Los Angeles herald., 1908-11-24
MUELLER SAILS
EASTWARD WITH
FAvORING WIND
BALLOON DISAPPEARS FROM
SIGHT RAPIDLY
CONDITIONS ALL coNDUcE TO
SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT
Plans Made Merely for Experimental
Ascent, but EXCEPTIONAL AdVan-
tages Were Utilized linz
mediately

Capt. Mueller went into the clouds at
II o'clock yesterday morning and mas
not been heard from since.
Conditions yesterday were as favor
able for aerial navigation as they were
unfavorable on the day of Capt. Muel-
lers first attempt The sky was cloudy
but the weather map showed a long
sweep to the east, with the low" in
the most desirable position from an
aeronaut's point of view.
Capt. Mueller watched the sky from
an early hour in the morning, and was
convinced by 10 o'clock that he would
find an experimental flight success
full. Only few persons connected with
Chutes park were on hand to help him
off. The balloon had been filled with
Illuminating gas and no hydrogen gas
was used. During the night it had lost
400 cubic feet, and this was made up
and the basket attached in short order.
The balloon was moved over to the
right field of the ball grounds. The
surplus ballast was unlocked, and after
the American rose clear of the park it
went rapidly northeast. The ascent
was made at 1919 o'clock Capt. Muel-
Ter was accompanied by Joseph K.
Hutchinson, the newspaper man who
went with him on the former trial.
Crowds had been keeping watch for
the balloon, and the windows of the
larger office buildings and the street
corners were soon filled with groups
who gazed at the rapidly moving Amer
lean. It caught the brisk wind to the
east, going upward more quickly as
Capt. Mueller ordered sand thrown out.
Twenty-Five sacks of ballast were car
ried.
Disappears Amid Clouds
Twenty minutes after rising the bah
loon disappeared into the clouds at a
height of 1000 feet. 1t was then going
southeast, and appeared to have struck
exactly the current Capt. Mueller had
hoped for He planned to catch an in
land current that would take him to-
ward the mountains or over San
Bernardino which he would utilize as
far as possible. When he found it no
longer reliable he expected to release
enough ballast to go up considerable
distance in a search for the current
that might be depended on to carry
him toward the Gulf of Mexico or the
Mississippi valley.
Capt Mueller had not counted on
utilizing any such current Sunday night,
his plans being merely to make obser-
vations and descend. He did not desire
to get so far from Los Angeles that he
would incur any delay or great eX-
pense in returning the gas bag. He
was confident when he started yester-
day morning that he would find the
current he hoped for.
genuine balloon race between
pilots of the United States and the
American is now in prospect, the start
being made on a favorable occasion
and based on the knowledge gained
by the trips of Pilots Mueller and
Wild. Dick Ferris has agreed to donate
| the use of the balloons and assist in
making the ascension from an open
| lot if enough money can be obtained
by public subscription to defray the
expenses of the race. He already has
been assured of public support on this
basis.
In case the public support is not
great enough to defray the expenses
the original plan of starting from
Chutes park probably will be adopted.
Those who have been following the
balloon game" are more than ever
! convinced that Los Angeles can be
made a great aeronautic center, and
that it's advantages in this respect ul-
| timately will advertise it anew all
| over the world
Dick Ferris, Frank Leroyxez and
others interested in Los Angeles aero
nautics were disturbed yesterday at
reports published indicating that the
mountain trip of Wild and Leroyxez
was a myth The report arose through
the fact that they anchored about 8
o'clock Monday evening in an orchard
on the Merrill ranch, near Ontario.
| This was after they had gone over
| the mountain range and the balloon
| had swung back in wide circle.
Game Played Fairly
"These stories look as though we
were not on the square," said Dick
Ferris last night. 1--WE have played
fair game clear through. lost
| money on the venture, but, so far as
I was concerned. I did my best. I
could not direct Wild's actions after
he left the earth, and he is responsible
for the record of the balloon. 1t hurts
to sink your money this way and then
! have it rubbed in that you are not
doing the square thing. I have great
| faith in Mueller's ability, but have
learned that it takes these attempts
to know what we can do. This Is
pioneer work and you can't expect
| everything to go like clockwork on the
| start. Tt cost money to find that out,
but I believe before we get through
we will demonstrate that there is
great chance for ballooning on the Pa
cific coast"
az did not hold the aneroid when we
went up Monday evening. but 1t was
certainly bitter cold, and the water
froze in our cans" said LeroyXez. LAS
! far as I could see there was snow on
| the mountain beneath us. Then we
swung back toward Ontario and struck
the Monks ranch. I did not make any
statements when we returned to which
exception can be taken, but they seem
to be shouldering the blame on me-.
think we did the best we could under
the circumstances. but, not being pilot
of the United States, I could not say
what was the exact altitude. we
reached. I know we were away up
and when had the aneroid, while Wild
was taking pictures over Riverside, we
were 5000 feet high"
The fact that Wild took and devel-
oped a photograph of Thomas Monks
and his wife in front of the balloon
before reascending would indicate that
he did not consider his stop at the
Merrill ranch a matter of great
secrecy.