﻿506 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  THE 
  LAKE 
  -FRONT: 
  MILWAUKEE 
  

  

  Photograph 
  by 
  U. 
  S. 
  Air 
  Service 
  

  

  The 
  U. 
  S. 
  Army 
  airmen 
  crossed 
  Lake 
  Michigan 
  slightly 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  Wisconsin's 
  chief 
  

   city. 
  They 
  flew 
  over 
  the 
  widest 
  body 
  of 
  water 
  to 
  be 
  crossed 
  on 
  the 
  voyage 
  at 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  

   7,000 
  feet 
  (see 
  text, 
  page 
  508). 
  

  

  Next 
  morning, 
  July 
  21, 
  we 
  were 
  up 
  

   early 
  and 
  were 
  examining 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  

   the 
  field 
  at 
  6 
  o'clock. 
  It 
  was 
  drying 
  

   rapidly. 
  At 
  9 
  o'clock 
  Lieutenant 
  Nutt 
  

   took 
  off 
  successfully. 
  Lieutenant 
  Kirk- 
  

   patrick 
  followed. 
  Number 
  1 
  was 
  last 
  to 
  

   get 
  away. 
  

  

  After 
  so 
  melancholy 
  an 
  experience 
  in 
  

   civilized 
  Erie, 
  Pennsylvania, 
  what 
  must 
  

   we 
  expect 
  in 
  remote 
  Alaska, 
  where 
  air- 
  

   planes 
  have 
  never 
  landed, 
  were 
  my 
  

   thoughts 
  as 
  I 
  headed 
  straight 
  out 
  across 
  

   Lake 
  Erie. 
  

  

  FLYING 
  OVER 
  LAKE 
  ERIE 
  

  

  The 
  day 
  was 
  misty 
  and 
  dull. 
  Land 
  

   was 
  out 
  of 
  sight 
  ten 
  minutes 
  after 
  start- 
  

   ing. 
  Only 
  gray-green 
  waves, 
  directly 
  be- 
  

   low 
  me, 
  were 
  visible. 
  Setting 
  a 
  course 
  

   by 
  284 
  degrees 
  on 
  the 
  compass, 
  I 
  flew 
  

   for 
  an 
  hour 
  and 
  ten 
  minutes, 
  now 
  and 
  

   then 
  imagining 
  that 
  I 
  could 
  detect 
  in 
  the 
  

   motor's 
  roaring 
  a 
  note 
  of 
  distress 
  that 
  

   might 
  indicate 
  its 
  death 
  rattle. 
  The 
  first 
  

   view 
  of 
  the 
  Canadian 
  shore 
  was 
  a 
  wel- 
  

   come 
  sight. 
  

  

  Flying 
  sweetly 
  over 
  fair 
  farming 
  coun- 
  

   try, 
  where 
  a 
  forced 
  landing 
  held 
  no 
  

   terrors, 
  in 
  sharp 
  contrast 
  with 
  the 
  chilly 
  

   waters 
  of 
  Lake 
  Erie, 
  we 
  reached 
  and 
  

   crossed 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  of 
  Lake 
  St. 
  Clair 
  

   and 
  landed 
  for 
  fuel 
  at 
  Mt. 
  Clemens, 
  

   Michigan, 
  after 
  two 
  hours 
  and 
  forty 
  min- 
  

   utes 
  flying. 
  

  

  Here 
  is 
  located 
  Selfridge 
  Field, 
  a 
  gov- 
  

   ernment 
  aviation 
  field, 
  named 
  in 
  honor 
  of 
  

   Lieutenant 
  Thomas 
  E. 
  Selfridge, 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  American 
  pioneers 
  in 
  aviation, 
  who 
  

   lost 
  his 
  life 
  in 
  an 
  airplane 
  accident 
  at 
  Fort 
  

   Myer 
  in 
  1908. 
  After 
  reporting 
  to 
  the 
  

   commanding 
  officer, 
  I 
  again 
  left 
  the 
  ground 
  

   and 
  after 
  an 
  uneventful 
  flight 
  through 
  

   thick 
  weather 
  and 
  occasional 
  showers, 
  we 
  

   sighted 
  the 
  Grand 
  Rapids 
  field 
  and 
  saw 
  

   the 
  three 
  machines 
  of 
  our 
  flight 
  drawn 
  up 
  

   on 
  a 
  line, 
  awaiting 
  our 
  arrival. 
  

  

  Crumrine 
  had 
  landed 
  before 
  dark 
  the 
  

   previous 
  afternoon 
  without 
  mishap. 
  Nutt 
  

   and 
  Kirkpatrick 
  had 
  flown 
  over 
  Selfridge 
  

   Field 
  without 
  landing 
  and 
  had 
  dropped 
  

   down 
  upon 
  the 
  Grand 
  Rapids 
  field 
  on 
  

   schedule 
  time. 
  

  

  