The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1906-09-11
BALLoOMING A SOCIETY FAD
sven sosistg Coin in Ia
BalIOning

ciety, having exhausted the pos.
r. Sfbilitiss Of excitement offered
By hundred horsepower auto.
mobile, has gone In for balloonlng.
Automobiles are getting cheaper ever
year and society cannot share any
sport with the common people. Bal
looming Ia no poor mans game. The
Nirvana Of Or. Julian p. Thomas holds
10000 cubic feet Of gas In its big bag,
and even IL the New York court OF
appeals should sustain the eighty cent
gas law his bills viii continue to be
large enough to scare any one but q
millionaire. Besides there Il an exhila-
ration In flying above the clouds which
IL not to be found in more earthly
| pastimeG.
At first the novelty Of serenely doat-
Ing 5000 fest above the ground sufaced
70 rearOuse the blase smart settlers.
but that mid form Of amusement soon
palled upon them, and now they must
race one another through the upper
air. Before long we shall hear OF regu-
lar aerial race meets with b0Olmakars
In attendance for the benefit .Ok those
who can enjoy no sport Vgttho0t ''hav-
Ing q little something ON r. as they
say In England. The Aero Club OF
America has established q station az
Pittsdeld, Mass, from which place Mrs.
Julian p. Thomas started on the first
balloon excursion made by an Amsri-
can society woman at home, and the
summer colony at Lenox, SIX miles
away, has gone crazy over the ascen-
sions. Other American women than
Mrs. Thomas have taken MP balloon
Ing, but their ascents have been made
mostly In France. Among those who
have gone up there with Comte Henri
de la Vaulx are Mrs. Belmont X. Tiff
fanny, Mrs. Cortlandt b. Bishop, Mrs.
Lorillard ROnalds, Mrs. Newbold Ed
gar, Mrs. William HALLS and Mrs. Oak
ley RhinelandeH The count viii ship
his new balloon to Lenox In October
to take part In the fall races, which
are expected to eclipse the Vanderbilt
cup automobile race ON Long Island.
Recently the English Aero club held
race from Ranelagh to Ingatestone
IN Essex, in which seven balloons COM
peted. Frank Butler In the Dolce Far
Niente won, though owing to light
winds he lacked nine miles Of reaching
the goal Several ladies were pas
sengers in the craft which took part
IN the race.
Like most society fads that of bal,
looming started in that dear Paris. =
whence It speedily few to England and
then across the Atlantic. OF the Brit
ish advocates Of the new sport no one
Ii more enthusiastic than Professor
A. X. Huntington Of Kings college,
who Is also a celebrated authority on
dtrtgible alrships. He looks upon bal
looming a. a healthy, invigoratlng sport
and one which should be ENCOURAGED
IN every possible way.
"Of course ballooning VIII continue"
he says. I'VE mean TO make Il do 60
We have had good deal Of hard work
to elevate the sport to its present pros
porous condition. but the tide has
turned and people are taking up the
idea all over the country. Serious
danger has been eliminated. In charge |
OF a man with a cool head and reason. |
able judgment a balloon Is certainly |
az safe as an automobile, II not safer.
Personally / am very partial to night
trips In balloon. It seems to me that !
conditions are then more favorable,
that the air IL more refreshing and the
views to he obtained more captivating.
1t Is curious how refreshed l feel after
night ascent, and other people know
have had the same experience"
Orders for balloons are simply pour.
Ing in," said a British manufacturer
the other day. During the last two
years an enormous change has taken
place In the character Of our business.
Previously we were occupied with lit
tie else than the construction Of mill
tary balloons for the Indian govern
ment and captive balloons for falrs
and showa Today most Of our orders
come from private individuals who
have seen the pleasure to be derived
from practieing the sport.
with the change In our business
the science Of balloon construction has
advanced until we have conquered
every cause OF danger. We look upon
the bailoonlng craze as useful In every
sense. 1t is a healthy sport and free
from every faint OF professionalism.
Then a large army Of individuals Il
being trained to lnhabit the air and 20
Be accustomed to ascend and deocend.
Thus when the real Siderable balloon
q mechanical airahip arrives we ahAIl