The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1926-04-08

: an interesting turn and my frienc
Huxsol of Wolf Point, Montan;
(his maiden air trip is the cen
ter of attention. AS we approach
the Channel the motor just to oul
right begins to spit and with eacl
spit or miss the whole ship quiz.
ers; my friend asks me what
think of it-noting his fear, ]
tried to allay his feelings with as
surance of safety. all the while
knowing that something was
wrong. The pilot in the front
cockpit, hidden from u view,
has slowed the motor down and
is placing the added burden on
the other two; the jerking is more
pronounced and as we approach
land it becomes noticeable to all.
We are, however, now off the wa
ter and a sigh of relief is breath
ed by all. We glide along an
other twenty miles whea the pilot
opens the throttle wider and, as
we are watching the whirling
field, the propeller shears off COM
pletely; one-half of it shooting
up through the upper wing and
the other half through the lower
wing. The ship gave a sudden
lurch and for a moment we felt
the pilot lose control, but he was
simply swinging the ship around
to make for an airdrome some
twenty miles distant. By the in
dicator we could see that we
were losing altitude rapidly and
our eyes were glued to earth
searching out a landing place.
For twenty minutes (Which SEEM
ed like SO many hours) we flut-
tered about, going down and
down. My friend across the aisle
now like a plaster-paris
bust; petrifed with fear, save
that his teeth We're giving forth
a pronounced chatter and his
knees were beating a tattoo on
The chair ahead of him. I spoke
20 him in a most hopeful way and
told him that if his conduct at
nome had been what it was since
ne Joined me on this trip that he
should have no fear of death;
too, that we all had to die
1nce and that perhaps there were
enough pill-mixers hereabouts any,
way. All the while I watched the
Indicator and the distance yet
the big bump. The ship
rave a forward lurch which near
threw us upon u faces, then
;traightened out again and the
light wing just brushed the tops
If two big oak trees end a tele-
phone line; a heavy bump, another
Jump and we came to a stop, just
EN- feet in front of a sturdy fence
md two feet from a telephone
,ole. For a moment no one said
1 word; then in one accord there
vas a clapping of hands and a
.ound of congratulations; HuX
anne to life, went out and pressed
he. oil-bespattered pilot to his
BOSOM so that his boiled shirt
.ront was a blotch of grease. ]
lever saw anyone in such a state
f profound JOY. :
Worse Than Supposed h
Anyway it was a close call; we
earned that not only was the side
motor out of commission but that
he front motor, too, vas not
unctioning and was throwing oil 9
yer the pilot so that he could a
arely see. This is why he could b
OF hold the ship in the air. There 2
ras also the fire danger and d
lcky, too, were we that the fly 2
lg propeller did not cut the con-
.ol wires or that it flew outward h
lstead of into the cabin. F
We were now some seventy-fve e
lies from London; u pilot was o
wireless communication with Y
eadquarters from the time theft
'opeller gave way and in Lon II
IN two other planes were tuning g.
, to come to our rescue, either a
take US or our corpses owe to
,ndon-they were bound to fin
/ the trip for us. At dusk, then, a
) stepped into another plane and d.
on made our port. A