Evening star., 1920-02-28
FLYER RECOVERING
AFTER7- 7-M||lE DROP;
EYEBALLS FROZEN
Maj. Schroeder, Losing Con-
sciousness, Fell From &c.
020-Foot Altitude.

Ia Il ION. ONO, FeDru1ry " tpS the
Associated Press. Mai. r. W. Schroe-
der. chief test pilot at McCook Field,
yesterday fell more than five miles in
two minutes, after shattering the world
altitude record. miraculously escaping
death. He lies today in the Army post
hospital near here. recovering from par
tai blindness, and determined to make
another ascent into the heavens at the
first opportunity.
Maj. Schroeder climbed Yesterday to
height of 5000 feet, then plunged down.
ward more than. five miles when he lost
control of his machine after his oxygen
supply was exhausted. While still 1000
feet above the ground the aviator re-
gaining his presence Of mind. righted the
plane and sailed down to make grace
full landing on McCook Field.
blinded. Eyeballs Frozen.
When attendants rushed to the flyers
machine after he had landed they found
him sitting erect in the plane, blinded
and unconscious. His eyeDalls had been
frozen. the temperature at the height to
which he had assembled being &. degrees
below zero. Fahrenheit.
At the hospital last night Mai Schroe-
der told OF the climb TO heights never
before attained. Of his battle against
cold. wind and lack OF air. and of his
teteGnlndIiOO TO mount 4U.VuD 1eel aDONe
the ground. his objective, when he fell
Il was thinking only of my desire
to climb 10000 feet. when suddenly
my oxygen stopped flowing. he said
Then all at once. it seemed that an
explosion took place inside my head.
open them and I knew I was falling.
| guess l pulled hard on the stick. for
knew I must straighten out for
glide. The plane rode easy. l opened
my eyes. but could see nothing OF the
ground. Then I closed my eyes again
saw Wilbur Wright Field. | knew l
couldn't land there, because Of the
hangers, and tilted my machine for
climb. intending to make sure of
good altitude and then jump with my
parachute. But at that instant l saw
McCook Field and came down..
Looked Like Tail of Comet.
Mai Schroeder took the air yester-
day forenoon. He climbed above the
plane, freezing in the frigid tempera-
ture. caused a cloudlike formation re-
semblinS thetail of comet to hang
in the sky. AS the plane was not vlsl-
bic from the earth, thousands OF Day
ton citizens who stood gazing at the
formation during the noon hour pe-
lieved it 10 be the tail Of a comet.
Some of the witnesses inclined to
the belief that a strange BODY was
coming TO earth with message from
Mars These beliefs were dispelled'
however, by Prof. William Beck, as
tronomer at St Marys College, who
observed the airplane through a tele-
scope.
Thousands of persons massed in the
streets saw the airplane appear.
mere black speck against the nlue
sky. They saw it become larger and
larger. leaving a long white tail in its
wake as it fell. When the machine
was about 1000 feet above the ground
the watchers saw the outlines OF tns
plane as it hurtled downward in tan
denly riehted. 1t was at this time
that Mai. Schroeder pulled the control
stick.
New Altitude Record.
The instruments on Maj. Schroedera
machine tell the story OF mis- nSh!
against the elements as he Climbed
upward. foot by foot. His thermometer
seven degrees below zero. The baro-
graph reading indicated an altitude
OF 81 900 feet, and when calibrated by
Capt. Harrison W. Flickinger showed
an official altitude OF $500 ieet' a
new world record and a variation OF
less than 1000 feet
The mark set by Maj. Schroeder
again gives him the record which
Roland RohlfS won from MIN Jul! "v.
1919, with an official altitude OF 10000
feet and later increased in second
flight to 81 900 feet. It also breaks the
record of Adjt. Casale. a French pilot.
who was credited with an unofficial
record of S3.137 feet.
Test for New Invention.
Modern inventions. largely resulting
from the war. made Maj. Schroeder's
feat possible. Through the Moss SUPER
charger he was able to get full 400
horsepower from his Liberty motor, des-
pite the high altitude.
He was dressed heavier than any
Polar explorer who ever set forth. He
literally was wrapped in flexible cleo
trio heaters. His flying suit was lined
with the fur of Chinese nuchwang dogs
and between the fur and outer lining
flexible electric heat units connected
with the dynamo of the engine. heated
the entire suit. His headgear. gloves
and moccasins were heated in like man.
ner.
Capt. Flicl<inger. chief celebration
officer at McCook Field. was arranging
today to send the altitude figures to
War Department officials at Washington.
Later they will Sc sent to officials Of the
Aero Club of America, which will be
asked to certify the record to the world.