Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-04-21
WOMAN's AERIAL TRIP
Mrs. Julian P. Thomas Tells OF
Her Balloon Voyage.
WEIRD ANDWONDERFUL SENSATION

Grand as Well as Beautiful Sights
In the CIOuds-NVeather of Various
Kinds Sailed Into-Fair AerOnaut
Had No Fear or Sensation of Being
Over Edge of Car.
| Mrs. Julian L. Thomas of New York,
| who recently made her first ascension
IN balloon at Pittsfeld, Mass, de-
scribed her sixty mile flight above the
clouds as follows To Il New York World
reporter:
The most interesting thing about
the trip" began Mrs. Thomas in relat-
ing her adventures, was the different
kinds of weather we had. When we
started the sky was overcast We
went up. up until we We're in the
| clouds. 1t was like being in heavy
white mist. Look up, look down, look
about, we could see nothing. There
We're we. DR.. Thomas, Mr.. Levee and
myself and the car and the bag of the
balloon above us. Besides these OBJ
jects there was absolutely nothing else
TO see. The <SenSa ton was weird and
wonderful. This was the time when
Mr.. Levee climbed up on the edge of
the basket and up into the rigging to
disentangle the valve ropes No. did
not feel alarmed then, except for Mr..
Levee. 1t did seem risky. when what
a fall would have meant makes me
Shudder. But there was nothing by
which TO judge distance and convey
the impression that to fall would be
a frightful thing.
''Mr. Levee found one thing for Us to
look at. BY closely watching. by look
ing for ii, in the mist one could see
fine particles, as of microscopic snow
flakes. One never would have noticed
this phenomenon at all unless it had
covered it for ourselves when next we
were enveloped in cloud.
''Then we got above the clouds.
There was cloud above us and cloud
below. All about were the clouds at a
distance. They looked like huge noun
tains of snow. Beneath us the clouds
looked not like billowy sea of white
vapor, such as one would imagine from
looking up at them, but a vast level of
white, like sheet extending as far as
the eye reached. From the mountains
of snow far away l could see from
time to time huge blackish balls roll
away-other waves of clouds.
Now the sun broke through the
clouds above us and painted the scene
all the colors of the rainbow. That is a
sight never can forget. 1t was grand
and wonderful, simply beyond any
power of mine to put into words. And
then another thing even more beauti-
full happened. There came a rift in the
clouds beneath us, and the suns rays
shone down through this. The lower
rift was Il beautiful deep, bright blue
at first, and through this we could at
length see the earth. 1t was strange to
see the land once more and not know
where we We're. Next we came down
through the clouds and below them
and after time came out into clear
weather, with the sun shining upon us.
Finally we landed in Il heavy rain"
Mrs. Thomas was delighted to be
shown one of the pictures she had
taken from the balloon car, which had
come out much more clearly than any
her husband took, although she is in
experienced with the camera and he, is
expert.
THAT is just lovelyr' she exclaimed.
Il am tickled to death that / have ac-
tually taken picture of the earth
from a balloon. / can only say where
we We're approximately. We had just
come down from the clouds to recon
hotter, as it We're. Beneath us were
some puddles of water, as l thought,
until was tOld.by Mr.. Levee that they
were good sized lakes. We could not
tell whereabouts we We're, but it was