Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-05

- GrpS open field near which
W a clump of tall elm
- trees. The wind was light and the machine
under good control Gradually however
! ! /. ]. !
the force of the wind increased and the
81 apparatus drfted over toward the trees.
NV assistant stood in his little car look
II ing toward He had his back tow
ard the obstruction. / shouted and ges-
n ticulated, but could not get him to look
- around At last, however he turned his
head, and that the balloon was trav-
cling rapidly toward some of the largest
trees, now only about thirty yards away
Realizing his danger, Judson stopped down to
throw out some ballast but it was too late The
balloon had reached the trees passing them at
perhaps a height of hundred feet from the
ground The car was too low, however to clear
them, and dashed violently against the upper
branches. Judson was thrown bodily out of the car
and then, to my horror, he shot toward the earth.
The little balloon gave jump upward and stop
ped with jerk. And then | saw Judson hanging
head downward, apparently in mid-air, one
hundred feet from the ground while the balloon
slowly descending in the lee of the elm trees.
udsonS miraculous escape due to a mere
chance. | have always made it a rule to
cure the end of valve cord to the rigging by
knot which sailors call double haf-hitch; and in
this the rest of the cord had happened to drop
outside the car, forming loop. As he plunged
downward Judson's leg had caught in this loop
The weight of his body the valve cord opened the
escape valve at the top of the balloon and caused
escape of gas, and therefore rapid but perfectly
safe descent.
BY the time we had reached him. Judson had
up car greeted us WITH q VICE
grin and the careless remark, Pretty close shave,
WASH it ~
Good little Judsonl His cleverness and grit have
carried him to good place in another profession
equally difficult but less physically hazardous than
air navigation
Some years ago in Dublin an aeronaut named
Hampton made several daring air voyages. On
one occasion he made ascension, notwithstand-
ing that there was at the time strong wind blow
ing straight out to The balloon rapidly to
height of about six thousand feet and then owing to
slful manipulation, made an equally rapid descent.
Descent Into the Sea
A Ii went we'll until the gas bag had descended to
4 within about hundred feet of the earth 1t was
then caught by strong current of wind and whirled
along just about a level with the house-topS.
Directly N his course there happened to be house
which fire. The nfammabe gas in the bal
loon became ignited the silk bag exploded with
tremendous report and began to burn making
spectacle which the observers have described as
being unspeakably grand and impressive" Hamp-
ton made quick jump, and by most remarkable
chance escaped with few burns and bruises.
Speaking OF narrow escapes reminds of the
close call of Leo Stevens not long ago. Stevens
is one of the cleverest aeronauts in the world
cool, quiet young fellow, with the jaw of prize
fighter muscles of iron, and nerves of steel.
The ascension was made from the upper part of
Manhattan, New York, and the wind took the
balloon in westerly direction. All went well until
the balloon the Hudson River At this
point the aeronauts encountered a cold heavy
cloud. This cooled the gas and decreased the buoy
ancy of the balloon to such extent that from
height OF about three thousand feet it fell with
downward slant directly toward those jagged towers
of rock known the Palisades.
Straight up against the wall plunged the great
unwledy bag, pushed by the wind behind it. and with
ever-decreasing buoyancy. In vain had the aero
nauts thrown out all their ballast,
valuable instruments, in or
der to enable them to clear the
Il