FLYING WITH SHAFFER THE AIR BATTLE LETTERS FROM A DATTTHIN BOY TO HIS MOTHER Escadrille Spad 38, Secteur Postal 12, Juno 12, 1918. Dear Mother: You remember In my last letter I remarked on how narrow our land ing field is and how near I came to taking the wireless outfit along on one of my getaways? Well, those wires will not bother me any more, for they were most thoroughly and efficiently removed this morning. As I remarked when mentioning those wires before, "Some day some one will get off going crooked and then look out" And that was the very thing that did happen. It was one of those unexplainable, miraculous accidents, where every thing was smashed and nobody hurt, • for when he hit the wires his tre mendous speed swerved him into a pine tree, knocking down the pine tree. The Spad crashed into a small barracks and when I came running out to see the cause of the crash nothing could be seen of that Spad but the tail and half a wing sticking out the roof. Tho pilot, seemingly none the worse for wear, was being led around by two men. rubbing a bruised leg and picking glass out of his face. Outside of cuts on his face caused by his goggles breaking, the pilot was not hurt; neither were the four men who had been sleep ing in the barracks, although they did have to dig one man out of the debris. It was at a very early hour in the morning (3.30 a. TO.), SO you can Imagine the surprise of those four peacefully-sleeping men when the Spad dropped in via the roof. Enough to Wake the Dead There being several escadrilles here, each has his turn at early pa trol work. Whether we have It or not matters not*at all as far as sleeping is concerned, for the tre mendous racket caused by the many planes getting oft would wake the dead. One gets used to these noises, though, and soon learns to distin guish the meaning of different noises. For instance, it is quite easy to tell by the sound of the motor when the plane has left the ground, as it makes quite a different sound while running along the ground. Thus I heard this particular plane go off, roar over our barracks and then came a dull crash and every one crawled out to investigate. A shovel was needed more than an in vestigation. This morning we had the early patrol and were routed out at 3.30 a. m.. only to find we could do no work on account of the bad weather. There were to be six machines to start. Only five got off, and they came right down again on discovering the clouds at 300 meters. Getting off the ground myself, I chased around hunting the patrol leader and finally saw him down on the ground, his motor refusing to start, so I chased the others around the "piste" hunting the substitute leader. But one after another they all went down, and, having chased them all down, so to speak, I started to climb through the clouds to see how thick they were. After climb ing several hundred meters and still no end in sight I came down through again, fearing of losing my self. My motor began.missing then, so I came down and landed, my pro peller stopping as I leveled out to land. When I wanted to know why every one else came down, the uni versal verdict was "mauvais temps." Hair Removed l)x9lliraefc This method (or removing u --pevfluoua *alr Is totally different from all others because It attacks hair under the kiln as well aa on the akin. It does this by absorp tion. Only genuine DeMlraele has a money-back guarantee In each package. At toilet counters in •Oc, $1 and *2 sizes or by mall from us In plain wrapper on re ceipt of price. PRCP liook with testimonials of highest authorities, ex plains what causes balr on face, neck and arms, why it Increases and how DeMlrncle devitalises It, mailed In plain sealed envelope OR request. DeMlrncle, Park Ave. and 120 th St.. New York. Nervous Wrec k Live Wire Makes Everybody Sit Up and Take Notice One of our big league ballplayers had been goiAg back for some time, no matter how hard he tried he could not get his old-time Pep and Ginger into the game. It was uphill work all the time. He was one of those honest, hard-working fellows and it finally got his "goat." his nerves went bad, he commenced to run down, could not eat or sleep and kept steadily slipping. Doctors and medicines were of no help. One of his many admirers said to him, "Why not try Phosphated Iron, everybody Is boosting it." Grasping at the last straw, the poor fellow took a try at it. The way he came back was an "eye opener," he was there In every de partment of the game, his nerves were like Iron, he could hit the ball and no.tlme getting back to the three hundred mark, while his base •unning and fielding were great. Dlscusisng the matter with our reporter he said, "Would you believe it, I could feel the Iron charging my blood with health and strength, while the way the Phosphates steadied and renewed my nerve force was almost too good to be lieve. Phosphated Iron took hold of me right from the start and sure did make a new man of me. and you can bet I carry a good supply on all my trips." Doctors will tell you that you must have plenty of Iron and Phos phates In your system If you want pure red blood and steady nerves of Iron. Every one who 1b run down, nervous, tired and has that "all in" feeling should try Phos phated Iron and you will never be •without it again. Special Notice —To insure physi cians and patients receiving the gen uine Phosphated Iron we have put up in capsules only, so do not allow dealers to substitute pills or tablets, insist on the genuine In capsules only. For sain In Harilsburg by G. A. Gorgas 16 North Third street and Pennsylvania Railroad Station. FRIDAY EVENING, ' "Twas, indeed, a good excuse, for rottener weather to fly In I have yet to see. .TTp With a Dead Engine Speaking about the propeller stopping, yesterday my motor began acting badly and the 'propeller stopped dead while I was 2,000 me ters high. Fortunately, the "piste" was right beneath me, but even at that I had no desire to try aJld hit the field that way, for with a dead stick one has only one guess at cal culating his speed and distance. If he finds he has killed too much height and cannot, therefore, glide to a safe landing, or, just as bad, overshoots, there is no motor to pull him out o - his predicament There fore, being at such a comfortable height, I promptly stood on my nose, the tremendous speed acquired in this way starting the propeller again. It's one of the tricks we learned at Pau and I had not for gotten It, although I have never tried it since then, the trick being of little value on the front. Gener ally when the propeller stops in the air there is something radically wrong with the motor and no amount of coaxing will start it again. When I told you this was a combat escadrille I certainly used the right word, because every time I go up I get mixed up in a scrap. "Mixed" is right, too, for last night I sure fell among them—and only seven at that. You see, it was this way: Putman, who is now a lieutenant in the American Army, but still with the escadcille, had just come down from a fight in which he knocked three down. His motor was on the blink. The zest of the fight was still in him, though, and, taking an other plane, he was soon on his way again, with me ambling along be hind. I had not been able to start with him in the first patrol because my motor refused to start, but when he came down for another plane to get back in the fight, mine was working. Naturally, I wanted to go along. Even though my motor was working badly, I hung on, hoping the higher altitudes would make it work better. My hopes were real ized, for at 3,000 meters she begar singing a better song. By this tin we were over Rheims and, ar Jte from fiddling with the motor, wf/th ing the compass and ground to /feep my direction and my leader, /also had an eye out for the HUD /. But the sky seemed to be empty 6t these pests, for in all that spard of sky and clouds we two seem©'/ to be all alone. It appeared so /o me. but not so to Putman, for suddenly I saw him wiggle his A'ings —signal ■that a Boche is seen- -and immedi ately afterwards jumj up and down on his tail —signal he was going to attack. I saw the Huns, too, mere specks in the distance —seven of them and coming our way. Several being a little higher 'than us, Putman made a small detour, so by the time he was behind them he was also a lit tle higher. His motor being de cidedly better than mine, he ran right away from me, thus X never did follow him on that small de tour. However, when he dove I did also, picking out one of tho two highest Huns. He, the Hun, knew I was coming and acted accordingly, for such a turning and twisting you never saw; but still I kept coming, both guns spitting lead whenever I got my sight on him. Closer and closer I came, still shooting at my nervous target, but apparently no shots taking effect. Right down on top of him I came, only putting up when nearly on the point of col liding, he doing a sharp turn to escape at the last moment Being right over the seven then, I turned on the motor and pointed my nose toward Heaven to get away from their guns. Even then one was un der my tall and the Hun I had missed was swinging around Into a like position. Proof Wanted I have not been flying the Spad long, so It's a new plane to me, but II had heard it could outclimb any plane the Hun had—and right then was when 1 was going to proVe It; that Is, if my feelings hadn't got the bitter of my judgment, for, looking back at those two Huns coming up under me trying their best to plug me, I got decidedly sore and deter mined to swing right about face and have another crack. The idea was good, but Its execution was rotten, for I forgot I was aboard a hdavy Spad and not a light Morane and tried to turn too quickly. The re sult was, for one second I was near ly out of control, Incidentally nearly falling on the Hun. ' Quickly recov ering control, 1 gave up the Idea of making any more quick maneuvers, turned on the motor and put her to the climbing test. Whether the Spad actually outclimbed those Huns or whether they thought I ac tually tried to ram them on pur pose will never be known, but the fact remains they did not get to such close quarters again. Putman "Sore" Having climbed away from the seven "vultures," I looked around for Putman. He was several miles away and still climbing, for the rea son that he thought I was a Hun trying to climb over him. He ww very sore about it when he came down, bawling me out principally for not keeping up w(th him. ana when I remarked on how badly my motor was running he only blew up again. In that case I should have gone home, which. Indeed, was the truth; but I was sick and tired of coming back to camp with motor trouble. It happens so often in some of these Spads. Therefore, as long as she works fairly decently, I hang doggedly onto the patrol. It's a foal Idea, I know, and some day I'll tumble Into the trenches or a forest with a dead motor, but that would be preferred to getting the name of being afraid to go on the lines, as one pilot hero has. Every time he goes aloft he comes back with motoi* trouble. True, I didn't get my Hun in the last fight but at least I got close enough to suit even our commander —and me. Five bf the Enemy Several days ago we got in a fight with five Huns. There were five of we Spads arid, although we chased the Huns down, we didn't get any, because, as the "chef de patrol" said, our shooting was fit too long a range. This made our comman der decidedly angry, for he has quite a number of planes to his credit, to think that five Spads attacked Ave Huns and did not get a one. He gave us hail Columbia!. Even In that fight, I though I had one, since I saw some of my tracer bullets go Into one of the Kaiser's birds, and Immediately thereafter a lot of black smoke burst from his motor. I thought he was surely on Are. but no such luck, for when we drew off the five Huns were still all there, i WAKFfiil. • I "The Live Store" "Always Reliable" I 7 All | Straw Hats and Panamas I Half Price We certainly have been doing things at this "Live Store" chjring July I and the closing feature will be the "crowning" event for we're going to put "Straw Hats" and "Panamas" within reach of every man, young man and boy at such tempting prices that none will hesitate to part with their money lt will pay you to buy enough Straw Hats for next year as well as to finish out the best part of the present season Straw Hats are not a luxury they are a necessity, yet they will be very seriously affected by war conditions. Manufacturers are experiencing great difficulty in getting materials and finding storage room to take care of their next season's demands Who would want to be without a Straw Hat in the good old summer time? At present you can buy all the hats you want, it will pay you to provide and reserve a space in your home for one or two "Hats" when they can be had from the choice selection at Doutrichs Half Price Sale. I — All 'Straw Hats'* I 1 All *Straw Hats'l. I All 'StrawHats' I . All $3:52 'Straw I jt • Price AH 'Straw Hats' $9 50 Price I All $6.50 Panamas $3.25 All $7.50 Panamas $3.75 All $8.50 Panamas $4.25 I B°y s ' sl-50 Straw Hats 75c. All Boys's2 Straw Hats SI.OO AU Boys' $3.50 Straw Hats $1.75 I 'l'(WtSmtm P a ' m Beach Week Ends Tomorrow I 111 Jll lp Palm Beach Week ends tomorrow—my! what a week g Hmai this has been You could see .the Palm Beach expression written on I h pi! 1 fj|k -jM ttCf r J men's faces when they entered this "Live Store" this week We've never seen them so 8 lit IP good for the money Why do we sell twelve, fifteen and eighteen dollar Palm Beach S 131 fa (f W Suits at such low prices when we could) almost hand them out at our original prices with -1 H out saying a word during this hot spell? Well in the first place, we need the room I |pg| mi ( and next, we know how much you will appreciate the - I I<B comfort you had these frightfully hot days by having invested only $975 I V U .1111 f. M m m I r;';: Jyy|(y I r . The price we ask for all Palm Beach and Kool Kloth suits would justify the purchaser if you only wore the suit this week How about it Mr. Man? Think it over then act quickly don't delay Buy that Palm Beach Suit now. / , f' '' m * • HAHRISBTJRG ttiSk TELEGRAPH JULY 26,1918. 11
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