A MIRACLE IN THE CLOUDS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14287, 2 May 1917, Page 9

A MIRACLE IN THE CLOUDS.

AIRMAN'S- Wli^RD ADVEiNTURE,

An extraodMiai'yatory of a mirage iii the clouds i» t told by' a young Flying Ooi-ps officer m the following letter to his father i• —

"I had often wondered, what it would feel like to see a machine coming straight for one and to know that a collision was inevitable. I had the experience tl\is afternoon, only the collision did not take place. I was on pat-rol.-with five Qthei' .{machines . pyev the lines— r(by the wayi.il am writing tluß like a novel,, .but I. feel like it)— and had just gone into. -a 'etoftd' bank A- Just before going iifjt saw 4 the 'bus on my right turning. .tp cross iii^fron.t of. me. All of a sudden I sa.\v a machine' 1 just the same aj my own appear out of the dloud about 50. feet .a^ay, making straight for me. Instinctively I jammed my ' nose hard, -down.., and went as near .^.nose' .dive as possible] the .other 'bus did the ,same. » !• turned ;. the other turned : into me. -j I r was m a cold perspiration allj over by this. timd,. so I thought 'Here s goes> if I am going to crash it might! a.-3 well be* complete* So" straight for it' T. went. We got closer and closer, and ' biff! my machine and' — its mirage in' the, clouds met. .*;.!. . .' j ."It seemed like a hideous nightmare, ( and.,l can still, sci^that., machine .doing itq utmost to o'rasli iiiito me. t tliihk I oan say I have had the, full horrors of a; oollisioa m the .air, without the col-' Vision .actually taking place. I. , finally ' n got- out of the clouds, and had not the 'faintest idea -where I was, but about' fifteen seconds after 'Archie' reminded me that I was a little' too low over his . .lipes. Haying ,gotj> that off my chest, " t think I will go to bed."