The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-07-27
BALLOON TRIP AT NIGHT
American Aeronaut's Amazing
Experience In the Nirvana.
SAILED INTO A THUNDERSTORM

FosSeo through Terf10c Electrical
Outburst-AscendedE Eight Thousand
Feet and Were Attacked by Mosqui-
toes In Passing Over New jersey.
After night flight above the clouds
in balloon, some of the time with
their clothes frozen stiff and at other
times in the midst Of a terrific electric
storm, DR.. Julian p. Thomas of New
York and Charles Levee, French
aeronaut, returned safely the other
night, confident that in several ways
they have broken all aeronautic rec
ords in America, says the New York
Herald.
They left New York In DR.. Thomas
big balloon, the Nirvana, at o'clock
on recent Sunday night and for four
teen and a half hours were buffeted
about over New York, Pennsylvania
and New Jersey, landing on the farm
Of @. L. Miller. in the township of But
ternut, Otsego county, N. Y, at hal.
past o'clock the next morning.
DR.. Thomas gave description OF
their journey. Immediately ;fter ris-
ing above the CITY," he said, I'VE en-
tered storm stratum, and the last
thing we saw was Grants tomb as we
sailed over it. We did not know wheth-
er we had crossed the Hudson or were
sailing out to sea until we heard the
church bells Of Hackensack. Far above
us the sun was then shining with mar
velous radiance, while below us there
were rain and clouds, and how beauti-
full the clouds were as we looked down
upon them! Over Little Falls, N. j..
we dropped within few hundred feet
of the earth and shouted my telephone
number to several persons, and that
message reached my wife.
"Then we rose again rapidly for the
night. We were not quite sure which
way we were drifting, but realized we
were travelling very rapidly. Presently
we entered the most terrific electrical
storm imaginable. Below were the
great banks of clouds that looked like
mountains.
1.-THE thunder seemed to roll along
their submits and through the great
cloud canyons, bursting and cracking
with an effect like the splitting Of the
air. There was something weird in
the sound Of thunder below us. Above
and about US there was the most Won
derful display Of electricity. The light.
ming fitted through the basket, ran
up and down the ropes and played
across our faces, but we did not inter
fere with 1t and it did not modest us.
If you could comprehend the tranquil
Indifference and utter absence of fear
that come to one SO far above the
earth you would understand why say
we did not modest the lightning. 1t
did not seem to impress us except that
we enjoyed the grandeur Of the thing.
This storm lasted from 8 O'Clock
until 8 In the morning. Meanwhile we
were from 1900 to 5000 feet above the
earth and going through space at prob
ably twenty or thirty miles an hour.
Whenever the storm abated we saw
myriads Of small lightning bugs far
below US, and with all seriousness
am obliged to tell you that at times
we were nearly devoured with mosqui-
toes while passing over New Jersey.
Suddenly the wind changed, q little
after midnight, and we felt sure we
were going out to sea. 1 confess tina.
this was a very unpleasant period CT
our journey.
1--WE talked the matter over and de-
cided that we would drop down and
as soon as we could see the lights Of o
city would alight. For miles we spe:
on, but no lights appeared, and then.
with distinctness that made US bo.n
spring for the valves without spoken
word, we heard the sound of water
waves beating on the shore. AS we
let out the gas we dropped down like a
shot and landed In the top Of tree.
Where we were we did not know, bu:
1t was In the mountains Of northern
Pennsylvania, I think.
THE treetpp seemed a pretty COM