Los Angeles herald., 1908-11-10
AERONAUT TALKS
OF COMING RACE
TRANSC0NTlNENTAL TRIP IS
DIFFICULT ONE
OPPORTUNITY GIVEN TO STUDY
BALLOON SCIENCE
Aviator Explains Necessity for Thor
Aviator Explains Necessity for Thor.
ough Knowledge of Handling Air
Craft When Passing Over
Mountain Peaks

There never was such trip in the
history of the world" exclaimed Aero
naut Wild yesterday, as he completed
his maps in preparation for his trans
continental race with Capt. Mueller
from Los Angeles next Saturday. 1T
offers more opportunities for exercise
of the science of ballooning than any
voyage ever dreamed Of
IN any of the continental races
abroad the winds always have so pre-
vailed that within a few hours after
starting the balloons were at the ocean
front. In the most ambitious race at
tempted in this country, from ST. Louis,
there was distance, but not nearly
what we have. The mountains have
never been crossed in the manner we
will have to cross them to be success
full; even the Swiss mountains have
never been passed by balloons But in
addition we not only have two noun
tain ranges but long eXpanse of desert
Whicn is not, as many people think,
level plain but is studded with hills
and mountainous peaks which are
dangerous to the balloonist.
What may be called good balloon
ing involves as many difficult and
technical points as any science. For
instance, you may look at the gauge
and find you are at an altitude of $500
feet, and at night, so far as, you can
tell by sight, you are that distance from
the ground. Suddenly your trail rope,
which hangs down 375 feet, strikes
something, and you know you are over
a mountain ledge. Now, suppose soon
there looms in front of you the adja-
cent peak, toward which the balloon is
rapidly moving. If the silken envelope
strikes against the rocks and the bal
loon is torn, you may be thrown to a
deaths gulch where no man ever has
been before, and because of which you
never will be heard from again.
knowledge of how to raise or lower the
balloon properly then involves your life.
"And it requires trained skill to
handle a balloon at any time. A bal
loon going down is like ball rolling
down hill; it gathers momentum in its
descent, and if started too rapidly 1t
will soon be dropping at perilous rate.
On the other hand, if it is checked too
suddenly, it will go up twice as high
as 1t fell. A case like that Is known
as bad ballooning."
BY working all day and all night,
Capt. A. E. Mueller, who has charge of
constructing the hydrogen gas plant
for the balloon race, expects to be ready
to make gas tomorrow morning.
The plant is complete with the ex-
ception of IL few details and only the
equipment remains to be arranged.
Ten tons of iron filings are expected at
10 o'clock this morning. Six drums
of concentrated sulphuric acid, weigh
ing 1900 pounds each, are already on
the ground with six more to be deliv-
cred. The water pipes have been laid
and the gas pipes from the street mains
are to be laid today. If everything
goes well, gas will be flowing at
o'clock tomorrow morning and the
greatest part of the work will be done.
The balloons will be filled in the ex-
treme left field corner of the ball park,
but Sunday they will be moved over to
the diamond so that the grand stand
can see. There they will be equipped in
full view of the crowd, and men with
megaphones will explain everything
that is done.