Newspapers / Shelby Daily Star (Shelby, … / Oct. 18, 1929, edition 1 / Page 9
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Hack In The Days When Lindy Was A “Barnstomer”In Plane -- f ■ ... " ' -.— "■ .— ■■■■■ The wire braces screamed so that they could be heard a mile away as the plane shot downward 1,000 feet and the pilot struggled’ to bring hts ship out of the left spin. On the ground, in front of the hangar at the St. Louis air field, a friend, who now tells the story, watched with his heart in his mouth, unable to do anything. It was a flight to test a new plane that had developed into this perilous situation. 'Three thousand feet up, we read in The Popular Science Monthly, the brave aviator had tried, for test put poses, to go into a right spin so that the torque, or twisting force of the motor, would bring him out of it Three-times he tried, but the ma chine would not rpspond. HesKP the left, spin that now seemed so iiko'y to end in death, While the flyer was still 2,000 up, we are told by Randy Enslow, the friend who was oratch ing, former air "barnstormer" and now one of the country's ending pilots “he crawled out on £he fuse lage back of his seat, hanging on like a leechl ready to jump with his parachute. But he didn’t jump. He, pulled himself back into the cockp’t again and came down 1,700 feet more trying to save thej ship. He was only 300 feet above the groiyid when he jumped, but he wasn't hurt a bit.” That. Mr. Enslow tells us. was the closest, his friend. Col. Charles A. Lindbergh, ever came to being sill ed—and to us it Seems more than close enough. Mr. Enslow has con tributed to The Popular Science Monthly an entertaining account of j a little-known phase of the New'j York-Paris flyer’s career, when the j two of them "barnstormed” over the ' Middle West. It came about by ac cident, the writer tells us, continu It was this way. we were norn living in St. Louis in 1924. Hu had sold an old war-time "Jenny'* to a boy living up at Oe'.wein. Iowa. The kid gave him a deposit of twcnty Tive dollars, or something like that, and flew off home. He was suppos ed to send some more money each month until the plane was paid tor When nothing came from Oe'wein for three months, “Slim” askel me to fly him up to see what was the matter. I had built a J-l Standard, the type of ship the army used to ‘rain pilots on before the war. It was built with home-made spars, a second hand engine and dusty fittings that I painted over. But it flew like a bird. When we climbed aboard, we didn’t have much money In our pockets. We never did In those days. At Oelwein, we found that the boy had gone off as a traveling violinist with a carnival. His moth er had sold the "Jenny” for five dollars. &he said she was afraid somebody would get hurt by the propeller. The buyer had come dow n in a perfect one-polnt landing— right on the nose—the first time he tried to fly the ship, and it was a total wreck. So we started to pay for our trip. Our stock in trade was carrying passengers. But we would do stunts and wing-walking, and put on little one-plane air circuses of our ov.n We did everything that would bring in dimes. Sometimes we would race automobiles at country fairs. We got seventy-five dollars for each race. Above those little half-mile dirt tracks we would have to bank the plane almost straight up and down and buzz around like a fly In a bottle. As I remember it, we al ways won. But we used to throttle down the motor until the last lap to give the spectators a run for their money. On that last lap, we would show the boys what the ship could do. Once we new into a town wiin “Slim” on the wing. When we land ed. an old lady came up .and uskcd^ “Which one of you young men was that out on the fender?” ‘SUm’s,’ favorite Joke in those days used to be the one about the farmer who saw a pilot crack up in his cornfield and wipe off the landing gear and break the propeller. The farmer’s wife asked her husband what, hap pened. ‘Oh not much,- he said; ‘he just broke the truck and paddle’ Frcm Iowa, we barnstormed down into Missouri, and then over into Illinois, spending most of the year at it. After I d been out on the road for a week with “Slim” I always In vestigated a bed before I jumped into it. If T didn't, I usually sat down on a cccklebur or had June bugs crawling up my back. I got so I kept an eye on him during the day. If I saw him stoop over and pick up anything as we walked a cross a field, I knew It was another cocklebur or bug, and governed my self accordingly. On one of their barnstorming trips during this part of Lindy's career, the adventurers left St. Louis with seventy-five cents be tween them, we learn, reading on: “Slim” flew the ship down to Greenfield, Missouri. *The school children heard us buzzing around overhead Just before recess. When we landed. It broke up the school. All the kids came out and a bunch went up for rides. After a while the teachers and the townsfolks came along and went up tocf We would take turns at the stick. By night, we had a hundred and seventy-five dollars. I'll never forget how “Slim” dumped it all out on the bed in the hotel. The pile looked as big as a strawstack. At night, we would stake the ship down, or tie its tail to a stump and leave it backed into the wind like a Missouri mule. One time, when we left it tied down like that in a field in Illinois a tornado came through the-country and headed rght that way. But just before the twister reached the spot, it gave a Jump and came down several miles be yond. The ship wasn't even scratch ed. Here Mr. Enslow tells part of the inside story of how he helped his pal to enjoy his honeymoon In quiet —well comparative quiet, at least, Thus: Knowing the way he loves a prac tical joke, I can imagine how» he enjoyed giving the reporters the slip cn his honeymoon. He let me in on some of the fun. I was one. of the handful who knew he was out in his motor-boat when the papers were reporting him In a dozen places at once. I flew his Falcon plane from Curtiss field as though to meet him, to throw reporters off the scent. As soon as I climbed Into the cockpit to warm up the motor, a fast Fairchlld-Wasp was wheeled out of a hanger behind.me. When I took off, the Fairchild was right on my trail, carrying the newspaper men, I headed north over Long Is land, gaining a couple of miles an hour on the Fairchild. I kept climb ing for altitude, watching a fog bank that was rolling In below. A bout thirty minutes out from the field. I did a wing-over, dove into the fog and headed back toward New York, flying blind. When I thought I was nearing the big buildings, I zoomed up out of the fog and looked around. Nobody in sight. So I scooted for Schenectady and started the papers off on an other wrong lead. I have seen Lindbergh half a doz en times since he flew to Paris. Each time he has been the same old “Slim.” If he has changed at all, isn't in the direction of forgetting his old friends. That I know. The incident of the spin was not Lindy’s only close call. Mr. Enslow remembers this occurrence, at a small t/>wn in Missouri. “Slim" was doing his stuff out on the wings. We usually circled around a place two or three time* to get everybody out. and then came down In a careful landing to Im press the people with * he aafety of flying. This time, we kept on circling. "Slim" looked over to see wh.v we didn’t go down. I made motions, pointing to the throttle. He crawled in to sec what was the matter. I shouted In his ear: “The throttle's stuck. Can’t shut the motor off.” So "Slim” crept to the front of the wing and poked his hand In back of the engine. He found a can of motor oil we carried for emer gencies had jarred under the throt tlearm and wedged. He tugged and pulled, but he couldn't get It out. He teld me to cut the switch, and down we came in a dead-stick land tag, But that was nothing new. We were always making dead-stick land tags. The only Instruments In the old Standard were a tachometer, an altimeter, and an oil-pressure gauge. And sometimes they didn't work. Water would get Into the gaa tank, or maybe dirt— we couldn’t take any too good care of the ship oftentimes—and down we would come with a dead engine. (Continued from pace four.) worn with propriety now are skin colored, and were it not for the seam that runs north from the heel, it would be a Job to tell whether she had or had not. Hats are out of style if they are not worn entirely out within 3 days after they leave New York, end men know that a little lS-cent rag that flops down over the ea-s like a fly-swatter costs from $9.98 to $38.98, and while they are all prac tically alike and of the same value, our wives want the highest priced ones. Powder puffs changed yesterday from a cream white to a pink i>uff. Wrist watches now must be held on with a silver bracelet, and not with ribbons that were the go last Saturday. Why, we even have to change the mountings In our wives’ engagement rings at least 3 times a year. It’s a flop between platinum and gold and silver and pig-iron. Just any thing for a change, and the Jew eler usually gets all of it. Win dow curtains are disgraceful from one prayer-meeting to another, and rugs ain’t fit for nothing unless they are less than 5 installments old. Oh, well, we’re all ruint anyhow, so why worry? Shoes For Men Acorn’s super-quality Shoes are recognised for their style, quality and low price by the wise and thrifty buyer. Every pair guaran teed. Priced— I — MEN’S DRESS SHIRTS — Good quality shirt in white and other colon —guaranteed fast colors—an Acorn special 98c Other Dress Shirts priced at— $1.29 to $1.95 — MEN’S TIES — All the latest styles in pure silk Ties. Priced— 79c and 98c Men Your Fall Clothes Are Here ALL-WOOL SUITS Latest styles and patterns for Fall and Winter. BrcSvns are very pop ular this season, and the darker shades predominate as usual. You'll find your choice here at a saving price. Suita priced—One pants— $995" $13.95 TWO PANTS SUITS— $17.95 $19.95 $24.95 — FELT HATS — Fall bats in brown, grey and black Good quality and stylish— $2.49 $4.95 Men’s Work Clothes Department 220-weight denim Overalls—strongly made for hard wear & service .... 98c Jumpers to match above.98c Men’s Khaki Pants, made for hard service .. 98c Men’s Work Shoes—solid leather and sturdily built. Every pair guaran teed . .$1.98 to $3.98 Khaki Work Shirts..89c I SATURDAY BIG DAY AT PARAGON’S DOORS OPEN 8:30 P. M. | FULL SIZE | IRON BEDS $4.98 $1.00 and $1.50 Fancy Aprons 49c MEN’S BROADCLOTH SHIRTS 79c 50-POUND MATTRESSES $6.95 MEN’S FANCY SOCKS 5c tf ARD WIDE brown sheeting 5e 10 Yards to Customer SWEATERS 59c to $9Sc VALUES TO $2.50 $1.50 magazine racks 50c One To Customer MEN’S WINTER UNION SUITS 79t 29c PUNJAB PRINTS 19c ALL NEW PATTERNS Bed Springs $1.95 dt Up _•_•- ’: •': " _:_• •- • PARAGON CLOSING OUT SALE BOTH STORES—DEPT. STORE BARGAIN
Shelby Daily Star (Shelby, N.C.)
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Oct. 18, 1929, edition 1
9
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