of the
same height. except in the business
section, where the very high build
| ings seemed larger toys overlapping
the others. The parks looked like a
( network of paths. by-paths. drive
ways, small mirrorlike lakes, streams
and Christmas green. We could get
! some idea of our speed from the fact
| that it was but few moments from
| the time Baltimore came into sight
until it was left in the rear.
Air Bump Over Baltimore.
| You will hear aviators talk Of air
bumps These are very noticeable. The
| machine will be going along appar-
!. emily on a perfectly level course when
suddenly there will be more or less
I distinct drop or rise. This is called
an air bump, and probably is caused
by different air stratif1cation. While
! passing over Baltimore we felt an
/ unusually hard bump. 1t really made
me jump, and my heart beat faster.
| When mentioned it to Logg he said
lit was probably caused by the ex-
| IRENE wetness of Baltimore.
! Hayre de Grace Wilmington, 'Ches-
| ter and Philadelphia Were passed in
| rapid succession. Time passed quick
! w After the novelty wore off. the
| sameness of the scene below palled
! and I began to take my eyes from
/ the country to look at the machine.
/ soon noticed the many wires stretch
! ed from wooden brace to brace and
| plane AS l looked the wires seemed
| to get timer, the braces smaller and
| the planes thinner. i began to spec
| should break; then on the chances
! of two wires breaking at once. l
| thought ! would better watch the
/ scenery and so / dismissed these
; things from my mind This is no new
! way with me. I do ii when l am in
an automobile. 1 never go twenty
/ FIVE or thirty miles an hour without
wondering what would happen if the
steering gear should fail to work.
| a wheel come off, an axle or a brake
| rod break. | have always been able
/ to figure out better chances with an
aeroplane than automobile, and on
this account. suppose, l have no
fear in an aeroplane. ...,. .
No Speed Laws in Air.
| There are no telegraph poles to
hit; no embellishments to fopple over;
no cross streets to watch; no speed
rules or traffic regulations to be
! broken by the other fellow and OBJ
served by you; no drunken, reckless
| drivers to shun. Short of a broken
! ting down all right are good. The
serious problem is landing place il
| anything does go wrong. and that Is
not so serious in a prairie. or farm
ing country. and the higher. you are
not speaking as an expert, but this ia
| what I am told, and it seems to be
very reasonable to me from what lit