The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-11-03
Continued from page p

nights sleep before starting my jour
ney in the morning.
Monday morning at GAS (sunrise) |
we took to the air once more and 1t |
was only few minutes until we were
soaring high above the Sierra Neva-
das. The Sierras are high and the
wind currents from them are more
treacherous than the Rockies but the
old Liberty 200 H. P. motor roared
away and buried the mountains one
by one in the distance.
We reached Battle Mt. New, with
out mishap and as | swung around to
leave here the control manager ad-
vised me to take off with the wind
to keep from tavying across the san
dy field and taking off toward the
crowd.
1t is dangerous undertaking to
take off with the wind, especially on
a sandy field but the field looked big
enough to permit it so I gave her the
gun" and away we went bouncing
across the field. My wheels had no
more than left the ground when my
under carriage struck fence and I
was forced to land in the sage brush.
This damaged the wings and pro-
pellor so that it took us about three
and half hours to patch them up
and get back into the race. I
changed the propeller while my Ser
geant patched up the wings and tail
but this delay caused me to drop
from third place back to seventh
place. However we got back into the
race at 2:10 p. m. and before the sun
had sunk behind the Golden Gates
we had landed in Preside Field, San
Francisco, Calf. Reno and Sacra
mento are the Control points W.
passed through after leaving Battle
Mt.
When reached the Berkeley Hills
in California the clouds and fog put
in their appearance and at first
thought that l would be forced te
turn back and stay in Sacramento fol
the night but to my delight I fount
that by flying only few hundred
feet above the bay could pass undel
the clouds and miss most of the fog
SO | followed the Bay and passed
through the Golden Gates flying JUS
above the water, just as old Sol sanl
into the Blue Pacific.
The people Of San Francisco eel
tainly went out Of their way to shoy
y us a good time and look after on
comforts. On Tuesday while out a
Preside Field looking my old shi
n over a woman approached me an
asked me if I had piloted the bi
!, bird across the continent, and upo
:. replying in the affirmative she imm,
l. diately began showering me wit
Ie questions.
~ She proved to be lady who
lis very closely connected with Re
d. Cross work She asked me il woul
like the use of her car while / We
re in the city and Of course ridir
a. around in a chandler Six" is mut
ITO better than street cars and taxis so
10. took her up on the proposition. Al
AZ ~ believe me | saw San Francisco al
all points near there.
l got letter from Cousin H.
Webster of San Jose, Cal, Thursda
he and since 1t is only so miles from s:
' 'e Francisco and the roads are so VIC
9Th derfnl in California we just dro
over In the car. We never left t
city until about 500 p. m. but ,
were in San Jose a little after 700
he m. I met Herbert and his wife a.
Dr., two children but | could only stay
sy, few minutes. One OF the boys W
so not at home so | did not see him.
,ht Yesterday said lady took a PAL
of us on 1875 mile trip through t
mountains and up into the r
es, Woods of California. 1t was a WI
ID derful drive and we took provisio
led along and cooked our supper in
re- mountains. We saw Santa Clara v
ore ley from the top of the mountains a
ten all of the lights of the cities down
the valley certainly make a beauti
scene. I also saw the City of S
Francisco from the Twin Peaks. n
too was a gorgeous sight. The ma
lights and the great white way
/ the city fiickered dimly through
! fog and darkness. The fog was
thick that it made driving at nil
dangerous. The roads wind Q
twist in and out of the mounta
with only wooden fence betwt
you and the rugged depths below
The whole thing seems to Il
away as though a dream as I sp'