The Sunday telegram. [volume], August 01, 1915, Image 32

About The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927

Image provided by: West Virginia University

                
H?w the Daring
Oi ? ft J8 First Woman
tfj[ [ Belgium, Has
Aided in the Guarding of Paris by Night
and Day, and Three Times Was Able to
Give Warning of the Approach of the
Enemy?She Says: "The Man Who Wants
Me Must Catch Me in the Air."
Helena Dutrieu, Just Before Making One of Her
Sensational Flights.
HELENS DUTRIEU, the "Girl
Hawk," upon whom appre
ciative France has bestowed
the decoration of tht> Legion of
Honor, Is surely one of the most
modest of heroines and Is less In
clined to dwell upon the fact that
she has the distinction of being the
first woman air scout In history than
?he Is to discuss generally the use
of the aeroplane In war.' She re
cently -was In this cfluntry In the
interests of the Red Cross, and Is
a sort of Elzevir edition of a flying
woman, being about only five feet
In height, even with the aid of her
dainty French heels, and weighing
about 1X0 pounds. She Is a girl In
vivacity and enthusiasms, and, ac
cording to one Impressionable wom
an visitor, "her mouth Is tilted In
an adorable childish fashion"?the
mouth that playfully uttered the
grim laconism In referring to avia
tion: "It is the sport of those who
would die young."
Mile. Dutrleu's complexion has
the exotic charm of a dead pallor,
which only goes to emphasize her
large and expressive oyei. You
might Justly mistake her for an
artist, a dreamer, poet, musician?
one who has spent the best mo
ments of her life amid intangible
beautiful Imaginings and exquisite
realities. Her well-formed hands,
with their tapering fingers, suggest
pretty sentiment, lace, perfume, ro
mance more than the tense, peril
ous work of guiding an aeroplane
through the blue seas of night high
abqye an anxious city.
An Unofficial Flyer
She Is not regularly enrolled In
the army, and, though she gladly
would die for her country, she has
no desire to become a soldier. That
the government receives her ser
vices unofficially gives her no of
fence at all. She fully agrees with
the Frenchman's point of view on
the sex question.
"He does not want his wife to
fight," she explains. "He will not
permit her life to be endangered.
He will not be responsible for her
death. Not that the French woman
Is not brave. All women are brave
when the lives of their dear ones
are threatened. But especially the
French woman. I think, for she is
more emotional. Ah, people now.
Just because of this war, are be
ginning to understand the character
of the French woman as she really
ts! All the fables of her lightness
<ind easy frivolity are revealed now
In their true colors."
Gave Warning Thrice.
Mile. Dutrleu would make you
believe that some of the perils
through which she passed In times
of peace far overshadow thoso of
the war period, and laughs when
khe quotes a report that her duty
was to cnase away the raiding Ger
man taubes that dropped bombs
upon Paris. "All I did was to fly
up when I suspected that the Ger
man airmen were coming," she ex
plained, "and, then, if I observed
the enemy approaching, return and
report to the men, who immediately
rose to give battle or chase to the
Intruder."
When word was flashed to Paris,
Che boarded her aeroplane and took
to the skies, mounting in spirals
iilsfter and hlghc* until the plane
looked the size of a soaring dragou
fly. Then courageously would she
fly In the direction of the expectod
danger, circling round, rising and
descending with eyes kf-ou to the
Quest and nerves as steady as the
snetal of the mechanism that held
her afloat above the city. from the
streets of which thousands turned
their faces upward to watch, not
for the hostile taubes as much a3
to watch, adinlre and marvel at the
Intrepid "Girl Hawk."
Three times when the Germans
were advancing on Paris did she
give warning of their approach, her
swift monoplane affording her a
long advantage over the enemy.
"There was no danger," she says
simply. But there Is always danger
even the lay public knows, the fact
being emphasized by the peaceful
accident which ended the life of
the young Englishman, the first to
destroy a Zeppelin, who, after tak
ing part In the greatest of aerial
war achievements and escaping as
by a miracle, was dashed to death
when in the act of taking up an
American correspondent for an ex
hibition flight. Keen as are the
eyes of Mile. Dutrieu and skilled as
she is in the operation of her craft,
there was always the possibility of
sudden and unexpected onslaught
from the hostile craft; then there
was the peril which is always at
the elbow of those who adventure
Into the skies.
Bruges Chimed Her Honors.
She had already fallen from a
house during an accident in Odessa
and escaped without serious hurt.
Her monoplane had turned turtle
with her at Issy-les-Mollneaux and
she escaped only with a severe
shaking up, having been saved by
the upper stays of the machine.
She has had many another close
call. Always glad to escape the
discussion of the graver aspects of
the work, especially as it conce'rns
herself. Mile. Dutrieu very soberly
says that she felt one of the great
est elatlons c? her life when she
flew high above the historical belfry
of I-.es Halles at Bruges, celebrated
by Longfellow.
As the people wildly cheered In
the streets, the bells pealed out in
her honor whlJe she circled above
the structure and then flew back to
Ostend, carrying a passenger. But
no greater and yet scarcely justifled
apprehension did she ever reel,
looking into the face of danger and
sudden death, than that which
seized her when, on her arrival at
Ostend, she had to be protected
from a joyously hysterical crowd
bent on kissing and embracing her!
The record of this incident tells
us that: "The mayor and all the
officers of the city led In the shower
of congratulations that fell upon
Mile. Dutrieu. The men became
even more hysterical even than tho
women, gesticulating and shrieking
like mad?stirred to uncontrollable
laughter and tears, stretching their
hands toward her. Thus they
pressed around the girl and the
flying machine. And so she had to
be protected?so many desired to
kiss her."
She was the first woman to fly
Into Belgium. Two officers only
had done so before her. And over
the air lanes that she sailed in her
journey of a new achievement, now
speed swift, sinister things of the
air that spit singing death through
the void and on the earth below, or
drop thunderous destruction as
they pass swiftly through the night.
"Nervous?" she repeated the
query, smiled and was silent for a
moment. "My friend, one must
not be nervous la the upper air, or
one, will never go there again. The
true aviator must be without nerves.'
She'a a Homing Bird.
"Of course, I'd much rather fly
than vote," she continued; "though
you doubtless thluk it would be
well for a woman, having accom
plished the one thing to seek to
achieve the other. A woman may
rty a-id be at the same time a hom
ing bird by Instinct?this the view
as concerns myself, of course. You
"Then courageously would she fly in the direction of the expected danger, circling around, rising
and descending with eyes keen to the quest and nerves as steady as the metal mechanism that
held her afloat above the city."
see, therefore, I am not a suffra
gette. I think woman has all she
can do and all she should do, If she
is a home-maker and a good moth
er. And the French, husband thinks
so, too.
"As for voting, that would be an
Impossible situation in France.
The French women," and her
shapely hands fluttered prettily,
"are too emotional and excitable.
So, too. are our men. It can easily
be seea that they very likely would
become so excited over the issues
that life would be made utterly un
bearable."
The flrst woman air scout became
interested in flying about eight
years ago. and, noting her youthful
appearance now, one estimates that
the must have been a slip of a girl
when the fusillading motor sent th*
earth away from beneath her for
the llrst time. But what matters
the years? Mile. Dutrleu is still a
girl at hc-art nnd the tragedies of
which she has been a witness In
the army ambulance service, though
shadowing her speech and play of
facial expression at tim^s. canno*
Dr. L. Sarasln has succeeded, ac
cording: to La Nature, In making arti
ficial silk from the "slime" of the
seaweed which Is thrown up in im
mense masses on the coasts ot Nor
mandy. Norway, Scotland nnd Can
ada. An English company Is said to
bo exploiting the process, for which
a isrreat future Is prcdlctcd.
I ? i *
Grand Admiral Princo Henry of
Prussia, the brother of the Kaiser,
who was the first royal nlrman, and
learned to fly when he was 49. hu3
become the flrst royal motion picture
operator.
Von Moltke, the grreat German gen
eral, would never begin a battle on
a Friday.
Helena Dutrieu, as She Looks in Street Garb.
divest her of that quality that
caused a sporting writer recently
to refer to her as "the captivating,
sky-flight kid."
Sky-flight scout, of course, would
have been a formal improvement;
but there is a certain element of
admiration and tribute in the sport
/
ing sharp's characterization?tho
very elements that have caused her
to receive many offers of marriage
and elicit this characteristic re
sponse from the first woman air
scout:
"The man who wants me mast
catch me In the air!"
Photographing
Everyone who has called out
In the open, will carry home
pleasant memories of roaring
campflres and the circles of happy
faces drawn about them. No beach
party by tho seashore Is complete
without a pile of blazing driftwood.
An excellent photograph of such a
group may be made with any ordi
nary camera which will preserve the
likeness of everyone in the group,
besides giving an unusual effect of
light and shade.
Tho bonfire photograph is not.
taken. of course. by the light
of tho fire alone. Such a photo
graph would require a very long
exposure, and the group would grow
Impatient. The picture is taken in
stantaneously by flash light aided by
tho glow of the fire. There is no
time for a figure In the group to
move nnd every detail will be clearly
defined.
To take such a photograph the
camera Is first focussed on the bon
fire and the group. There is ample
light to enable one to focus sharply.
When all Is ready the lens is opened
and a cartridge of flashing powder la
thrown Into the blaze. A charge of
tho powder wrapped In a piece of
paper will serve as well.
Tho group holds its position for a
moment until the flames reach the
powder. There Is a flash and the
a Night Camp by Light of a Fire and "Flash"
picture is taken. A little practice will der will be required, it must uo re- An altractivo photograph may !>?
show the propor charge of powder. merabered that the picture will be made by setting oil a charge of flash
Since the pictures are taken in the made up of strong' high lights and light powder in a fireplace, when the
open and there is no reflection from dark shadows and tho group should picture will have the effect of being
the walla, as In an interior, more pow- be disposed accordingly. taken by tho light of the Are.
How the Damp Group Was Photographed by the Light of cue nre.