4 
A 
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Bane 
<& TRIP along the North Shore by hydroplane may be 
_  ** one of the common events of the pleasure-seeking 
North Shore folk in the near future. Miss Katherine 
~ Gauss of Salem, whose special articles in this publication 
the last two seasons have been greatly enjoyed by BREEZE 
readers, made the trip one day last week, with Clifford 
Webster as pilot. Miss Gauss’ own story of the trip, 
reprinted from the Salem Evening News, is as follows: 
“Tt was last April that I first started my campaign 
for a ride and after screwing up my courage to the stick- 
ing point, | fotind my way, one afternoon, into the office 
of this company, and that is about all I found for the 
heads of the concern remained discreetly out of sight. 
Another trip a month later revealed the fact that govern- 
ment work made a trip for the summer impossible. One 
cannot get disheartened with such a pleasure at stake and 
so after a summer’s watching and waiting I again started 
on the trail of the manager and after a wait of one hour 
I] was permitted to talk with him and secure a half prom- 
_ ise for- the first week in October. 
hte The days dragged sadly in the month intervening but 
. at last Oct. 1 arrived. A telephone call yesterday morn- 
ing failed to locate the all important personage, but good 
faith in my man made me decide to appear at the Burgess 
works in the early afternoon as the wind was light and I 
; felt that he might be at work. It was a wise move.. On 
entering the office I found the much-sought Mr. Russell 
4 engaged in conversation with Clifford Webster, who will- 
. ingly offered to be my pilot for the precious flight. 
} “This is so sudden’ is all the remark then possible 
and inside of 10 minutes after my appearance. | was 
2 clambering over the side of the machine, attired in one of 
Mr. Webster’s heavy coats, a helmet and goggles. 
“The first move was to tow the machine up into the 
¥ wind, then as she was released, the motor was cranked up 
and we settled into our seats strapped ourselves in and 
were off down the harbor. The seat is a bit airy for the 
! wind whistles in and plays rather boisterously with one’s 
skirts, but as it was fairly warm yesterday there was no 
discomfort from the cold. - 
“The ride down the harbor was much like that in a 
motor boat and the same care was necessary in twisting 
in and about.the boats anchored there. At the fort the 
machine gradually began to lift and without a hitch the 
great bird flew upward leaving the earth and water) far 
behind. 
“Tt was an ideally clear day and as the machine lifted 
the view became exceedingly interesting to an earthworm. 
| Out we flew, over our old camping ground, Cunny Island, 
and well I could understand why the aviators had failed 
to wave to us on those long afternons in August when 
we tried to attract their attention. Leaning forward to 
see what the spot on the water was, I saw Bowdich ledge. 
a mere dot on the blue, while Eagle Island and Dry 
Breakers looked just about a hand size. Bakers Island, 
from an earthly point of view, seems much too crowded 
with houses, but from my airy height the houses were 
but dots on a broad expanse of green while the impressive 
light houses were merest smudges of white. 
“Of the two, Misery Island is the prettier; the little 
coves indenting the shore add to is appearance and oblong 
strip of ground, which formed the camping spot for the 
aviation school, is, at present, the most prominent land- 
mark. A steam yacht lying in the cove had exactly the 
appearance of a tin steamship, which sells in the shops at 
Christmas time. , 
“Perhaps you won't believe that Portland, Me., with 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE’ | 7 
Experiences of a Hydroplane Trip Down the North Shore | 
the mountains in back of it, is visible from over Salem 
harbor, but it is. For looking eastward, I saw a huge 
peninsula, which, at a second glance, was nothing more or 
less than the North Shore partially surrounded by water. 
Beyond Magnolia and Rockport was Thatcher’s Island, 
and following down the cost line, up Ipswich bay, with its 
thin streak of sand, and off far to the east, was an island, 
which, I suppose, was the Isles of Shoals, and on still 
farther, the heights of the great state of Maine. And 
such a lot of woodland lies on this peninsula, especially 
in the foreground, and nestling among the trees are bright 
spots, which on a nearer view, prove to be houses, while 
such gardens as the Swift gardens looked, for all the 
world, like a well colored rug. 
“Mr. Webster turned once or twice to see how the 
novice was taking it, but all I could do was smile my ap- 
proval, for the words which I spoke were not heard, even 
by myself. The steadiness of the machine was marvelous, 
for with my eyes shut, I could feel no motion whatever, 
and the whir of the engine was the only means of know- 
ing that we were driving forward. 
“T guess my companion needed a change, for with a 
word of warning he made circles and curves in the air 
and sudden swoops downward, and let me tell you, the 
sensation is somewhat different. How can I describe it, 
unless to say that a qualm of sea sickness is the effect, as 
the machine cants, first one way and then another. This 
unpleasantness lasts but a short time, as the eyes get used 
to the swerving. 
“The oft-repeated sight of the dim South shore loom- 
ing up on a clear day will no longer have its charm, for 
it is nothing in comparison with the South Shore seen 
from a height of 650 feet. - Not only did the islands in 
Boston harbor show clearly, but the water back of the 
islands and then the mainland itself were much in evi- 
dence. Down beyond Boston light and Minot’s ledge, far 
below Nantasket, until half way across the bay, a clear 
sweep of the cape, down to Provincetown laid out before 
our eyes. 
“All this time we were sailing into the wind, toward 
our starting point. To our right the smoke of Salem 
obscured the town and down beneath us stretched Mar- 
blehead Neck, with the bowl of the fort and the glisten- 
ing railroad tracks catching our eyes. 
“Are you ready for a slide?’ said the pilot. ‘Aye, 
aye,’ responded the passenger, and we slid down from 
our lofty place in the sky. The boats in Marblehead, 
which had seemed like toys and the doll houses, all too 
soon became real houses and boats and earth and water 
sprang up to meet us. : 
“The landing was easy—just a faint jar and then a 
swift skimming over the surface, with now and again a 
thump as the pontoons settled. The run up the harbor 
was quick and with a last whir the hum of the engine 
stopped and a mighty quiet settled down, while once more 
the warm air blew against our faces. The ride was over, 
and the ambition of months has been achieved—a flight 
in a flying machine. 
Banker (to applicant for clerkship)—Have you had 
any experience in a bank? 
Applicant—Yes, sir. I was a depositor in one, until 
the cashier ran away with all the funds. 
Diner (looking at order)—This isn’t a very good 
looking piece of meat. 
Waiter—Well, you ordered a plain steak. 
