The San Francisco call., 1908-10-12
.BA[LOONDROPS
1900 FEET AND
A[RONAUTSL|Y[
American Contestants in Inter-
national Race Escape Death
as by Miracle
Huge Gas Bag Bursts, Falls
Like Bullet, Then Opens
Into Parachute
Two Occupants Dashed to Top
of House, but Escape With
Slight Injuries

oGNL1N, OCt. 11.-DuiStulS III
midair 1000 feet above the earth, the
balloon Conqueror, with its two
American aeronauts, racing in the in
ternational contest today, plunged
earthward with lightning rapidity,
while 5000 horror stricken spectators
waited with sickening hearts for the
tragedy that seemed inevitable. Two
thousand feet the balloon had
dropped, when suddenly the torn silk
bag puffed out into the shape of a
parachute, the swiftness of the de-
scent was checked, and, gyrating like
huge bird with broken wing, the
great balloon swayed downward with
decreasing velocity, and though it come
to the ground with some violence, the
two aeronauts miraculously escaped
with slight bruises.
Coming close to the earth the basket
smashed into the roof OF a house. but
the two men in the balloon A. Holland
Forbes and Augustus Post, escaped
with but slight injuries.
The race, in which % balloons par
ticipated, representing Great Britain.
France Germany, the United States,
Switzerland, Belgium, Italy and Spain.
started at o'clock this afternoon from
the suburb of Schmargenborg in the
presence of 5000 spectators.
START RACE AMID CHEERS
Amid the strains of america" and
volleys of cheers. the first balloon was
sent away. 1t was the American II, un-
der command of James c.. Mccoy, who
was accompanied by Lieutenant Vogh-
mann. The balloon was decorated with
the stars and stripes and 1t sailed away
to the southeast at a rapid pace, the
aeronauts waving their hats.
representative of each of the other
nations followed the American balloon
in succession at intervals of two min
utes, the national hymn of the re-
spectiye countries ringing forth as the
ropes were cast loose.
The second batch of eight balloons
was led by Forbes in the Conqueror.
which was started with some difficulty
owing to a gusty wind and too much
ballast. But eventually it shot upward
and reached a high altitude in an in
credibly short space Of time, the basket
swaying violently. Then cry of hor-
ror arose from the crowd. They saw
the silk collapse, and shouted:
THE balloon is ripping upY'
Thousands who had gathered stood
>petrifed. Some women and men, too.
with lightning like rapidity. At the
same time showers of sand and ap-
purtenances of the balloon shot down
ward with equal rapidity. Suddenly
daylight was seen through the enve-
lope, great ragged edges of the silk
showing on either side.
They are killed. went in a hushed
whisper through the crowd. The re-
mainder of the envelope appeared to
take first triangular shape and then
was transformed into a sort of para
chute at the top of the net The
progress of the wrecked balloon was
considerably arrested.
1t come down slower and slower,
meanwhile being swept by the wind.
far to the southeast and finally disap-
peared from view behind block of
houses. The suspense in the crowd was
terrible. But a-few minutes later a
telephone message was received from
Fredenau which announced that the
men had landed and had not been seri-
ously injured. A great shout went up
from the people, who threw their hats
in the air for joy The other balloons
were sent up after a brief delay with
out further accident.
TELLS THRILLING TALE
A. Holland Forbes. who appeared to
be very little the worse for his expert
ence, except the shock, gave out to the
press thrilling account of the acci-
dent. He said:
We had some difficulty in getting
away, but once we left the ground
everything seemed to be right. We
mounted almost perpendicuIarly, to an
the recording instrument to make a
note of the altitude / heard a peculiar
swish and said to Post:
\ That sounds dangerous
Immediately / saw that the envelope
was rapidly debating, the gas escapin q
in clouds. l threw the appendix clear
of the basket and the ropes and, draw
the SO bags of sand hanging around
the basket
Post, in the meantime. threw over
everything portable We gould see.
rapidly than some of the elected artf-
cles. Later. when the descent of the
balloon was checked. we observed one
bag OF sand fall into baby carriage.
which was smashed to pieces, but for
tunately the nurse snatched out fhe
baby and saved its life.
Both of us leaped to the ring above
hoping in this way to avoid the crash.
Then above us could be seen the en- :
velope gradually spreading out. we
continued to fall with terrific speed un-
til a sort of parachute had been formed
and then we knew that unless a further
mishap occurred we probably would be
saved from death.
No good reason can be assigned for
the accident. although some attribute
it to the length of the appendix which
was carried. The appendix is a new at
tachment. which was taken along for
an experiment
t;E0RGIA NEGRO I,yycHEn