The sun., 1908-12-27
A BALLOON IN PARIS
sENSATIONS you CAN GET ON
+" ,PAYMENT OF 500.
A 5ump q Mile Up-TremendouS silence
or the Upper AIr-The Quick Fan
limo Earth From Great Height
I when waking Seems Pretty Coed.


when waking Seems Pretty Goed'
sParis is the only place In the world
that i know OF whore one can hire
balloon said q young American recently
returned from abroad. 'out near Saint
Cloud NySs y professional aeronaut who
owns five or. six balloons and rents them
10 parties for the day. ....... .
sHe belongs 10 the French Aero Club
and uses Its grounds and plant which
manufactures special gas for the balloons.
You can hire balloon for an afternoon
With q competent aeronaut In charge
for, about 500, Of which about 800 is the
cost Of the gas used.
three OF us in Paris last September
decided that trip in balloon was neces-
aurr as part of our European education
ard engaged one of these balloons several
days ahead. AS | had never been much
hlRher than cog wheel railroad in Switz-
erland and a thirty story Office building
IN New rSrk ] endeavored to drop the
matter from my mind; but remember
my dismay on the appointed day when
i awoke TO the sound of Tapping cur
taffis and slamming blinds and realized
that gale was blowing.
Z - ~ = liinched as cheeTfuly as possible
under the circumstances, renarking with
efeat jocularity upon the peculiar splashes
en- the, landscape which each believed
The other would make in case we col
lepead, but I'm sure none of us felt as
funny as we pretended 20 be. We arriv cd
on the grounds Of the Aero Club about
i o'clock. and the wind was blowing about
forty miles an hour. The balloon was
half filed. with gas from pine leading
from the plant and looked like huge
squat brooding hen.
cit was being held down by fifteen or
twenty workmen and sandbags were
booked on the outside of the basket. or
pannier, as they call it. We were intro
duced TO the qeronaut who was to take
us up, and he advised against an ascent
owing to the wind. He was little black
bearded man with the whitest of teeth.
.He knew no English and we little but
cafe and railroad French. and as we failed
10 catch his name we named him Monsieur
Sky; Pilot at which he grinned amiably.
We explained that We left for America
shortly and said we'd take our chances
in the wind, especially as we'd have to
pay for the. gas in any event
sThe huge ball swelled and swelled and
commenced TO. rock to and fro and the
workmep got more and more excited
over holding her. We climbed into the
basket. which was square, contrary to
my expectations. Monsieur Sky Pilot
got very busy unlocking the sandbags
on the outside of the basket, shouting
TO the workmen and endeavoring to
obtain the exact balance.
He explained to us that the start is
really the most disapeeable part of
bailooning. for unless you shoot upward
quickly the balloon may be swept against
houses or telegraph wires or trees. which
Is decidedly unpleasant for the occupants
Of the basket. On the other hand, IL
3hfTe Is not enough weight in the car
~ may shoot upward for miles before
being stopped. and the sudden transition
70 the rare atmosphere causes bleeding
81 the nose and ears
Inside the basket we had water and
provisions for several days in case OF
need. and a great many sandbags While
the aeronsut was adjusting the bags
the balloon was bobbing from side to side
and now and then when gust struck her
she bucked and bounded like a bronco.
lifting the workmen of their feet II
looked as il the whole contrivance would
be swept into the air, workmen and all,
and, one huge fellow with perspiration
running down his face called that they
couldn't hold her any longer.
''You mustl You must!' yelled the
4 I ~. II.
began to wish hadn't come.
After what seemed an age the aeronaut
had everything adjusted to his satisfac-
tion, told us to crouch in the bottom of
Che basketa and as squall struck us yelled:
sEk biea. lGche,i' to the workmen.
rNowl- T'began to think we'd never
stop. That balloon shot upward three
quarters Of mile before it stopped
Just as we raised ourselves to our
knees to peer over the edge the sun went
beliihd d bank OF clouds and down, down
we commepced to 90. We came down
90 far that our guide rope. about 200
yards long. dangled in the trees end some
people shouted at us. Quick work with
the 1sendbags and again we shot upward,
this time going a mile and half high.
/ was peyer 90 thoroughly scared.
The first thing our sky pilot did was
TO pull cord which had been tied about
the bottom Of the balloon. All balloons
have this open space in the bottom. which
acts as safety valve.
sIn the suns rays the gas expands and
is forced out through this opening. II
the cord fails to release it or IL the opening
is not large enough there is no outlet for
the expanding gas and the balloon may
burst. There Is another valve In the
top which may be opened, but it ia
pever used except when on the ground
after q landing The opening in the bot
tom was above the basket and we could
look upward directly to the top of the
balloon, When the sunlight struck
through the cover we certainly, seemed
TO be sailing on air.
4Gradually we stood erect, and with
hands tightly grasping the ropes looked
down. Behind us lay Saint Cloud, with
the palace about the size of a chestnut
and the huge racecourse no larger than a |
billiard ball. Still further back lay all |
Paris, churches, the white bridges,
squares. marvellous sight at which |
forgot our dizzy height.
Some one called TO me from the other |
side of fine basket, aud l took one step |
and then again clutched the ropes. The
floor OF that psnnier was nothing but |