New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-23
BALLOONS TRIP SHORT
TUXEDO GAS TOO WEAK.
Can Hardly Lift Nan and Basket
Viii Tn Pittsfeld.

Charles Levee made balloon ascension, IN
spite of the high wind which blew nearly all
day yesterday at Hillburn. N. Y, to test the
quality of the water gas manufactured there
by the Ramapo Gas Works. NJ. Levee did not
! ascend until nearly o'clock. and descended
about half hour later, because of the poor
lifting power of the gas employed He landed
TO the eastward of Ramseys, n. ].
Mr.. Levee returned to New-York in Mr..
Bishops automobile the party arriving at the
Aero Club at $50 o'clock, where the aeronaut
told of his brief trip. Mr.. Bishops automobile
and his boots and leggings bore evidence of the
condition of the road which had to be traversed
to keep UP with the movement of the balloon.
They were completely covered with mud, and, as
Mr.. Bishop said 1T will take week TO clean
my machine" Besides this it was somewhat
damaged.
Mr.. Levee was none the for his asoen-
sion, and expressed his satisfaction with the ex-
pertinent. ut a fine trip" he said, but
very short"
The balloon. said Mr. Levee. had assembled to
height of 1900 feet and was up about twenty
five minutes. 1t travelled a distance of ten miles
1t is estimated that speed of thirty miles an
hour was attained.
DISSATISFIED WITH GAS.
The aeronaut and the members of the Aero
Club, however, expressed their dissatisfaction
with the quality OF the gas supplied by the
Ramapo Gas Works, which made the trip less
successful than it would otherwise have been.
Mr. Levee was compelled to leave behind his
anchor and the descent was made with such
velocity that he even threw overheard his over
coat and everything that would tighten the
basket. His coat was later found hanging high
on the limb Of a tree, and was shaken off by
some boys. His balloon was caught by Mr.
Bishops automobile. which raced at tremendous
speed over muddy, rocky roads to be on the
spot in time. In driving the machine the fly
wheel several times struck the ground.
The balloon dropped about sixty feet from the
road. Alfred Storm. farmer, whose prop
erty 1t landed. wondered at all the excitement
but he said reassuringly TO Mr. Bishop:
That's all right. I won't you"
NJ. Levee to be on the ground early in
the morning, but through a misunderstanding
did not get there until much later, so that It
was after l o'clock before. the work OF initiating
the balloon was begun. This was delayed further
by the dropping of a ballast bag which tore
a three cornered hole in the silk NJ Levee
sewed this up and made it alright with glue
and an old newspaper. Augustus T Post, who
has been experimenting with the gas for several
days, was in charge of the arrangements and
aided in the preparation of the balloon for the
ascent.
BY noon more than five hundred persons were
standing in the mud OF the field behind the
gas works. Soon afterward people from the
Tuxedo Club began to arrive on horseback and
IN automobiles Mingled with them were the
antiQuated vehicles Of apparently every farmer
living north of the Jersey line Soon the mud of
the big field had been trodden into a slushy
mixture that ankle deep. but which did not
deter the scores OF women present from watch
Ing the proceedings with the greatest interest.
WELL KNOWN PEOPLE PRESENT
On one side Mount Tarn and ON the other
were Mounts McGregor and Havercup. These
high hills formed a channel for the northwest
wind that made the partly inflated balloon
bounce and bob around. swaying over to one
side until 1t rested on the heads OF the crowd.
In one of its wild gyrations It knocked over one
unfortunate, who fell prone in some seven or
eight inches OF watery mud. Somehow he pro-
voked more Inirth than sympathy
The Aero Club we'll represented. Almost
the first to arrive Courtlandt Field Bishop
and Mrs. Bishop in the big automobile with
which Mr.. Bishop had planned to tow the bal
loon to Tuxedo Park if possible. He did not do
this because Of the high wind and the late hour
2t which the balloon finally made ready.
Several members of the Aero Club entertained
parties at Tuxedo at luncheon and then brought
them to Hillburn. Among those who showed
their enthusiasm for the sport by standing foe
hours in the mud Mr.. and Mrs. Frederick
Tams, Mr.. and Mrs Newbold Edgar, who ar
rived early, and Lieutenant Lahn whose father
is to represent the Aero Club in the race for the
James Gordon Bennett Cup. Lieutenant Lain
rode his horse all the way from West Point to
watch the ascension. Others present from New
York and Tuxedo We're Mr.. and Mrs. McGrane
Cox and party. Mr.. and Mrs. Cornelius s. Lee
George L. Kingsand, Pierre Lorillard, jr., JUS
tice Wanamaker. Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Seton
Paul Tuckerman, c. H. De Rham, George Girls
void. Otto Andreae. T. Wyman Porter. H. Cas-
mer Duncan, A. NJ Herring. Mrs. ]. Nelson Dor
land, Henry w. Munro Rowland Pell. Winthrop
McKim, Mr.. and Mrs. Israel Ludlow and Mrs
Ludlow's sister. Miss Coffee; Mr.. and Mrs. Julian
P. Thomas, Mr.. and Mrs. A. w Rossiter. Mr..
and Mrs Newbold Morris, Mrs. George L.
Kingsland and Miss Kingsland, F. ]. Dieter,
John D. Minturn, Horace Cary and Robert
Bacon.
By $50 o'clock the balloon had been inflated
sufficiently TO allow the basket to be attached.
The balloon, with capacity Of $1,000 feet, can
carry only single man. The basket is so small
that when the aeronaut shivers he hits all four
sides.
NJ. Levee was not able TO get off for some time
after he entered the basket. He intended to
carry seven or eight bags of ballast. but the
the other, until only one remained. 1t was
found that he could not rise even then. The
graphing iron then discarded. but had to
be followed by half the remaining bag of ballast
before the basket had been Lghtened enough.
Then Mr.. Post Leo Stevens and several volun-
teer helpers towed the balloon further back in
the field Had it risen whore it was inflated
telegraph wire probably would have cut short it's
voyage.
START MADE AT LAST.
Finally there came a lu1l, and all hands let
60 the basket For a few feet the balloon rose
straight in the air Then NJ. Levee discarded