The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1908-07-06
F [LDING BALLOON
MAKES RECORD
SPEED FLIGHT
WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIP RACE SAILS
SOS MILES IN % HOURS AND
II MINUTES.

CHICAGO, July 6.-Landing at .
o'clock last evening. near West Shelf
ford. Que. distance OF sos miles.
the balloon Fielding. OF San Antonio.
/ won the International championship
race over the other eight competitors
which started from the grounds OF
the Aeronautique club OF Chicago,
Saturday evening
Frederick T. Bailey. assistant mana
ger OF the race. computed the distance
travelled by Fielding. owned by T J.
Fielding. OF San Antonio. as s95 miles
II this estimate is correct. the Texas
| balloon sailed % miles farther than
the Pommern. winner OF the ST. Louis
race and holder OF the worlds cham
| pionship. Not only that, but il tray
eled SOS miles in 20 hours and II
minutes. whereas 1t took the Pom.
mern 39 hours and 80 minutes 10 60
s73 miles.
! All OF the balloons, with their
! freight OF IS human souls are safely
( back 10 earth. Several OF the aero
nauts. notably the two who dangled
/ beneath the Columbia, were injured
in landing Capt Peterson had a rib
{ broken and both he and Charles II.
( Leichliter were cut on a barb wire
fence. when they came down in a
farmers field at Clinton. Ont.
| Some OF the balloons had narrow
escapes from falling into Lake Michi'
4 gan and the experience OF the French
entry. Vile de Dieppe, is one OF the
most thrilling chapters in the history
OF aerial travel.
Dragged Through Lake.
For three-Quarters Of an hour the
basket OF this balloon was draggin :
in the middle Of the lake. out OF
sight OF land Her navigator. Capt.
Mueller. and his l7-year-old assistant,
Geo. Schoeneck. Chicago boy. were
up 10 their shoulders in water They
knew the bag was leaking. Not 4
ship was in sight A balloon passed
over them and dipped in an EFFORT 10
rescue them, but rescues In mid air
are not practicable thus far.
They were preparing to cut away
the basket itself and cling to the ropes,
when the balloon SUDDENLY gave jerk,
and shot up into the heavens with
the speed OF a railroad train.
The ropes at one side OF the oas-
ket had been cut, and II hung at a
dizzy angle. compelling the occupants
OF the car 10 hold to the upper edge
TO keep from falling out.
In less than five minutes they were
1000 feet-a mile and a quarter
above the lake, minus all the imple-
ments that an aeronaut deems essen
tial 10 safety. with a bag OF gas leak
ing a little and might be leaking more
at any moment and the clouds so far
below them obscuring the life savers
boat. a black speck that crept out
from over Michigan, expecting TO find
them floating corpses in their cork
life belts.
Heroes of the Race.
In spite OF these vicissitudes Capt.
Mueller and his boy helper landed
without a scratch on the coast OF
Michigan and they were the heroes or
the Aeronautique club last night. be-
ing compelled 10 recite every detail
Of the wonderful voyage again and
again.
According 10 the figures OF F. T.
Bailey, the winner made worlds
record for speed flight. His figures
on map distances differ considerably
from those given and are as follows:
Fielding, OF San Antonio. s95 miles:
Illinois, 545; Chicago, 522: American,
4O2; United States. 3ss; King Edward
335; Columbia, 276; Cincinnati, 10;
Vile de Dieppe. 60.