Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1908-07-23
CHICAGO WINS
BALLOON RACE
Long Distance and Endurance
Medals Are Captured by
Col. COey of Chicago.
ALL BAGS LAND IN SAFETY

St. Palu, July 21.-The great inter
national balloon race, the third ever
held in the United States, is over,
with the mammoth Chicago, piloted
by it's owner, Charles A. Coey of
Chicago, the winner, and the Amerl-
can. the st. Paul balloon, piloted by
Can't. Percy S. Hudson and N. P.
Wild, second. The United States or
Minneapolis finished third, the cham
pion Pommern fourth and the baby
King Edward fifth.
The Chicago won both the long
distance and endurance medals.
Although fourth in the long-dlst lnce
race. the Pommern was second In the
endurance tests, remaining IN the air
sixteen hours and fifteen minutes
Chicago Stays Up Longest.
The Chicago stayed in the air sew
enteen hours and twenty minutes,
covering a distance of e1ghty-flVe
miles and landing in field three
at u o'clock yesterday noon.
The American, which finished Sec
Ond. sailed seventy miles, to Ovation
ma. Mimi. remaining in the air four
hours and forty-twO minutes and land
inc in a field two miles east OF the
village at 10 o'clock Saturday night.
The United States, sailing for four
hours and fifteen minutes, covered a
distance of sixty-two miles, coming
down at 10 o'clock of the same even
ing at West Concord, Mimi.
The Pommern, remaining in the air
sixteen hours and fifteen minutes,
traversed a distance of only siXty-one
miles. owing to shifting air currents,
and landed at 1920 yesterday morn
ing. eight miles east of Warsaw,
MINI.
The King Edward, which finished
last, remained in the air only one
hour and ten minutes, landing three
miles south of Hampton, Mimi, a dis
lance of Twenty-Five miles, at 6
o'clock Saturday night.
All the trips were attended by the
best fortune and the landings made
without serious accident
Constant Fight to Keep Up.
From the time the balloons cast off
it was a constant fight on the parts of
the aeronauts to keep them in the air
when night set in and the damp con-
tracted the gas. Further flight was
impossible in the case Of the first
three bags to take fight. The Pom
mern and Chicago succeeded in re-
naming in the air over night, but
flew so low that their guide ropes
dragged along the ground, catching
in fences and trees.
Some idea of the difference in the
fights Of this race and those of the
two previous races may be gained
from the fact that the POmmern at
the st, Louis race sailed $40 miles, re-
naming in the air forty hours, while
in the last race it covered but sixty
one miles and remained in the air a
little over sixteen hours.
The American stayed in the air
twenty-three hours in the Chicago
race, covering over 400 miles, while
in the last race it remained afioat not
quite five hours and sailed seventy
miles.
Put Blame of Gas.
The aeronauts and A. Leo Stevens
balloon manufacturer and one of the
expert air sailors of the world, attrib
utes the poor flights to the gas, which
they claim had a lifting capacity OF
only about fifteen pounds to 1000 GU
bic feet, while the gas required by
the balloons should have a lifting
power of forty-five to fifty pounds fol-
a thousand feet.
The start of the balloon race
which came as the final event of g
week that has been devoted to festivi
ties and pageantry incident to the
conclave of Shriners in ST. Paul, was
witnessed Saturday afternoon BY
thousands of people