The Holly chieftain., 1923-09-06

OF the most proficient pilots in the
service. The new pilot had one pecu-.
liar habit. Whenever he went up for
flight he carried small travelling bag.
explaining that he had an Instructive
dislike for sleeping without his own
pajamns; and that In the event of d
forced landing compelling him to stop
In distant hamlet over night he de-
sired his own soap and toilet articles.
One day he appeared on the field
prepared for scheduled altitude
flight. He wore his best uniform and
carried the bag. He was Inst seen at
an altitude Of 10000 feet flying toward
the coast.
Months passed, and years. Hostili-
ties ceased.
One day British representatives in
Holland were informed that the re-
mains Of an English plane still lay
where 1t had landed safely, and then
had been destroyed by its own pilot,
who had alighted close to the German
border and had then escaped across
the frontier. The serial number on the
wreckage was ample evidence that 1t
was the plane In which the missing
pilot had ascended. It then developed
that coincident with his disappearance
there were missed plans and descrip-
tions of at least nine Of the latest
types Of fighting planes then being
developed in the United Kingdom.
| OF late flying has become as COM
monplace as other means Of transport,
that is, for the persons engaged In IL.
But It was only two years ago that
Lieut.. Alexander Pierson, en- route
from Ell Paso. Texas. to Florida, was
lost In Mexico for IL days. He rode
up out Of the southern republic on a
mule. His plane lay at the bottom Of
a deep canyon into which he had
glided when his motor stalled.
| His experience was relatively peace
full, however, to that Of Lieut.. Ross
M. Hardendorf. one of the pilots with
the Atlantic fleet. whose motor stalled
10000 feet over the sea off the west
coast Of Cuba in May. 1920. Harden
DORIS plane turned upside down when
he struck the water. He climbed on
top Of 1t and was arranging his hand
kerchief on a wing strut as distress
signal when he was rudely interrupted
by school OF man-eating tiger sharlss.
They charged him in droves, singly and
in pairs. Hardendorf spent all after
noon fighting them off. A seaplane
passed, but did not stop. the pilot evil
IDENTIFY not seeing the tiny object be-
low. Night fell and Hardendorf was
confronted with the possibility of tear
Ing his plane to pieces, because he was
forced to use wooden braces, struts
and wing ribs as weapons.
One after another he broke the light
bits of wood across the noses of the
sharks He stood on his overturned
plane throughout the night. Morning
brought the sun and terrible thirst,
thirst such as only shipwrecked sail
ors with salt spray flecking the lips
can know. After hours of labor the
aviator fashioned makeshift evapo-
rator from tubes and piping secured
from the machine. With this he got
about quart Of brnckish water. Late
that second afternoon another sea-
plane passed overhead and this time
circled and dropped down alongside
the wreck. Hardendorf collapsed as
he was lifted aboard. He spent two
weeks In the hospital. At that his
luck was better than that of the three
British seaplanes which disappeared
OF the Irish coast in February Of that
year. They were not found.
Details of hardship and adventure
survive only with the victors in the
struggle with the elements Near
Tabora, In that part of the Dark Con.
tinent formerly paying tribute to the
Kaiser under the name Of German
East Africa, are scattered parts of
the largest Of the British nirplanes
which in February, 1920, set out on
| the eventful flight from Cairo to Cape
Town. All Of the planes came to grief
| In one way or another.