New-York tribune., 1907-10-25
GERMAN LEAD, 6 MILES
FINAL BALLOON SCORE.
More Details of Thrilling dir Race
from ST. Lo?iis.

Washington. oct. 2A-The official airline meas-
uremeut OF the flight OF the two leading balloons
.n the International race from ST. Louis as com
ruted at the geological Survey to-day. follows:
:. Louis Forest Park) TO Asbury Park. s34
miles: 81. Louis G7orest Park 10 Herbertsvile
y J. s57.4 miles,
The Ponmerr landed al Asbury Park and the
1sle de France at Herbertsville.
All Of tile data relating to the anchorage of tho
saloons have been telegraphed 10 Washington. and
,ita preparation Of map o. the flight has been
ta-,n by William Welcn. chief craftsman of
,te signal corps of the United States army It is
exnec.o7 that the Aero Club of America will adopt
these figures and award prizes accordingly.
=. louis oct. 2l--rhe International cup contest
ard -ha di-igib,e balloon races ended. aeronauts
and AERO Club officials were leaving for home to-
-sr T IS expected That the interest aroused here
viii result g ether contests III the near future
T1lera seeras little doubt that determined effort
viii 5e made next year by American aeronauts to
regain the cup this year ny the Germans.
The race next year goes to Germany. The-1hree
American balloons in this wears race. the United
e.ates me America and the st. Louis may again
r. chosen try for the cup. they represent the
latest ideas Of balloon construction. The America,
,.bich finished fifth. IS the only bag of American
construction. its performance was satisfactory in
every particular.
Brigadier General Allen. chief officer OF the
army signal corps who witnessed all the ascents
Omaha that he would recommend that several bal
looms Of the dIrigible type be bought or con-
structed for government experimental work.
Germany won the James Gordon Bennett aero
nautical cup with the war balloon Pommern by a
larger margin than thought. The unofficial
figures gave her lead ot about two miles. but tine
computations Of the Geological Survey give the
German entrant clear lead Of six miles
Both the leading contestants say that they could
have gone much further had not the breakers
doomed
oscar Erbsloeh said yesterday when he reached
-hls city that part Of his victory was due catch
ing fortunate slant of air almost at the start
When he left ST. Louis the balloon veered 10 the
northwest. but he thought he could not go far
IN that direction he ascended to five thousand feet
where ne caught favorable easterly wind.
We had forty-one bags of ballast with us he
said and by midnight had 10 ten Of then,
When daybreak came We rose about fifteen hundred
feet further. and the air warmed felt much
more comfortable. Our charts made it possible 70
keep track of where were until Fort Wash
ington. Ohio was reached. There we had 10
descend TO discover our whereabouts We kept on
going east. gradually rising again to about five
thousand feet. until we saw early Wednesday :
morning the city Of Philadelphia.
When got this far began TO jockey for
wind that would carry north into Massachu-
Fetts. First dropped to three hundred feet, and
then rose to ten thousand feet. but could not
~ ballast left. which would have enabled TO
travel least five hundred miles further. AS
got near the I thought 10 be
safe, We descended. and made easy landing in a
iot Of bushes"
Leblanc and Nix in I,IsIe de France, when they
landed. had been in the air ~ hours and minutes
Had guide rope not caught in some bushes
in Orange County. y. " said Mr. Mix. at the
Waldorf. yesterday. we would have kept right on
10 the last inch Of land, and probably beaten the
Germans. But it's just that kind Of luck that
makes the sport uncertain and interesting. About
the only thing which occurred of interest during the
trip vas when we lost bearings crossing the
Appalachians Fortunately I was able to use my
sextant, being above the Clouds and we soon found
out Just where We were. After crossing the Sus-
quehanna INTO Delaware. hit a northerly cur
rent and instead OF landing IN Southern Jersey as
We expected to- We let il carry north over Will
inington and Philadelphia"
The most exciting trip Of the lot was that Of
Captain Won Abercron and Captain Hans Heide-
mann IN the DuesseldoTf, which landed az Dover,
Del. The wind shifted suddenly and without warn
ing and began 10 drive them out the bay
making necessary a sudden descent
Captain Heidemann was flung 90 the bottom Of
the basket" said Captain Abercron. and the
car unbalanced, that could not reach either
gas valve rip cord Before We could right the
car both lad narrow escapes from being flung out
but once the car righted we landed easily. To
balance the car. however. both Of had TO crawl
our on the edges Of the plunginS basket. 1t was
exciting for few minutes. but it is these thrills
that make the sport worth while
The adventures of the two aeronauts did not end
with their landing for while driving TO the railroad
station their horse was frightened by automo-
hile. The two men who had Joined them were
thrown cut. but Captain Abercron crawIed
over 10 the front seat and seized the reins, hang
the frightened animal after a long fight.
Perhaps Il was because the trip Captain
Chsndler's thirteenth that the America only
finished fourth. Her pilot was J. F. Mccoy who
Kept her in the air 80 hours and % minutes. land
ing the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay, about
seven hunderd and twenty miles from St. Louis
Over Wheeling they were bothered by heat from
tie coke ovens, which made the air currents ca
esseieuf.
The German war balloon Abercron. the smallest
OF the nine. landed near Manassas, Va.