Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1906-04-13

20 Cross American Continent aud
Reach south Pole by Balloon.
Ballooniug is an old story for Count
Henri lie la Naulx. the famous French
~ballooaist. who recently came TO the
Quilted StateS from Paris 10 give Amer
leans the benefit or his experience in
~pronen0diuS through or, rather. above
The clouds and who has been making
asccnslouS Cor the Aero Club OF Amer
lea. says the New York Herald. Rut
though lie has made almost q as.
cents. he Is more han ever fascinated
10y the sport and looks forward to the
time In the not distant future when it
will take its place beside yachting aud
automobiling as an attraction for men
and womcn ~ wealth and courage.
by virtue OF having travcrsed the
greatest distance In a balloon and re-
naming abort the greatest number OF
hours Count dc la NaulX ls the worlds
premier 0~e"onaut. His record. made
more than live years ago. when la
sailed from Paris To the province OF
hIev, Ia Little Russia, a distance OF
l.25O miles is still supreme. although
another was the victor In a similar
contest last October.
AS Count lie la vaulx views II, bal
looming Is a sport with only lust
enough danger involved In II 10 give Il
IA spice OF excitement. In all OF his
a~scents, many OF which were made In
the company OF men OF great promI.
hence I'm France. he has met with not n
single accident, although he has had
several narrow escapes. He was the
first Ia cross he English channel In a
balloon from France northward. tray
cling from Paris 10 HUI. 800 miles. In
seventeen and three-quarter hours.
Twice be has essayed to cross the
Mediterranean. and. though he was
driven back by head winds. he proved
the feasibility OF dlvertlng the course
Of a balloon more han thirty degrees
by means of II deviator dragged
through the sea behind the airship.
Count dc la NaulX's most notable ex-
periencc was when he made n new rec
ord. which still stands, I'm the first
great balloon race from Paris In 1900.
but he has a more exciting expert
ences On other trips.
one ~ my most thrilling adven
lures he says. was In one OF my
earliest flights when In with
Nj. Mallet | sailed directly over the
blazing furnaces OF Llegc. We had IA
thousand meters OF highly inhammable
gas In the balloon. and until we finally
passed over the city at II dangerously
near height we could not be sure that
the next instant there would not be an
explosion over our heads which would
leave us at the mercy of gravltatlon.
Every preparation had been made
for "A long journey. as | was anxious TO
go as far as possible. We left Paris
with a favorable northeast wind at q
o'clock one evening In the autumn OF
sos. Before us a few gray clouds
hoated, and soon we saw the lights
twinkling out I'm the villages beyond
ST. Denis. A little later the moon rose.
and the fairyllke glamour II shed on
the sweep OF country made the most
beautiful picture | had seen up to that
time. Scarcely 200 meters above the
ground, we passed ovcr hills. plain and
forest. We could hear the dogs bark
Ing In the villages. and even the sound
or mems voices fioGted up TO us now
and then. The tramp OF horses hoofs
on the pavements and the rolling OF the
wheels OF carriages came up TO us az
vague wbisperings. Then u little far
thcr along the Meuse spread across our
path In a sllyery streak just ns we
passed out OF a little fog.
Nothing more beautiful and peace
ful could be imagined or more In con
trast with the scene which flashed up
on rs out OF this calm a few minutes
later. We first espled a blaze OF light
on the horizon, and as we sailed near
er the lurid light became stronger un-
Gil the whole sky seemed to be on Ere.
As the flames shot up from hundreds
OF furnaces the scene seemed TO me TO
be nothing less han Dantesque. The
Inferno Itself seemed TO be directly
ahead Of us. and we could well sympa-
thiZe with those whose eyes were fas-
cinatcd by the Inscription. Abandon
hope all ye who enter here
For Il few minutes as we were
driven nearer and nearer toward the
flames We were so fascinated that we
did not realize our peril, but suddenly
II flashed upon US hat we must on the
Instant mount higher In the air If we
did not want TO be roasted. We threw
out some ballast. and the balloon rose
about go meters. but Il was none too
high. as we found "a few minutes later.
Every Instant the cOnhagratiOn seemed
10 gain i'm power. the FIRE belching
from the great tunnels and roaring
with a noise that was indeed sinister
for MS as II shot upward. Rarened by
the heat. the air threatened 20 suck ~
Into hat burning whirlpool.
I'm q dim sort Of way we realized the
tremendous activity OF the pygmies.
who seemed to us 10 be working right
iu the heart OF the flames. Hammers
were rcboundlng on enormous anvlls.
steam drills were kissing. aud men
were shouting orders here aud there.
From our height 80 looked 20 us az n
the very world were ahre Rut : need
not tell you that we passed over the
furnaces safely. and o. short time later
we made q landing IN q pine forest
ear HOstock.
=
Zone persons are 80 enRrOaaed IN
schemes FOR improving humanity that
they forget the common courtesy and
kindllness due 10 those around them
every day. BY virtue Of ourselves be.
ing human we owe service to cycry
ether human being. Even n we cannot
serve in ary other way than In merely