Smyrna times., 1906-08-15
INTERVIEW IN THE AIR
Aeronaut 1900 Feet Aloft Talks
to American Correspondent.
BALLOONS TO RIVAL MOTORS"

Aerial Interview High Above Lon
don - International Cup Favored. \
How the Novel Pastime Is Gaining
Recruits.
The New York Herald recently pub
ushed the following from its London
correspondent:
To interview a man successfully in a
balloon it is as well to get inside the
nacelle at the very outset, before the
ropes are cast off and the prOdigiOus
starting bound is made; otherwise
| megaphOnes and shouting instruments
become imperative. | was seeking the
| Hon. c. S. Rolls to discuss the English
aeronautical movement, and | caught
him just as he was about to take
couple of friends from the Chelsea
gas works for an evening spin in the
balloon Venus, then rolling about in
| obedience to the strong air currents
| which came shooting through the rail
way arches and around the vast gas
holders
IF you want to talk" said Mr.. Rolls,
1
have plenty of time in the air."
got into the basket. and the next
minute the world seemed falling away
from beneath us. The wind was blow
ing toward the northwest at about
| fifteen miles an hour, but Just as we
left the ground il counterpUT struck
us and sent us spinning toward a huge
| hn r;trh a
though we should strike and perhaps
rip the gas bag open, but the puff, was
only temporary, and just at the mo-
ment when the netting was on the
point of catching in the iron stems it
died away and we shot clear above
London to a height of 1000 feet and
commenced 20 travel toward the worm
wood scrubs and the open country be-
yond.
London viewed from a balloon is
we'll worth seeing. Practically the en-
tire metropolis lay stetched beneath us,
and we could study the various build
ings, parks and thorOughfares easily,
as on a map. At 2000 feet the houses
looked like dog kennels and the palaces
like huts. The cemetery, with its count
less tombstones, appeared like a huge
double six in Il domino set. Hyde park
looked like Il cricket field and the Ser
pentine a drinking pond.
We continued to rise until a height of
1000 feet was registered. We were
now travelling over open country, and,
with the exception of a slight haze to
| IL,
of vision.
Can you imagine anything finer than
this? 2" asked Mr.. Rolls enthusiastically,
as he threw out Il sh0velful of ballast.
Are you surprised that the sport is
growing every day aud that everybody
is simply wild to go on a trip? During
the last few months l have spent far
more time up in the clouds, so to speak,
than anywhere else. Each trip make
pleases me more than the last, and, as
most of my excursions are undertaken
with the object of converting preju-
diced and nervous people Halo!
What's that?"
While descanting on the pleasant
theme Mr.. Rolls had not been looking
|
glance at it he saw we had fallen 1,000
feet or so and were still nearing the
earth. Over went bag of ballast, and
that barely sufficing, another was scat
tered by degrees.
THAT comes of being interviewed il
, a balloon" remarked Mr.. Rolls. "Ii
you want to show a decent line oi
fight at the end of the run you mus
, keep your eye on the barometer Tha
7 drop will make the sailing chart lool
I ugly"
But Mr. Rolls was induced to tall
again.
! what do l think of the Internationa
BallOoning cup? Well, believe it will
ultimately assume an Importance ia
greater than the automobile cup of til,
) same name. Just look at the list of en-
s tries for the first year. Practical.
s every civilized country is represente,
j. in the race l believe this event vii
9 mark definitely the turning point il
aeronautical sport The forward move
ment set in, so far as England is con
cerned, a year ago. With the giganti
. advertisement provided Ivy this al
q preaching contest the movement wi
e become prodigious. OF this | am pei
l. suaded."
d While we were talking we were drift
o ing along over cornfields. pasture Ian
II and low chains of hills, where the ira
g rope scraped hedges and where IL
shadow of the huge envelope scare
ducks and pigs into frenzy. We wei
y nearing Aylesbury when long dippin
line toward the earth began. A gre;
y open field was chosen, and toward Il
Of middle of this we aimed.
le We all had something to do. NJ
f. Rolls held the rip cord and valve, NJ
to Moore other important tackle and NJ
90 Vincent some ballast, while | tire
out the anchor. There was a slig
y bump as we struck. The bump was +
T. peated half a dozen times before Il
10 great mass became stationary The
e. was no danger. The wind was SO lig
that even the rip cord was unnecessar
The gas was allowed to escape by d