Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-19
REACHED FOUR MILES.
CarIotta Got nm Amateur BaIlOOnfst
Out of Al Fix.

CarIotta Got nm Amateur BnIlOOnist
Out of Fix.
From the New York Sun.
Tales are plenty of long distances over
which mems voices have been conveyed by
the medium OF placid water. An Adirori-
dack guide tells of having talked in ordi-
nary tones. on very still day, with COM
panion a mile and half distant at the
other end OF the lake. and another guide
caps this story with one of yeils which
were heard and returned near a water ex
tent Of three miles. These tales are quite
outdone by a well-authenticated story told
by Carlotta. once the most famous woman
balIoonist in the world. In her story air
instead of water was the medium. and the
distance of the conversation was four miles.
1t took place a mile above the outskirts of
ST. Louis some years ago.
1T was an aeronautic exhibition" says
Carlotta in telling the story, and young
man named White who was Inc experienced
in ballooning. had agreed to make
cension. L had already gone up and was
quietly drifting east on easy air current
when he started out. He had had enough
experience to know how to handle the
valves and Sandbags. and he intended to go
Up a mile or so and then descend easily.
Now. the upper air is full of varying cur
rents. You may be going due west at half
mile altitude, and when you get up few
hundred yards further you may strike
current that carries YOU due east Mr..
White checked his upward career in a west
bound draught, so that when he finally
drifted out of that current into mine We
Were good long distance apart.
IL always have a powerful glass with me
when 1 make an ascension. When / turned
this on him 1 saw that he was in trouble.
His balloon had twisted little. in such a
way that L judged it was likely to twist
more. and he was clambering around the
ropes trying to right ii, but without much
apparent conception of what was best TO
do. was frightened for him, for when the
bag of a balloon turns too much the gas
begins 10 escape rapidly, and the results
are likely to be serious. I knew that voices
could he heard long way in the air, for
had often heard people mile below me
shouting. 50 without knowing how far the
two balloons were apart, decided to hail
the other one. 1 gathered all my breath
and shouted:
"Helo, Hello, Hello"
'Then 1 turned my glass on the other bal
loon again. Up where the air Is so clear as
II is mile above the earth one can see at
great distances with wonderful distinctneSs.
Through my glass 1 could see Mr.. White
start and look all around him. That was
quite while after had shouted He didn't
seem to understand where the voice came
from. but firally L saw him put his hands
TO his mouth evidently making speaking
trumpet of them. i waited and waited, and
was just about to shout again when the
huge gas bag above me began to thrill with
sounds. They seemed to buzz along it's
sides and diffuse in the air, only to collect
and come whirring and rumbling down the
funnel to be poured into my ears, and they
formed in tone that seemed made up of a
million other tones.
Hello, Where-are-you"
1T was the most peculiar sound 1 had
ever heard. When 1t had scattered itself
into silence 1 took out my watch and tim
ing myself. shouted:
Throw out one sandbag. I'll come to
you
s.I-or,,- ,ooo,5, ro.or ,,,- h,rIoar hor,, II,
ylbrate again, finally forming the words:
All right. In trouble
There was method in my telling him to
throw out the sandbag, as it was afterward
of use. threw out a number myself, for
/ reckoned that a little above me 1 would
find a current to carry me toward Mr..
White. This I did. and was soon within
short distance of him, aerially considered.
The trouble with his balloon was slight
disarrangement of the ropes, which L had
myself experienced. 50 I told him what to
do. and he was soon all right; AS 1 ex-
plalped to him when we reached the earth,
We had been talking over aerial tele-
phone. the gas bags being the only material
objects up there collecting all the sounds
and acting huge receivers"
WELL said he, you got me out of a
very bad scrape, but never was so scared
In my life when that voice surrounded
noe. l thought the balloon was talking and
that had gone crazy
a. 1t was pretty long talk said I; FOR
allowing the voice to travel five seconds to
a mile by ny timing We must have been
close TO four miles apart
That's simply impossible said he.
every we'll I said. That's why told
you to drop that sandbag. / threw some
out. too, and we can find out how far they
landed apart.
1T wasn't much trouble to find people
who had found the bags and knew just
where they were. Fortunately they had
landed near a railroad track, so the dis
lance estimating was made easy for us. 1t
was four miles and a quarter. guess that
Is the record up to date for long -distance
talking without a WIRE"