The Washington times., 1906-07-12
AERONAUTS THREE
TIMES NEAR DEATH
Crowd Thought 1t Fun to
Catch Hold of Barrel An
chor Used as Expert
ment and Wouldn't
Let Go.

NEW YORK, July 12.-After ambling
In a balloon over Manhattan and Brook
lyE for nearly four hours and with
many hairbreadth escapes, DR.. Julian
Z. Thomas and Roy Knabenshue, the
asrship expert, startled Flatbush while
It was at dinner last evening by settling
in it's midst. Both aeronauts said they
lad had great trip, and they told a
mighty interesting story.
For the first time In the history OF
aeronautics in this country Dr. Thomas
used a sea anchor, and he demonstrat-
ed to the satisfaction Of himself and
Knabenshue that with such an appli-
ance air sailors need have little fear
Of being swept far to sea. The Thomas
anchor was impTOvised from a sugar
barrel, but imperfect as It was 1t
served its purpose and would have held
indefinitely in an open seaway-
on account of adverse winds the doc
tor and Knabenshue were compelled to
make a trial OF the drag in the East
River near Eighty-third street. It held
the big balloon. the Nirvana-the
largest on the continent-as steady as
rock for fully five minutes. Then a
gust OF wind carried the gas bag hard
over on the Manhattan shore and the
sugar barrel smashed to pieces against
pier at Eighty-second street.
Mob Grabbed Hold of Rope.
When the anchor was smashed the
balloon swept in over Eighty-second
street. The whole neighborhood was
out and between 1900 and 800 children
and a lot Of men and women. who
ought TO have known better. reached
for the drag rope and trailing anchor
cable and held on. They thought they
we're having the greatest lark of their
lives. The balloon was a captive and
the next instant its captors decided to
pull il down.
DR.. Thomas leaned over the side Of
the basket and shouted for the crowd
TO let go. Knabenshue waved his arms.
Both men pleaded at the top of their
lungs. They called upon every saint in
the calendar and then they sWOre by
gods unknown TO Police Commissioner
Bingham, but to no purpose.
Almost Set on Fire.
The crowd thought it great fun, evi-
IDENTIFY, TO capture a balloon. and they
hung on, despite the cries from the bal
loonists To them 10 release the rope.
The big gas-f1lled envelope swayed to-
ward a big chimney stack emitting
clouds of smoke and fire, but the people
below did not realize the danger 10 the
lives of the men in the basket
We could feel the heat from the
mouth of the stack" said DR.. Thomas
last night after landing and as the
bottom of the balloon is open and a gap
four feet in diameter exposes the gas,
you can readily imagine how near a ter
, Tible death we were. One spark would
have done the work. We called to the
men below TO let US go, but they hung
on I threatened them with a bag of
sand, but they only laughed"
Rescued by Wife in Auto.
JL-s as they had resigned themselves
to anything that might happen, Dr.
Thomas automobile. carrying his wife.
her brother. and colored chauffeur,
bowled upon the scene. The auto scat
tered the crowd, the balloon captors
let go of the ropes and the Nirvana
went soaring.
A breeze from the northward sent
Thomas and Knabenshue down the
river until they were of Greenpoint,
and then a slap Of wind from the west