Evening journal., 1908-09-14
MILE In AIR IN
RENT BALLOON
Three Men Escape Death in
Bay by Cutting the
Anchor Rope
BAG LANDS AT MILFORD

replete with thrilling incidents. DR.. |
Thomas 70. Eldridge. Thomas Ross and |
Lieutenant B. +. Kilgore, of the United
States Marine Corps. who left Point
Breeze Saturday afternoon at $50
o'clock in the balloon Philadelphia. |
landed at Milford, this State, az 1915
a. m. yesterday
In the aerial voyage, which described
an arc of a radius of possibly one hum
dred miles, the intrepid voyagers mar
rowly ESCAPED disaster In many forms.
Once they almost came down in Della
ware Bay, and descended so near tile
breakers that they put on their life
belts, expecting 70 be thrown out. An-
other time their balloon ripped from
the base to. the equator Of bag ana
descended with terrifying speed untn
they stopped the escape Of gas by
leaning far out over the basket to
bring the rent directly underneath the
big bag
Then they we're compelled 10 cut
away the drag-rope and the anchor.
which made a peculiar whistling noise
as It dropped through tho air into the
bay After ell these experiences they
had n combat with a giant bat, which
circled around the basket half an hour.
| following after them in wonder at the
strange thing flying through the ais
/ Several times the bat flew between tho
basket and the bag during which Rll
hands struck at il.
Lieutenant Kilgore, the young marluo
officer who is stationed at League
Island. was enthusiastic over his trip,
and declared that he would not have
missed Il for anything.
Could Destroy Fleet.
1T certainly was a thrilling expert
| ence." declared Lieutenant Kilgore
when DR.. EldridRe, Mr.. Rose and he
arrived at Broad Street Station last
evening.
"a man could annihilate n fleet with
ease from a balloon almost with im-
punity. I only hope that may live
TO command a fleet Of them," he said.
DR.. Eldridge gave a graphic descrip-
tion Of the trip. taking his notes from
his balloon log book
I'VE expected to stay up all night"
said DR.. Eldridge. land took provisions
and extra ballast to last us forty-eaht
haurs We were cut loose at Point
Breeze at $50 p. m. Saturday We
feet we we're caught bv one Of the
lower currents Of air. which carried us
slowly TO the east
1--WE crossed the Delaware river this
side of League Island and then arose
higher TO about 1900 feec For about
two miles we continued almost due
east. ana then we were caught in vari-
able currents, which sometimes carried
MS north. then south. and then west
It had become 6ark by this time and
! there was a heavy mist
conversed at 1000 Feet Distance.
I 1.-THE trip was uneventful until 1isi
i p. m, when we were pn9Ting over Mil
vile, n. J. We were about 200O fee
high. We hailed the town and a mar
2 answered us and told us that the place
was Milville He sail it was sixtser
miles to the ocean and good farm land
between.
mot wishing TO come down IN the
bay or the Atlantic. we threw over
some ballast TO reach a higher altitude
10 trv for a different air current, wher
we suddenly discovered an immense
rip in the bag The tear was bis
one. from the base TO the equator. OF
the middle Of the bag. We fell rapidly
and began making preparations tc
descend, when we looked over and saw
a big forest beneath us.
1--WE threw out more ballast and shot
up in fhe air and savei the gas from
escaping by leaning far out over TIN
basket and bringing the rent directly
a underneath. Our predicament was q
j. serious one At this point the fo'
closed all around U.S. We could no
see two feet ahead. We went alonl
like this without any sente Of direction
p when suddenly we heard the roar O.
s breakers.
I'VE began to fall rapidly now an,
within a few minutes our drag-rope
which was $50 fet in length. was trail
ing 100 feet or more in the bay. w
knew that we would all be thrown owe
/ board within a few minutes. so W
hurriedly put on our life belts ana thei
= began to heave over everything tha
20 we could lay hands on 10 tighten tn
10 ship.
s. Throws Away Anchor.
g 1.-THE balloon arose several hundre
% feet, but began to descend again. whel
= we decided that the only thing to q
" save Allt ndAAp1h ciNN Jul 80
to cut away the drag rope. We le
this go and a moment later we thre'
s. the thirty-five pound anchor over
pit board It whistled through the al
70 with 6 peculiar singing noise.
d Later we rose to an altitude Of 500
m feet, and then took a southerly cours
10 over Delaware Bay. We called ou
W over the side several times for Ian
p but received no echo u tell us wher
ID we were Land, you know, gives u
" the echo and as sound moves at III
nj tie over 100 feet a second, It is a sim
" pie calculation tJascertain just how IA
II away it is The bay is sixteen mile
e wide at the point we crossed on Ion
l. angle and our only hope was stay u
,r until we received an echo and then [
N try to land.
il "Ten minutes later we tried for a
r echo again and were overjoyed to hea
le our call family repeated. 1t cam
II from the west We tried another direc
,e ton and received no answer. We trie
W from another quarter and received an
I'D other answer. The land was 10 th
y north and the west We began
IN descend by this time and few minute
lr later saw green fields. We landed
ID short distance outside OF Milford, q
, the farm of Robert Williams. "
of Thought we had landed on an islan
y, and remained there until mornns