The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-30
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
MEMBERS OF ENGLANDS SMART
SET TAKE UP THE SPORT.


L. -
Princess "a Teano Regarded a q Mascot
Ethics % o DesCont-Flttings q Up
20 Date Cars-0RanHe sights women
Among the Earliest Ball0onists.
The eyes Of all London nave been lately
axed on the exploits OF the plucky little
band Of lady balloonists, all members Of
the Aero Club, whose frequent accents Into
cloudland formed one OF the chief sensa-
tons Of tho season.
The Princess di Teano IL one Of the fash
ionable women who have become identified
with the sport. A~eronAuts, like all those
whose lives depend for safety upon the
vagAries Of tho elements, have a Arm belief
that certain passenger carry good or bad
luck In their wake, and the Princess di
Teano, the rolgning belle OF q couple OF
seasons, h IN especially popular fellow
vovoosur. Exceptional good luck has at
tended every asr~nt she has yet made.
The ethics Of ballooning when making q
descsnt arc such as to make the possession
Of pluck an absolute necessity. No matter
what immediate danger the unfortunate
feminine asronAut may see directly ahead,
whom being landed with an unexpected drop,
and no matter how easily she could leave
the balloon. she must not dream OF doing
90 until the aeronaut In charge gives the
word Of command. For to tighten the car
Of one persons weight before the balloon
10 quite debated might send II suddenly
skywsrd. whence II might descend again
with Q drop, killing the occupants4
The fittings OF the up to date balloon car,
eyen when women passengers are to be
taLAx. 49, - Aca14N. -A~NNa Tn Nnanw
cars the occupants have only Just room to
stand up In, though some Of the bigger
cars are provided as q special luxury with
q very narrow wooden seat running across
one side for the benefit of feminine vop-
dOeNys. Most men elect to stand. Adozen
or more bags Of ballast-flied With ffnely
sifted sand-are placed In the bottom Of
the car.
Some balloons have among their fittings
Q small shovel with which the aeronaut
ladies' out this sand, a small handful at q
time, for In q we'll balanced balloon the
throwing out Of a single handful Of sand
will cause her to rise hundreds Of feet in
the air. 90 delicately is abe poised.
A small aneroid barometer, a mega
phone-for attracting the notice and asking
questions OF passersby-e map, q state
~scope-thc newly invented and delicate
instrument which registers the rise or fall
Of the balloon, thus avoiding the necessity
for throwing out pieces Of paper In order
to find put whether they rise or sink-and
an electric torch, together with q trailing
cord, and a graphing iron or anchor, CON-
plete the aeronaut's outfit, while q danger
cord, or ripping cord, ~ it Ii technically
termed, by means Of which the balloon is
ripped up In q previously prepared place to
let tho gas out quickly whom making q rough
descent on a gusty day, thus preventing
the car and it's occupants from being
dragged at the heels OF q half debated bal
loon through barbed wire or over glass hot
houses and cucumber frames. 10 tied up In
Tia rigging In q bright rcd bag to prevent
its being accidentally touched by meddlng
onlookers before the start.
There "a no side entrance 20 o balloon car,
10 q nile of sandbags In often arranged
beside thoss destined TO carry q lady pas
ssnRer. BY this means they mount into
their respective cars I'VE minutes before he
start, swinging themselves into the basket
between the ropes Of rigging.
Il was chiefly I'm order that the Princess
d Tea no and the actress, Miss Granville,
might SEQ what experienced ~aeronsuts de-
clare TO DO one OF the most impressive OF all
sights from a balloon-namely, that Of the
sun rising from above the mists OF an early
summer m~oming-that a midnight supper
party was organized q short time ago. An
ascent was made at . A. NJ. into the pitch
black night by two balloons.
we shot right up through a big black
cloud said Miss Granvi lille to a representa-
live OF the Ladies Realm, -and for some
time it was 20 dark that we could not wen
see each others faces. We had an electric
torch, though, with which We were enabled
20 consult our instruments to CLEAN some
idea as to where We were and in what direc-
ton We were travelling.
-One OF the most curious sights we saw
before the sun rose was that OF the moon,
which appeared 70 bob from side 90 side OF
the heav ems, now appearing on the right,
imaginable effect. The explanation was
that we were spinning sbo WY around in the
ain; but in ~baIlooning n feels absolutely
no movement whatever.
zone may be travelling before q wind
bio VIM forty miles an our and yet appear
70 be in the midst OF an 1mpenetrable still
ness and silence"
81 stilI. indeed, il it to the occupants of
the car that the feminine eronaut does not
wen trouble to tie q motor veil around her
hat.
might be thought. The cost OF IN English
accent between the occupants OF the car
Usually comes to about ES a head, q big
balloon costing about e10 to e12 for each In
| fation, while a small n can be filed for
E0 or 81.
BaIlooning has always held an extraor-
dinarv fascination for women from the
time OF its Inauguration, early In l7s2.
IL was chiefly the mother wit OF q feminine
bystander who CHANGED to watch the first
experiments OF the famous brothers Mont
| Golfer and saw the weak point that doomed
their earlier efforts TO failure whichrwas re-
gponsible through a timely suggestion for
de launching Of the first balloon.
10 was only about two years later that
Madame Fible, the pioneer OF women aero
nauts made her first ascent from Lyons.
Not 10 be outdone In daring by their fair
French neiRhbor -~balloonation,' a. IL was
nSchmamed by the ways OF the day, at once
took the fancy OF the smart seto OF both sexes
In London town. It became the rage; while
London dandies complained that their view
when ballooninR was vastly impaired by the
monstrous, unsuitablecoifures OF their fair