Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-05
KEEP EYES ON THE SKY
ONE MAY SIGHT A BALLOON ANY
DAY NOW.
Prof. Kings Long voyage-Made His
Descent in Wisconsin Gran
berry Bog.

.s1+ ,,,y he very we'll to ridicue the idea
thot some folks entertain of casting their
OPTICS skyward expecting to nnd DIG pai-
loon soaring about the apex Oh the WASH
,ng+on monument or making courtesieS to
ber majesty the Goddess OF Liberty as she
stands facing the rising sun from the Gap
;tol dome. but such thing may happen
anv day" remarked a well-knoWn resident
of this city to party of friends only Gay
or two ago Il myself have peen on tne
lookout for just such an advent since 'he
aerial races began at the st. Louis expo
sition and I'm still on the lookout
There's nobody on the face OF the
GARTH, he yentured to say, who Is not
moro or less interested in aerial navigation,
aarostatics and all these sorts of things,
and every one who has taken pains to IN
yestigate ballooning knows that some very
long VOYAGES have been made IN alrsnips,
those in the old-Style globe with their
hasket-shaped cars having made the long
est There are people living today VINO
remember a voyage maze by that "o.iu
famed aeronaut La Mountain, VINO, WIN
two compainions, left st. Louis and landed
sfter some days somewhere in Jefferson
county, New York. That happened ABOUT
6ftv Years ago and caused a sensation that
was In nowise limited to this country
A Sensational Ascension.
"Apd here am reminded" he said, "of
balloon ascension l witnessed In Chicago
about a quarter of century ago. In the
beginning there was nothing sensational
about it; before the voyage was ended the
whole country became interested In It. In
fact the show was Intended altogether as
an advertisement by one of the windy city
clothing merchants, put the nrm engaged
that old and experienced aeronaut Prof.
King to make the ascent, and he had as
companion a man named Hashagan, who
was an official of the government signal
service. The ascension was made from the
grounds OF the olo. w hite otockiHS FdSe
"rbe balloon was .hlled with gas from one
of the city mains, and after the usual tug
girgs and tossings incident to supplying
the interior motor power, the word was
given and the flight toward heaven began
before the professor was fairly in the car.
He was on the outside of the rigging. A
storm was brewing at the time. 1t was
October day, but that didn't cut any Ice
with the intrepid old hero of many flights.
Everybody expected to see the sky trav-
elers back in Chicago next day, but they
didn't appear, nor on the day after, and
several days followed with no word from
them, until folks began to get uneasy, and
even the government, feeling some interest
in their signal service adjunct, began to
| take some interest and gave Instructions to
attaches at signal stations to be on the
| watch and report the first sight of the bal
| loon. Scouting pErties were out hunting
| for 1t and it's occupants. Days rolled along,
but no word came from the sky voyagers,
until 1t began to be the general Impression
that they had persisted. They carried a
| very scanty stock of provisions not more
than enough to last them more than TWEEN
| ty-four hours.
"Once in a while rumors come in from
folks who said they had sighted the bal
| loon, hut they could give no more idea of
it's location than they could of the grave
of Moses At last however. after about
ten days the safety OF the airship and its
passengers was assured. They succeeded
! in Wisconsin They were almost as badly
| off here as when they were in the air. for
they were lost in the swamp, and it was
| about three days before they found succor.
| of a COW bell. They would have starved
there bun for the fact that the signal office