The Detroit times., 1908-07-07
||ELDING BALLOON
makes RECORD
SPEED FLIGHT
MINER or THE INTERNATIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIP RACE SAILS
sss MILES IN 70 HOURS AND
~ MINUTES.

CHICAGO. July 6.-Lhnding at 5
Fclock last evening. near West Shelf
Ord, Que, distance OF sos miles,
~ balloon Fielding, OF San Antonio.
ron the International championship
zee over the other eight competitors
xhich started from the grounds OF
ne Aeronautique club of Chicago,
saturday evening.
Frederick T. Bailey. assistant mana.
4 Yer OF the race, computed the distance
Iraveled by Fielding, owned by T. j..
fielding. OF San Antonio, as Ss5 miles.
X this estimate Is correct, the Texas
hnlloon sailed % miles farther than
<he Pommern, winner of the st. Louis
rece and holder OF the worlds cham
Iionship. Not only that, but IL tray
lied sos miles In % hours and II
minutes, whereas Ii took the Pom
morn SO hours and 35 minutes to go
173 miles.
All of the balloons. with their
freight OF Is human souls, are safely
back TO earth. Several OF the aero
1auts. notably the two who dangled
beneath the Columbia, were injured
IN landing. Capt. Peterson had rib
Broken and both he and Charles Il.
[>eichliter were cut on a barb wire
Hence. when they came down in a
FARMERS field at Clinton, Ont.
Some OF the balloons had narrow
oecapes from falling into Lake Mich.
Enn and the experience OF the French
0ntry, Vile de Dieppe. is one OF the
most thrilling chapters in the history
of aerial travel.
Dragged Through Lake.
For three-quarters OF an hour the
Basket of this balloon was dragging
I'M the middle of the lake, out OF
&G1ght OF land. Her navigator, Capt
Mueller, and his l7-year-old assistant.
Geo. Schoeneck, a Chicago boy, were
Eup to their shoulders In water. They
NEW the bag was leaking. Not
{6h1p was In sight. A balloon passed
|0ver them and dipped In an effort 10
|roscue them, but rescues in mid air
.nre not practicable thus far.
They were preparing TO cut away
the basket itself and cling TO the ropes,
when the balloon SUDDENLY gave jerk.
E0ulled the basket out of the water
4 and shot up into the heavens with
The speed OF a railroad train.
81 The ropes at one side OF the bas-
< net had been cut. and IL hung al
dizzy angle, compelling the occupants
Eof the car 10 hold TO the upper edge
No keep from falling out.
4 In less than five minutes they we're
M 900 feet--a mile and a quarter
|Above the lake, minus all the imple-
|xnents that an aeronaut deems essen
Nal To safety, with bag OF gas leak
ing little and might be leaking more
E0t any moment and the clouds SO far
below them obscuring the life savers
A boat. a black speck that crept out
from over Michigan. expecting 10 find
Them floating corpses In their cork
! 1ife belts
Heroes Of the Race.
In spite Of these vicissitudes Capt
EWueller and his boy helper landed
Without a scratch on the coast of
Michigan and they were the heroes OF
NE Aeronautioue club last night. be-
ING compelled to recite every detail
|& the wonderful voyage again and
<6eAin.
According TO the figures OF F. T.
[Beiley, the winner made a worlds
ocord for speed fight. His figures
m map distances differ considerably
rom those given and are as follows:
Fielding, OF San Antonio. S95 miles:
n1nois. 545; Chicago. 522: American.
VA: United States, 1888; King Edward,
IS; Columbia, 276; Cincinnati, 10;
VILE de Dieppe. go.