Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-10-27
TALKING ON THE AIR
RECORD FOR LONG DISTANCE CON-
vERSATiCN WITHOUT A WIRE.

Tales are plenty Of long distances over
which mems voices have been conveyed
by the medium of placid water. An
Adirondack guide tells CT having talked
in ordinary tones, on a very still day,
with companion 3 miles distant at
the other end of lake, and another
guide caps this story with one of yells
which were heard and returned near a
water extent of three miles. These tales
are quite outdone by well authenti-
Gated story told by Carlotta, once the
most famous woman balloonist in the
world. In her story air, instead of wa
ter, was the medium, and the distance
of the conversation was four miles. 1t
took place 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
inexperienced i'll ballooning, had agreed
to make an ascension. 1 had already
gone up and was quietly drifting east
on an easy air current when he started
out. He had had enough experience to
know how to handle the valves and
sandbags, and he intended 10 go up a
mile or so and then descend easily. Now,
You may be going due west at half n
mile altitude, and when you get up a
few hundred yards farther you may
strike current that carries you due
east. Mr. White checked his upward
career in a west bound draft, so that
when he finally drited out of that cur
rent into mine we were a good long dis
lance apart.
Il, Il ],
me when 1 make an ascension. When 1
turned this on him, l saw that he was
in trouble. His balloon had twisted a
little in such q way that | judged 1t
was likely TO twist more, and he was
clambering around the ropes trying TO
right it, but without much apparent
conception Of what was best 70 do. l
was frightened for him, for when the
bag Of a balloon turns too much the gas
begins TO escape rapidly. ard the results
are likely TO be serious. l knew that
voices could lie heard long way in the
air, for L had often heard people "a mile
below me shouting, SO without know
ing how far the two balloons were apart
l decided to hail the other one. gath
cred all my breath and shouted:
Hello, hello, hello'
Then turned my glass on the other
balloon again. Up where the air is so
clear "a it Is "A mile above the earth one
can see at great distances with wonder
full distinctness. Through my glass 1
could see Mr.. White start and look all
around him. That was quite awhile aft
er l had shouted. He didn't seem to I'M
derstand where the voice came from,
but finally | saw him put his hands to
his mouth, evidently making "a speaking
trumpet OF them. ! waited and waited
and was Just about to shout again when
the huge gaSbag above me began TO
thrill with sounds. They seemed to buzz
along its sides and diffuse the air, only
TO collect and come whirring and rum
bling down the funnel to be poured into
my ears, and they formed in a tone that
seemed made up of a million other
tones:
- Hello! Where-are-you?'
1T was the most peculiar sound had
ever heard. When it had scattered itself
into silence. i took out my watch, and
timing myself shouted:
- Throw out one sandbag. I'll come
to you
Forty seconds later my balloon be-
gan to vibrate again, finally forming
the words:
All right In troubled
There was method in my telling
him to throw out the sandbag, as it
was afterward of use. l threw out a
number myself, for l reckoned that u
little above me 1 would find a current
TO carry me toward Mr. White. This l
did and was soon within a short dis
tance of him, .aerially considered. The
trouble with his balloon was "a slight
disarrangement of the ropes, which l
had myself experienced, so l told him
what to do, and he was soon all right
As explained TO him when we reached
the earth, we had been talking over an
aerial telephone, the gasbags being the
only material objects up there collecting
all the sounds and acting as huge receiy-
ers.
Well, said he, You got me out Of
a very bad scrape, but i never was so
scared in my life a. when that voice
surrounded me. thought the balloon
was talking, and that had gone crazy.
1t was a pretty long talk, said 1,
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.
." Very we'll, 1 said. That's why
told you TO drop that sandbag. 1 threw
some out. too. and we can find out how
far they landed apart.
1T wasn't much trouble 10 find peo-
pie who had found the bags and knew
just where they We're. Fortunately they
had landed near railroad track, so the
distance estimating was made easy for
us 1t was 4 l.. miles / guess that is the
record up 10 date for long distance talk
ing without a wire.