The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1919-10-24
UP IN A FLYING MACHINE.
Through the kindnass and nonr4.

| TATS
lexperience of flight in a Curtis bi.
plane Saturday, while that machine
was IN town, giving those with the
necessary plunks and the desire to try
the sensation of a trip through the
atmosphere an opportunity to do so
me sensation connected with a fligh:
Is divided between the anticipation OF
the novelty of going up, as one takes
MS place in the machine, and the re-
llef that comes when one feels his feet
hitting the good old solid earth again
Probably there are those who make
first flight and give no thought of
what might happen while suspended
several thousand feet up in the air if
some part of the frail craft failed to
perform its function, but we must
CONFESS while admiring the beautiful
panorama spread out beneath us we
would occasionally wonder when the
landing would be made.with a shadow
lof hope that the pilot would not post
pone that feature too long Undoubt-
ledly after repeated experiences one
gets used to being suspended between
heaven and earth like Mohammed' =
coffin, and never give thought as to
getting back safely. 1t is not exactly
that way with all novices, or at leas.
that is not the way il struck yours
truly.
But an aeroplane flight even If con-
fined to only few minutes, is a rare
Experience. The plane in use hero was
in charge of two highly trained ex-
army aviators, and they handled the
frail contraption with great skill.
Upon stepping into the body OF the
airy vehicle, after having donaed a
leather coat, cap and a heavy pair Of
Goggles, the passenger Is firmly strap
lped to the seat. The propellers are
started and the plane rises from the
earth with the grace and ease of 4
bird taking flight. The sensation is
more as though the earth was falling
away than that the machine was going
,up. The result is the same, anyhow
for soon you are buffeting a stuff
Ibreeze well up toward the clouds.
There is no perceptible jar as the
craft mounts upward. and one rides
through the air so smoothly that with
the eyes closed the passenger hardly
realizes that he is moving. Gradually
the earth fell away as height was
Igained, and magnificent panorama
Twas spread out to our vieW-SThe val
Hey looked lilsc chcsxy rf0ard from
n
+, feet. The houses and orchards stand
out as plainly as though in bas re-
lief We could look down upon rivers
land lakes, streets and roads, marked
lout with marvellous distinctness. The
rivers, like blue ribbons stretched out
for miles. as they work their crooked
|way across the face of the scenery.
THE irrigation bitches and fumes
!could be seen as plain as though laid
out upon a draughting board. To the
west serried line of mountains mark
ed the Coast range and to the east the
Nelson wheat country looked like a
broad plateau. On one side of the plane
we could look down upon the agitated
white cap surface of lake Osoyoos
and on the other catch a glimpse OF
lWanicut lake, nesting like gem in
1.-The midst of the mountains. Even the
trough country took on an appearance
of flatness, and the tops OF the noun
ltains over which we sailed seemed
shorn of their inequalities. The eye
could reach up and down the valley
Ifor miles, and the view to the east
and west was only cut off by the high
er elevations. The world within the
| ken of the human eye is like a vast
map. and amidst the wind that howled
| with vicious vigor and the deafening
ldrone of the propeller, during our first
| flight we could hardly take in all that
there was to see, or form compre-
lhensive idea of the sights that passed
: rapidly in review as the plane shot
from one side of the valley to the
other and skinned over far far above
the highest elevations. Some points or
interest stood out more prominent
than others. 1t struck us that the
wonderful beauty of the country sur
rounding Oroville, and the ideallstlc
townsite, can only be fully understood
and appreciated after view OF the
valley in which the town is located
from an altitude of 5000 feet. Again,
the size and contour of Osoyoos lake,
and it's natural beauty, can never be
fully understood until seen from an
laeroplane as every conformation of
the irregular shore line stands out as
though etched in heavy lines upon
vast sheet of paper. Altogether the
valley and the highlands make a mar
velous view when seen from that mar
vel of the inventive genius or man, the
flving machine, that has overcome the
force of gravity. and has put the blrd
in the discard for speed and endur-
ance on the wing.
Now all these marvellous works OF
nature, supplemented by the works OF
the hands of men, passed in rapid re-
view during the few minutes that the
n1ane in which we were a passenger
eavlv and gracefully floated in high
heaven. or far up in that direction. 1t
| is not the intention to convey the I'M
nression that our thoughts were whoi-
ily concentrated upon the Verlgateo
nanorama scattered over the earths
surface, or that we were Singing
paeans of joy while drinking in the
rare sights. There were times, as the
nlane tipped over on edge as the pilot
was making the turn, when we Won
dered if the floral display would be
moro elaborate than the boquets hand
ed out to us in long life time or II
the BOYS in the procession would
casually remark on the return trip
after performing the last sad rites
that he was a pretty good old skate in
some respects. Then when the nose
dJve was taken toward earth prepara-