Letters F rom the Front DAUPHIN BOY TELLS HOW - YANKEES ARE LEARNING TO FLY FIGHTING MACHINES Just how much is to be learned by American flyers who are now prac ticing for the air battles that are to r-cme. Is vividly explained in the letter received by Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Shaffer, of Dauphin, from their son Walter J. Shaffer, now In France. Young Shaffer has progress ed far enough to try flying the won .lerful little Nieuports without an in structor. His letter follows: / Avord. France, October 31, 1917. Dear Mother: After several days' delay I got through the second class of double command and this morning the test er finished me with three rides. They Bure are speedy things up at this school. I told you how quick I was lent through the first class —only four rides —well, I only got that many in the second class. I had a wonderful moniteur, though a man with a sense of humor, something •are Indeed among French moniteurs. Rather, I should 6ay, he was not so excitable, like the majority of other teachers, who threaten to go through the top wing, so excited do they get in telling one how rank one's fly ing is. Of course, we are awr.re of the fact; but it is not very pelasant to have it rubbed in. This moniteur was dif ferent, and when you came down and landed and the machine had coasted to a stop, he throttled the engine down, turned around In his seat and springing a smile containing a per fect set of teeth, he quietly explained in his few words of English, where your mistakes were made then It was "aller" (pronounced alley), meaning hurry, and away we shot down the field and up In the air again. The first time we come down to land though, I made such a bone headed mistake, that even he got ex cited, and I don't wonder because I was nosing "her" straight for Mother Earth. f You see I had been used to a Gifts Practical and Beautiful The truly ideal Christmas gifts are those things for the Home which will last a life time and can be put to daily use and enjoy ment. A simple and inexpensive gift which is carefully chosen, will oftentimes call forth more real appreciation than something pretentious and far more costly. A FEW SUGGESTIONS Electric Lamps Mahogany Sewing Oak Tea Wagons Tj 1 fj|H'l FTA Smokers' Stands ~p In All Woods ' u >T . Mahogany Candlesticks f :Comfortable Chairs or i I Rockers °f AU Kinds \w Tapestry or Leather 1 Tabourettes Pedestals Davenport Tables WLibrary Tables N Make your selection now while the stock is large. We are sure you will be a purchaser. FA CKLER'S 1312 Perry Street | i kIJAY EVENING, lIARRISBtJRO W*|WV TEtEGRXPH - DECEMBER?, ISO9i Candron which take their own glid -1 ing angle when the engine Is stop ped. A Nieuport is different though, and If let do as It pleases when mo tor is dead, will head straight for the ground. Of course, I didn't know this but I soon found it out. So when he cut the engine, the control, which I had been holding with two fingers suddenly became awful heavy and wanted to go forward. How was I to stop it? So not understanding tills queer action, 1 let it go forward, with the result that we stood right on our nose and added about 30 miles more onto our original 100. Then it was that the merry monl teur turned around, gave nie a pierc ing look that would have shriveled a less hardy man, and began spout ing French at an enormous rate. All this took but several seconds, and seeing that I did nothing to correct the drive, he finally pulled it up him self. I made the landing and then he explained that the Nieuport was a nose-heavy airplane and had to be held up when the engine was shut off. Having got the hang of the thing we did no more sensational acro batics, but it did surprise me the weight that seemed to be on the other end of the stick when we came down. It really seemed that I was holding up the moniteur, who set so watchfully in the front seat. After four trips he declared me "tres brien," which sure did surprise me, and I was still more surprised when he told me I made all the landings myself, because I had thought he helped with every one. Picks Stones On account of the congested con dition of the central field near the camp they had moved the second class to a large field some distance from the camp, to which we were taken in a truck. Having finished with me, the chief pilots of this field started nie with the others to pick ing stones off the field, and it amus ed me to think of where I had done that hateful job before. Only this time it was not because it prevented the com from coming up and made homing hard for tired little boys, but because the stones cut the tires, which is rather dangerous when one lands going 100 miles an hour or more. I did not mind though, for wasn't I bound for the solo class — that is, if I passed the tester. The next day, which was yesterday, did not make me very happy because I had a lazy moniteur—a little shrimp of a man who thought more of talk ing than our anxiety to finish up. And there we sat a'.l day long, and it was a beautiful day, listening to this little chump's aimless chatter and watching our more fortunate comrades going past us. Not a thing did that moniteur do all day, and we Americans sat there keep ing the grt.ss warm and our feet cold, getting madder and madder ev ery minute. The F'irst Up Naturally, by the end of the day we were a pretty grouchy crowd, and this morning: when the captain of the school made a little speech and told us If we did not get through in a specified time we would be shipped down to Pau, anyway, giv er a 110-liorsepower 18-meter Nieu port and sent up to do aerobatics, anyway our tempers were not im- proved any. Why didn't he talk to the monlteurs? I was first on the list and he took me up. I made an awful landing the first time and I thought my chances were all gone, but he gave me two more and pro nounced me "flnls," so I will prob ably get a char.ce to fly a Nleu port alone this afternoon. How They Eat „ So far we have not had "tripe at the "ordinair," but their methods of feeding us would certainly not meet with your approval. Merely watching them cleaning off the ta ble with a moist broom and letting the crumbs, which are pretty large at times, on the floor where they fall, would shock your housewifely instincts. I might tell you that we wash our table tools in the soup and dry them with bread, but you might be reading this at the table. Last night, though, I had a queer and somewhat startling experience when I was awakened by a rat promenad ing across my face. Believe me, if he thought he was on Fifth avenue, he must have thought a German bomb was exploded under it, be cause I sure rose up and reached for a shoe suddenly. Unfortunate ly, though, I could find nothing to throw at it, but a little later I heard my moonlight excursionist gnawing away at some wood above me some where. I thought probably he was enjoying my candle, having grown tired of moqtilight. He must have like the change, too, because in the morning about fourteen centimes worth of my ten-centime candle was missing, and when I reached in my coat pocket for my breakfast of war bread I realized where the noise of gnawing wood came from, for it was all cleaned out. He must have been a young rat, because he didn t tackle the trusts. Neither did I. So I went without breakfast and in this manner passed my test for solo work. Do you wonder I made a bad landing the first time? Have to go to class now. Unmannerly Pets I am not the only one that is bothered with the rats. They love others just as much. Several nights ago my friend Van Fleet, who sleeps across the aisle, was awakened by a noise on the shelf above his head. It seems two rats had discovered a jar of jam he was looking forward to eating for breakfast. One rat acted the hog and crawled inside the jar. The other, getting jealous, pushed rat and all off the shell, much to the dismay and surprise of Van who had just been awake long enough to know the meaning of the noise and was feeling around silently on the floor for a shoe, when noise, jam and rats landed on his face. That sort of spoiled the party, for the rats at least, not to mention ruining Van's beauty and GINGEROLE For Rheumatic Pains and Colds in Chest, Pleurisy Tonsilitis and Bronchitis Cures coughs, chest colds and sore throat over night without stom ach drugging. Stops headache, tooth ache and earache in 10 minutes. Speedily ends lumbago, neuralgia and neuritis, and promptly stops rheumatic pains and reduces swollen joints, swollen glands, and banishes pain and soreness from varicose veins. Never be without this great house hold remedy, for there is nothing so good for sprains, strains, sore mus cles, swelling bruises, stiff neck and backache. Thousands successfully use it to draw the agony from sore, painful, burning feet Be sure it's GINGEROLE —"the ointment with the ginger"—it will not blister the tenderest skin. 25 cents. All first class druggists can supply you. Money back if not satisfied. —Adv. religion. The next night they, calmly climbed in his suitcase and helped themselves to' his chocolate. I think I'll adopt one its a mascot They are so nervy one has to re spect them. One even went so far as to eat through a pair of trousers to get some war bread. Pour Rides Had four rides alone this after noon and found it very easy; in fact. I enjoyed It So did the monl teurs in charge, for they were the most amusing Frenchmen I ever nieet AJI Frenchmen are actors, of course, but these two took the cake with their pantomime of now scared a Frenchman looked when he took his first ride. And then when a Russian made a get away that looked like a black snake doing a figure eight and evidently forgot how to turn the machine when he did get in the air. many and amusing were the remarks of these two. one wanting to know whether he was going back to Pe ti-ograd, since he kept in a straight finally did begin to turn somb five miles away the other wanted to know which front he was hound for. The Imitation of how the i< renchman looked and what he did hls breath-taking getaway was ® funniest He imitated so exactly the protruding eyes the nervousness of his hands and feet and finally his actions while in the ? „ J really was sorry for the fel hiT'i, J! coulf ? not he 'P laughing at his ludicrous imitation. „. Psychology of Flying The French seem to have the psy chology of flying down pretty pat, because a better place for two such n . ot b e found, for they made light of everything that might mTnrf , tr , aeic - In thls way our * oft the that one must forget—a probable smash. Americans had a most amusing time and were ready to declare these two moniteurs the finest fel lows in France. First we were with ° ° f o „ them < a stockily-built man who had a monocle made of a wire Pn* strutted around affecting an who gave us one ride r ° n gPinkham*s Veg. 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The Americans are supposed to pick the art of flying up quicker than the Frenchmen, so we only got one ride where the Frenchmen re quire three. Having such a reputa tion, the four Americans were lined up and sent up one right after an other, the moniteur being afraid the Frenchmen would break the plane up after he saw one of them give an exhibition of a serpentine dance getting off the ground. My turn came real quick and, having learned from my comrades how to manage the engine, away I went, came down, made a fair landing, and was surprised when the moniteur came up, shook my hand heartily and said, "Good pilot," In his brok en English, and Bent me over to the tall boy, who soon gave me a ma chine which a Fren£h lieutenant had just finished driving. From the way he landed he nearly finished the whole machine, leveling oft some twenty feet up and pancaking down, thus hitting very hard and bending the axle. Lieutenant or not, I called the big boy's attention to it, so I would not be blamed for making a bad landing. He promptly "bawled" the FrencJjy out, and then gave me some directions In French. I dont understand French, but I got the point of that, thankk you, be cause he used his hands quite freely to explain what would happen to me if I did not get the machine off in a straight line or tried any grand stand stunts either ignorantly or on purpose while in the air. He punc tuated the whole conversation by an eloquent gesture toward the class of "J-cats" nearby, to which I would be sent In case of failure, a threat that did not fail In Its effect to make me more careful, for they are big double-motored Candron machines with an enormotis spread of wing. Isure would feel disgraced if I was sent on them. Furthermore, I doubt if I could run one, as I have trouble enough thinking about regulating one motor, let alone two. However, I got away to a good start. Into the air and found it very easy, much easier, in fact, than flying a Can dron. Easy Work There was none of that muscular effort required which is so much in demand while flying a Candron, and the ease with which I ambled right along was surprising, considering how little I had to worry about Gee, but they are light little ma chines, and one does not mind their terrific speed of 100 miles —the next class travels 125—1n fact, one hardly notices it until one comes down to land and then one realizes how fast these Nieuports travel. Not only the air is full of planes, but when coming down to land more trouble arises, as machines are land ing and running along the ground in every direction, so one has to keep all his wits about him and steer a course clear of obstacles. Seeing a Nieuport and a "J-cat" all in a heap as you come rushing earth ward is not what you might con sider conducive to one's peace of mind, but that is one of the things you are supposed to forget I have a fairly good forgetter, so it don't bother me. Maybe you would call It confidence, for I have that. Any way, listening to and watching these two comical monlteurs made me see the amusing side of these little in cidents. I remember distinctly com ing down one time and seeing a Nieuport upside down. It present ed such an amusing spectacle that I mentally compared it to a diseased chicken with its toes turned up. About that time I noticed one of those ugly-looking "J-cats" rolling glowly along the ground, directly crossing my Intended landing place, so I gave "her" a little rudder and came ahead of him, and he, seeing 'that 1 %ms determined to land in front of him, stopped and gave me the right of way. I took it and near ly upset landing. Oh, yes, I lit all right, but I forgot to push the rud der to the right as soon as my wheels lilt, so went around to the left These tricky machines have a ten dency to scoot off to the left when ever they are landing, and one must catch them with the rudder before they get started, or around you go in a circle. That is where the pen guin training comes in bandy b cause It teaches one to be quick with the rudder. Wonderful Experience 'Tls wonderful to fly these Nieu ports, they are so fast and surpris ing as it may seem, very stable. Be sides, they can bo controlled with two fingers, and this ease of opera tion enables one to view the scen ery. Goodness knows, one needs the time to look around, because there are all types of machines in the air, and, although collisions in, the air nre rare, they happen once In a while, so one must needs watch out. I have only had three flights In them alone so far, but that was Buy Dandy Y Line Shoes MADE BY DEVINE 8t YUNGEL Something New Ladies, Just the Shoe You Are Looking Fbr HAVANA BROWN High top, military heel, IS.fO value. CQ Special For Friday and Saturday only, ... Slippers of all kinds for Christmas A gift sure to please Our Extensive line awaits your Inspection extra special value* at $1.25 and $1.50 DandYLine Shoe Store 202 MARKET STREET " Opposite Old Commonwealth Hotel 13 enough to vamScm m* understand why j on* humorous American said that. they were BO sensitive that on* "wished" them around. And, in- 1 deed, he put It very aptly. b*caus* one hardly need move the controls an eight of ah inch to go around la, a close circle. And to think I was running a linotype last summer when such exciting and interesting sport could be gotten for the ask ing. I And now I am getting sl*epy and If to-morrow is a good day I'll have a busy time of It. Anyway, this let ter Is getting big enough for an "P. M." to carry, so X will say good, night and go back to the rat-Infested stable I call home. 1 -WALTER.
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