The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-29
HER VOICE REACHED MILES.
CarIOtta Got an Amateur BalIOonist
Out of a Fix a Mile Up in the Air.

CarIOtta Got an Amateur BniIOonist
Out of Fix Mile Up i'm the Air.
From the st. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Tales are plenty of long distances over
which mems voices have been conveyed
by the medium of placid water. An Ad-
irondaek guide tells of having talked in
ordinary tones on a very still day with
a companion a mile and half distant at
the other end of the lake. and another
guide caps this story with one of yells
which were heard and returned near
water extent of three miles. These tales
are quite outdone by a well authenti-
Gated story told by Carlotta, once the
most famous balloonist in the world. In
her story the air instead Of the water
was the medium, and the distance of the
conversation was four miles. It took
place a mile above the outskirts of St.
Louis some years ago.
1T was an aeronautic exhibition" says
Carlotta in telling the story, land a
young man named White, who was mex
perienced in ballooning, had agreed to
make an ascension. l had already gone
up and was quietly drifting east on an
easy current when he started out. He had
had enough experience to know how to
intended to go up mile or two and then
descend easily, Now, the upper air is
full Of varying currents. You may be
going due west at half a mile altitude,
and when you get up a few hundred yards
further you may strike a current that car
ries you due east. Mr.. White checked his
upward career in west-bound draught,
so that when he finally drifted out of that
current into mine we We're a good, long
distance apart.
Il always have a powerful glass with
me when l make an Ascension. When /
turned this on him l saw that he was in
trouble. His balloon had twisted a lit
tie, in such a way that I judged it was
likely to twist more, and he was climbing
around the ropes trying to right it, 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 to escape rap
idly, and the results are likely to be seri-
Gus. L knew that voices could be heard
for a long way in the air for had often
heard the people a mile below me shout
ing, so without knowing how far the
two balloons were apart / decided to hail
the other one. 1 gathered all my breath
and shouted
a." Hello Hellol Hellov
"Then I turned my glass on the other
balloon again. Up where the air is so
clear as 1t 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 a while after had
shouted. He didn't seem to understand
where the voice came from, but finally
l saw him put him hands to his mouth
evidently making a speaking trumpet of
them. / waited and waited, and was lust
about to shout again when the huge gas
bag above me began to thrill with sounds
baxr Cd To oil &c -, l,e
diffuse in the air, only to collect and come
whirring and rumblng down the funnel
to be poured into my ears, and they form
ed in a tone that seemed made up of ,OOO,-
900 other tones.
Hello. Where-are-youT
1T was the most peculiar sound I had
ever heard. When it had scattered itself
into silence I took out my watch and tim
ing myself, shouted:
&" Throw out one sandbang. I'll come to
you
Forty seconds later my balloon began to
vibrate again, finally forming the words
+" All right. In trouble
There was method in my telling him to
throw out the sandbag, as it was after
ward of use. I threw out a number my
SELF for reckoned that little above me
! would find current to carry me toward
Mr.. White. This did. and was soon with
in a short distance of him, aerally consid-
cred. The trouble with his balloon was
slight disarrangement of the ropes, which
1 had myself experienced, so 1 told him
what to do, and he was soon all right AS
1 explained to him when we reached the
earth, we had been talking over an aerial
telephone, the gas bags being the only
material objects up there collecting all
the sounds and acting as huge receivers.
Well said he, you got me out of a
very bad scrape, but never was scared
in my life as when that voice surrounded
me. I thought the balloon was talking,
and that 1 had gone crazy
q" 1t was pretty long talk said 7; for
allowing the voice to travel five seconds
to a mile by my timing we must have
been close to four miles apart
That's simply impossible. said he
g Very WELL said. That's why 1 told
you to drop that sandbag. I 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 u.s.
1t was four miles and a quarter. I guess
that is the record up to date for long-dis-
lance talking without a wire"