Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-11-14
IS IDEAL POINT
TO START LONG
BALLOON RACES
SAYS LOS ANGELES Is WELL
SITUATED FOR THEM
IF RECORD is MADE, CITY WILL
BE FAMOUS
Aeronaut Wild Addresses Students at
Polytechnic High School, and
Professors lndorse His
Statements

kETF ONE of us wins for DICK Ferrls
and Los Angeles new world S
Il record in ballooning you Will see
all the aero-ticlxs and areonautic bugs
in the world looking toward this city,
declared Aeronaut Horace Wild in his
address at the Polytechnic high school
auditorium last night.
Captain Mueller and Dick Ferris
were too busy taking care of details
for the start tomorrow, and the hon
ors of representing the participants fell
to Wild. The enthusiasm, laughter and
applause of the audience of 220O indl-
Gated he did his share.
The meeting was the first of series
for the winter at the Polytechnic high
school, and because of the timeliness
in connection with the Ferris balloon
race it was devoted entirely to aerial
navigation.
Professors Zerbe and Tw'- ng deliv-
cred addresses on the scientific expert
ments.
Aeronaut Wild spoke of the features
of balloon racing, telling of the con-
ditions confronting the attempt to cross
the mountains and desert, and relating
experiences of contesta - in previous
races.
Progress In Air Navigation
Professor J. b. Zerbe, whose aero
plane at Bimini is nearly ready for
q trial flight, discussed particularly the
progress made in developing the gas
less type of airship. 1.-THE whole world
is awake to the need of a practical
airship," he said, "and more than $780,
000~i- now offered to stimulate the So
luton of this great problem. The en-
thusiasm now displayed stands unique
in the history of industrial achieve
ments. In no other line of advance
ment has there been so great rivalry
on separate continents"
Professor Zerbe, who was member
of the Aero club of Paris and other
aeronautic organizations, is in Gloss
touch with airship progress in all parts
of the world, believes the air=hip Is
destined to eclipse every other enter
prise in magnitude.
He was followed by Professor H. La
" Twining. secretary Of the Aero Club
of California. 1.-The race starting FROM
Los Angeles next week may appeal to
many as q sporting event." he said,
"but it's value is even greater to the
scientists, and those of us who view
1t from that standpoint will watch 1t
with great interest. Los Angeles ought
to be the ideal point for start on the
longest balloon Journey it is possible to
take"
Los Angeles Fortunately Situated
Prof. Twining explained the influence
of the trade winds and the anti-trades.
and from the air travellers point or
view the fortunate situation of Los
Angeles in relation to what Prof. Twin
ing termed "the great air drift,over the
surface of the earth"
1--WE sent up a sounding balloon to-
day to a height of 5000 feet" said Aero
4 naut Wild, in detailing the prepara-
ltions for the race, "and you should
u oh papifio
ocean, That may sound discouraging,
but it is likely to mean that we will
play low until we get well into an
eastern sweep.
"I am confident we will trend south
ward and sweep around the highest
peaks. If the Almighty Is good enough
to Captain Mueller and myself to allow
one or both of us to get on the other
side of the mountains and up into the
Mississippi valley, you will see a Won
derful amount of attention directed to-
ward Los Angeles. 1t is actually use
less to endeavor to predict exactly
what the balloons will do, other
than to say that all of US will make
every effort to reach the Atlantic, and
that is not impossible. The balloons
may both go that far, even across the
great lakes and into Canada. On the
other hand, they may go 200 miles to
the east and then be driven back al
1HOSl " SAihhSo peAA n ooNNAA-s
Pilot at Mercy of Winds
"The pilot Of a gas balloon is at the
mercy of air currents, and by his study
of them and knowledge, of balancing
sand against gas he may pilot his ship
into favorable currents, which will
carry him toward his destination. But
If he fails TO find these he may come
back to where he started.
''The balloons will start with nearly
three tons of sand each, and the more
sand can be saved for the end Of the
tourney, the further we can go. The
pilots Judgment must center mainly
around the spending of his sand, which
to him is so much gold. Can you i'm
agine almost reaching the summit of
the Rockies 9'ld finding yourself un-
able to pass over just because of the
lack of one sack of sand?
I'VE reahze this trip is not without
its dangers If 1 stop to think I can
see the desert and those yawning hills,
with their gaping jaws of canyons
opening for you as you peer over the
edge of the basket, but l don't think
of these things. We want to get across
the country, and we are straining every
nerve for that"
Captain wild entertained his au-
dience with humorous features of aerial
voyages ana related some of the dare
devil escapades of competitors IN the
international and other balloon races.
He predicted the activity initiated by
the Aero Club of California will result
in eventually bringing international
competitions to Los Angeles.
Captain Mueller was called to the
ark yesterday morning to stop escap-
Ing gas in one of the balloons through
a defective valve, and because of the
loss is not willing to risk abseince from
Chutes park except for sleep until both
balloons are safely filled. The neces-
sary gas from the local company's sup
ply was put into the america" yester-
day. and last night it was connected
with the hydrogen gas tanks. The
UNITED States" was partly inflated
with coal gas yesterday and the work
of filling both will be completed today