The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1928-04-20

floor of the plane. Providence
was good to us. Our Irish com.
paniOn discovered the fault ana
repaired it. The leak was stop
ped, the flight proceeded.
In the meantime the storm had
become so terrific that the ma
chine nearly stood upright in the
air. It was dashed about like
frail little bird we have observed
in high wind. We pushed
through the clouds and fog banks
and. we saw the tumultuous ocean
below.
The airship ceased to fly any
longer. She danced. But she
withstood, she advanced. Hell
seemed upon US. We steeled our
selves, Forward. That was the
word. That was the deed.
Dawn always follows the dark.
He who does not believe in the
morrow had best stay at horne,
l cast a glance at the little golden
cross which hung in my cabin.
1t shone in the night like
beacon OF hope. My thoughts flew
home. What did they think Of
us? My mother who had lost my
father three days before our first
flight. had put a little heart in
my pocket before / started from
home. / repeated to myself,
Don't get soft; don't get weak"
We all three had been at the
front and flew now, as then, for
an ideal. Farther! Farther!
Night, fog and storm! The ma
chine gasped and trembled. From
2,0Uc feet we go down to 800 feet
in order to rise again.
Koehl, the founder of fog flying
in Germany now had a chance to
demonstrate his skill. He can
even master the fog at night. The
minutes seemed to be years. That
went on for many. many hours.
Was there to be no end to this
darkness? Now and then we could
see the stars. Then came ter
rible period for me. Lights APP
coast! A lighthouse Deception
to deceive us who hoped.
See Northern Lights
We were in the zone of the
northern lights. 1t meant we
must continue the flight Fog,
storm and night. Was there to
be no end to it? Yet the Polar
Star shines out in the most ter
rible night. 1t became our sign
post. our guide. The device for
lights over the instrument board
had been broken. Instead of light
the pilots got icy fog water in
their faces.
Storm, fog and night. A few
minutes of sleep now for Koehl.
then for Fitzmaurice. Turn and
turn about. Forward! Still no
daylight. but it will come. But,
whether it would come for us, we
knew not, but we hoped.
Bloody red the sun awOlze. Still
signs OF storms, yet beneath us
stretched the land. We had
reached the other continent and
We were flying.
Endless forests white with snow,
lonely and desolate. The flight
proceeded. Labrador? Probably.
The compass, due to the magnetic
variation. laughed at our attempts
to read it. On that subject ]
shall speak later on.
Then we were occupied with the
storm beginning anew. The sun
rose and beneath us always APP
peared the same picture. No house.
No village. A dead land. Yet we
were flying. Precipitous noun
tafns bare, or white with snow,
suddenly appeared and We were
forced to fly over them in the
bowling storm. Enormous rivers,
desolate and covered with ice
greeted Us. No trace of human
work as far as the eye could
reach.
Over Desert Of Snow
We could no longer doubt that,
on account of the deviation of the
compass, we were lost and knew
not our directions. Another point.
The fight with the angry elements
had cost US more benzol than we
could safely spare. Our supply
sank lower and lower in the tank.
But, why worry? Another pSter
noster. If we were lost, we would
be forced to land and become lost
in the desert.
Koehl mentioned later that he
would have felt himself the owner
of tremendous forest estates.
Never let us lose our humor. Then
We would be lost indeed. He who
has to die, must die like a. man,
but before, he must fight for his
life.
The brave Bremen did its ut
most. She knew what she owed
to her name and to her construc-
tor. No less brave were the pilots,
koehl and Fitzmaurice. ] had
taken off my fur coat again and
lay between the two tanks petri-
fled with the intense cold.
Farther! Farther! We have seen
a lot and have collected heaps OF
experience. Much can become of
great importance for the air traf-
fic Of the future. II we could
only pass the message on, would
it not be: In their hands I put
my life"
Lighthouse Is Sighted
We turned and searched. The
mountains disappeared. In front
of us frozen waters glistened.
Were we going to the North Pole?
No answer came from the COM
pass. The gasoline would be gone
in short time. Finish? Suddenly
Fjtzmaurice shouted:
"a boat
We were on the lookout. What
we mistook for boat was house
on the coast. We still had some
benZol. The house came nearer.
A lighthouse appeared. Men and
dogs were seen.
We were saved! A few minutes
later KOehI set the machine down
on the ice 18th mastery skill. it