Air Wonder Stories, December 1929 — page 25: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ates or just elementary students? Haven’t you been drilled to test every one of your controls after landing? Why did you. neglect to lift your. elevators after we anchored? Are you all so damned ignorant?. Answer me you——” Baker’s Choice AY utterly dejected young pilot stepped forward and saluted. Captain Markson frowned on him and raised an arm as though:to strike him full in the face. But he controlled himself and raged, his ham- like fists twisting perilously close to the officer’s. fright- ened features. “Speak, you idiot—you-murderer !” Captain Markson bellowed wrathfully. : The officer’s lips quivered for an instant before his words finally came forth. “Tt was my fault, sir,” he said tensely, his face sickly pale: “Mr, Madden ordered me to take charge of Control One for the take-off. It was my duty to test the laterals and set them for upward flight, sir.. It was an accident that I overlooked it, sir!” Captain Markson stared at the man curiously for an instant-and then blew up again: “So. it was you, Baker?” he roared, stepping back to survey the negligent pilot of Control One. He turned, and tore from the wall of the control room one of its framed certificates, and thrust it at the pilot. a a8 ae Baker, took it from him meekly and hung s hea “You're through, Baker!’ he said. “Madden! Swing around and circle the station once at. landing. velocity! Baker, you will report to Mr. Worthington for your check! Prepare for a ‘chute landing at once, sir! Walton, Blunt and Wilson, return to your posts!” Pilot Baker stood for an-instant, as though irooted to the floor, unable to move; then slowly he walked to the parachute rack, selected his own device and donned it rapidly. The other three pilots, glad to have escaped from the wrath of their commanding officer, returned: to their various controls. Captain Markson strode to my side and peered intently through the observation ex- posures; then faced around. -“As a civilian witness, Mr. Rodman,” he said, “you will bear te out in this decision at the Federal inquiry. You understand the situation as well as I do; I would make another landing if time permitted it, but I can- not afford to lose any more time, We must reach Tokio and Peiping without delay. I’m.sorry, sir, that such damnable negligence has cursed my command.” I regarded him curiously. His features were stern and hard-set. The Eastern Star was skirting the tower- ing City Hall obelisk. Her nose tipped slightly earth- ward, and I glanced around to observe Baker. He was standing in the center of the floor before a com- paratively small round hatch, that yawned as the cover- ing was thrown back; and he was prepared to step into the discharging cylinder. The ship seemed to hover over the anchoring towers for an instant. With a last look around the cabin, Baker faced Captain Markson\ and saluted. “Good-bye, sir!” he said in half whisper that. was barely audible: | “It will never happen: again sir!” “T dislike to discharge you this way, Baker,” Captain Markson said, his eyes softening for a second: “But it’s for the good of the service and the protection of aircraft passengers! Good-bye, sir, and good luck!” Baker eased himself into the tube which, I discov- ered, was for the purpose of saving the lives of the ship’s forward crew in eveht of accident. That was FLIGHT OF THE EASTERN STAR % true, but it was no life-saving device for Pilot Baker. I shuddered. as he passed from view, haunted by the look in his eyes as he glanced, strangely, toward me. Captain Markson peered earthward for a sight of float- ing silk; what he saw caused him to start violently. Hurtling. earthward was only a rapidly decreasing speck; Pilot Baker had elected to die rather than’ face the. disgrace that he knew~was in store for him! A whining siren caused me to jump nervously, as I watched the falling speck, hoping to see the silken cloth bulge upward, Itore my eyes away. Captain Markson strode swiftly across the cabin and pressed a button below.a three-foot. square screen; it glowed with the wrathful features of Jackson Worthington. Jack’s voice came through an amplifying reproducer to reach every nook and cranny of the control room. “What the devil’s going on in your ship, Captain Markson?” he demanded: “My God, you caused a panic. that injured twenty people on the ground with your crazy antics! What’s wrong, Markson?” “Accidents have happened since man began to travel, sir,” Captain Markson replied tensely: “Pilot Baker neglected to elevate and damn near smashed us up! I discharged him, sir, and sent him down in a parachute. I have already lost fifteen more minutes and I cannot ation to make another landing. I hope he arrived sa e »”» “He didn’t, Matkson!” the official growled: “The field men are cleaning up the mess now! What about the inquiry?” I stepped to the captain’s side as he spoke again. “Your friend, Mr. Rodman ‘is a witness, sir!” he said evenly. “He will bear me up. Baker was given a-perfect chance to land safely; but he chose the other way, I guess, rather than face the notoriety and disgrace!” “That's right, Jack!” I put in, edging close to the screen so that my features would be transmitted to him: “It was Baker’s negligence. He confessed to it.” “Anyhow,” Worthington said, “that doesn’t let us out of heavy damage suits, There must be a curse on the. Eastern Star! She's had nothing but bad luck since we put her into service! Let me speak to Mark- son again.” CHAPTER III An Inspection TURNED away to take up a post beside Madden. I Intent upon watching the rapid progress ofthe Eastern Star over the city of Los Angeles toward the open expanse of the Pacific, I paid no further heed to the conversation between Markson and Worthington. We passed scores of red-lighted beacons that flashed brilliantly even in the late afternoon sun, guiding. International Airway Express craft over their, allotted lines. Gradually, the Eastern Star picked up speed as she sped on her belated course to circumnavigate the globe. Madden slowly increased her driving power until a faint hiss reached me in the control cabin. I felt a desire to inspect the propulsion principles of the huge craft; but elected. to await the time when the excitement and ill-humor should have passed from the _ minds of the officers in charge, I wondered what had transpired among the other passengers during those few seconds of dire danger back at the station. = Captain Markson interrupted my thoughts by re- lieving Madden of the supervision of the controls. The first officer relinquished the post without a word; as though it were a usual thing for the captain to