The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-21
vOYAGING IN THESKY
eALLooN'Ne WITH PROPER CARE is
NOT DANGEROUS.


tween Two Thunderclouds.
Among the very few people who have
reduced aerial navigation to anything
like an exact science are Mr.. and Mrs.
Card E. Myers, who are now living on
Read avenue, Brooklyn. BY series of
experiments stretching over a period of
more than Is years they have learned
te manage and guide a balloon with
approximately the same accuracy that a
sailor employs in guiding ship, the
only element of uncertainty being the
weather. A reporter called on the
.Myerses few days ago to learn some of
their experiences and adventures in
cloudland.
He found them not at all like what
one would expect of people who pass
large portion Of their lives in a most
perilous occupation. Mr.. Myers is a
slender, rather short man about 40 years
old, with black side whiskers, the face
of a scholar and a benevolent express
sion. Mrs. Myers, who was formerly
known professionally as Carlotta, is a
sweet faced woman, with keen gray
eyes, wavy Brown hair and a bright,
eager manner in conversation. She
looks to beabout 80 years old. She does
not now make ascensions, having
stopped in 1901, but she helps her hus-
band in his experiments at his farm at
Mohawk, d. Y. In her career she has
made more than 500 ascensions. Mr..
Myers has been up among the clouds 55
times himself and has superintended up
ward of 1900 aerial excursions. For
observational purposes and in pursuance
of his studies in meteorology he still
makes his dangerous trips, although
indeed both he and his wife maintain
that ballooning, when carefully con-
Quoted, is not dangerous occupation.
Neither of them has ever been injured.
ITO an experienced aeronaut," says
Mr.. Myers, the danger is really no
greater than that of sailing in a sr1all
boat. 1t is possible to navigate bal
loon by taking advantage of the differ
ent air currents, and in going down the
balloonist can steer by weights on the
same principle as steering a canoe by
leaning to one side or the other. The
platform ON which the aeronaut stands
serves as the rudder, and by throwing
his weight to one side or the other and
thus slanting the platform he can guide
himself. Ofcourse his rising and fall
ing are controlled by the valves and the
sandbags.'
In Illustration of this Mr.. Myers told
how his wife once followed a course
mapped out far her by Peter c. Camp
bell of Brooklyn, who built the airshlp
in which Ed Hogan went out to sea and
was lost four years ago. Mr.. Campbell
challenged Mrs. Myers to start from
East New York, go to the city hall in
Brooklyn, thence up the river, across
New York and to the Pennsylvania sta
ton in. New Jersey, to the city hall in
Jersey City, and finally to land in Sc
caucus. She made the trip in less than
an hour, and Mr.. Campbell gave hvT a
handsome gold badge as megsento.
There are SwoOr three rnles always
to be observed in managing. q balloon, :"
continued Mr.. Myers. First, be sure
that everything Is 'taut and shipshape;
secondly, don't Try to estimate distances
for yourself-they are extremely decep-
tive,when you are in the air. Refer to
the barometer, which is the aeronauts
compass, always- The most important
rnle of all is, Meyer give up the ship.
No matter what happens, as dong as
there is anything left of your balloon
and you are still fastened to it, you We
got a chance"
Have you ever had any unpleasant
experiences" asked the reporter.
Mrs. Myers has had more expert
encos than have"
Being appealed to, Mrs. Myers, after
a minute, of thought, said: "a very pc
culiar aerial adventure once had was
over Stafford Springs. Conn.,, where
two thuDderclouds played battledoor
and shuttGecock with me and my baf-
iloon. Usually experience NO difficult
tiles with electric clouds. Their terroIs
diminish sc you approach them, and
when actually among them the danger
'is.slight, if ct exists at all. IN this in
stance, however, l got between an up
peg cloud and n lower cloud, both heav-
lily charged. and my balloon acted as
"a conductor between them. Finst,
worad go up to the upper cloud and be-
come charged with electricity and then
he feoelled to t&e lower cloud. only TO
DE raeharged and bounced back TO the
upper again. played this elevator
game ii times before the clouds got
matters adjusted - their satisfaction.
Then they let Inc SO unhurt, but pretty
badly frightened by being made tho
plaything of such gigantic powers.
Another experience. more common
to balloanists and raore dangerous, 1
had on tbs occasion of the first trial of
natural gas for ascension in 1888 at
Franklin. Pa" continued Mrs. Myers.