The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1920-03-06
AVIATOR A1TAINS AN
ALTITUDE 5000 Fl.
Loses Consciousness, Falls S
Miles, Then REEVES, Lands
His Machine Safely.

/
MAJOR r. w. Schroeder, chief test pilot
at McCook Field. Friday fell over five
miles after reaching an altitude of
5000 feet, said to be 5000 feet higher
than the worlds record.
instruments on the machine indi.
cate that 1t fell more than five miles
IN two minutes. While still 1000 feet
above the ground the airpIane righted
itself and glided to a graceful land.
Ing. When the plane settled attend
ants who rushed toward 1t found Ma
Ior Schroeder sitting erect in the ma
chine and apparently lifeless. For
brief time residents Of Dayton were
sure a meteor had appeared in the sky.
They had mistaken the trail OF vapor
escaping from the machine as It sped
downward for stranger in the heav-
ems"
thousands Of persons gazed sky
ward watching the plane, which had
assembled two hours before the plunge
downward.
Major Schroeder lost consciousness
when his machine had reached
height recorded by instruments as &c.
D2O, or 5000 feet higher than the
worlds record established by Roland
Rohlfs last summer.
His senses number and his ewes
'rozen shut In temperature said to
have been 81 degrees below zero.
schroeder regained partial conscious
ness when 1000 feet above the earth
IN time to right his machine and pre-
vent it from crashing to the ground
The thousands of spectators were
unaware that they were witnessing a
drama of the sky They saw a speck
Of black silhouetted against the blue.
TO which was attached tall Of gray
lsh color. Gradually the object was
as it hurtled toward the
earth. When but few thousand feet
above them, those watching saw that
t was an airplane, turning in tail
spin. 1t was at that point that Major .
schroeder regained control of his
blame and headed it toward McCook
Field. There he made safe landing
md collapsed.
He was blinded and his limbs were
numb despite the electrically heated
uit in which he was encased. He was
suffering from effects of a lack of oxy-
,en When nearly seven miles above
he earth his oxygen tanks became ex-
lausted, and it was that which robbed
lin of consciousness and caused him
o fall
Instruments on his machine record
d the best story of the experiences OF
he aviator I'm his flight to beat the
ecord of Roland Rohlfs and bring first
onors to the air forces of the United
tates army. The thermometer reg
stored temperature of SIS degrees be-
NV zero Centigrade. or 81 degrees be-
NV zero Fahrenheit. Altitude figures
rom the Paragraph reading indicated
height Of $1,000 feet, and when cali
rated by Captain Harrison W. Flick
lger showed an official altitude of
1920 feet, new worlds record and a
ariation Of less than 1000 feet
The mark set by Major Schroeder
gain gives him the record which
ohlfs won from him July 30, 1919.
it'll an official altitude of 10000 feet, .
hich was later increased in second r
light to $1,000 feet I
Riding alone almost seven miles e
,ove the earth in a polar climate and S
,ainst wind that blew at 100 miles an n
our or more, Major Schroeder fought Z
OF by foot to drive his plane higher r
The sudden change In air pressure v
ON less than three pounds at $4,000 r.
ct to 14.7 pounds at sea level crush. "
the gasoline tanks of his plane and II
used them to collapse, besides jolt
g Major Schroeder to his senses v
Modern Inventions, unthought Of be- q
re the war, made not only Major 8
hroeder's air voyage possible, but y
10 enabled him to return with an =
curate scientific record OF the flight -
substantiate his verbal claims. His =,
achine was equipped with Moss ~
percharger and was the same as -
ed Aug. 1, 1919. when he broke the =,
'rlds speed record for high altitude ~
flying 1877 miles an hour at height +,
1890 feet. m