The Washington herald., 1909-04-25

Alarm that had increased to intensity
was fit in Washington at an early hour
tbs morning for the safety Of Lieut..
Fra P Lahm. United States Signal
Corps. and two companions, who sailed
rom the city yesterday noon in q spheri-
al balloon
Among the newspaper associations and
the correspondents last night existed a
sentiment, born Of fear. that the balloon
ad landed in the waters Of Chesapeake
Bay. IN an effort to obtain news Of the
air craft messages were sent 10 every
available point. and correspondents OF
many towns and villages were instructed
10 be on the lookout for news Of the leu
tenant and his mates
Promise 10 His Wife
Lieut. Lahm left Washington IN the
company OF Lieut.. Benjamin D. Foulois.
and Lieut.. c. T. Bamberger. Lieut..
FouIols, before making the asoenssoa.
made the positive assurance 10 Mrs. Fog
lois that he would send a message =
soon as be landed IN the message.
said. he would Indicate his safety au5
notify as 70 whether lie would returA
10 Washington f. ne course OF ths
night.
Inasmr as ~ was 70 5e OF tTe
ho'-- atica Zf Toulois. when Iass
n..onigat had pasesa = thout her husba1d
sending the promised message. became il
tensely alarmed
At O'Clock this morning messages seat
to Norfolk Va. for news Of the missing
balloon were answered with dispatches
that nothing had been seen or heard q
the craft OF the men who manned IL
All Of the cities and towns within a rae
dius Of 10 miles OF Washington vera
queried relative 10 news Of the men or
balloon. but no information vas obtain
able
May Have Reached Ocean.
II was intimaIed that the comparatively
high wind might have carried the dirigibie
as far out as the Atlantic Ocean Know
ing the wind was blowing from eighteen
TO twenty miles an hour, the men carried.
life preserves. anticipating they would be.
carried down the river and toward thei
bay.
1t is hoped a landing was made IN a
sparsely populated portion Of the Vir-
ginia peninsula. that the navigatOrs have
been unable 20 reach a telegraph station.
Capt. c. F. Wallace. one Of the expert
aeronauts Of the Signal Corps. who has
made several trips out OF Washington
with Lieut. Lahm, asserted the men were
under orders TO communicate with head
quarters should they make landing. He
expressed surprise al their failure 20 not
ify friends Of their safety
The balloon is spherical No Il. OF $500
feet capacity-One OF the big yellow bal
looms purchased from Capt. 7. s Bald
win last summer. The ascent vas made
TO train the officers in initiating the en-
velope.
Under favorable conditions the big bag
with It's three passengers hoisted anchor
at Twelfth and N streets southeast The
Signal Corps aeronautic squad Of fourteen
men was on the ground when the infia-
ton began, at 10 o'clock
Strong Wind Blowing.
The wind was blowing fifteen miles an
hour when the bag was half-fIied, and
the squad was kept busy controlling It
The shifting OF ssndbags and other ma
neuvers were carried out by whistle sig
nal. Coal gas was used for inflating pur-
poses.
In addition TO the cork life preservers
the balloonists took self-recording in-
struments, Thermometers. a barometer.
and the maps OF the country over which
they expected 10 pass.
Before casting loose the stays Lieut.
Lshm said they were not going 70 try
for any records. and that the trip would
be short one The ascent was swifter
than usual and when last seen the yellow
spherical bag was drifting in a south
easterly direction