The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1920-12-02
AIRSHIP VISITED PORT
GIBSON THIS week
Spsnds Two Days Here and a Num-
Der Of People Take Ten-Minute
Flights for $40 a Trip.

An airship driven r. Lieut.. Henry
Toncray, arrived at Port Gibson Mon
day and remained until Wednesday
morning, riding all passengers who
We're willing to part with ten dollars
LOT ten minute ride. Several took
advantage OF the opportunity and en-
J1yed the thrill of spinning through
the ar at great speed.
Lieut., Ioncray was accompanied on
! ms "TRIP to Port Gibson by Mr.. Frank
Eastman, editor of the Vicksburg
Fost' who returned on the afternoon
In his account Of the tri1 to Port
.Ilpson, Mr.. eastman had the follow
lhg 70 say IN the Post of Tuesday:
shortly after the getaway, with a
giant circle and the grace of some
mammoth bird. Lieut.. Toncray sent
ms craft sailing toward the hills on
the east bank of the river-high above.
some Thousand or fifteen hundred feet,
perhaps, SO that the hills looked fiat
tened out and only the lights and shad-
oWs told you OF attitudes and depres-
slons way down beneath YOU
mat tiny trail of rails below US
Che \. M. " Railroad-was to be
our guide. Here and there the tracks
peloW curved, but we, in the trackless
etner above always took the short cuts
ever bearing straight southwark. Sew
erai TOY trains passed far below. In
TACT we were passing over Toyland. 1t
seemed as though you might pick up
nan q dozen Of those tiny houses in
your hand, while the gardens seemed
only as big as cracker-boxes with
plantations that might be hidden un-
der rugs.
This sight of the grand old Mis-
slsslppi viewed from above is well
worth trip across the continent to
see. Only one thing that | could think
OF would look more lovely than the
noble stream playing hide add seek
with the sun, and that would be the
river ripping in the moonlight as
viewed from an airplane high in the
heavens.
1T is rather difficult to get location
and pick out the settlements that we
are familiar with through seeing them
from the ground-for up above we
view only the unfamiliar top side of
things, and then you must remember
everything looks fattened out and SO
very, very small.
But finally there can be no mistak-
ing Fort Gibson, when the cluster of
houses and the little streets, and the
Lilliput churches, all clustered to-
gether, come into view. There is the
sinuous Bayou Pierre spanned with
dainty bridges that seem made of
toothpicks.
"The humming Of our motors as the
Al.u ~
for half dozen times sends half of
the population out onto the sidewalks
and streets and we can see the little
forms and the diminutive autos run
ming about.
I'VE are dropping now as we make
another circle of the citv. The church
spires look absurdly small, and maybe
we will snap off several of them and
smash through a few of those card
board houses below unless the aviator
rises bit. And so he has decided to
do. Flying to the eastward he travels
for mile and more, then again heads
for the west. There below is a hay-
field, level as billiard table it seems
We are swooping downward. DOWN
ward over fringe Of trees with some
fifty feet to spare. Down and down
we glide and then the wheels of the
plane dainty kiss the earth Another
and another contact, and now we are
rolling slowly along the groudn, the
engine is throttled and then shut off
and we are at rest, though I am half
deaf and imagine / still hear the throb
Of the motors and the rush Of the
wind
"The ubiquitous boy, half dozen Of
him, greeted US when we landed in
Mr.. Hays field, and hundreds more
came on the run from all sections be-
fore we were able to Chamber to the
ground"