The Minneapolis journal., 1904-12-31
EAPo11s, MINNESOTA SATURDAY, DECEMBER 81, 1904


three amateur aeronauts Above
the stars shining brightly; below them great PAIL
hiding forest and fields hills and dalea from Their dgh+
thousand feet away and yet their descent was as @
possible it would have been had the distance meas
ured thousand miles, What strange fate this that
continually overshadowed them, shutting off their
suredi
Would it reassert itself at dawn and send the air
ship flying off in direction, would they be
6ei on top, Amid
tied regioni Would it be place from which they could
easily extrieate themselves or some spot from which d
coast' 'S long '''''D7 ""'''S Toll 20 return 70 '
These and many other similar questions crowded
into the minds Of the young aeronaut and freely they
could give definite to any of them
eff we reached the coast north of the mouth Of tho
said the professor eve have long since crossed
shore river, changed
to hundreds The only certain thing is we rushing
southwark into the very heart Of South America''
No slept. Under the circumstances they could
G not SLEEP With f5as ReEce the
An hour after midnight Todd, who had just glanced
down at the great curtain of mist below him, exclaimed
excitedly:
ttWhy, the fog is up to car, professor!''
II know it" the calm response
"can it be we are fallinge'' the lad Immediately
asked and thus revealed the for his excitement
.< mo, I think not,r Professor Barton answered
bend the anchor the CABLE and I will show you.''
In the darkness the iron, which nearly three days
before been fastened to huge rope removed
and then the loose end of the latter dropped
OUT however, it evident all that it had touched
and dragging along the ground
''We running among the hills - the aeronaut
we are to them than supPesed We must ascend
we shall be buried in the fog and exposed to
merous dangers. Quick! Throw out the rest Of tho
eable!''
the side of the car and after the professor sent two
three bags of ballast The entire weight cast out would
not have been less than two hundred pounds and the e
magical sped the balloon, out of the MIST
toward the shining stars and at great
height there seemed only darkness and void beneath its
occupants.
Striking match Professor Barton looked at his
barometer
''That's fne'' he then exclaimed. 'We are now
over five above the sea- and likely to
be troubled with fogs hills again tonight.
who sat- % end pe
fessors arm, asking in low tone:
'What is that ahead of US, sir! have been trying
he aeronaut 1ooke in indi-
Gated and what seemed to be huge barrier rising
directly across their pathway To the right to the left
and upward it extended until lost in the surrounding
1T is mountain peak rising abruptly from its
rounding plan and high 0ne too We must rise above
it, we shall be wrecked,' the professor exclaimed.
As he spoke he picked up bag of ballast and threw
shal G' put over anothers' willing
eyes all have the anchor, the ropes, the table,
the hampers-every loose thing. Clear the basket! All
must 90 lost.''
everything in the but themselves had been
thrown out On they went up the balloon sped and yet
still above them that perpendicular cliff lowered
eft is no use, comrades! Chamber after into tho
netting! must put the sack between and the
mountain 1t is the only chance to save ourselves Hang
on for dear life; the blow will be terrific one''
The next minute he, followed by Mr.. Todd and tho
boys, climbing the roping that encased the
gas sack.
"Looki there is star off in the southwestern hori
zon It that the peak!' Mr.. Barton
said, when thirty forty feet above the
.tWe have but rise few feet more, and We
He never finished that sentence He had no time to
do IT, For the balloon at that moment struck with
tremendous shock against the mountain side The crash
of breaking the sound Of rendng silk followed and
then the great gas bag sank slowly down the
tain top