The San Francisco call., 1909-10-31
PhOTO6RAPnfRnAS
! THRILLING JOURNEY
Captive Balloon Breaks Away
and Drags Rider Through
Mud of Slough
Contlnued From Page II


basket, however, and when the gas
bag struck the cart htried to protect
from breakage>the films with him. The
Fairy bounded quarter OF a mile in
the air, bumped again, rebeunded, and
then dragged the basket in smaller
leaps through the grass and tufe, the
mud and slough water. finally settling
within a mile of Dumbarton point, frena
which place Southern Pacific employees
came to the aeronaut's rescue in a
boat. But the tide ran out, tire boat
stranded, and the party struggled
through the mud TO the point, carry
ing the 65 pound silk bag
The photographers inflated the Fairy
at the North beach gas plant early yes
terday morning, and, taking Pierce
Lloyd, an employe of the Pillsbury pic
ture company at ia Geary street, to
chored the bag to Crowley launch No.
s and started around the water front.
Henry Petch. was engineer of the
launch, and Patrick O'Keefe helped IN
managing the balloon.
JOURNEY OVER BAY
A trip was made around past the Pa
cifc Mail dock, the balloon sometimes
being paid out to a height of 500 feet
and again being lowered to within
few feet of the launch, Pfllsbury. ex-
hausted his films in both big pano-
rama cameras and in the grahex he
carried, and signaled to return.
But a strong wind had sprung up,
blowing a gale, and the bag twisted
and careened, while the new three
eighths inch rope mooring 1t strained
to the breaking point Pilisbury sue
ceeded, when close to the launch, In
passing his cameras into the boat, with
some of the films, but then was carried
away on the rope and ducked deep In
the bay as the balloon caIeened and
dropped its basket into the water. Then
1t jerked and twisted like kite, rush
ing back and forth over the water and
dragging Pillshury through storm of
spray. Finally 1t rose again, and Pills.
bury called to make for the Crowley
it was too late. The rope parted near
the basket and the gas filled envelope
sprang into the air until it WAS but
speck of white to the anxious watchers
below. After rising in nearly a straight
line it took a rapid course southwark
and the pursuit began.
Pierce Lloyd took the train for San
Jose, got wind. of the fugitive there.
and landed at Newark as Pil1sbury was
driven into that station from Dunn
barton point, covered with a thick
layer of mud. wet, cold and hungry.
G.. II. Banford, brother in law of the
conscripted sky pilot, crossed the bay
and started southwark. r. Fletcher, an
employe of the picture company, started
south on a motorcycle.
II could not allow the balloon to run
away Wild" Pillsbury explained last
night at his residence, $40 Benvenue
avenue, Oakland, and neither did
care to leave the films I had just got
after so much work. They are good
films. Again, it was not wise for me
to open the gas valve, for the balloon
then would have come down in the
bay stayed with it. though they
shouted to me, when the rope broke,
to Jump. That was out OF the ques-
tion. for the reasons ! have given.
'The trip acress the bay was made
at great height. but when / struck
fog bank above Dumbarton the balloon
began to drop like rock. We struck
land within mile of Dumbarton point.
where the construction work is going
on. and met rather dry land at first.
But the balloon bounced like rubber
ball, and then went into the great
marsh district
Pillsbury could not jump from the