The Republican journal., 1922-08-17

pounds with all equipment, as climbed
in the plane.
The ascent was quite uneventful, and
made negatives from time to time, Keep
ing a record of the indicated elevation al
which each was made. | started TO use
oxygen at 1000 feet. As we got near
the $4,000 mark it became evident that
we could not hold our position over
Dayton-the west wind was blowing US
east faster than our motors would pull
against it.
For some fifteen minutes we lowered
around the "a, mark, now little
above, now little below. The big plane
rolled slugeshly in the thin air, inclined
at a considerable angle upwards, with the
motors doing their best to pull US higher
Finally Laneham gave me the sign that
we could go no higher | cut over from
one oxygen supply to the other and then
piled over the side of the ship and sprang
clear of the rudder wires. 1t was very
quickly over-in fact lieutenant Wade
did not know | was gone until Sergeant
Langham pointed out my parachute few
seconds later, far below and quarter Of
mile to the rear of the ship.
A sharp pull of the small steel rip cord;
almost instantly a tug from behind, and
my eyes, already turned towards my left
shoulder, had a momentary glimpse of
the parachute partly open-pear shaped
in appearance. A violent jerk followed
the merest fraction of second later, and
l knew that | was successfully launched.
The estimated speed of the ship. in the
thin upper air, with motors full on, was
10 miles ali hour, and the | / pound steel
oxygen bottle strapped to my leg was re-
luctant to stop when the parachute called
a halt. | realized that something was
giving way and made grab for the steel
bottle just as it slipped out of the lower
straps. the upper ones having broken. |
took few puffs from the tube, but was
falling so fast that soon realized that |
did not need the tank, so tucked it under
one of my shoulder straps.
Far above me got an occasional glimpse
of the big bomber still fighting its way
towards Dayton, but soon lost sight of
it. The chute rocked and tossed in the
rough air like a wild thing trying to
break free. Now il would be an angle of
40 degrees to the north, then at similar
angle TO the east, and instantly whip over
to the west or south.
After ten minutes of this | began to get
awfully seasck. The country passed un-
der me rapidly, in fact very much as if
were being carried along IN an airplane.
Back of me was Dayton on one side and
Springfield on the other; Xenla was off to
the right. | could see perhaps 90 miles in
any direction In the clear air. Ahead
noticed that my line of flight was almost
exactly in line with a straight stretch of
road leading into jamestown.
For me thought | would land near
jamestown, but such was the strength of
the wind that | really landed five miles
beyond the town, or nearly thirty miles
from where left the bomb-r.
| was miserably seasick and | pulled !
the side of the chute way down to side +
slip it and make it fall faster The oxy-
gen bottle had slipped from time to time,
only to be pushed back, but suddenly it
slid from under my shoulder strap as if it
had been creased. A frantic grab for it,
but it was gone. looked down, TO see it
tumbling over and over, until in few
seconds it vanished as a speck. Fortu-
nately was over open fields at the time.
Now Jamestown is far behind me.
am getting within couple of thousand
feet of the ground. The air is still rough
but not nearly so bad as higher up. Ahead
is a small forested patch of some ten
acres. sideslip the chute to the right
10 avoid these trees.
Now | can see my shadow travelling
across the fields Ahead is a freshly
ploughed field that | would like to land
n, but the wind carries me over it. There
s big single tree, but | pass it to the
right. Then barbed wire fence, which
am glad not to be swept against. Ahead
IS grain field, with the grain some two
feet high. The whole field rises at me.
as whole, with terrifying swiftness.
realize that am going TO hit hard, and
assume a crouching position in the har-
ness. Now-Whoof!
Well, that's overl The chute whips
and pillows its silken folds along the
waving surface of the grain. Some farm
ers appear in the distance, but have al
ready got out of the harness and heavy
flying suit They tell me l looked rather
gray for ten minutes. l don't deny it; it
was rough voyage.