11:59
No one could approach upon the ground ; and , above , a series of circling patrol-planes , one squadron above another , guarded against approach by air . With such a defense the Capitol and its grounds seemed impregnable . My watch said 11:59 ; I held it in my hand and watched the seconds tick slowly by . The city was hushed ; it seemed that no man was so much as breathing ... 11:59 : 60 ! -- and an instant later I heard the shriek of something that tore the air to screaming fragments . I saw it as it came on a straight , level line from the east ; a flash like a meteor of glistening white . It passed beneath the planes , that were motionless by contrast , drove straight for the gleaming Capitol dome , passed above it , and swept on in a long flattened curve that bent outward and up .