The Washington herald., 1909-10-08
AERO RACERS LAND
Narrowly Escape Death in
Thirty-six Hours in Air.
FARMERS ATTEMPT CAPTURE
-
Joseph O'ReIIiy and :. LOuiH Won
Phul, Unofficial Winners of Cups,
Land at Mile Lac, Minn.-McGin
Nearly Frozen to- Death I'm Balloon
Indiana, Which Was Fired At.

NJ. Z. Honeywell and his aid, J. w.
Holland, with their balloon Centennial.
at s.21 yesterday afternoon. 495 miles from
st. Louis. on a farm seven miles east OF
Silas. Ala. the race for 5000 cubic-foot
balloons. which started IN ST. Louis Mon
day Afternoon. was finished.
The balloon st. Louis No. 3, S. Louis
Won PhuI, pilot, and Joseph H. Orally
aid wins the race and the Lahm cup
also having travelled $40 miles. landing at
Mile Lac. MINI. The Indiana finished
second. 525 miles. landing at Albany
MINI; the Centennial third. with E5
miles; the Cleveland fourth, with 44
miles. and the University City fifth with
2O4 miles
The first three balloons Of the race
broke the Lahm cup record OF 40 miles.
The other balloons in the race finished IN
the following order.
Pommery sixth, with l62 miles; New
York seventh. with l46 miles The Hoos-
Ter, disqualified for the race on account
OF lack Of licensed pilot, Travelled 122
miles
Pass Through Minneapolis.
Minneapolis. Oct 7.-Joseph O'Reilly
and ST. Louis Won Phul came through
Minneapolis this afternoon. after a zoo
mile flight from ST. Louis. Il was O'Reil-
ly's first ascension and Won Phurs six
teenth. although the latter never before
participated IN race
Landing at Wahkon yesterday morn
ing the aeronauts drove twenty miles
early to-day, caught the Great Northern
train from Duluth ct Moro. and got into
Minneapolis at 4:45 o'clock
The aerOnauts talked enthusiastically
Of their trip. They crossed the Mlssis-
sippi River into Illinois. but adverse cur
rents carried them back over ST. Gene
We've, Mo. They Travelled west all Mon
day Right and daylight found them over
Bonneville. No. and noon over Glasgow,
No. Glasgow came near being their
hOodoo. for they found themselves three
separate times passing above this town.
Everything Thrown Out.
Discouraged and indignant they threw
overheard everything they could spare.
Clothing. accessories. awnings. everything
went except one orange. q bottle OF
water, and their recording instruments.
At 79O Tuesday they were over Lexing-
ton, Mo. and then began the long flight
northward. When they came down at
Wahkon they had sighed Mile Laos and
thought It was Lake Superior. They re-
ported great difficulty IN getting any In
formation OF their whereabouts. The
greater part OF the trip was made at
height OF between LOCO and 1000 feet
W. II. McGinL pilot OF the balloon IN
diana, and John Schauer. assistant. were
near death three times in forty-two
hours They reached Minneapolis this
morning from Albany, where they landed
yesterday after one Of the most harrow
ing experiences ever falling 10 the lot Of
aeronauts. The were IN the air from
Monday at o'clock until Wednesday
morning at Il o'clock. and sailed 30
miles
McGnl was sick soon after the getaway
from ST. Louis. Schauer had TO massage
mis- limbs TO keep the blood in circulation,
so intense was the cold.
When they reached the northern border
OF Missouri they found delegations Of
farmers hunting balloons. Il seems a
report reached the rurals that a number
OF toy air craft had been sent up from
St Louis and that & prize OF S25 would
be paid for their capture
Seized by Farmers.
McGn and Schauer were sailing close 70
the ground. and at one time four farmers
seized their trailer and attempted 10
pull the balloon 10 the ground. The oc-
oupants demonstrated and succeeded in
persuading them TO desIst after much
parley.
Except for the extreme cold and Nc
CHS malady. the flight was without in
cldent until o'clock Wednesday morn
ing, when Southern Minnesota was
reached. McGil was stretched out IN the
basket and Schauer was vigorously rub
bing his companions benumbed members,
when they heard a bullet whiz near by.
Greatly alarmed, they jumped for the
edge Of the basket and looked down.
They were about 500 feet from the earth.
Below In a pasture they saw young
man with a rife. He shot again as the
frightened balioonists frantically waved
and shouted. Apparently astonished, the
youth dropped his rifle and began run
ming