Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1907-01-17

derstnnd exactly what hot air was, 80 I
asked Mr.. Stevens. II you are as ignorant
as was Il may interest you 20 know that
It Is nothing more nor less than the heat
'cmanating from any kind Of fire built IN.
der the debated balloon This. as you
know from your experiments with the
Fourth Of July paper balloons, has an as
occasional power When all the heat has
been caught up IN the bulky envelope Il
rises, aud it continues 20 float 10 the
air until the heat turns into smoke. The
aeronaut with any experience lntuitiveiy
knows when this change Is about 10 oc-
cur, and just before the heat turns into
smoke and the balloon consequently col.
lapses the aeronaut pulls a little tackle
which IS cleverly attached 70 a penknife.
which cuts the trnpe1e on which he sits
from the dangerous balloon, and down he
sails on his parachute. At balloon nscen-
slons I had often witnessed the aeronnut
doing what seemed 70 me TO be the limit
OF human foolhardincss IN performing
trapeze acts while sailing through the air
He would swing from his uncanny perch
on one foot and "chin" the bar ana turn
cartwheea. until. sick with apprehension
! would turn away. l asked Mr.. Stevens
about this. lie said that these aerial
performers are always secured so that
they cannot fan. They are fastened to
ANN IItHNNN ny n nNIl WnICn IN three feet
long. Most aeronnuts work for someone
who controls an entire company OF bal.
loonists. On the last Fourth OF July Ste.
vens had 40 men aud balloons out work
ing all over the United Stairs
The balloonist gets S25 for each nscen-
sion aud all his expenses are paid The
man who sends him out gets Si25 for the
service and Is obliged to furnish the bal
loon and all the accessories. AS n pro.
nj A.
when he was IA years old. aud that time
he says, the man he worked for received
as much as $500 for one ascension,
while out Of that he would pay him $500
or $500. And he made aa many as Eve
ascensions in one week. But the money
was easy come and easy 20, and the bal
loonmaker says that he would wind up
the season just as poor as he was when
he started and he would 20 back TO his
home, In Cleveland, o., where his father
owned an amusement park which was
then known as Beyerlies Park, and later
was known as Forest City. There he
would get position as shipping clerk IN
come mercantile establishment until the
winter months were over
The manner IN which he became a hal.
loonist is amusing and exciting. As
boy he loved 20 tinker around machinery.
lie was omlnently pmctical one dav
his teacher gave him an Appleton's Chill
drcn's Library volume which narrated
the adventures OF two children who Ia
some manner got into balloon and were
borne away. " hen they were sailing In
the empyrean blue they did not know
what TO DO. Eventually, however, as al
ways happens IN an children's stories OF
wellregulated morals, they came TO earth
safe and sound IN limb and body But
the moral was that they had not been
selfpossessed, for II they had they would
hntan
! explained TO them that TO lower the bal
loon all they had 10 do was TO pull a
small rope which all the time had
dangled IN their reach. Stevens thought
that the children were very silly not TO
have discovered the rope for themselves
ana the story, generally speaking, aroused
his contempt but Il set his mind TO rum
ming upon aerial navigation, though nat
utaily that phrase was not In his vocab-
uiary at this time, The fact that a bal
loon could be made 10 rise or sink at viii
was q revelation TO him. and the idea Of
/ traNersing the air as easily as he sailed
the water with his boat fired his lmagi-
ration. he determined TO become an air
sailor, and In all seriousness he preached
the subject 10 his father Ironically the
pateriamilias Informed him that he had
no objection at all; that II he ever man.
aged TO hnd his boat TO sail away Ina be
would be glad TO see him or.
There came TO the park about this
time man named Warden from Lon.
don, who was advertised TO make an
ascension with his balloon. Young Ste.
rens zealously cultivated the aeronaut's
friendship and helped him work about his
balloon, thus learning a great many thiugs
concerning e.
The following Sunday he announced Il
his futher that he was going to make !
TRIP Ia the balloon. His father. thinking
II was but the IDLE boastfulness OF Is
year-old boy, told him TO go right ahead
ln fact he urged him 20 do So Plqne,
uy his fathers sarcasm, the youngstel
picked up his fathers jack-kulfe. Watch
Ing until be saw that there was no ONT
around the hinge bag he stole up the hll
on which 10 was anchored. flc clambcre,
INTO the car gud leaned over and cut m,
rope which held if down on earth. In .
second he shot up into the air with .
rapidly that hcrcft him Of his wits
shutting his eyes tight. he crouched "a
corner ~ the car. cienching the orcn lack
knife IN bis hand. How long he rcmaiuc,
there be himself does not know. Finally
however, bis native spuuk camc back an,
ne stood upright In the car. lie locke.
around him aud saw strange. tcrror-nii.u.
masses OF clouds. When he gazed belor
he could only family distinguish clump
OF blackncss and srreaks OF comethfn,
shimmerng. And as IL gazed be receive,
new fright. lie seemed 10 be eofn,
higher ana higher. The earth was rnpidt,
fading from his sight He says dear Of,
Mother Earth never seemed 30 good 1