Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-31

parachute. I put the fashlight in o
pocket Of my flying suit preparatory TO
slipping the chute out of the way If
necessary.
The plane was making left spiral
Of about mile in diameter, and passed
approximately 800 yards from my
chute, leaving me on the outside Of
the circle.
IT was undecided whether the plane
or was descending more rapidly. I
glided my chute away from the spiral
as rapidly as / could. The ship passed
completely out of sight, but reappeared
in a few seconds, its rate OF descent
being about the same as that of the
parachute. counted five spirals, each
one a little farther away than the lest,
before reaching the top of the fog bank.
When settled into the fog knew
the ground was within 1000 feet. 1
reached for my fiashlight but found IL
missing.
Il could see neither fog nor stars
and had no idea what kind Of territory
from straddling a branch or wire,
guarded my face with my hands-and
waited,
Drops Into Corn Field.
Presently, saw an outline of the
ground, and a moment later was down
in a corn field. The corn was over
my head and the chute was lying On
top Of the stalks. I hurriedly packed
it and started down a corn row. In a
few minutes I came to stubble field
and some wagon tracks which I fol-
lowed to the fa1nyard a qusrter-m1le
away"
Now a Caterpillar OF the Third
Degree, Lindbergh continued flying air
mail all the Winter of 1925. He few
on clear starlit nights and nights on
which the earth below and heaven
above were blotted by fog. Aside from
that, he faced binding snow and slant
ing sleet.
The circumstances surrounding his
winning of the Fourth Degree were
analogous to the preceding jump.
Flying north from ST. Louis on the
night of November 8, he encountered
night about rs miles north of Spring
field The ceiling hung around 40C
feet and a slight snow was falling.
Passing Pekin, he flew at an alti-
meter reading of 900 feet for about five
minutes when lightness of the ground
haze indicated Peoria. Twice he coulc
see lights on the ground. He descended
10 less CildA SOU lCSt bCIOLC tiiOS VIC
appeared.
After circling Peoria for 30 minutes
he tried to find better weather by ny
ing northeast toward Chicago. He hac
ferried a ship from Chicago to st. Louis
in the early afternoon and at thai
time the ceiling was much better neal
Chicago than elsewhere along the
route.
Enough gas for about an hour ant
10 minutes flying remained in the ga.
tank and 20 minutes in the reserve
hardly enough to return to st. Louis
even had he been able to navigate d.
rectly to the field by dead reckoning
and flying blind the greater part Of
the way Territory toward Chicago
was more favorable for night landing
For the next half hour he few north.
east at about 1000 feet altitude anc
then 800 feet. Numerous riffs showed
in the clouds. Occasionally grounc
lights were visible over 500 feet.
Climbed to Make Jump.
He pulled to 900 feet, released the
parachute flare, whipped the ship
around to get into the wind and under
the flare and lit at once. Instead 81
floating down slowly, however, 1t drop
ped like a rock. He saw the ground
for an instant, then total darkness.
Meantime the ship was in steer
bank. Blinded by the intense glare
from the descending flare, the pilot
had trouble righting 1t.
Then he decided to leave rather than
attempt blind landing.
He turned southwest toward less pop