Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-07
Saw Alpine Sunrise
From Balloon Basket

| From the London Times
1T was a splendid journey. I only wish
l could describe TO You the sunrise on the
| Alps as We saw Il. The spectacle is one I
| shall never forget"
| Thus Mr.. Leslie Bucknall summed up
the most striking feature OF his remark
| able Journey from wandsworth to Nevey
| which. though In France. Is close to tina
| Swiss border and within twenty eight miles
! of the Lake OF Geneva In sixteen hours
| from leaving the commonplace Of wands.
worth gas works Mr.. Leslie Bucknall and
| his companion. Mr.. Percival Spencer wera
| viewing ali the glories OF sunrise on the
Alps. The record is splendid one. an
Mr.. Bucknall is unfeiguedly elatei at his
/ success
I'VE hesitated.' he said whether W
| should continue our Journey and cross tn,
| Alps into Italy. We would have hsd T.
| rise 10000 or 1900 feet TO clear them ani
We decided that erection was the better
part OF valor: but II l had had an oxygen
apparatus on board should have gone or
Il had on the balloon Vivienne " new
automatic valve of my own invention. l.
Is fixed at the neck OF the balloon and only
opens when the gas In the envelope ex-
pands. In that way there is no escape. nor
IS any air sucked into the balloon IL Is
the first time II has been used and vas
great success. materially assis;int IA
The valve is In addition 10 the usual one
at the top.
Mr.. Spencer used the bed for the first
turn and slept for about three hours but
when 1 came to turn in 1 found water
pouring on me from the balloon as IL a
shower was on. I did not mind. because
wished to all could.
we crossed the channel at Rye and
reached lie Touduet in ffty-five minutes
when We had a big drink OF champagne IN
honor OF the crossing. We saw on our
journey Amens. Reims. Choumant. Epernay
and Bar lie Due. We had the moon till
about o'clock. and then 1t was absolut,
backness till sunrise We could hear AMI
It was indescribably beautiful. the Ginning
OF the clocks in the Swiss churches befor.
we landed.
"Nevey is a quiet quite unknown bit
charming place. So gentle was our land
ing that an eight-year old boy out in the
fields held trail rope. We were given
a splendid time by the French peasants
They brought us hot coffee and rolls. ami
before left the women OF the vilag.
presented us with bouquets. Mr.. Spencer
| gave the greatest assistance; he deserves
! the highest praise for bringing about 50
successful a voyage. Ont OF twenty five
| bags of ballast we only used nine"
Mr.. Percival Spencer at his famous
balloon works. Hghbury when he arrived
after a thirty-two hours journey on ground
over which the ballon had taken sixteen
hours also said the voyage was most en-
joyable I'VE alighted" he stated. in the
lovely valley of the Loup. 1t is In the
French province Of the Jura. l took hrst
turn In bed and found our hair mattress
pillow and rug most comfortable We had
observed that some dark object was follow
ing US below and when we changed watches
Mr. Bucknall remarked: There is that imp
again. and II was some time before we dis
covered that 1t was the dark shadow of our
balloon in the moonlight. When the moon
set we were In blackness. but knew
we were near mountains. for when shout
ed my voice was echoed back within few
seconds.
"Our maximum height was 5000 feet. Wa
rose and fell with great regularity. We
maintained a very level course. We did
a steady thirty miles an hour, but. OF
course were as still If we had no wind.
The minimum temperature was % degrees
Fahrenheit. or I degrees OF frost. About
O'Clock we had our dinner. heated by the
calorate system. and the coffee was most
enjoyable The first man to interview us
was the village cure.