Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-02-28
FALLS 6 MILES IN
A|RP[ANE;; WILL LIVE
Schroeder Loses Consciousness
at Height Of 5000 Feet and
Drops in Flaming Machine.
RIGHTS PLANE, LANDS SAFELY
King of the Air, With New
Worlds Record, Taken to Hos
pital Frozen and Blinded.
lpy Universal Service

DAYTON. OHIO, Feb 27.-Major
Rudolph Schroeder. a Chicago aviator.
today dropped from an official attitude
record of 36.o2o fcct. Il distance OF
more than six miles. saving his life
within 1000 feet Of tho earth only by
scmi-consc!ouSly SraSpinS his controls
and guiding his airplane into II long.
ly on the ground. The height reached
by Major Schroeder breaks all previ-
GUS onc-man altitude records.
The dizzy drop and Il temperature
Of G3 degrees below zero caused the
flyers cycbails 10 freeze, Temporarily
binding linn, During tie descent his
oxNeen tank broke, sending out q
streaming hame.
The officer is test pilot at the
aviation grounds. II" announced tina,
ne. was going, 70 break Roland Rohlfs'
previous great flights served - draw
out q crowd for the trial. Ills ma
chine, LcPerre was equipped with
a Moss supercharSe Schroeder left
straight into the air beyond me reach
o. oven the officers glasses
What happened be,wcen the time
the majors, barograph reading showed
him he had passed the 1900 icct re-.
cord, and the moment he reached the
appalling height Of 31G0O feet has not
yet been disclosed. The instrument
showed the aviator had actually az
tained tina; record. but the ciliciaI
mark is placed AT 3G,"2u feet.
Gns runk E,pIodcx.
suddenly great shout was uttered
BY the ;hrong Failing ont Of the
envelopcd in Il BLUSH haze some
where in that terrific cold---ecistcrcl
by the machines THERMOMETERS al IL
n"!ow tahrenhei'-thc gas tank had
los. control Of his b%urnins % 'pRT'. piane. '@u
Mh..s ,s,aae,, the e5owds ,watShed the
Schroeder was the major optpar par,,a,!y Mhgre ere
gained consciousness and managed 10
rlsht MS plane so that nc could auto
MaLicaiiy No!pinnc to earth.
Hangar attendants 1T McCool, E'iy-
ing Fieid raced ahead of the crowd
70 the machine. and eXtricatcd the
hErc,' WHO was hurried to tho hospital
MAJ hAc Sturseons announced tonight
SiaI Ma)oT Schroeder would recover
anu anu mat his vision probabl would
not be lost. Physicians would no,
permit him TO give an account of mis-
covered. 4"'' ir'
The Instruments on his ,nacb,,,
record re the beSt story OF The expericnce
OF me daring aviator in his Hight "a
~, ni.hG nonors of achievement to tho
AR forces or the United states Army
Ainkes New Worlds Record.
me thernometer registered n .cr
peiratuIe ri, % degrees below zero cen
iirlEradc, or ca degrees below zcro
iahrenheit. Altitude hsures from he
a oaaEoo3Sraph reading !ndjAaicd a height
~ "Ir"V fcet ana when calihrat.d hv
.Sb SSap,ain Harrison w. Flicklnyer
showed an official altitude OF aG oon
,ceL, z new worlds record. and =
variation of less than LOCO feet
me mark set by Major Schroedor
hsaih gives him the record wbici,
iSo!ahd RohlfS won from him I'M %
dods' with an official altitude OF 20 .
'oo iect, and later Increased in n sec
ohu night TO $1,000 feet. II also breaks
me record OF Adjutant Cas;le. ,
fTench pilot. who was credited win
an unofficial record Of 33.l37 feet.
Major Schroeders first altitudo
record was made al Dayton. Scptcm-
per IS, 1918. when he flew Bristol
nghter machine TO an altitude OF 2s,
900 feet
Major Schroeder was dressed hnay-
Ter than any polar explorer who ever
set forth. He was literally wrapped
IN NeAibic electric heaters. His living
SUIT was lined with fur of Chinese
nuchwanS dogs, and between the fur
and outer lining flexible electric hca;
units. connected by SILK covered wires.
with the dynamo OF the engine heated
the entire suit. In like manner his
headgear. gloves and moccasins were
heated