New-York tribune., 1906-04-12
SKY TRIP A SUCCESS.
WOMAN SAILS IN BALLOON
Lands Safely after Three Hours
Drifting Through Space.
[Ry Telegraph to The Tribune. l

Somers, Conn, April 11-Bouncng over the
ground like huge football for many rods, be-
fore the anchor caught in tree, Count de la
Vaulx's balloon POrent descended on a farm
near here tonight and DR.. and Mrs. Julian P.
Thomas safely alighted In coming from Pitts
field they had covered sixty miles, staying
up in the air three hours. the landing being
made at 6:10 O'Clock this evening.
The descent was made at Jobs Hill. The ball
loon first coided lightly with the top of tall
chestnut tree glanced off and hit the ground.
1t rose again for few feet and then bounced
along for a space until it's impetus was ex-
hausted. Then it struck the ground for the last
time, as gently as a feather.
Mrs Thomas left the car and the balloon
was packed away. After dining at neighhor-
ing farmhouse. the aerial navigator, with their
pilot, Charles Levee. were driven to trolley
line for Springfield. They will reach New York
early tomorrow morning.
Mrs Thomas when she landed. was full of en-
thusiasm.
"It was glorious" she said. THE pleasure of
the trip was greater even than had imagined
I shall not be happy until I have another op-
portunity TO go up again. I never saw more
glorious sights in my life than when we were
above the Clouds"
which NJ. Levee said was as successful as any
he had ever made. Levee was happy, too at
having earned a substantial bonus from Dr'
Thomas for having stayed up three hours anu
for going above the clouds
THE entire trip was successful as the beau
tiful start promised" Dr. Thomas said we ala
not go high until we reached the Hoosac Range
when we ran into the first cloud. which we
passed through quickly
while in this cloud We heard a most curious
sound-like a tornado or a torrent1al waterfall
II saenoed TO he all around us, and we could not
imagine what it was until NJ. Levee explained
that il was the wind sweeping through the trees
on the hills beneath us
"To .tunp' over the Hoosac Range we tire"
out nearly an entire bag of ballast and shot up
nearly three thousand feet and into the ciouu'
again. Through rift saw some CITY, proo-
ably Springfield lying gray and grim in the mist
and then the fog swallowed US up again
I'VE had been in the air then for nearly an
hour although it seemed scarcely ten minutes
Wrapped in the clouds we could see nothlng so
we descended. We found that we had passed
over the hills and that the Connecticut Nalley
la- stretched below us Then Mr. Levee threw
o1n re ballast and we rose like an arrow until
the cloud field lay extended below in riotous
blaze of color. Only a poet could describe the
beauties of the scene there, 1 cannot
''As darkness was approaching below us, al
though the sun seemed high from where we
were-a mile above the earth-Mr. Levee decided
to descend We dropped speedily and easily
until we were at the level of the tree tops.
Glancins off one tall tree. our anchor caught
finally in another, and descended as easily
as Il leaf drops
Mrs. Thomas says that she would not have
missed the trip for thousands of dollars but
doubt If we ever go up together again. The
perils of baIIooning too great for us TO risk
the chance of leaving our two children orphans