The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-11-15
OSCAR ERBSLOEH, WINNER OF THE
WTERNA 1TONAL BALLOON RACE.
TELLS OF HIS WONDERFUL TRIP

all mankind. You have no time for reao.
ing or for games: you are kept too busy.
You have to watch your instruments, and
when you are not doing that you can lean
over The side of your basket and look
down Before your eyes you have an ever
changing panorama You are simply 1aS-
cinated-
You may say Go to the mountains,
and there YOU will nave beautiful seem
cry" That is true. but you will have a
hard climb and before you reach the top
of the mountain you are so tired when
YOU arrive that you don't care about the
scenery. All you want is rest. When You
have all the rest you want you look about
and see the scenery.
Blu; when 1 am up IN my balloon ! have
a change OF scenery and the picture ne
fore your eyes is so magnificent thai YOU
cannot help but looking at ii all the
time.
never get tired. Take a TRIP in 81 balloon
and ] as. you YOU will want TO take
another one. There is no danger OF q
collision.
The Danger Is Slight.
All you have TO do is to. watch YOUR
barometer. If Non don't you may go a
sudden drop and perhaps break a few
bones: hut there is no need for worry
SO lot.g as things go as they should. An
WV "a tIR .tOSS VI UdljOOillI1S Ii tle pliS,
clear air YOU enjoy. The higher YOU rise
the clearer the air gets.
Danger? There is none to speak of.
Many persons believe that q man in q bal
loon IS joited about unmer.ifully. Moth
ing of the KIND You simply glide along.
You are part of the ar current. In the
daytime you rise and fall considerably.
This is due to the fact that you are seek
ing currents in the air. also because of
the changing atlnOSuhere.
Our charts tell US that we sail along
allnost in Il straight line in the night
time.
Our balloon was over 1000 feet in the
air when we passed over Dayton, o. We
had Il beautiful view of tina. town. Ii
was a few minutes before sunset when
ne crossed the Ohio and sailed in the di-
rection OF PittsburE. Al first we saw the
lights Of that city. Then by lowering our
altitude we could distinguish the rail-
roads along the i1vcr and could zee the
poStro.ds.
Other Points Of Guidance.
There were other marks of Identification
which told US our exact locality.
1t was shortly before II p. n. that we
saw tbs Lights OF Altoona. 1t was q beau
tifui sight, but the THERMOMETERS had drop
ped pretty close to the freezing point. We
were warm, however, for We wore our
heavy coats and had our legs wrapped
well in blankets.
Our last night IN the air was rather un-
eveEtful. ct was shortly before daylight;
that We neared Philadelphia. We had
crossed the Schnykill river about daylight.
l was ready to cross any piece of water,
provided ! could see the bank on the other
side OF It. But now We were nearing a
piece of wafer which seemed to have but
one shore.
Too bad! Our journey had come tc AT
end. We could not cross that water ahead
of us. IL was the great Atlantic liz we
had only gone a little more to the north.
There was plenty Of ballast remaining.
plenty OF gas. plenty OF provisions. and We
But the ocean told us 10 come down. so
we got ready to descend.
As We were nearing .Asbury park ! threw
out the drag anchor. 1t did not catch
properly and there was great danger tina
We might have a xerious collision with a
telegraph pole and u lot OF wire. so we
quickly threw cut five bags of sand.
bounded upward and actually jumped over
the telegraph poles and wires.
Second Attempt Successful.
Then We made another attempt to de-
scend, and this time We we're successful
and our landing was made in good shape.
Nothing broke. We got out Of the basket
as quickly as we could and a few minutes
late, there we're hundreds or good people
there to extend to US a friendly welcome.
Somebody offered me $40 for q fag. |
told him that we had nothing for sale, but
when ] heard a man address me in my
native tongue ] was only too glad 10 pre-.
sent Linn with the colors OF the Father
land.