Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1890-06-04
A WILD RIDE.
THE VOYAGE OF BALLooNIsT IN
THUNDER STORM.


all Of a roseate hue for now and then he
has an adventure that taxes his courage
and endurance to the utmost. The most
be- ntiful day may close with a storm in
which he may be enveloped. his course
may hear him unexpectedly out upon
the ocean or the lakes, on into some vast
wilderness, and sometimes his escape
appears almost miraculous.
! am requested to give the Eight
O'clock club description of an en-
counter with thunderstorm, which
viii, ! think, prove the statement have
just made.
First l will tell you something of a
thunderstorm that had an opportunity
of observing at distance, as il will help
you to understand what follows, and
then / will describe what occurred in
one that caught me in its clutches.
In the first instance my balloon was
afioat early in the morning and cours-
ing eastwardly through the State Of
Ohio toward the Pennsylvania State
line and the Allegheny mountains.
There was a photographer and two or
three others in my party, all of whom
were intent on securing pictures of q
magnificent bank of clouds lying off to
the south of us and drifting in the same
direction as ourselves
While thus engaged we noticed that
the upper portion-fully one-half-of
the clouds began to rise. the lower half
remaining stationary. The ascent of the
cloud was as rapid as that of balloon,
and we watched it with much interest.
When the extreme height had been
reached the upper cloud projections sud-
denly disappeared as If they had been
nipped off in some way. A flash of
accompanied the disappear
ance, and we guessed at once that we
were observing the beginning of a
thunderstorm. Then we naturally
watched to see If any rain fell through
the clouds, and, sure enough, in just
about the time we thought it would take
for it to get down we saw it descending
from the lower portion of the cloud.
But the cloud did not stop rising,
though it could never get any higher,
for every time the projections were dis
solved or collapsed - whatever you
choose TO call 1.-THE lightning played
and the distant thunder rumbled so that
the storm, after once making begin
ming, kept right on to the end.
1t was plain that the lightning was
caused by the escaping electricity pre-
viously held by the collapsed portions OF
the cloud, and it was equally evident
that the electric fluid was instantly abb
sorbed by the great body of cloud re-
Then again it was pretty GER
tain that at that rate the rest of the
cloud would soon be overcharged, and
when it had as much electricity as it
would hold the earth below would be
apt to take it from the cloud, and in
1oing so that somebody or something
might be struck by lightning.
For hours we watched the gradual
of the upper portion of
The cloud until at last it was nearly all
gone, leaving the lower portion still in
It's place, floating along as quietly as any
er cloud. During all the time we
we're racing with this storm we sue
,eeded in keeping at distance and so
lad no unpleasant experience with it.
The other ascension, to which / will
now refer, was made one summer after
loon, some years ago, from the city of
Burlington, Iowa Half past four
o'clock was the time fixed upon for the
tart, and, as it happened, just then there
vas a thunderstorm coming down the
inc of the Mississippi river. It was al
'eady in plain sight and / declined TAX
ng any passengers, but hastened to get
lway myself, hoping to avoid the
threatening storm by rising above it.
You would naturally suppose that by
starting ahead Of the storm the balloon
would keep In advance of it, but on the
contrary found, on rising, that the air
vas rushing toward the clouds and that
( would escape must hasten to rise
Ibove them. / tried hard to accomplish
his, but without avail.
However, as / had succeeded in get
ing above the black and angry-looking
ront of the storm, congratulated my
elf on having escaped that portion and
vas deluded with the belief that in the
light gray cloud above there was no
LANCER.
1t was just seven minutes and half
rom the time of leaving the ground un-
il was submerged in the cloud. The
loud was nothing but dense fog. yet 1t
nclosed the balloon and myself as
loosely as stone wall. Still it was not |
ark, and the lightning's glare gave the
alIoon the appearance Of being on fire.
did not regard these threatening as
ects much, as the flashes appeared
armIess, and the ascent was so rapid |
hat I felt confident OF soon reaching
nd passing out Of the top Of the clouds;
mt in this was greatly mistaken. In |
act. it is doubtful whsther, after once
eing enveloped By the cloud, it would |
ave been possible to escape from it in |
hat way. and it would have been bet
sr, perhaps, il I had managed to keep
be balloon lower down, 50 that should |
ave ridden along with it till 1t was ex-
austed.
TEI.so ofrrs.n hod k7.a oo~..a r1,o~o .,f<.-s-